Strategic Mentors

► What We Do Differently?
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We 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 companies, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 with owners, or 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 individuals to build high-income, high-value companies. We structure them so as business grows life becomes easier, not harder. 

We help founders 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 so they're financially set for life for the rest of their lives. 

Whether post-acquisition, or while partnering or mentoring, we use this framework:

🔸 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟭 - 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲
→ Starting position: there's a revenue ceiling, and roller-coaster income pattern
→ New outcome: consistent leadflow, high conversions with 'pull' rather than 'pitch'
→ Breakthrough the ceiling, stay at the new level, continue to build

🔸 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟮 - 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁
→ Starting position: delivery capacity is limited, constraining growth
→ New outcome: unblock the model to expand capacity at higher profitability
→ Cashflow consistently building as constraints on scale and profitability fixed

🔸 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝟯 - 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
→ Starting position: business depends on founder, hence locked-in and low valuation
→ New outcome: evolved business no longer depends on founder
→ Founder is now a Profit Orchestrator, no longer locked-in to the hamster wheel

See how it works: https://strategicmentors.co.uk

► Want to know more?
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𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘄? - we are open to acquiring the right businesses
𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 '𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻'? - we can partner with you to secure your target valuation
𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? - join The Multipliable Hub to scale your company, your leadership and financial security

𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗮 𝟳𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 of the approach here: https://share.zight.com/NQuBKgq8

Tips & insights on Becoming Multipliable at https://profitorchestrators.com
Learn more at https://strategicmentors.co.uk 
Email: ✉ chrisgardener@strategicmentors.co.uk

Strategic Investor & Mentor

Finance Director to a number of SMEs across numerous industries and sectors.
Size range from £500k sales to £10m sales.

Portfolio Finance Director

Electrocomponents plc

Strategic change leader, international business manager, Europe and Asia executive mentor, business unit manager, finance professional

General Manager, Finance Manager & Marketing manager

Grant Thornton

Advisor to range of clients from £500k - £30m sales across many sectors and industries.

Chartered Accountant

1️⃣ Helping turn Founder Businesses into Sellable/Freedom Businesses - from "I'm busy in the business" to "I own this brilliant asset", with the option to keep or sell 2️⃣ Investor & Mentor

For B2B service business owners who've hit six figures but found themselves working harder than ever: there's a different path to seven figures that doesn't demand more of your time and energy.

This isn't just theory - it's wisdom gained from experience....

I've spent 20 years building, exiting, and helping others scale their businesses. But my greatest business lesson didn’t come from financial success—it came from personal tragedy.

When my wife was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor, I had to reimagine everything. With young kids at primary school, business had to fit my life—not the other way around. Money wasn’t the issue. Time was.

After losing her, I had to rebuild with new boundaries. Limited working hours forced me to think differently. The surprise? My business performed better than ever.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁?
Most six-figure businesses grow through addition—more revenue, more clients, more complexity. They hit a ceiling because their business depends on them.

Instead, I help business owners become Multipliable—so as the business grows, it gets lighter, not harder to manage. 

Breaking the £1M barrier changes everything—we use surplus cashflow to build a £2M Freedom Fund for true financial independence.

❯ Multiply results while reducing stress—grow without more work.
❯ Retain control while lightening the load—protect your autonomy.
❯ Build financial independence—a business with profits, not pressure, and £100K+ in passive income for life.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗜 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵:
1. B2B service-based business owners ready for sustainable, intelligent growth.
2. Founders who want their business to fund their freedom, not consume their life.
3. Leaders who know success isn’t just about more money—but more choices.

𝗠𝘆 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱:
❯ Chartered Accountant turned entrepreneur & investor.
❯ Built and exited multiple businesses over 20 years.
❯ Advised & invested in 250+ businesses from startup to £20M valuation.
❯ Amazon bestseller: The Busyness Delusion.
❯ Active portfolio across B2B services, marketing, advisory, IT & cloud, analytics.

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁:
1. Becoming Multipliable
2. Freedom-First Business Design
3. Removing Growth Constraints
4. Building Wealth Through Business Assets
5. What Actually Matters in Life & Business

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁:
DM me or learn more at strategicmentors.co.uk

Chris Gardener

Ingenious Corner

🌟 Strategic Partner
Collaborating with clients to drive business growth and success is my forte.  I specialise in developing innovative strategies that refine and enhance operations, identifying opportunities for growth, and creating pragmatic approaches for implementation.  By leveraging my expertise, we create a strong foundation for sustainable growth.

🌱 Mentor
Guiding business owners and professionals has been a huge part of my business, sharing my experiences, offering direction and knowing the right questions to ask you and challenging you in the right way.

🎤 Speaker
Raising awareness of the realities and practicalities of being neurodivergent and how to create an inclusive workplace and improve employee engagement.

