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From Vision to Exit The Entrepreneur's Guide to Building and Selling a Business By: Guy Rigby Format: Print Edition / ePub ISBN: 9780857191472 / 9780857191656 Published: 26 September 2011
 
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  • There are many differences between a good business and a great business, but they aren't beyond a business leader's control. In From Vision to Exit, Guy Rigby candidly explains how entrepreneurs can develop strategies, plans and tactics to get their businesses to the top.

    With an easy and engaging style, this book is a definitive and practical guide that covers every business area. From strategy to finance, management to marketing, and business planning to exit, Guy leaves no stone unturned. The result is an authoritative and invaluable tool for entrepreneurs seeking to navigate the minefield of successful growth.

    Find out everything you wanted to know about how to build a great business but never had the opportunity to ask.
    There are many differences between a good business and a great business, but they aren't beyond a business leader's control. In From Vision to Exit, Guy Rigby candidly explains how entrepreneurs can develop strategies, plans and tactics to get their businesses to the top.

    With an easy and engaging style, this book is a definitive and practical guide that covers every business area. From strategy to finance, management to marketing, and business planning to exit, Guy leaves no stone unturned. The result is an authoritative and invaluable tool for entrepreneurs seeking to navigate the minefield of successful growth.

    Find out everything you wanted to know about how to build a great business but never had the opportunity to ask....
  • About the author
    Acknowledgements
    Foreword by Luke Johnson
    Introduction

    1. Strategy: Part One - Vision, Strategy and Tactics
    2. Strategy: Part Two - Growth, Pace and Profit
    3. Strategy: Part Three - Flexibility and Focus
    4. Business Planning
    5. Practical Financial Management
    6. Raising Equity Finance
    7. Types and Sources of Finance
    8. From Entrepreneur to Leader
    9. The Board and Mana...
    About the author
    Acknowledgements
    Foreword by Luke Johnson
    Introduction

    1. Strategy: Part One - Vision, Strategy and Tactics
    2. Strategy: Part Two - Growth, Pace and Profit
    3. Strategy: Part Three - Flexibility and Focus
    4. Business Planning
    5. Practical Financial Management
    6. Raising Equity Finance
    7. Types and Sources of Finance
    8. From Entrepreneur to Leader
    9. The Board and Management Team
    10. People Management: Part One - Talent Recruitment
    11. People Management: Part Two - Talent Retention and Reward
    12. Brand Identity and Culture
    13. Sales and Marketing
    14. Supply Chain and Partnership Management
    15. Technology and Data Management
    16. International Business
    17. Intellectual Property
    18. Buy & Build
    19. Business Succession & Sale

    Index
  • Guy Rigby is a chartered accountant and an entrepreneur. He is a natural and driven enthusiast who built and sold his own accountancy firm, as well as pursuing other commercial interests. He has been a director and part-owner of a number of different ventures, including businesses in the IT, property, defence, manufacturing and retail sectors. In an unusually varied career, he has been the senior partner of two accountancy firms, a finance director, a sales and marketing director and an adviser and mentor to many entrepreneurial businesses and their owners.

    Guy now leads the entrepreneuria...
    Guy Rigby is a chartered accountant and an entrepreneur. He is a natural and driven enthusiast who built and sold his own accountancy firm, as well as pursuing other commercial interests. He has been a director and part-owner of a number of different ventures, including businesses in the IT, property, defence, manufacturing and retail sectors. In an unusually varied career, he has been the senior partner of two accountancy firms, a finance director, a sales and marketing director and an adviser and mentor to many entrepreneurial businesses and their owners.

    Guy now leads the entrepreneurial services group at Smith & Williamson, the diversified financial services group. His day to day activities include advising entrepreneurs and their businesses and coordinating Smith & Williamson's activities in this vibrant and exciting market.

    Contact the Author

    If you would like to get in touch with our author to arrange an interview, article, book signing, speaking arrangement, etc., please contact Rebecca in our PR department:

    Tel: +44 (0)1730 233885

    Email: pr@harriman-house.com

    Please note that we do not give out our authors' personal contact details and will discuss your enquiry with them.

