Strategic advisory for founder-led businesses.
“Build Beyond the Founder”
Grow your business, expand internationally and prepare for a future exit—with practical advice that helps your company become more valuable and less dependent on you.
Led by John Cummins, exited founder, Angel Investor and Strategic Advisor.
Practical Support for Your Next Stage
You may be planning your next phase of growth, exploring a new market or considering an eventual sale. We help you assess your options, identify what needs to change and decide where to focus.
Founder Growth and Advisory
When too many decisions still depend on you.
Identify the priorities, strengthen your management structure and give your team clearer responsibility—so the business can grow without every decision coming back to the founder.
Areas we can work on together:
• Growth priorities and commercial strategy
• Leadership responsibilities and decision-making
• Founder dependency and succession
International Expansion
When a new market looks promising—but the way in is unclear.
Assess the commercial opportunity, compare routes to market and identify the relationships and resources needed to expand, with a particular focus on the United States, Ireland and Europe.
Areas we can work on together:
• Market selection and entry strategy
• Partner and distributor assessment
• Commercial positioning and introductions where relevant
Exit Readiness
When you want to prepare for a sale before it becomes urgent.
Understand how a potential buyer might assess your business, identify gaps in your preparation and prioritize improvements that could strengthen your position ahead of a future transaction.
Areas we can work on together:
• Founder dependency and management readiness
• Revenue quality and customer concentration
• Buyer landscape and preparation for due diligenceMeet John - Advice Grounded in Experience
CBV is led by John Cummins, exited founder, angel investor and strategic advisor.
Originally from Dublin, Ireland and now based in Pennsylvania USA, John founded his own technical services firm in 2015 - and quickly expanded into the US just a year later. After six successful years of growth across Ireland and the US, John exited the company and joined the executive team for three years as Vice President of Global Strategic Partnerships.
In recent years, he has shifted focus to what he is most passionate about - investing in and advising founder-led startups and growing companies, helping them navigate the challenging path from early-stage innovation to international expansion.
John’s belief is that the founder should remain the company’s advantage, not become its constraint.
How We Work
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Step 1 - Understand Your Priorities
An initial conversation to discuss your business, the challenges you’re facing and what you want to achieve. It’s an opportunity to ask questions and establish whether we’re the right fit.
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Step 2 - Agree the Focus
Together, we define the scope, expected outputs, responsibilities and fees before work begins. This might be a focused strategic project, ongoing advisory support or a longer-term board relationship.
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Step 3 - Turn Decisions into Action
We work through the agreed priorities, challenge assumptions and translate recommendations into practical next steps. For ongoing engagements, we review progress and adjust the focus as your business evolves.
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Get Started Today
You don’t need a finished brief to start. A clear question—or a challenge you’re still trying to define—is enough for an initial conversation.
Questions Before We Start…
Have a different question?
Tell us a little about your business and what you’re considering. We can explore whether our experience is relevant to your next step.
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We work with founders, business owners, CEOs and investors navigating growth, international expansion or preparation for an eventual exit. We are particularly suited to businesses facing a significant strategic decision, or where continued growth depends too heavily on the founder.
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No. Many of the changes that prepare a business for a future sale also make it stronger today: clearer leadership responsibilities, better commercial focus and less dependence on one person. We can help whether you want to grow, explore a new market or create more options for the future.
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Yes. An engagement can focus on a specific question, such as assessing a new market, reviewing growth priorities or identifying gaps in exit readiness. Where ongoing support is useful, we can agree a longer-term advisory relationship.
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Our international focus is on businesses operating between the United States, Ireland and wider Europe. The support available depends on the market, sector and commercial challenge. We establish where our experience and relationships can add value before agreeing an engagement.
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We work through focused strategic projects, ongoing advisory relationships and board roles. Scope, expected outputs, responsibilities and fees are agreed before work begins, so you understand what is included and how we will work together.
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We arrange an initial conversation to understand your business, your priorities and the decision or challenge you are facing. If there is a good fit, we outline an approach and agree the next steps. You do not need to prepare a formal brief before contacting us.