Employee Ownership – A Tailored Solution for Every Business  

The automation of activities, from banking apps to self-service checkouts, has become normalised in the name of speed and efficiency. The more cynical amongst you might argue that cost-savings and profitability are the key drivers over customer experience and satisfaction, but we’ll leave that discussion for another day. 

Some of life’s biggest decisions, though – whether they are for an individual, a family or a business – should not be made by algorithms or artificial intelligence. Machine learning should not be trying to squeeze your unique circumstances into one of its many, off-the-shelf boxes and convince you it’s a best-fit, cost-effective solution – and that you should be happy with the result. 

If you are considering selling your business to, or sharing its success with, your employees, that is possibly the biggest decision you will ever make about your company.  That’s a business you have developed over years of inspiration, application, perspiration and undoubtedly at times, desperation. Your decision deserves better than off-the shelf solutions, however much they are tweaked. 

RM2 is an employee-owned consultancy specialising in designing and implementing all types of employee ownership solutions for private and listed companies. We are a product of our own advice – we believe that introducing employee ownership, in any form, can help shape a brighter future for all, which is why we’ve chosen this model ourselves.   

We also recognise that taking the first step to employee ownership needs careful planning and a design that’s unique to your business.  So we don’t do anything else but employee ownership: instead, we take the time to get under the skin of your business, understand what you hope to achieve and then tailor a solution to your unique employee ownership requirements. 

Whether you’re looking for a share option plan for one key employee, a share plan to reward all employees, a transition to a full Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), or a mix of all these, our experienced advisors will help you choose the best employee share ownership route for your business and tailor it to the perfect fit. 

What makes RM2 different? 

When you meet with us, we hope we will be able to demonstrate how our service offers benefits that make us stand out from the crowd: 

Depth and breadth of expertise: We believe we have the largest specialist employee ownership team in the UK. Our advisers include solicitors, accountants, finance analysts and share plan compliance specialists, with each able to bring expertise to the project when it matters most. Combined, our team has many decades of experience delivering tailored employee ownership solutions in all their forms. 

Focus and expertise: We only advise on employee ownership. We are 100% focused on delivering your share plan or EOT, or a hybrid employee ownership structure, without the competing distractions that can slow or complicate the project, witnessed with non-specialist providers. 

Understanding the employee ownership concept: As an employee-owned business ourselves, we have chosen the way our business is structured to meet our own individual requirements. We know how important it is to get the ownership structure right, with every solution tailored to the unique needs of every business. 

How we can deliver for you 

We know that every business is different, and that one size definitely does not fit all. Right from our first meeting, we’re all about making sure that your share plan is the perfect fit for you, and that it continues to grow and adapt with your business into the future.  

We have a unique approach to developing the right solution for you and your business, whether it’s a simple share option plan to reward a key member of your team or it’s time to sell your business to an Employee Ownership Trust: 

• Listen:  the first stage of every project includes detailed discussions to find out about your business and its objectives, before we decide what approach is right for you.  We don’t tell you what scheme you need – we find out what’s best for you by listening 

• Design: we talk through every element of the plan design with you, covering everything from share rights to internal markets to long term exit strategies 

• Valuation and modelling: our advisers will work through the numbers with you to ensure the optimal financial outcome, whether in terms of equity dilution or the most suitable level of EOT debt repayment    
• Implementation: we’ll hold your hand from start to finish as your plan is put in place, whether that’s the transaction process for an EOT, or making awards to staff under an employee share plan 
• Post-implementation compliance and support: once your plan is in place, we don’t walk away. We can manage your share plan after implementation, including providing compliance support and trustee services. If you need an online portal for your share plan, we can build and design one that’s tailored to your share plan and employees. 

Everything we do and every decision we make at RM2 is focused on working with you to get the right fit for you, your employees and your company. It’s why we are considered one of the UK’s leading Employee Ownership consultancies and why we have now advised on close to 100 EOT transactions. 

If you are considering sharing the success of your business or selling it to your employees, please get in touch and we’ll explain everything you need to know, to ensure the right solution is tailored to your exact requirements.