Agglomerate: from idea to IPO in 12 months

by Jeremy Harbour, Callum Laing

From serial entrepreneur and M&A expert Jeremy Harbor, and the author of Progressive Partnerships Callum a revolutionary book that debunks the myths around entrepreneurship and proposes a disruptive new collaborative model for rapidly growing small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs).



While the world obsesses over big multinational corporations and the ‘unicorn’ tech startups, real small businesses lead by talented entrepreneurs have been allowed to starve.



The ‘one-in-a-million’ successful, wealthy entrepreneurs are out applying their creative, entrepreneurial know-how to solving the world’s problems, but there remains a huge pool of talent whose ideas are wasted because of a broken investment universe. To empower these entrepreneurs a new investment model is needed.



In response, serial entrepreneurs and SME experts, Jeremy Harbour and Callum Laing have developed a revolutionary new model, Agglomeration™. The model was created to democratise wealth and solve the problems entrepreneurs face in growing their businesses and creating value. An Agglomeration combines the best parts of a traditional M&A roll-up with the benefits of an IPO and is inherently a public listed company exclusively for the use of the SME.



By empowering talented entrepreneurs through Agglomeration and giving them the tools they need to succeed, there is the potential to change the way SMEs grow and create value and ultimately change the world for the better.



Praise for Agglomerate – from idea to IPO in 12 months


“This is the game plan for David to not just defeat Goliath, but crush him!”
- Ernesto Bent, Owner & Chairman of White Knight Acquisitions



“As a champion for growth and ambition, Nasdaq congratulates the continued success of The Marketing Group after its successful IPO on First North. The Marketing Group is among the many global companies listed on Nasdaq First North that have gone on to grow, innovate, and deliver great returns for their investors. Nasdaq is proud to be the listing partner of The Marketing Group and looks forward to its continued growth in the future.”
- Nelson Griggs, Executive Vice President of Listing Services at Nasdaq



“Thank-you for this book - I have always been fascinated by the dizzy heights of the stock market and IPO world, also excited and amazed hearing the stories of fellow entrepreneurs selling their shares for so many millions, whilst obtaining scale and liquidity, alas I had thought that was just for those ‘special ones’ and not me, but after reading this book I can dream again and believe that yes one of those stories could be about me one day.”
- Michael Chittenden, Founder of The Investors Lever

Genres: Business, Nonfiction

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2016

About the author

After losing his 14-year old brother at the age of 10 - Jeremy developed massive anxiety over his own mortality - it became the fuel that fired his personal and professional success.

In the late 1990's, Jeremy Harbour acquired a competitor of the telecommunications he owned - without cash or involving a bank. Proving that necessity truly is the mother of invention, he figured out a deal structure that worked for the company he wanted to buy. In a single afternoon, he grew by a year's worth of sales - and that solidified it - he became a deal junkie.

A globally-renowned expert in Mergers & Acquisitions in the field of small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SME), Jeremy speaks all over the world - even having been invited to Buckingham Palace and The British Houses of Parliament to advise on matters of business and enterprise. His commentary has been featured in the Sunday Times, Financial Times, and numerous other publications, as well as appearing on The Money Channel.

As the founder of Unity Group, a firm specializing in attracting investments and creating opportunities for SMEs to scale, he has advised on more than 300 acquisitions of both distressed and solvent businesses. If it's a good deal, he pursues it, acquiring businesses in telecommunications, health clubs, spas, a music school, IT support, training, business process outsourcing, cleaning, air conditioning, and a cooking school, to name a few. With investments in 12 countries, you can say Jeremy's business sector agnostic.

Jeremy's passion for changing the mindset of wealth creation fueled the birth of Harbour Club where he teaches real tactics for buying, fixing, and selling businesses with no experience and no cash upfront. With new members every month it has become a change engine for good - helping entrepreneurs excel at wealth creation so they can be problem solvers in their local communities.

Here are just a few highlights of what Jeremy has worked on in the last decade:
* 1000 Active Delegates in Harbour Club
* 200+ Deals done through Harbour Club
* 100 Deals Done through Unity-Group
* 30 Reverse Mergers
* 12 Countries with His Personal Investments
* 2 IPO's

Reviews

[Fabrizio Poli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent business book, written in plain English and not in usual business school, MBA type lingo. The authors have created a very innovative model for businesses to go public, but still maintaining ownership and the entrepreneurial spirit.
This book outlines how a small business can agglomerate with others and really make more money for the owners. A must-read for any small to medium business owner. Highly recommended!

[Brian Ewuzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward advice on how to scale your company through agglomeration.

The book downplayed the benefits of an IPO and outright sale. It advised small business owners to combine businesses in order to attract investment.

I think the authors oversold the agglomeration method a bit but they had a lot of original advice. You probably shouldn't bother reading it if you're just starting out in business. Its tailored towards mature companies that make hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit.

[Dan Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

Fantastic read. I really enjoyed this book and the strategies they spoke about. Must read for any entrepreneur. Thanks guys

[Mathieu Mears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

This was a really good book. The overall strategy is different than traditional M&A and could potentially work, with open-minded business owners.

[Vedast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quotes in comment section:

[Gunnar Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

should look at the stock they have listed, though appreciate the insight, a new perspective

Lol should look at the stock they listed

There’s a difference between getting rich and creating something that lasts and becoming greater than Rockefeller and his podium

[Susan Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great repackaging of the old concepts. The issue is that the majority of entrepreneurs are full of themselves. The bread that will make this business model works is extremely rare.

[Nitesh Pant · Rating 3 out of 5]

While an interesting concept, the author's own implementation of the same idea to IPO in 12 months actually failed, so I don't know if I'd go down this path