In 80% of cases*, it's YOU!

(* Pareto's Law)

So what are you going do about it?

Is continuing to do what you've always done yet expecting to get a different outcome a realistic option?

Take Action

I suspect that you have landed here because someone you trust has told you that you'd benefit from talking to me.

Why?

  • I was a serial entrepreneur with 7 successful exits — and I have the scar tissue to prove it.
  • Many of my clients over the last 25 years (since my final exit) are now millionaires.
  • I won't tell you what to do, but I will ask you the difficult questions.
  • Most importantly, I will hold you accountable at all times.

Why Not?

Please don't book a call if:
  • You can't give me a compelling reason to want to work with you.
  • You don't want to improve your business.
  • You fear change.
  • You fear being challenged.

I don't have time to waste. Do you?

As the Chinese proverb says, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Lao Tzu).

So if you are determined to scale new heights with your business, to "Soar Above Clouds™", what are you waiting for? Book a call with me NOW!

Book a Call

My Results

What Clients Say

Many of my clients have kindly provided testimonials and case studies. These are a selection of those real stories from real clients that show the difference I make.

Testimonials

Not Afraid to Challenge

Prof. Chris Bones
Entrepreneur and Former Dean of Henley Business School

Philip first worked with me when I was the CEO of the Henley Management College just before it merged with the University of Reading to form the Henley Business School. His “Slaying Dragons” process was integral to how two diverse business schools were merged successfully into one.
He has been a great mentor over many years, and has played a pivotal role in guiding me as an entrepreneur and business owner post academia.
Philip highlighted the importance of identifying what success looks like, and what my long-term goals were with regards to exiting the business. Being clear about this meant that I could make better choices, and deliver bigger and better outcomes, for both me and my business.
He is honest, direct and, no matter how uncomfortable the message he has to relay, I know he is always on my side. He is truly the growth guru.

Increasing Value

Barry Lea
Managing Director, Nephi Ltd

After 24 years of running my company, I asked Philip to help prepare it for sale.
The most important thing Philip taught me was to recognise the value of intellectual property in the business. I hadn't realised how established my brand was in the market before this point, and the revelation was pivotal when it came to the sale itself.
Philip’s counsel was always very wise, and whilst he never shied away from difficult situations, he got on well with every member of the team. He also did a great job of preparing me for life after the sale of the company.
I would thoroughly recommend Philip and would have no hesitation to call on him again should I need to.

Business Nous

Ermine Amies
Managing Director (Europe), International Council of Shopping Centers

I retained Philip to facilitate strategic development with a high powered, multinational association of board members. He quickly grasped the key issues, and used his "Slaying Dragons" process to enable 40 people from 27 countries, each with competing priorities, to consider the issues and develop future plans effectively.
I was concerned that this strategy workshop had the potential to fail spectacularly. However Philip swiftly picked up on the interpersonal relationships and politics, and handled well some hard issues that emerged on site.
He has now been my mentor for almost 18 months, and is someone I have come to trust implicitly.
He faces difficulties head on and assists his clients with insight and good business nous.

Case Studies

Chemical Engineering Company

OBJECTIVE
To work with the owner and senior management team to prepare the company for sale.
The owner was in his late sixties and wanted to retire. Shortly before Philip was engaged, the Company was valued at circa £2.5m by a global firm of accountants. The owner’s aspirational price was £4m.
Profits fell during the engagement as considerable effort was put in to make the company more saleable.

OUTCOME
The Company was acquired by a competitor for £6.4m.
What was remarkable was that the buyer increased their offer by £0.2m after the due diligence phase.

Psychometric Testing Company

OBJECTIVE
To work with the Board to grow this family owned and run business, and ready it for any possible sale in the future.
The founder had died shortly before Philip's engagement, and the family was unsure of how best to on his legacy.
The business was breaking even but with no plans to, or prospect of, growth.