  • "An excellent primer...I commend this book to both those who are already running an established business, and those who are minded to start one and become their own boss. It is written in a practical style, full of useful tips and pertinent questions. It is a manual that can be used very much as a reference source, to be dipped into when needed."
    - Luke Johnson

    "A must-read tome for any aspiring entrepreneur. Guy unpacks entrepreneurship in an enjoyable, fascinating manner."
    - Julie Meyer, ...
    "An excellent primer...I commend this book to both those who are already running an established business, and those who are minded to start one and become their own boss. It is written in a practical style, full of useful tips and pertinent questions. It is a manual that can be used very much as a reference source, to be dipped into when needed."
    - Luke Johnson

    "A must-read tome for any aspiring entrepreneur. Guy unpacks entrepreneurship in an enjoyable, fascinating manner."
    - Julie Meyer, founder and CEO of Ariadne Capital, founder of Entrepreneur Country, co-founder of First Tuesday

    "Guy has managed to combine years of practical experience, an extensive knowledge of the financial world and pragmatic advice into one easy-to-read volume."
    - Neal Gandhi, serial entrepreneur and investor

    "I only wish this book had been around for me to read before setting off on my entrepreneurial journey. A very thorough and informative book that covers every aspect of going it alone."
    - Kanya King, founder and CEO of MOBO Awards

    "An excellent work. A story of vision, passion and the journey through growth and exit. Immensely helpful and practical. This book's got it all."
    - Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, The Black Farmer

    "If you want to run your own business, you need to read this book. I thoroughly recommend it!"
    - Rowan Gormley, founder of Naked Wines

    "Guy Rigby's new book is full of practical advice and covers everything an entrepreneur would need to run their business successfully. Highly recommended!"
    - Mike Southon, Financial Times columnist, best-selling business author and entrepreneur mentor

    "This is a MUST read for fellow entrepreneurs on the journey. Full of pragmatic experiences of how to accelerate growth in your business. Reading this will seriously enhance your profitability and your wealth."
    - Sir Eric Peacock, Chairman Baydonhill FX, entrepreneur and serial non-executive director

    "I am often asked for advice about starting a business and I was thinking of writing it all down. Guy has saved me the effort. I will just hand out a copy of this book."
    - Nick Jenkins, Founder of Moonpig.com

    "This book is a business masterpiece and its principles will be sustained through the generations. I would recommend it to anyone seeking to be highly successful in business. Not only has the author provided a comprehensive guide to creating business growth, he has also given us invaluable insights into the experiences of many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs."
    - Shalini Khemka, chief executive, The London Entrepreneurial Exchange

    "As someone who has chaired nearly 500 round table discussions with Britain's most successful entrepreneurs I know it's not easy to assimilate best practice into a book. Guy has managed to combine current insights and anecdotes with great, practicable tips. This is the book I wish I'd written: Guy's saved me the trouble. This should be essential reading for any aspiring, high growth entrepreneurs."
    - Duncan Cheatle, founder of leading entrepreneurs club The Supper Club and the Prelude Group which works with entrepreneurs to maximise capital value

    "I wish I’d read this book before I started my entrepreneurial journey - I might have made it to the beach already."
    - James Lohan, founder and CEO of Mr & Mrs Smith

    "A top class explicit guide about how to navigate the rollercoaster ride of succeeding as an entrepreneur."
    - Peter Winslow, Group CEO, BGL Group Ltd (BGL Group are the owners of comparethemarket.com)

    "From Vision to Exit is a must-read book for any aspiring entrepreneur."
    - James Caan, founder and CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw, former investor on Dragons' Den

    "To a hungry entrepreneur, this book is an invitation to a lip-smacking smorgasbord upon which to feast. Easily digestible, never dry, stuffed with sage anecdotes and wit, it can be devoured in one full fat sitting, or you can pick and mix from the menu, depending on your appetite. The tasty top tips at the end of each chapter should become the staple diet of anyone wanting to run a healthy, growing business. It deserves a Michelin star. Bravo."
    - Tristram Mayhew, founder and Chief Gorilla, Go Ape!

