Fortify Your Business in January: 8 No‑Nonsense Actions to Avoid a Crisis This Year
January isn’t just another month; for a mid-tier business, it’s a window of opportunity. In my experience advising UK companies in the £1m–£100m range (including plenty of private-equity backed firms), the seeds of a collapse are often sown in the year’s early weeks. Leadership teams charge in with optimism and plans, but under the surface, […]
What to Say, And Not Say, in the First 24 Hours of a Crisis
In a crisis, every word counts. For over 20 years, I’ve advised boards through financial collapses, regulatory investigations, equality law breaches, and major restructurings. From the 79th Group collapse to FCA inquiries, I’ve learned that the first 24 hours can set the narrative for the entire crisis response. In that window, you either earn trust […]
When “More Marketing” Isn’t the Answer: Recognising the Crisis Within Your Business
In my twenty-plus years as a marketer (six-plus as a Fractional CMO), I’ve often been parachuted in when a business feels stuck. The brief is usually the same: “We need to sell more. Let’s spend more on marketing. Can you fix our brand?” As a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the CIM, I understand the urge […]
What Surviving a Corporate Collapse Taught Me About Leadership, Clarity, and Starting Again
There is a strange moment that happens in the middle of a corporate collapse. Everything feels like it is happening all at once, yet nothing makes sense. People cling to optimism because the alternative feels too big to confront. Advice splinters, messages conflict, and leaders freeze. And then, sometimes, the business goes under anyway. The […]
The Hidden Cost of Business Failure
In 86% of UK liquidations, no money at all is returned to creditors. This figure, drawn from government research, shows that when a business fails, the damage rarely stays exclusively within the company. Value is destroyed across creditors, employees, and local communities. Liquidation processes consume what little remains, with average costs exceeding 160% of the […]
Inside Arx Nova: Q&A with Simon Larkin
What motivated you to co-found Arx Nova? Across my 20-year career in marketing and communications, I’ve been on the frontline of more crises than I can remember. I’ve seen how leadership teams are tested in those moments, and I’ve also seen how fragmented advice can make the situation worse. Legal, operational, financial and communications advisors […]
How to Tackle Crisis One Step at a Time: Leadership Lessons from “Eating the Elephant”
Leadership Lessons from “Eating the Elephant” Applying critical solution based thinking and prioritisation sequencing to overcome overwhelming challenges “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I have always agreed with this statement and understood it was created to prevent inertia; however, I have always thought it is an oversimplification and doesn’t […]
EBITDA: The Lifeline Metric in a Business Crisis
When a mid-tier company (£1m–£100m turnover) hits a crisis, one financial metric often determines whether investors hold their nerve or head for the exits: EBITDA. In turbulent times, EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) serves as a key stabilisation indicator and proxy for a business’s core value. This article explores why EBITDA is […]
Controlling the Crisis Narrative Within 24 Hours: A Board-Level Imperative
When a corporate crisis hits, time becomes your most precious and least forgiving asset. The way a business responds in the first 24 hours can define whether the crisis is contained or spirals into a long-term reputational, operational, and financial disaster. In that short period, the company either earns the trust of stakeholders and the […]
Decision Paralysis in a Corporate Crisis: How to Avoid the Leadership Trap
When a major crisis hits a mid-tier company (£1m–£100m turnover), the leadership’s biggest enemy can be decision paralysis. Faced with plummeting cashflow, legal threats, operational breakdowns or PR disasters, often all at once, executives can freeze up just when swift action is most critical. It’s a common scene of leadership in crisis: multiple fires are […]