Commercial value creation

Turning technical capability into stronger commercial results.

I work with investors, boards and management teams in connectivity and technology-enabled services to get a clear view of what is working, what is getting in the way and what should happen next.

UK growth and lower-middle-market businesses Typically £2m–£20m revenue

25+ yearsbuilding, leading and advising
Founder-ledoperator experience, not theory
Recurring revenuea consistent commercial focus
Independentclear challenge without an agenda

Where I help

The issue is rarely technical capability.

The more common problem is that the commercial model, processes and management information have not developed at the same pace as the business. That makes growth harder to manage and value harder to see.

01

Revenue quality

Recurring income, contract strength, renewals, retention and customer concentration—what is genuinely dependable and what only looks like growth.

02

Commercial engine

Pricing, gross margin, routes to market, partner channels, pipeline and forecasting—where momentum is being created or lost.

03

Control and execution

Management information, ownership, priorities and operating rhythm—whether the team can see the issues and act on them consistently.

The strongest fit

Investors

An experienced operator’s view of the risks, assumptions and practical value levers.

Founders and boards

A clearer commercial picture before the next stage of growth, investment or exit.

Management teams

A short list of priorities with clear ownership, measures and review points.

The engagement

Ten days to understand the position. One hundred days to move it forward.

This is not a long consultancy exercise. It is a focused assessment designed to separate the material issues from the noise and turn the findings into a plan the management team can actually use.

Days 1–2

Establish the baseline

Understand the economics, customer base, revenue mix, pipeline and current priorities.

Days 3–5

Test the commercial model

Challenge the assumptions behind pricing, margin, retention, channels and forecast confidence.

Days 6–8

Identify the value levers

Pinpoint the risks, constraints and opportunities most likely to change commercial performance.

Days 9–10

Agree what happens next

Set priorities, owners, measures and the first actions within a practical 100-day plan.

What comes out of it

A plan built around the business—not a standard template.

  • Commercial baseline and agreed starting measures
  • Material risk and opportunity register
  • Prioritised actions with accountable owners
  • Simple measures management can maintain
  • Clear 30, 60, 90 and 100-day review points
Day 30

Early movement

Confirm ownership, remove ambiguity and test whether the first actions are having an effect.

Day 60

Remove blockers

Challenge slippage, resolve constraints and keep management focused on the material priorities.

Day 90

Lock in progress

Check the measures, reinforce the changes that are working and address remaining gaps.

Day 100

Close and reset

Review the movement achieved and agree what management should carry forward next.

Experience behind the advice

Built in operating businesses, not a consulting framework.

I have founded, scaled, acquired and exited businesses. The advice is grounded in the decisions that affect revenue quality, margin, cash, people and the eventual value of a company.

Network Partners

£5m

Built from inception in three years

Around 25 people and approximately 95% contracted revenue, supported by an indirect partner channel that opened access to a much broader customer base.

DVO2

£5m+

Built from inception and taken through exit

Approximately 35 employees, with around half of revenue recurring across telephony sales, service and support.

Selected outcomes from more recent advisory work

Examples are anonymised where the work was commercially sensitive.

~80%

Increase in annualised recurring revenue after helping design a maintenance and leasing proposition.

~95%

Adoption across an initial customer base after designing and implementing a contracted support proposition.

~10×

Consumables revenue growth over three years after restructuring fulfilment and supporting a customer portal.

Clearer control

Improved asset classification, location tracking and month-end reporting across stock and deployed equipment.

About Vince Potter

Operator first. Adviser second.

I have spent more than 25 years building and leading businesses across connectivity and technology services.

That experience includes starting companies from nothing, developing partner channels, building recurring revenue, managing difficult director and shareholder situations, integrating an acquisition and preparing a business for exit.

Through Franata, I bring that operating perspective into a focused independent engagement: understand the position, challenge the assumptions and help the management team concentrate on the actions most likely to create value.

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Cover of the Franata commercial value creation overview Download the overview Commercial value creation

A sensible first conversation

Need a clearer commercial picture?

A first discussion should establish whether there is enough value or risk to justify deeper work. No long sales process and no assumption that a full engagement is the answer.