Empowering Tamara to take control and focus more on what she does best.
Interview and story by Christopher Melotti of Melotti Content Media
Get to know the business
TC & Co Consulting is a Sunshine Coast based accounting firm that Kev Ryan helped progress to the next level through a business sale process with the Gild Group.
Today, TC & Co operates under the Gild Group brand.
As a result, Tamara Cross (Director of TC & Co) has benefited not only by gaining more power over her time but also by gaining the opportunity to pursue the projects she truly wants, together with the support of a larger team.
Engaging Kev Ryan
Tamara built TC & Co Consulting from the ground up – providing holistic outsourced finance solutions to a wide range of businesses in the hospitality and allied health space. Having grown the team, expanded service offerings and rebranded in just eight years, Tamara began thinking about what the next step for the business should be.
“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve created in the past 8 years,” Tamara says, “but then I realised that, at that point, I no longer had a plan for growing the business – and I knew that would greatly affect my team and my clients.”
This is when Tamara started considering her options to future-proof her own career, her team and her clients. She was open-minded to possibilities at that time, however, she had three non-negotiable objectives that she wanted to continuously uphold:
(1) make sure all clients are always well taken care of
(2) keep the team challenged and give them more opportunities
(3) find the support she needs to continue doing what she does best
That’s when she found Kev Ryan through LinkedIn communities and saw the value of taking the next step by selling the business.
“I felt that he truly understood accountants and that he was well-connected with a broad presence,” Tamara shares.
This began Tamara’s journey with Kev Ryan.
The journey with Kev Ryan
Because Tamara’s vision was different from the usual partnerships that Kev Ryan facilitates, the journey began with a comprehensive discussion of goals – with Kev Ryan asking: “What does a winning deal look like to you?”
“I let him know that I was aware I was starting the conversation prematurely. I was just testing the waters as there was no rush,” Tamara says. “Fortunately, he was very patient and supportive throughout the whole process which made me feel that as long as I let him understand what my goals are, he could find the solution that would benefit everyone in the long run.”
So, Tamara discussed her goal to sell 100% of TC & Co Consulting while Kev Ryan ran a whole range of scenarios based on his experience, trying to find a win-win outcome for all.
“More than technical and business-related support, Kev gave me the emotional support I needed as I made a big decision for the business,” Tamara says. Kev Ryan’s strength lies in being very clear and upfront about what both parties want, and he provides an objective outside perspective that allows people to connect their goals – that’s how he matched Gild Group with TC & Co Consulting.
“My objective was slightly outside of the usual process for Gild Group as they usually do partnerships rather than 100% acquisitions, so I reckon that was a tough conversation for Kev to have – but I believe that’s what ultimately made the deal stronger,” Tamara shares.
What was the result?
Upon making the match, Kev Ryan gave Tamara and Gild Group the chance to communicate, negotiate and analyse solutions to kickstart the relationship they were about to build.
And even though Tamara was in no rush, the deal was completed within three months.
Everything went as expected and Tamara’s team was able to handle the transition efficiently and practically. The key objectives were achieved, and everyone was able to adopt the Gild way while still maintaining their individuality.
“There’s a natural symmetry between our team and the Gild Group because Kev made sure that we were the right fit,” Tamara says.
During the transition of TC & Co becoming under the umbrella of Gild Group, they experienced the following benefits:
more support with HR and employee engagement
a reduced admin workload for Tamara
a more diversified service offering
The business is now experiencing a true trajectory for growth and can offer both sustainability and continuity of service to clients. Tamara, her team and the Gild Group are now all looking forward to the success of the growing business in the years to come.
“I wanted to be in control of this process and the outcome, not backed into a corner and left with no choice but to sell,” Tamara says. “This deal via Kev Ryan reinvigorated my path and gave me a new lease on life. Just because I no longer want to be a business owner doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to the next steps in my career – I’m just looking for more options and opportunities, and this deal greatly helped with that.”
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