Meet TBE Awards judge Chris Spratling

Chris Spratling has spent more than three decades building, buying, transforming and advising businesses. Today, as Founder of business growth and advisory firm Chalkhill Blue, he works alongside ambitious SME owners to help them create stronger, more valuable businesses and realise their long-term goals.

This year, Chris joins the TBE Awards judging panel for the first time and is also sponsoring the Leader of the Year Award, a category close to his heart.

We caught up with Chris to learn more about his business journey, his views on leadership and what he’ll be looking for from this year’s award-winning entries.

Tell us a little about your background and what you do today?

I’ve spent over 30 years building, buying, transforming and advising businesses, so I tend to see challenges through the eyes of someone who’s actually sat in the owner’s chair rather than simply advised from the sidelines.

Today I’m the Founder of Chalkhill Blue, where we work alongside ambitious SME business owners to help them grow stronger, more valuable businesses, overcome the challenges that inevitably come with growth and, ultimately, create more options for themselves, their families and their teams.

Our work spans growth coaching, transformation, acquisitions, funding, employee ownership, succession planning and business exits. While every business is different, they all have one thing in common: passionate owners who want to build something they’re genuinely proud of.

One of the things we’ve always believed at Chalkhill Blue is that business should create impact. Of course, commercial success matters, but so does the impact a business has on its people, its customers, its community and the life of the owner behind it. Helping businesses achieve both commercial success and meaningful impact is what continues to motivate me every day.

You’ve launched, grown and advised multiple businesses throughout your career. What continues to excite you about working with ambitious business owners?

Without question, it’s the people.

Business ownership can be incredibly rewarding but it can also be lonely. Most owners carry an enormous amount of responsibility and spend much of their time solving problems for everyone else.

I genuinely enjoy helping people think differently, challenge long-held assumptions and discover opportunities they perhaps hadn’t considered before. Sometimes a single conversation can completely change the trajectory of a business.

What excites me most is seeing the impact that can have. Watching an owner regain confidence, build a stronger leadership team, create more freedom for themselves or realise the business they’ve spent years building is actually worth far more than they imagined is hugely rewarding.

For me, it’s never simply been about helping businesses grow. It’s about helping owners build better businesses, better lives and more choices for the future.

This is your first year sponsoring and judging the TBE Awards. What made you want to get involved?

I’ve always believed that successful business communities become stronger when business owners celebrate one another’s achievements and learn from each other’s experiences.

TBE Awards recognise exactly the sort of businesses we enjoy working with every day – ambitious, resilient organisations that continue to innovate, invest and make a real contribution despite the many challenges of running a business.

I’m particularly proud that Chalkhill Blue is sponsoring the Leader of the Year Award because leadership sits at the heart of everything we do.

One of my favourite sayings is that businesses don’t build great businesses, leaders do.

I’ve seen businesses with fantastic products fail because leadership wasn’t strong enough, whilst others with relatively ordinary products have gone on to achieve extraordinary success because they had exceptional leaders who inspired people, made brave decisions and built great cultures.

That’s why I’m genuinely looking forward to meeting the finalists and hearing the stories behind their success.

Having worked with businesses ranging from start-ups to established organisations, what separates the businesses that thrive from those that struggle?

It’s rarely the product.

Most businesses already have a good product or service. The difference almost always comes down to leadership, clarity and execution.

The businesses that thrive know exactly where they’re heading. They have a clear strategy, understand their numbers, make decisions quickly and build strong teams around them.

The businesses that struggle often become consumed by the day-to-day. They spend all their time working in the business rather than on it.

Another common characteristic is that successful owners aren’t afraid to ask for help. They understand that surrounding themselves with experienced advisers isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s one of the fastest ways to accelerate progress.

Ultimately, the businesses that thrive are led by people who never stop learning, never stop improving and never lose sight of the impact they’re trying to make.

You’ve previously spoken about the importance of building value into a business rather than simply growing revenue. Why is that distinction important?

Turnover is exciting. Value is life-changing. Revenue alone doesn’t necessarily create wealth.

I’ve seen businesses double in size whilst actually becoming less valuable because they’ve become overly reliant on the owner, lost margin or failed to build the systems needed to scale sustainably.

At Chalkhill Blue we spend a lot of time talking about enterprise value and optionality.

When you deliberately build a valuable business, you’re creating choices. Whether that’s selling to a trade buyer, transitioning to an Employee Ownership Trust, passing the business to the next generation, bringing in private investment or simply continuing to own a business that generates exceptional profits, you’re in control because you’ve built something others would want to own.

That’s very different from building a business that only works because you’re there every day.

Ironically, businesses that focus on building long-term value often become the fastest-growing businesses as well because they’re built on stronger foundations.

What qualities will you be looking for in an award-winning entry?

I’ll certainly be looking beyond the numbers. Strong financial performance is important, but it’s only one part of the story.

I’m interested in leaders who aren’t simply building bigger businesses, but better businesses. Businesses that create opportunities for their people, deliver exceptional value to customers and make a positive impact on those around them.

I’ll also be looking for evidence of resilience, innovation, integrity and a genuine commitment to continuous improvement.

Perhaps most importantly, I’ll be looking for leaders who are building sustainable organisations that can continue to thrive long into the future rather than simply chasing short-term success.

To me, that’s what outstanding leadership looks like.

What would you say to businesses that are considering entering the TBE Awards but aren’t sure whether they’re ready?

I’d encourage them to enter. Absolutely go for it.

Business owners are often their own toughest critics. They’re usually so focused on the next challenge that they rarely stop to reflect on just how far they’ve come.

Running a business isn’t easy. There are plenty of days when nobody sees the hard work, difficult decisions or sacrifices that happen behind the scenes. The TBE Awards provide a fantastic opportunity to celebrate those achievements, recognise your team and showcase your business to the wider business community.

The process of entering is valuable in itself. It gives you the opportunity to step back, celebrate your team’s achievements, recognise the progress you’ve made and think more strategically about where you’re heading next.

Don’t worry about whether you’re “big enough” or “successful enough”. Every successful business has a story worth telling and every business owner has learnt lessons that can inspire someone else. Business is about far more than turnover and profit. It’s about leadership, creating opportunities, making an impact and leaving something better than you found it.

Even if you don’t win, you’ll almost certainly gain a fresh perspective on your business and the impact you’ve already had. And if you do make the shortlist, that’s something your team, your customers and your family can all be incredibly proud of.

I wish every entrant the very best of luck and I look forward to reading your stories.

Enter here.  The deadline for submissions is 25th September.

To find out more about Chalkhill Blue visit: chalkhillblue.org