Growth plan · Start Inspiring · September 2026

New Conversations, Nothing Missed

Put Annie and Kelly in front of the founders who need Start Inspiring now, and connect LinkedIn, the podcast, the newsletter and your events in one place: your Zoho.

Founders, owners and CEOs Scaling, 50 people and up Any sector you want

Where we start

New buyers first. Founders who fit hear from Annie or Kelly from week 2, and every reply lands in Zoho. The rest of the system connects around it.

Watch first · 4 min Ivo walks you through the plan From finding the right founders to the timeline and terms.
Part 1 New buyers Part 2 One lead's journey Part 3 Everything connected

One real example throughout: Lee Compton, CEO of Phoenix ME, the London engineering firm H.I.G. Capital invested in this August. Every claim has a source at the bottom of the page.Start with Part 1 ↓

Part 1 · New buyers

Every Founder Sourced & Scored

Four checks on every business before Annie or Kelly sends a word. Here’s Phoenix ME, one example from construction: the engine runs on any sector you want.

A mixture of tools finds the founders and owners, and Companies House gives the hard facts. One record per business, with your clients and live conversations taken out.

When a business takes investment or starts to scale, its people have to keep up. We find those moments, and date every one.

  • Investment or a new owner
  • An acquisition or a new market
  • Fast growth or hiring
  • An event your buyers went to
  • And more, built with you

Signals say the timing is right. Intent says they already care about what you do.

  • People or leadership roles being hired
  • Values or a culture they publish
  • Apprentice and graduate programmes
  • Engagement with your posts, podcast or newsletter

Every business is scored out of 100. Under the pass line, no message, however good the name. Week 1 builds the model around your buyer.

Phoenix ME, foundMerged into 1 record

Mixture of toolsLee Compton, CEO
Companies HousePhoenix ME Limited
Their announcementM&E engineering, since 1931

Phoenix ME

In the list
  • Right company00255476 in every source
  • Size469 people, £319m revenue
  • Who runs itLee Compton, staying in charge
  • Your listClients taken out from week 1

What changed at Phoenix ME5 found

  • New majority investorH.I.G. CapitalAug 2026
  • A new chairmanJim ArnoldAug 2026
  • Record order bookOver £800mJul 2026
  • Growing fastRevenue up 8% to £319mJul 2026
  • Into EuropeFinland and Austria, due this yearJul 2026

What they're doing about their people3 found

Their values: Innovation
“We invest in a culture that is progressive…”
  • Two people roles openHR Advisor, Talent Acquisition Manager
  • Growing their ownApprentices and trainee engineers

Phoenix ME, scoredFirst version of the model

93of 100

Passes

Ready for a message

  • Moment30/30
  • Size20/20
  • Intent16/20
  • Fit12/15
  • Buyer15/15
93, passes

Phoenix ME is ready. Part 2 follows its CEO, Lee Compton, from here.

One lead's journey ↓

Part 2 · One lead's journey

Here’s What Happens Next

Four steps for every founder who passes, from Annie’s or Kelly’s own LinkedIn and email. Pick a sender to see their version.

We confirm they’re in the seat and run the whole business, and find a second way in if they don’t reply.

Short on purpose: one line on their news, then the link. The video and their page do the heavy lifting. If LinkedIn goes quiet, email picks it up.

Just an example: we craft the copy that converts with you.

In your brand: a short video from Annie, what stood out about their business, and one ask. Choose how the video is made.

A call with Annie on where their business is heading.

The person who signsConfirmed

LC

Lee ComptonCEO, Phoenix ME

  • In the seatCEO, staying in charge
  • RunsThe whole business
  • Second way inTheir HR lead, to confirm

Annie IvesGrowth Partner, Start Inspiring

LinkedIn

Hi Lee,

Saw the news of H.I.G.’s investment in Phoenix ME. A big new chapter. Congratulations.

I just recorded a short video for you. It’s inside a page I put together; here is the link: hello.startinspiring.com/lee-8m4t

Curious to hear your thoughts.

Many thanks,
Annie

Their name What they’ve said in public Their page
hello.startinspiring.com/lee-8m4tExpand

What they bookFrom their page

A chemistry call with Annie

  • Lands inAnnie’s diary
  • ThenStraight into Zoho

Not ready?The Velocity™ Diagnostic or a webinar seat

How we'll know

Measured against your goal: new clients who didn’t come from a referral.

Founders contacted
Chemistry calls
Proposals
New clients

Video · two ways to run it

A video from Annie or Kelly on every page

Both are included. Run one, or both: custom for the founders you want most, record once for the rest.

Option ACustom
Option BRecord once
Your time
About 90 seconds when they say yes
One sitting per segment, then nothing
What they see
A video recorded for them, on their own page
A video for founders in their segment, on the segment’s page
The message says
“I recorded a short video for you”
“I recorded a short video on what new investment asks of a leadership team”
Best for
The founders you want most
Reaching more founders every week
See each option, step by stepHide the steps
  1. 1Lee says yes

    NotificationsJust now

    Lee Compton accepted your invitation to connect

    or

    Lee Compton replied to your email

  2. 2Annie clicks record

    Annie’s queue3 to record

    Lee ComptonPhoenix MELinkedIn connection accepted, 09:14

    Record
  3. 3The research is on screen
    Rec 0:52

    Lee ComptonCEO, Phoenix ME

    • H.I.G. invested in August

    Close withA chemistry call

  4. 4On their page, and sent

    LinkedIn messageSent

    Hi Lee, I recorded a short video for you

    A video from Anniehello.startinspiring.com

    On Lee’s page

About 90 secondsFrom opening Lee’s card to sent

Part 3 · Everything connected

Your Three Channels, Connected

You make the content, and it stays yours. We connect it, with your webinars and events, into Zoho.

