Skip to content

About Me

In my 25 years as a business owner and operator I have experienced the full business life cycle. I am now offering that experience to other business owners.

25 Years Experience - Full Business Lifecycle

I have been fortunate that in my career as a business operator and owner, I have experienced a successful full business cycle. Taking in; purchase, growth, lifestyle phases, establishing a leadership team, business maturity and finally preparation, sale and exit.

Along the way I have experienced a huge number of challenges and have developed strategies to overcome each one along the way.

I am really excited to be in a position to now offer support to other business owners like you.

Experience is everything and I am very happy to share mine.

I'd love to hear from you.

Chris

Chris Hansen

Exit & Succession Planning

In September 2023 my business (Riverside Environmental Services Ltd) was successfully sold to Celnor Group. A brand new private equity backed group focused on building a network of complimentary testing and inspection businesses with similar core values and strong reputations.

We took time to prepare the business, making sure it was attractive to the market, completing due diligence preparations and finding just the right buyer.

When I chose to exit in June 2024, I had taken time to prepare the  existing leadership team for succession, through mentoring, coaching and establishing standard operating procedures. Resulting in a smooth transition and continued business success.

  • Prepared leadership for succession
  • Achieved strong market attractiveness
  • Sold to Private Equity (2023)
  • Smooth exit transition (2024)
  • Continued business success
  • 10% Growth year on year (Average)
  • Grew to a team of 100 staff
  • Established a senior leadership team
  • Three regional offices
  • Worked with some of the UKs most prestigious clients
  • Growth by Acquisition

Growth

Between 2010 to the sale in 2023, we grew Riverside revenues by 141%, averaging 11% year on year.

I believe growth should be sustainable and with a long term view, however I have learned many things over the years which could have shortened my own journey considerably.

Growth is as much about internal structures and capabilities as it is about finding new clients. It's exciting and can bring huge benefits, if done well.

Lifestyle Business

I learnt over my 25 years that for you to give your best to your business, you need to be getting the right support and benefits from it.

To make sure I could sustain energy, enthusiasm and real care for Riverside, I built people, processes, structures, systems, reputation, clients and finances that were sustainable and in line with my values and goals.

Solutions were developed for; recruitment (attraction, retention and development), performance, measurements/visibility (across business functions), re-structuring, difficult decisions, incentive schemes, profit distribution and investment, tendering, reporting, meeting routines, functional roles and responsibilities...and everything else that came along.

  • Built an effective leadership team (based on accountability and support)
  • Developed company wide standard operating procedures
  • Profitable in every year of trading
  • Built a business that sustained my energy, interest and enthusiasm
  • Achieved a sustainable and enjoyable work/life balance
  • Achieved Management Buyout (2015)
  • Successful financial structure
  • Smooth business transition

Management Buyout (MBO)

After running the business with a partner for an arms length owner for 5 years, in 2015 we pursued a route to buy the business outright. We found funding, prepared the business, negotiated a deal structure and achieved a smooth transition. Satisfying all stakeholders in the deal.

This provided a real boost of enthusiasm and energy to take the business on to even greater things.

My Story

I have learned a great deal in my 25 years owning and operating businesses, often the hard way. In 2024 I successfully completed a full business cycle of; purchase, growth, maturity, sale and exit.

I started right at the bottom of the ladder in 1999, a trainee in an engineering and consultancy business owned by my father. Some say the bosses son gets special treatment and that was certainly true in my case, I had to work harder and earn less, to prove I was there on merit!

I became a partner in that business but chose to move on in 2010 to pursue my own career away from the family business.

I joined Riverside to help the owner (Tony) grow and develop the business, its client base and its processes. In 2015 I bought the business through an MBO with a partner. We grew the business to 100 staff, established a leadership team and achieved contracts with some of the most prestigious brands and sites in the UK (and possibly the world in certain cases).

In 2023 the time was right for a change and we decided to sell to Celnor Group, a new private equity backed business ambitious to create a new market leader. This freed the business into even bigger and better things and it gives me huge pride to see the business I built continue to thrive.

In June 2024 it was right for me to start a new challenge, and though I had enjoyed working for the new group creating strategies to take the business to exciting new levels, my path was taking me in a different direction.

I have always been interested in businesses and how they work, and for a long time I had thought of working with other businesses as a consultant. Pivotal allows me to pursue that interest now and I am looking forward to seeing where this takes me next.

Qualifications & Memberships

In addition to my 25 years of lived experience as a business operator and owner, I have picked up some useful qualifications along the way:

  • Association of Business Mentors (abm) member (link)
  • Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management & Leadership (Chartered Management Institute)
    • Financial Management
    • Performance Management
  • Level 7 CIM Marketing Leadership Programme (Chartered Institute of Marketing)
    • Contemporary Challenges (Audit, Analysis and Strategy Setting)
    • Leading Change - studying
    • Consultancy / Managing Business Growth - studying
  • British Safety Council - Health and Safety for Directors
ABM Logo (Transparent Background) (1)
ABM Member Badge (transparent background)

For an introductory call simply submit the form below or book here