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Protecting the business you’ve worked so hard to build

Join Vicky Simpson from Clerion Consultants for a practical and thought-provoking session exploring the hidden risks that can quietly undermine even the most successful businesses.

Vicky is a valued member of the Mole Valley Chamber of Commerce community and works closely with founders, directors and professional advisers to help businesses strengthen their structure, governance and long-term resilience.

In this session, Vicky will share real-world examples of businesses that faced costly disruption – not because the business itself was failing, but because key legal, operational or strategic foundations were missing or overlooked.

From shareholder agreements and succession planning to digital continuity, contracts and founder dependency, this talk will help business owners identify the questions they should be asking before problems arise.

What will the talk cover?

During the session, attendees will explore:

• The five critical questions every business owner should be asking
• Common governance and continuity gaps that create hidden risk
• Real-life case studies where poor preparation led to major financial and operational consequences
• What buyers, lenders and investors often look for behind the scenes
• How to reduce founder dependency and improve long-term business value
• Why “we’ve always done it this way” can become an expensive assumption
• Practical steps to strengthen resilience without overcomplicating the business

Vicky will also introduce Clerion’s structured diagnostic approach, designed to help businesses understand where vulnerabilities exist and how to prioritise the right actions.

What attendees will gain

Attendees will leave with:

• Greater clarity on the risks that often go unnoticed in growing businesses
• A better understanding of governance, continuity and business readiness
• Practical ideas to strengthen resilience and protect long-term value
• Insight into how to prepare a business for growth, funding, succession or exit
• A clearer picture of what “good” looks like when building a business designed to last

Who should attend?

This session is ideal for:

• Business owners and founders
• SME directors and leadership teams
• Professional advisers supporting SMEs
• Businesses planning for growth, investment or exit
• Companies reviewing governance, succession or continuity planning
• Anyone responsible for protecting the long-term future of a business

Whether your business is scaling quickly, preparing for succession, or simply overdue for a “health check”, this session will provide valuable perspective and actionable insight.

About the speaker

Vicky Simpson is COO & Consultant at Clerion Consultants, where she works with business owners and professional advisers to help organisations become more resilient, better structured and strategically prepared for the future.

Known for her practical and commercially grounded approach, Vicky helps businesses identify hidden vulnerabilities across governance, ownership, contracts, continuity and succession planning – turning complexity into clear, actionable priorities.

As a member of the Mole Valley Chamber of Commerce, Vicky is passionate about supporting SMEs and helping founders build businesses that are not only commercially successful, but structurally strong too.