🧡 Facilitation
Holding group sessions on strategy, mind mapping and bringing teams together to improve working relationships.

Creative Business Strategist & Mentor

InclUSion

InclUSion was a peer-to-peer community with weekly sessions led by me offering assistance, ideas, clarity, guidance and accountability.

“Louisa always looks at your business as a part of your whole life, combining personal and professional. I find those discussions provide a valuable perspective.  Louisa combines optimism, resilience and strategy to great effect. Those values are present throughout the community and give it strength.” – Lisa de Caux, Proofreader and Editor

“It is a great group to belong to and the other members are just as ‘down to earth’ as I am, and it makes a great difference to how comfortable you feel within an environment where you can ask for advice, give advice, and be held accountable by Louisa. ” – Mike O’Reilly, Founder of Age Diversity Network

Community Founder

Advance in IT Ltd

Advance In IT builds businesses in Holland providing AI, Data and IoT recruitment.

Senior Business Support

Workflow Virtual

My approach is to make LinkedIn mentoring fun and relaxed. I’ll share with you the tips and methods I use to get more engagement on the platform, but in a no-pressure, non-salesy way. You’ll find there’s no pressure from me – you can take what you like from the session and work out from there how to get the most out of LinkedIn for you.

I first created my LinkedIn account in 2007 and I have always loved the platform, now I want to help you to LOVE the platform too! 

I have created a 12-session programme which will take 22 weeks to complete. Each session we will cover something different:

Week 1: Understanding YOU
Week 2: Defining your WHY
Week 3: Identifying your MARKET
Week 4: Reviewing your PROFILE
Week 5: Generating CONTENT
Week 6: Tackling the WOBBLES
Week 7: Building an AUDIENCE
Week 8: Content INSIGHTS
Week 10: ACCOUNTABILITY
Week 14: Content GENERATOR
Week 18: No HIDING
Week 22: FINAL SESSION

There are so many people out there who are experts and who will no doubt promise you unlimited leads, that's not my style. With my programme, it's all about you learning how to use the platform effectively and how to create compelling content.

Together we will discuss ways to make the platform work for you which will ultimately lead to you creating content that aligns with your values and doesn't feel icky. Most of my business has come via inbound leads on LinkedIn and it's because I understand how to use the platform effectively.

Keen to find more, it is time to talk. If we are not already connected, now is the time and send me a message.

LinkedIn Mentor

Launched in the summer of 2017, Workflow Virtual Assistant was set up to offer VA support, the business has since evolved and grown.

I work with a team of freelancers to offer a wide variety of services to you.  I will always manage the relationship but we work together as a team, rather than a group of individuals to offer a high standard of service.

As a business, we offer strategic, operational, creative and administrative support.

Freelance Executive Assistant Agency

Kier Group

Kier Group plc is a UK construction, services and property group, I worked within the construction group.

During my time at Kier, I was responsible for investigating all invoices that had been put into query by the Finance Department.  This involved raising queries with external suppliers and site managers to obtain the relevant data in order to understand and rectify the cause of the query. 

Another aspect of the role involved updating and amending existing systems to resolve the discrepancies and ultimately get the invoice taken out of 'query' and cleared for payment. 

**Temporary work prior to going on maternity leave**

Data Analyst

Mitie

Mitie Group PLC is a British strategic outsourcing and energy services company.

I undertook data cleansing of key accounts to establish which accounts had continued to be billed past disposal dates.  In plain English, this meant a lot of data manipulation and attention to detail to resolve issues and therefore contacting external companies to resolve account discrepancies.

****Temporary work prior to going on maternity leave**

Utilities Analyst

Praesepe PLC

Praesepe PLC operates several adult gaming centres across the UK.

During my short spell at Praesepe, I provided PA support to the Operations Director and two Senior Managers.  This involved liaising with different areas of the business across the UK, providing minute taking support and producing weekly reports and formatting of documents.

"Louisa came in as a temp PA at Praesepe and with little training she quickly adapted to the role. Louisa was brought in to help with a backlog of work and very quickly brought everything as up-to-date as it could be and re-organised existing systems and improved processes including creating work instructions. Louisa is confidently and assertively and chased people for outstanding information and reports. I found Louisa's can do attitude refreshing and if it wasn't for the fact the journey was to far I would have offered her a permanent role." - Larry Kehoe


**Temporary work prior to going on maternity leave**


"Louisa came in as a temp PA at Praesepe and with little training she quickly adapted to the role. Louisa was brought in to help with a backlog of work and very quickly brought everything as up-to-date as it could be and re-organised existing systems and improved processes including creating work instructions. Louisa is confidently and assertively and chased people for outstanding information and reports. I found Louisa's can do attitude refreshing and if it wasn't for the fact the journey was to far I would have offered her a permanent role." - Larry Kehoe, Operations Director

Personal Assistant

Blackstar Amplification Ltd

Blackstar Amplification is a designer and producer of guitar amplifiers and effects units.

