How do you build trust to lead growth in a family business when you’re not part of the family?
There are 766,847 family firms in the UK, contributing £1.6 trillion to the economy, and over 3 million jobs, according to research for Family Business UK compiled by The Scale-Up Institute. Only 58% have boards, with 70% looking to recruit more experienced leaders, and 60% looking to access a fractional executive.
Only 369 UK family firms have been trading for over a century, and one of them has maximised fractional because of their MD Andrea Millington. Founded in 1913, Preedy Glass is a proudly family-owned business specialising in everything from heritage restorations to contemporary projects, with a reputation for craftsmanship, quality and innovation. Liberti Club spoke to Andrea about how she became MD and how she has made the most of fractional experts and peer networks to lead and scale more successfully.
LC: You started your career as a financial controller. How did you become a Managing Director?
AM: I’m originally from Slovakia. After my first year at university, I came to the UK, fell in love with the country, and decided to stay. Once I’d learned English, I went into finance because it was familiar territory. The technical side came naturally, but I quickly realised I enjoyed solving business problems far more than accounting itself.
I joined Preedy Glass as Financial Controller 11 years ago. After sorting out the finance function I was promoted to Finance Director, then progressed to Operations Director when I got involved in other areas of the business like HR and H&S. I drove forward implementation of new software, servers and general changes in company structure and culture before officially becoming Managing Director in April this year.
LC: What has it been like leading in such an established family business?
AM: Preedy Glass has always been family-owned. I’m the first female director and the first non-family Managing Director. I have similar values to the family, which has helped a lot. One of my biggest priorities has been helping the family see the business as a business first and a family second. I’ve proved that I can not only make decisions, but drive change forward. My decision to work with fractional leaders, across Sales, Marketing and HR, has helped us to get further faster with the right experts.
LC: How did you first get involved with fractional specialists?
AM: Through the MD2MD network. I like being in rooms where I’m learning from people who know more than I do. That’s where I met Andrew Milbourn from Kiss the Fish, Mark Eaton from People Puzzles and Richard Hancock from The Marketing Centre.
What appealed to me most about them was that it never felt like they were selling. If they could help Sales, Marketing or HR, they would; if they couldn’t, they were honest about it. That built trust. They’re genuine specialists. I don’t need to be an expert in everything. You can bring in exactly the expertise you need, exactly when you need it. And if the business needs a different specialist in the future, nobody takes it personally, and they have a network of fractional experts you can tap into. It’s flexible, practical and focused on what’s right for the business.
LC: Why did you choose join the MD2MD network?
AM: The quality of the peer group. It’s a trusted environment where Managing Directors can speak openly with other business leaders facing similar challenges. The face-to-face meetings and locations work particularly well for me.
I genuinely enjoy helping people, especially when it comes to leadership and sharing experiences of what went wrong so people can hopefully learn from that and do better. I love watching other people grow. I also make sure that I’m learning from leaders who have experienced more than I have and experts who can help me make better decisions. The right networks and partners can help to make you a better and more effective leader.
Preedy Glass is one of many examples within Liberti Club’s growing client community of family businesses working with fractional leaders to bring in specialist executive level expertise to strengthen their Sales, Marketing, HR and Finance function – even helping to recruit MDs to manage this ongoing support. For regular insights on how businesses are making the most of fractional leadership solutions, and access to Liberti Club events, sign up to our monthly Leader Briefing.