Elo from Melo

Elo from Melo We guide, educate and support the financial planning community to build firms that are a cut above the rest. All rights reserved.

We work with ambitious financial planning firm owners in the UK, helping them to Build Better Businesses. Our Progress department works with firm owners to understand where they are now, where they want to be and agree a plan to get there. Whether you're looking to improve business efficiency and profitability, or lay the foundations to expedite growth, our team are here to support. Using the Melo

PPPT framework, we can help you to define and build your target operating model. Of course one day everybody has to exit and that's where our Exits team can help. Working exclusively for our sellers, without any financial conflict or bias, we help firms to Exit Right; at the Right Time, in the Right way, securing the Right Deal. With over 130 years experience working in regulated firms, we've been in your shoes, and can't wait to support more of you to build, scale and exit the firms of your dreams.

© 2025 Melo Advisory Services Limited. Content created by Melo Advisory Services Limited is protected by copyright. Third-party materials, if included on our posts, remain the property of their respective owners.

September is almost here, and this month we’re talking about the bit of exit planning that can be hardest to put on a sp...
27/08/2026

September is almost here, and this month we’re talking about the bit of exit planning that can be hardest to put on a spreadsheet: people 👀

A successful exit doesn’t just need the numbers, structures and paperwork to stack up.

It needs an owner who is ready to step back. Future leaders who are ready to step forward. And a wider team who understand what is changing, what isn’t, and where they fit into what comes next.

Sounds simple. Rarely is.

Conversations get postponed. Assumptions go unspoken. Founders struggle to loosen their grip. Successors can look ready on paper while quietly wondering whether they really are.

And when those things are left until succession or sale becomes urgent, they have a habit of becoming much harder to untangle.

So throughout September, we’re looking at preparing people for exit - from founder identity and successor confidence to leadership development, team dynamics and the conversations worth having much earlier.

We’ll also be bringing Victoria Hicks and Becca Timmins together for our next Melo Exit Session on 23 September.

September is about the people behind the plan. And we’ve got plenty to talk about ✨

We launched our Fee Increase Calculator this month to show how a change in ongoing fees could affect your firm's value. ...
25/08/2026

We launched our Fee Increase Calculator this month to show how a change in ongoing fees could affect your firm's value. Put in your recurring income, your current charge percentage and the rate you are thinking about moving to, and it shows the potential uplift at a 3.75x multiple. It takes around 90 seconds.

Give it a try if you haven't already. Link below 👇

The fee number is only part of it 🫣

When a buyer sits down with your firm, they are going to want to know a lot more than what you charge. They want to know whether the clients will actually stay once you step back. Whether the team can hold things together without you in the room. Whether the income is as clean and predictable as it looks on the page.

For many owners, those are the harder questions to answer. These are also the areas Melo helps owners work through well before a sale.

We have written about it this week, looking at the factors buyers assess beyond the fee line and what firms can work on before they go to market. Read the full article below 👇

A small fee change can make a big difference to what your firm is worth.We built a calculator that shows you exactly how...
17/08/2026

A small fee change can make a big difference to what your firm is worth.

We built a calculator that shows you exactly how much. Put in your recurring income, your current charge and the rate you are thinking about moving to. A few seconds later you have an indicative uplift figure - the potential increase in your firm's value on top of what it may already be worth.

You could be surprised by the number.

Find out yours below 👇

Five signs your fee structure could be weakening your firm's value👇Most firm owners review their fees occasionally. Some...
03/08/2026

Five signs your fee structure could be weakening your firm's value👇

Most firm owners review their fees occasionally. Some review them rarely. A significant number haven't reviewed them in years.

That's not unusual. Fee conversations are uncomfortable. Clients push back. It feels like a risk.

But the firms that go to market and attract strong interest tend to have one thing in common: their pricing reflects what it actually costs to deliver a great service, and their margin shows it.

This month, we're exploring the connection between fees, margin and future exit value - starting with five signs the numbers may not be working as hard as they should.

Swipe through. Then ask yourself when you last looked properly.

🔗 More on this on our website - link below.

Buyers look at tech stacks differently to the people who built them 🔍Where is the client data actually held? Who owns th...
20/07/2026

Buyers look at tech stacks differently to the people who built them 🔍

Where is the client data actually held? Who owns the technology decisions internally? Are tools used the same way by every adviser, or does each one work in their own way? Are processes documented anywhere a stranger could follow?

The questions feel operational. In a sale process, they shape something far more material: how much confidence a buyer has that what they are paying for will still work the same way the day after the deal completes.

A firm with a coherent, documented tech stack signals control. A firm without one signals risk, regardless of how well it runs day-to-day.

If you missed last Thursday's digital event on this, the replay is now available.

03/07/2026

The reasons people sell are changing 🔄

In 2019, most firm owners selling were doing so to retire.

Today, about half still fit that profile. The other half are different. Owners who want a capital event but still have ambition.

We call these "sell and stay" deals. The owner exits ownership but stays in the business. Sometimes for a second capital event. Sometimes just to get back to the work they loved before they had a firm to run.

For the right buyer, this is music to their ears. They value the people as much as the clients.

29/06/2026

Buyers see things owners don't 🔍

Financial planning is guided more than it is ruled. Firms develop their own ways of doing things, and most of those ways serve clients well.

But buyers look at the same business at a level of detail owners rarely apply themselves.

The most useful thing a future seller can do is look at their firm through a buyer's eyes long before going to market. The gaps become visible while there is still time to do something about them.

This week is Men’s Mental Health Week.In business, it can be easy to assume someone is fine because they are showing up,...
10/06/2026

This week is Men’s Mental Health Week.

In business, it can be easy to assume someone is fine because they are showing up, getting the work done and carrying on as normal. Pressure, deadlines and responsibility can all play a part.

At Melo, we talk a lot about building scalable, saleable businesses. That is not just about growth or exit. It is about building firms with clearer roles, better structure and shared responsibility, so pressure does not sit too heavily in one place.

That matters for value. It also matters for people.

One small takeaway for this week: notice where pressure is sitting, whether that is with you or someone else. Make space for a proper conversation, and take one practical step to reduce what can be reduced.

Stronger businesses are not built by people running on empty.

If you are struggling, please speak to someone you trust. You can also contact Samaritans for free on 116 123, any time.

In an acquisition, your data tells a story you may not have heard yourself yet 🗂️Most owners think of data as record-kee...
03/06/2026

In an acquisition, your data tells a story you may not have heard yourself yet 🗂️

Most owners think of data as record-keeping. Buyers think of it as evidence.

By the time a buyer is asking the hard questions, most of the answers are already set. The work of building a defensible data picture happens years before any deal is on the table.

For the firms that prepare in advance, that work tends to pay back twice. Once in the day-to-day, where the business simply becomes easier to run. And again in a sale process, where it shapes how much value actually transfers.

More on this throughout June ✨

Pride Month is a reminder that strong cultures are built deliberately. Not just through policies or statements, but thro...
01/06/2026

Pride Month is a reminder that strong cultures are built deliberately. Not just through policies or statements, but through the everyday standards a business chooses to hold.

Who feels able to speak. Who feels safe to challenge. Who can show up fully, without having to edit themselves to fit the room.

For business owners, this matters.

A scalable, saleable business is not only built on clean data, clear processes and strong leadership structures. It is also built on trust.

Trust within the team. Trust that different voices are heard. Trust that the business does not rely on one person, one perspective or one way of thinking.

Inclusive businesses are not just better places to work. They are often stronger, more resilient businesses to lead.

This Pride Month, we stand with LGBTQ+ colleagues, clients, friends and communities. 🏳️🌈

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