Provided executive support to the Managing Director and four Directors.

Responsible for all aspects of HR within the business including redundancies, disciplinary meetings, absence management, new starter inductions and providing support and guidance to Line Managers.

Managed and developed all aspects of the recruitment process and changed the way that recruitment happened to make it more efficient for the hiring managers and candidates.  

Working closely with everyone in the business, I introduced and implemented the KPI system into the business.

Reviewing of processes.

Managed extensive global travel arrangements for the Managing Director and Directors including arranging visas, flights and accommodation.  Support was also given to visitors from overseas with co-ordinating their travel requirements.

Extensive diary management, including organising internal and external meetings across different time zones and locations.

Prepared and co-ordinated agendas, distributing papers for Board meetings, attending meetings to take minutes and following up on any agreed action points.

Co-ordinated meetings with overseas distributors coming to the UK including logistics, hospitality and evening arrangements.

Mentored younger members of the team and assisted them with their development, building up their knowledge and confidence.

Executive Assistant & Business Performance Manager

Provided PA support to the Executive Team.

Introduced a number of HR procedures within the first six months of working at Blackstar to improve efficiency within the Company.

Supported and offered advice to Line Managers in the management of employee performance.

Introduced a recruitment process and worked with Line Managers to ensure that high calibre candidates at all levels were attracted to the Company and retained.

Worked closely with the MD and the Executive team to produce and implement the Blackstar Mission, Vision and Values, these were introduced within the first few months of my starting with the Company.

Responsible for the implementation of KPI's within the business, working closely with Department Heads and team members.


"Since undertaking the role of Product Specialist at Blackstar Amplification in 2013 as a junior employee Louisa mentored and coached me through my tenure at the company developing my professional capacity in personal organisation and business etiquette & convention allowing me to expand and develop my responsibilities and skills across all areas of the company. 

Approachable and diligent she always offered fantastic support in any areas required and was thoroughly involved in facilitating my training and development on the NVQ level 3 course in customer service. Highly commended and appreciated by all employees in the company for her abilities in HR and communication she made Blackstar a thoroughly enjoyable place to work.

Louisa has played a huge part in my development as a working professional and for these reasons I give my full and unreserved recommendation."  - Ollie Clubb

Personal Assistant to the Directors

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team

This was a temporary position.

Provided support to the Production Scheduling Department, analysing and interpreting information from SAP.

Responsible for researching and investigating information to enable strategic decision-making by others.

Assisted with the introduction of KPI's into the Production Scheduling Department and into Stores.

Assisting other departments as and when required.

Logistics Analyst

Ever feel like business advice feels generic and traditional?  As though it was written for someone else because it doesn't connect with you?  Don't get me wrong, I don't want to reinvent the wheel and some of that advice is valuable, but it's about how we make it work for you.

Hi, I'm Louisa! I partner with creatives, leaders and tourism businesses to transform their vision into practical success.  Think of me as your business wingwoman for creating strategies that actually work for your way of thinking.

Whether you're:
🔸  a creative drowning in ideas, looking for clarity and direction without stifling the magic
🔸  a leader seeking fresh perspectives and ideas to propel you forward
🔸  in tourism and want to create truly inclusive experiences for everyone (employees and customers alike)

I mix creativity with strategy, analysis and practicalities, and I combine that with my neurodivergent way of thinking and real-life experiences.  At 43, I was diagnosed as autistic, I suspect I've got ADHD too.  I'm solo parenting to my autistic son and I have chronic health conditions.  It means I understand a thing or two about thinking differently and challenging situations - it's why I take a holistic approach.

I've also got 7+ years experience of being self-employed, a degree in Tourism Management and lots of experience gained in the corporate and SME worlds within different sectors in the UK and overseas.

You'll benefit from:
✨  Strategies that mix creativity with practicalities
✨  A different perspective that challenges conventional thinking
✨  Bespoke solutions that are specific to your needs and working style
✨  Inclusivity - it's not a tick-the-box approach


"What's different about Louisa is that she genuinely 'gets' you and wants to help you succeed." - Eleanor

"It's really good to discuss different ideas with someone who is prepared to challenge your thinking, your goals, and your (lack of!) plan." - Lucy

“Louisa delivered an outstanding workshop illuminating the numerous benefits of a neurodiverse workforce and the challenges faced by neurodiverse employees." - Katharina


Ready to move your ideas forward? Let's chat over a virtual cuppa about your vision and how we can make it a reality.

📧 Louisa@IngeniousCorner.com
🌐 IngeniousCorner.com
📅 Book a free call: tidycal.com/ingeniouscorner/virtual-cuppa


🧡 Instagram / TikTok: neuro_family_adventures

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Chris Gardener

Louisa van Vessem

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