If you’ve ever considered, or want to learn more about, growing your business by acquisition, you’ll want to listen to this week’s guest, Jon Graves, Founder & CEO of Northern Telecom. Jon has grown his business by 7-fold in three years via 13 acquisitions. In part two of our discussion Jon shares with us some of the good, and bad, acquisitions that he’s done, talks us through the need to systemise his pre-pack DD, discusses the difficulties and processes in integrating acquisitions and then shares some expert advice if you want to look at building by acquisition. INTRODUCING JON GRAVES Jon Graves is a dynamic and tenacious business owner who has carved a formidable path in the telecommunications industry. A decade ago, driven by his entrepreneurial spirit and a vision for innovation, he founded Northern Telecom. Jon's entrepreneurial journey is characterized by bold moves and calculated risks. With a passion for challenge, he fearlessly spearheaded 15 acquisitions, often rescuing insolvent companies through pre-pack deals. These strategic manoeuvres not only expanded Northern Telecom's reach but also cemented its reputation as a major player in the competitive market. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS [00:02:00] Examples of buying via pre-pack (good and bad) [00:12:30] Systemising pre-pack due diligence [00:15:45] The change in the business through acquisition [00:19:30] The difficulties in integrating acquisitions [00:25:30] Final advice for building by acquisition KEY TAKEAWAYS & BUSINESS LEARNINGS   The next 12 months is going to be a fantastic time if you want to buy by pre-packYou won’t get any time at all to evaluate a pre-pack; you need to be ready to   You can’t save every business I would never start a business from scratch now BEST MOMENTS “We doubled revenue over night and it only cost £100,000” “We haven’t caused the business to become distressed; we’re trying to help save jobs” “Northern Telecom as a brand name doesn’t make much sense in Bournemouth” VALUABLE RESOURCES FOR YOU Website: www.leedsbusinesspodcast.com Website: https://www.northerntelecom.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangraves1/ Want to watch instead of listen? Subscribe to our You Tube channel -  https://youtube.com/@LeedsBusinessPodcast. DON'T FORGET THE LEEDS BUSINESS PODCAST ‘FAIR DEAL’ My half of the agreement; Every week I bring you inspiring Leeds Business people FOR FREE. Your half of the deal has two simple steps; 1) Share this episode with just ONE person who you think will get value from it 2) Post a review of the show at either •              Apple Podcasts App (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/leeds-business-podcast/id1695413291) or •              Podchaser (https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/leeds-business-podcast-5389157) or •              a 5 star review at Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/66AeIYry1gWfmBYMDlfmrT) or •              give this episode a ’thumbs up’ on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@LeedsBusinessPodcast) SOCIAL MEDIA Follow us on; LinkedIn - a...