From failing business to multi-award winning success – Graeme Hall, Brandon Medical
This week we speak to Graeme Hall, Executive Chairman of Brandon Medical.
Graeme shares with us a great template for turning around a failing business, navigating selling into the NHS, the importance of company culture and values and also gives a simple, but really useful guide on how to start exporting.
INTRODUCING GRAEME HALL
Graeme is Executive Chairman of Brandon Medical and Co-Owner with his brother Adrian. He also serves as a Director of Medilink North of England, a professional association dedicated to growing the Healthcare Technology sector and is Chairman of the Hospital Turnkey Suppliers Association.
Graeme was awarded ‘Director of the Year’ by the Institute of Directors in 2010 for his role in the development of Brandon Medical into a well-respected medical technology business.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
[00:00:00] From engineer to entrepreneur and acquisition
[00:05:00] Turning the acquisition around one problem at a time
[00:11:00] The problems that dealing with the NHS brings
[00:15:00] Developing the business, and a few false dawns
[00:20:00] The difficulty in consistent culture in an international company
[00:25:00] The value of awards in business
[00:30:00] Exiting the business; the thinking behind exiting, the planning and the execution
[00:41:00] A practical guide to exporting
3 KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS
• Rather than start a business, buy one that has at least an office and basic staff and a product
• If there’s big barriers to entry it stops other companies taking business away from you
• Not all businesses are sellable and not all businesses are inter-generational
3 MOMENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR
“We borrowed money to buy the business. 10 weeks later we’d repaid the loan”
“One of our values is friendliness – we don’t have to be friends with people we work with but we have to be good colleagues”
“Competitors are a great source of market information and education”
VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU
Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/leeds-business-podcast/
Work with Phil – www.philfraser.co.uk
Website: https://www.brandon-medical.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-hall-257078a/
Shout out: https://www.medilinkuk.com/
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ABOUT YOUR HOST
Phil Fraser went from an accidental kitchen table start up, with no investment, all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC 18 years later. He’s travelled the full SME business journey of launch, growth, scale and exit.
As well as hosting the Leeds Business Podcast, Phil now works with ambitious SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (think somewhere between Business Coach and Business Mentor). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better at what they do. Phil’s mantra is It doesn’t need to be ‘lonely at the top’. He helps Business Owners to be better business owners, by helping with their clarity and focus.
As a Business Sounding Board, he gives SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. This allows them to explore their options in full, culminating with a list of issues to address/clarify, a clear target in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm and confidence for the challenges ahead.
Want to work with Phil to help you? See www.philfraser.co.uk.
LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST
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Email: phil@leedsbusinesspodcast.com
