A Message from Paul – Bluebox turns Ten

April 28, 2022

This month we celebrate ten years of business at Bluebox Corporate Finance, and what an incredible ten years it has been!

 

Bluebox was established in April 2012, founded by myself and James Caan, the very friendliest of Dragons, who had encouraged me (rather persistently) to start a corporate finance business of my own having previously engaged with me whilst I was working elsewhere.  It was a risk I didn’t want to take, but James’ inimitable powers of persuasion and dogged determination encouraged me to take the leap.  Ten years on, I am both delighted I did and am truly grateful to James for the ever such gentle persuasion at the time.  Overnight I became my own boss.  I could design the business, control the strategic agenda and experience, first hand, the real-life world of start-ups and entrepreneurialism!  Even after buying James out of the company in 2016, we continued to grow.

 

I have been blessed with the opportunity of working with hundreds of incredible entrepreneurs and many exciting clients along the way.  Far too many to mention individually, but in the last 10 years Bluebox has sold over a hundred different companies, raised funds for countless others and has worked with thousands of entrepreneurs on their journey to a lucrative exit.  Achievements for which we are proud to have won countless awards, including Acquisition International’s highly prestigious ‘Best Corporate Finance Firm of 2021′ only 3 months ago.

 

And in the run up to this Anniversary, I have been asked about the secrets of our success and the key reasons why things have worked so well.  And the answer that emerges almost every time is ‘the team’.  The ‘A’ Team.  My ‘A’ Team.  A team of talented men and women who exude our core values and work with dedication and to the very best of their abilities.  A team who can enjoy the highs and absorb the lows of what we do.

 

In a business such as Bluebox, where personal relationships and trust are so very important, and where brainpower and emotional intelligence are components of what we sell, having an incredibly talented team is undoubtedly at the heart of success.  And, on this tenth anniversary, I do want to express – as I would like to think that I often do – my huge appreciation to the entire Bluebox team for their support over the past decade.

 

In particular to our two longest serving employees.  Tracy Kingsnorth, who joined on day one after her role at the Oxfordshire Golf Club and Jonathan Rich, who joined us some eight years ago from PwC.  Tracy has been a constant throughout.  Many of you will know Tracy from one of her numerous roles, but as current Operations Director across our four businesses, she keeps me in check, the business in check and has enabled us to move quickly in the way we have. A special thank you to Tracy at this time.  And Jonathan too, who continues to impress clients with with his exceptional ability all round.  His choice of football team, Arsenal, is a single flaw that I choose to ignore, but Jon’s support has also been constant from the start.  A big thank you to them both.

 

So, what’s next for us? More of the same or something new? The answer is a bit of both. Our Bluebox Corporate Finance business is enjoying a very strong market and, with three deals announced in Q1 and a number more to come in the coming weeks, some would say is thriving.  Bluebox Velocity, our B2B offering is rapidly developing and continues to grow.

 

And as we move into our second decade, do keep a close look out for the launch of both Bluebox Capital, a business investing in early stage, highly scalable businesses, and, The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, an exceptional new take on real-life business education for 13-16 year old kids.  More on both of these in the coming weeks.

 

And finally, a huge thank you to all those that have supported us over this past decade from clients to suppliers alike. Let’s hope that the next ten years brings further success for us all and, most importantly, world peace.

 

With very kind regards.

Paul

 

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