OUTCOME
Philip quickly realised that the company needed to transition from a paper based service provider to a software as a service (SaaS) one.
He mentored the Board through the process of

  • hiring a software development team that could develop and maintain the new SaaS model
  • engaging an outside agency to design and build the web based front end
  • undertaking a full corporate rebrand, including the renaming of the company
  • creating a PR and marketing strategy and its implementation
  • engaging a bookkeeping service to help manage cashflow
After 5 years of work, the company was transformed into one of the leading players in the EduTech space.
Philip's final act was to manage the sale of the company to a buyer who had been tracking this client since before the founder's death.

Financial Services Training Company

OBJECTIVE
To help the founders grow the business and create a strategy that would enable them to eventually exit the company.

OUTCOME
Philip identified that the business model was inefficient, and that certain skillsets were missing within the team.
By changing the business model, and having applied it to historic data, future profits increase by more than 500%.

Open Source Technology Services

OBJECTIVE
Engaged by the owners to help them grow the business and prepare the company for an eventual sale over a three year period.

OUTCOME
The company was sold for £4m.
The eventual acquirer had tried to buy the company for £0.5m at the very start of Philip’s engagement.

Mentoring Style

I'm going to take you on a long journey. This requires commitment, focus and rigour from you — expect homework, and expect to be held accountable for both it, and for commitments that you make to implement agreed changes in your business.

As a former serial entrepreneur, I understand how difficult it can be to make the right decisions when caught up in the emotion of running a company. My role is to provide support and guidance using coaching, facilitating and sometimes the odd bit of coercion as you implement our agreed strategies. To quote a past client “Philip has got a special skill — he gets you to think differently”

So what does working with me involve?

Every business, and every leader/owner/entrepreneur is different. This means that there can never be a "one size fits all" solution to any issue that might arise.

Every session must be tailored to your needs — I never know what's needed until we start work on the day. I can quote numerous I've needed to improvise at a session because something needed to be addressed immediately, so pushing back what we had originally planned to do.

After the initial Discovery session, which takes 3 to 4 hours, we have a monthly, all day, face to face meeting. These can just be between you and I, or they can involve you and you team. Frequently, they are a combination of the two.

In between these meetings, I always provide (reasonable) email and telephone support as issues will always crop up that cannot wait for our next session.

If a more hands-on approach with implementation is needed, my "black book" of professionals in my trusted network is at your disposal.

The outcome is that, together, we transform your business so that it grows substantially, while increasing shareholder value.

More than 95% of my clients come via personal recommendation, so you can be assured that you’re in safe hands working with me. I believe that my results speak for themselves.

Who is Philip de Lisle

Since 2002 I've been a professional mentor to business owners and C Suite executives, after a 20+ year career as a highly successful entrepreneur. I've learnt the hard way how to grow a business, and have the scars to prove it.

The key to being a good mentor, in my opinion, is to be curious; both about the business and the individuals being mentored. For the last 25+ years I've been fascinated by how a company (any company) works. What I've learnt is shared with my clients.

My skill is in identifying the challenges and opportunities that organisations (such as yours) face. Armed with this information, I can support you and your business as it transitions into the successful and profitable operation you’ve always dreamed of.

That's quite a claim I know. But as my results show, I'm confident about making it!

My mission is to challenge business leaders so that they can Soar Above Clouds™

Why do I do this?

As a former successful serial entrepreneur, I know how to grow businesses. During my career, I founded 11 companies worldwide, 7 of which I sold, and bought a further 15, across diverse industries including telecoms, software development/IT, advertising and PR, and the motor industry. I am truly industry agnostic!

"Retiring" in 2002 aged 43, I quickly got bored. Luckily I was asked to chair a number of companies, kick-starting my portfolio career. This taught me how others manage their businesses, and just how challenging it is to focus the diverse opinions and cultures that makes up a Board of Directors.

My first mentoring client was the CFO of a FTSE500 company, and my client list grew from there. I am very selective of the clients I take on, as I need to ensure that I'm always "present" whenever I'm needed. Engagements rarely last less than 3 years, as effecting change in an organisation is like trying to steer a supertanker — it takes time!

For over 20 years I've worked with companies all over the world, and across every sort of industry and sector (see the experience section of my LinkedIn profile).

Helping clients transform their businesses, as they grow and become more profitable, is a huge privilege. I’m humbled that some of them have described me as the "Growth Guru”.