Scale. Exit. Thrive.

Project August is a structured growth platform for ambitious SME founders and owner-managed businesses — built by a founder who has lived it.

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80%

of SMEs not sellable

Critical Business Pillars

×2

Founder Exits

Stage Methodology

The Exit Crisis

You've Worked Too Hard to Exit on Someone Else's Terms.

80% of businesses turning over £1m–£5m are not sellable in their current condition. We'll get you into the 20% that are.

Every business owner exits at some point. The process is long, difficult, stressful and emotional — however you exit. The question isn't whether it will happen. It's whether you'll be ready when it does.

The time to prepare is before you need to. Don't wait until an offer comes in — the initial offer price will be much, much lower if you are not prepared.

See How We Help

Problem 01

Structural Unpreparedness

Most businesses are built around the founder — not designed for transfer, scale or exit.

Problem 02

Fragmented Advisers

Legal, financial, and strategic advisors operate in silos with no single point of coordinated clarity.

Problem 03

Emotional Unreadiness

The emotional journey of exit is rarely acknowledged — yet it's often the biggest blocker to success.

Our Methodology

The Complete End-to-End Process

From understanding your current state to completing a successful exit — Project August walks with you through every critical stage.

Stage 1

Assessment

A structured, objective 20-question assessment across 8 critical business pillars. Uncover strengths, weaknesses, hidden challenges, and big opportunities.

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Stage 2

Implement

Where insight becomes action. Stabilise, professionalise, and systemise your business into a state of exit-ready readiness through structured transformation.

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Stage 3

Exit

Prepare for sale, identify acquirers, manage due diligence, and coordinate advisers. Full support through completion of your exit.

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Stage 4

Post-Exit Coaching

Life after exit is rarely what founders expect. Dedicated coaching to navigate this new chapter with clarity, purpose and confidence.

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Stage 1 Deep Dive

The Assessment

A structured, clear, objective and impartial view of the current state of your business. Full team engagement across 8 critical business pillars.

The Assessment creates a visual roadmap showing exactly where to focus improvement efforts — identifying structural constraints, leadership gaps, and commercial opportunities.

Explore the Assessment

Leadership

How effectively the business is led and governed.

Commercial

Sales pipeline, revenue model and client retention.

Operations

Documented processes and operational systems.

Finance

Financial visibility, forecasting and EBITDA health.

People

Team structure, capability and succession planning.

Technology

Systems, data and digital infrastructure maturity.

Customers

Client diversity, value and dependency risk.

Exit Readiness

Structural and legal preparedness for sale.

The Circle

A Private Founder Cohort

This is not networking. This is not therapy. This is peer-to-peer support during an emotional, stressful period of change.

Scaling without Burnout Exit Preparation Leadership Evolution Emotional Readiness

Join The Circle

The Circle Network

Peer Clarity During Accelerated Change

A confidential, curated cohort of peers — all navigating scale, succession and exit at the same time. Hosted under Chatham House rules.

The Circle joins at the Implementation stage and continues long after your exit is complete.

Reducing Founder Dependency
Increasing Business Value
Life Beyond Operational Control
Working Through an Earnout Period

Adam's Story

Founder, Project August — Exited ×2

I've Made Every
Mistake You're Facing.

"I had a good job, one I'd held for six years. I left it on a hope, a wish, a vision and a dream — spurred on by the sudden loss of my closest friend."

I built my first business from nothing. Armed with six years of industry knowledge in foreign exchange, I walked away from a stable career to start something of my own. No safety net. No playbook. Just belief.

I grew it — but I didn't build it right. The business depended too heavily on me. I was the product, the salesperson, the manager and the operations team. I was everywhere, and I was exhausted.

When the moment came to exit, I wasn't ready. I underestimated what a buyer needed to see. The gaps in governance, the founder dependency, the lack of documented process — things I'd never been told to prioritise.

I sold. Then I did it again — better. The second time, I understood what exit-readiness actually looked like. I built the business to be transferable from day one. The outcome was dramatically different.

Project August exists because I know what it costs to learn these lessons the hard way. Every founder I work with gets the benefit of both exits — the painful first, and the structured second.

Read the Full Story Book a Discovery Call

I understand what you're carrying right now

You're doing everything The business runs because you run it. Sales, decisions, problems — they all route through you. You can't step back, and you know you need to.

You feel the weight of it The targets, the relentless pressure to perform while managing everything around you. The ambition is real — but so is the fatigue.

You don't know what you don't know Nobody told you what a buyer actually looks for. You've built something real — but is it sellable? Would it survive without you?

Exit feels distant, but time isn't Scale feels urgent. Exit feels abstract. And the gap between where you are and where you want to be feels bigger than it should.

This business is personal You didn't build this for a spreadsheet. There's identity, sacrifice and meaning tied up in it. The exit, when it comes, needs to honour that.

×2

Businesses Built & Sold

Critical Business Pillars Assessed

Stage End-to-End Methodology

Ready to Scale, Exit & Thrive?

No obligation. No sales pitch. We'll be in touch within one business day.

Scale. Exit. Thrive.

You've Worked Too Hard to Exit on Someone Else's Terms.

The Complete End-to-End Process

The Assessment

A Private Founder Cohort

Peer Clarity During Accelerated Change

I've Made EveryMistake You're Facing.

I understand what you're carrying right now

Ready to Scale, Exit & Thrive?

I've Made Every
Mistake You're Facing.