    "Guy has done something very special with this book. He has combined real world experience with a gripping read. The journey from starting up to selling up is a dramatic one for any business. From Vision to Exit catches that adventure and offers sound advice that can help entrepreneurs make it."
    - Michael Hayman, Co-founder Seven Hills, Co-founder StartUp Britain

    "A definitive handbook and guide. Everything you’ll ever need to know about building and selling a business."
    - Kevin Stopps, Managing Director, Smith & Williamson
 
Media Reviews

Flybe: Business Uncovered

10 Top Tips for Pitching to Investors

Guy Rigby, Head of Entrepreneurial Services at accountancy and investment management group Smith & Williamson, is an expert on the topic of raising equity...

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Growing Business

Guy Rigby is clearly highly regarded by entrepreneurs. His book, From Vision to Exit, earned fulsome praise from James Caan to Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, and from Kanya King to Luke Johnson.

It...

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Business Matters

Raising finance is very difficult and as many are starting the process with a view to driving their businesses forward in this new year, but with banks still unwilling to lend to many we spoke to Guy...

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Retirement Planning Blog

The recent, premature death of Steve Jobs brought the concept of entrepreneurship back into our economic lexicon.

Tim Kane wrote about Steve Jobs after his retirement, but before his death, in...

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Small Business Advocacy Blog

It’s a tough world out there for us business owners and entrepreneurs. We need to know that we’re not alone, and that there’s support out there for us. It’s that need to connect with other...

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The Daily Telegraph

The for-sale signs could soon be going up on a raft of lean and mean mid-sized companies around the UK.

That's the view, at least, of corporate finance experts. A backlog has built up since 2008,...

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Startup Business Book Reviews

Most entrepreneurs have an idea of what they want to do or sell. It might be a new product, or an different way of selling an existing product. Either way most new businesses start with little idea...

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Real Business

The pros and cons of listing your business on the stock market

Thinking of listing on the stock market? Here's why you should. Here's why you shouldn't.

Pros

Creates a market valuation for...

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Independent Supplement - Fresh Business Thinking

In normal circumstances you wouldn't think that yacht racing and building a successful business have much in common. Yet it was Guy Rigby's passion for boats and racing that led him to write what...

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Real Business

14 tips on raising equity finance
You're about to start fundraising. Before handing over a slice of your business, read these essential tips on raising equity finance.

1. Ownership determines...

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Real Business

The pitching dos and don'ts
Don't set up a meeting with an investor before reading these pitching dos and don'ts.

DO
... make a good first impression before you open your mouth
Wear suitable...

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Startups.co.uk

Entrepreneur-accountant Guy Rigby’s new book From Vision to Exit, which outlines the process of developing a strategy, plans and tactics to help a business succeed, has been published.

The title...

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Global Corporate Venturing

While business angels and venture capital firms can capi- talise businesses to help them achieve their goals, companies can also get involved. They can do this through corporate venturing, where a...

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Entrepreneur Country

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1uayd/EntrepreneurCountryO/resources/54.htm

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Shell Live Wire

News | Book Competition - Win a Signed Guy Rigby Book

We have two signed copies of Guy Rigby's 'From Vision to Exit - The Entrepreneurs Guide to Building and Selling a Business' to give...

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The Chilli

A new book launched this month in London provides a systematic approach to understanding how to grow a company ‘from vision to exit’. Authored by Guy Rigby, entrepreneur, mentor and now the head...

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India Incorporated

Can India create a Steve Jobs?

by Nitin Dahad

Our tech expert pays tribute to Apple's innovator-in-chief and explores how visionaries are created.

The loss of Steve Jobs last week was felt...

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Growing Business

Accountancy entrepreneur publishes new bible for start-up success

All aspects of entrepreneurship covered

Business guru Guy Rigby has unveiled a new book to guide entrepreneurs through all...

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Chinwag

To successfully cultivate plants you need the right tools. Cultivating the potential of talented people and their ideas is no different. You need the right tools and the right environment to...

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NACUE

With rave reviews from serial entrepreneurs including Julie Meyer, James Caan and Luke Johnson, Guy Rigby’s new book has set the taste buds of leading UK entrepreneurs on fire!
No stranger to...

