Evolving into new territories; a partnership with Thrive and VALUESQUARED
The Challenge: A leading publishing company, established for 20 years, sought to explore future growth options and increase its value. The board aimed to enhance profit margins, set the company on a path to exit, and extract some equity while redefining their roles for future growth and succession. The company needed to re-evaluate strategic opportunities, prioritise new revenue streams, and consider scaling operations in the Middle East, New York, and Asia. Balancing their traditional UK market focus with international expansion was crucial but challenging. To enact this transformation, the client needed to attract creative and commercial leaders with a proven track record for scaling to allow for the current MD to focus on developing the US client base and team.
The Work: THRIVE partnered with the client to perform an organisational restructure and refine their strategic approach:
Organisational Restructure: We conducted an evaluation of the company’s organisational structure, identifying the need for additional, commercially focused leadership. This led to the hiring of a new, highly commercial Executive Creative Director (ECD) to align creative efforts with commercial goals.
Market Positioning and Strategic Planning: VALUESQUARED worked with the CEO and MD to review and refresh the company’s competitive market positioning. A strategic and operational framework focusing on the most promising revenue streams was developed.
Revenue Stream Evaluation: VALUESQUARED identified and assessed 14 potential new revenue streams, modelling financial projections for the next five years, and prioritising the top five revenue streams with the highest potential.
The Results: Our strategic intervention led to significant advancements for the publishing company:
Enhanced Leadership: The new ECD played a pivotal role in aligning creative strategies with commercial objectives, driving growth and innovation.
Strategic Focus: The strategic framework and prioritised revenue streams enabled the company to concentrate on high-potential opportunities, leading to improved performance.
Revenue Growth: The team exceeded targets and is set to double revenue in 2024 based on committed work. This focus on key revenue streams has bolstered their market position and profitability.
In summary, THRIVE’s organisational restructure and strategic talent procurement empowered the publishing company to redefine its market approach, align creative efforts with commercial goals, and achieve significant revenue growth, setting the stage for a successful exit. VALUESQUARED’s strategic enhancements and the client’s strong financial performance attracted interest from an M&A company, positioning the business for a potential market exit in 2024.