One way in, start to finishAn example

  1. 01Your content goes outLinkedInPodcastNewsletter
  2. 02Someone engagesA Head of PeopleReacts to your post
  3. 03They join your listThe newsletterSigned up from the post
  4. 04We find their companyA construction firmGrowing fast
  5. 05That starts the researchPasses the scoreNew investment, hiring
  6. 06Their founder hears from youA video from AnnieOn a page for them

Every step is recorded in ZohoNothing copied by hand

Your data stays yours, in your own Zoho, where your lists and sequences already live.

Safe for your accounts. Outreach stays inside LinkedIn’s limits, on tools we’ve run for years, and reading who engaged with your posts never logs in as you.

Timeline

The next six months

New buyers and the connected system side by side for three months, then the January relaunch.

New buyers

  1. Week 1

    Your buyer and scoring

  2. Weeks 2 to 4

    First founders hear from you

  3. Month 2

    Email and 3 December invites

  4. Month 3

    Scale what books calls

Everything connected

  1. Week 1

    Zoho wired in

  2. Weeks 2 to 4

    Every channel feeding Zoho

  3. Month 2

    Follow-ups sent for you

  4. Month 3

    A Monday read on every deal

Months 4 to 6

  1. Month 4

    The January relaunch

  2. Month 5

    A pipeline for each regional consultant

  3. Month 6

    Velocity data by sector, size and zone

  4. Later in 2027

    Your book’s first readers

To start

What we need from you

  • An hour on your buyer, to build the scoring around who signs.
  • Access to Zoho, the webinar form, the newsletter and your LinkedIn page.
  • Annie’s and Kelly’s LinkedIn, email and diaries, connected.
  • Time on camera: about 90 seconds per custom video, or one sitting per segment.

Terms · a partnership

£3,000a month

Everything in this plan, tooling included.

  • Three-month minimum, then month to month.
  • New buyers from Annie, Kelly or both, with both video options.
  • Every channel connected in your own Zoho, yours to keep.
  • Planned with you each month, around your webinars, 3 December and the January relaunch.

Sources

Where every claim comes from

Every fact on this page and on Lee’s example page, with the websites it came from. Checked on 30 September 2026.

Show all 12 sourcesHide the sources

  1. H.I.G. Capital acquired Phoenix ME, announced on 11 August 2026. Lee Compton, CEO, reinvests alongside H.I.G., the management team stays, and Jim Arnold joins as Chairman to support Phoenix’s next phase of growth. The plan is to expand across Europe. Founded in 1931, headquartered in London

    H.I.G. press release, 11 Aug 2026Construction Enquirer, 11 Aug 2026

  2. Lee Compton stays in charge of the company after the deal, and the existing management team is kept

    Construction News, 11 Aug 2026

  3. Phoenix ME Limited, company 00255476, with Lee David Compton a director. H.I.G.’s company Arizona Bidco Limited holds 75% or more of the shares from 5 August 2026

    Companies House: ownersCompanies House: directors

  4. For the year to 30 September 2025, revenue up 8% to £319m, pre-tax profit up 55% to £17m and headcount up 12% to 469. A record secured order book of more than £800m over the next four years, and new work expected to begin in Finland and Austria during 2026. Core markets include data centres, life sciences, commercial offices and rail

    Construction Enquirer, 2 Jul 2026

  5. Phoenix ME’s open roles, including an HR Advisor and a Talent Acquisition Manager in London, its Electrical Apprenticeship and Trainee Engineer Programme, and its Innovation value on a culture that is progressive and continuous learning

    phoenixme.co.uk: opportunitiesphoenixme.co.uk: early careersphoenixme.co.uk: about us

  6. On Lee’s page: the testimonials from Mark Sherman, Chief Executive at Drax Executive, and Ian Stokes, CEO of Knauf; the Marshalls, Saint-Gobain, Siemens and Cabinet Office logos; your solutions, from Elevate Your Leadership to Propel Your Growth; “Let’s find it and fix it” and “Your people people”

    startinspiring.com

  7. Clarity × Energy = Velocity™

    Start Inspiring on LinkedIn

  8. The Velocity™ Effect Webinar Series on Tuesday 13 October, 09:30 to 10:15, with Kelly and Annie. Velocity isn’t simply about moving faster, it’s about how effectively an organisation can move in its desired direction. Attendees leave with a clearer view of where momentum is being created or lost. Seats are booked on a Microsoft Form

    Start Inspiring on LinkedInYour webinar booking link

  9. Your newsletter, with sign-ups taken on Zoho Campaigns

    Your newsletter sign-up link

  10. Your podcast, on YouTube

    Start Inspiring on YouTube

  11. You partner with founders, CEOs, investors and people leaders in high-growth businesses. Kelly Wakeman is Founder & CEO, and Annie Ives is Growth Partner

    startinspiring.comstartinspiring.com: about us

  12. Your buyer, founders and owners scaling from 50 people up. The chemistry call, Zoho for your lists and email sequences, winning more clients beyond referrals, your event in London on 3 December, relaunching from January, a Velocity consultant for each region, Velocity data by sector, size and zone, and a book next year, as you described them

    Our call, 29 September 2026

hello.startinspiring.com/lee-8m4t