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Mywonderfullifecoach.co.uk

"From Vision to Exit brings you incredible added value, an extra dimension, from an entrepreneur who is also a chartered accountant, bringing you all-round knowledge that is vital to making...

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Moneyobserver.com

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Retirementplanblog.com

From Vision to Exit: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Building and Selling a Business - Book Review
- The Retirement Plan Blog16th November 2011

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Smallbusinessadvocacyblog.com

Book Review: From Vision to Exit: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Building and Selling a Business
- The Small Business Advocacy Blog16th November 2011

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Telegraph.co.uk

Think Tank: the vital importance of having a good exit plan
- The Daily Telegraph14th November 2011

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Realbusiness.co.uk

The big business plan checklist
- Real Business1st November 2011

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Bookworm73.wordpress.com

"From Vision to Exit provides the reader with an idea of all of the different ‘ages’ of a company...There is a lot of good solid information in this book that will make the difference...

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Realbusiness.co.uk

The pros and cons of listing your business on the stock market- Real Business28th October 2011

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Media Review


Plain Sailing to Business Success - An interview with Guy Rigby, author of From Vision to Exit- Fresh Business Thinking Independent Supplement26th October 2011

Realbusiness.co.uk

14 tips on raising equity finance- Real Business25th October 2011

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Startupremarkable.com

How to Build a Business from Vision to Exit, Guy Rigby Interview- Start Up Remarkable21st October 2011

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Realbusiness.co.uk

The Pitching Dos and Don'ts
- Real Business21st October 2011

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Startups.co.uk

New start-up hints and tips book hits the stands
- Startups.co.uk20th October 2011

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Media Review


Monitise and Morse: A Venturing Success- Global Corporate Venturing18th October 2011

Media Review


From Vision to Exit - Why starting up isn't enough - Entrepreneur Country17th October 2011

Shell-livewire.org

News | Book Competition - Win a Signed Guy Rigby Book
- ShellLiveWire12th October 2011

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Steve-mcnulty.com

"This book fills the huge gap between the Entrepreneurs’ personal attributes and their implementation skills. It covers everything it says on the cover, From Vision to Exit, and it does it...

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Media Review


From Vision to Exit featured in the Quintessentially newsletter11th October 2011

Indiaincorporated.com

Can India create a Steve Jobs?- India Incorporated10th October 2011

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Thechilli.com

From Vision to Exit – a practical guide- The Chilli Online10th October 2011

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Mikesouthon.com

The Business of Show Business - New book - From Vision to Exit by Guy Rigby- Mike Southon7th October 2011

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Growingbusiness.co.uk

Accountancy entrepreneur publishes new bible for start-up success- Growing Business6th October 2011

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Thetimes.co.uk

The secret of branding your business - Guy Rigby's new book From Vision to Exit is serialised in The Times Online5th October 2011

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Media Review


How to set up a business the right way - Guy Rigby's new book From Vision to Exit is serialised in The Times Online4th October 2011

Askten.co.uk

From Vision to Exit is Ask Ten's Book of the Week- Ask Ten3rd October 2011

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Media Review


Guy Rigby and Shalini Khemka (CEO of the London Entrepreneurial Exchange) at the launch of Guy's new book From Vision to Exit at the Adam Street Club, London3rd October 2011

Media Review


Guy Rigby at the launch of his new book From Vision to Exit at the Adam Street Club, London3rd October 2011

Thetimes.co.uk

How to set up a business the right way - Guy Rigby's new book From Vision to Exit is serialised in The Times Online3rd October 2011

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Media Review

Guy Rigby and the London Entrepreneurial Exchange will be hosting a reception for the launch of From Vision to Exit on 3rd October 2011

Media Review

Guy Rigby will be a guest speaker at the CEO-CF: London Open Day on 28th September 2011

Chinwag.com

All Work and No Play Makes a Business Worth Less- Chinwag19th September 2011

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Media Review

Guy Rigby was a guest speaker at the Vistage Open Day on 16th September 2011

Media Review

From Vision to Exit - Interview with Guy Rigby- NACUESeptember 2011

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Smith.williamson.co.uk

Vision, strategy & tactics - Guy Rigby- Guy Rigby, Smith & WilliamsonApril 2011

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