I work to live, not live to work (although it wasn't always that way in my early career). And a big part of life for me is quality time with my family. This is us on the Tsitsikamma Canopy & Zip-Wire Tour near Storms River in South Africa. We're all adrenaline junkies!
Hi
I'm Richard McMullan, the Founder of Aurelius Advisory, and creator of the Value Acceleration Framework.
I’ve been intrigued by how businesses work since studying management science in the final year of my Master’s degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering in 1989.
However, my career only makes sense in the rear-view mirror (if you squint and close one eye) - there was no career plan, I simply went to roles that looked interesting.
I’ve been an IT Systems Analyst, IT Strategist, a Business Strategy Consultant to small, mid, and large businesses, Head of Marketing & Strategy for a £400m business, and, as Managing Director, scaled a £1m business to £20m (after seeing sales plummet by 40% during the 2008 crash).
I'm a Chartered Director, Board Chair of two companies, and I'm the Honorary Treasurer for Belfast Chamber of Trade & Commerce.
I co-own two businesses; both of which I'm building to sell. One creates, manufactures and sells 100% natural supplements for horses and dogs, and the other sells (the UK's most expensive) hay and herbs for small animals.
I’ve acquired five businesses (and failed twice because of the owner's over-estimation of what their business was worth).
The relevance of all that history?
First: I’ve experienced the good, bad, and ugly of leading businesses, seen what works well, and what doesn’t across 30+ different sectors! And whilst we don't live long enough to make all the mistakes possible, I've given it a good go (as well as having my fair share of success).
Second: I'm not your typical theorist consultant. The Value Acceleration Framework comes from my experience in the trenches, and everything I use gets road-tested in my own businesses before being rolled out.
Since 2015 I've used that experience to help 100+ owners to build and lead businesses they can sell, on demand, for an eye-wateringly large sum.
When I’m not working...
I'm absolutely sports-mad, so you’ll most likely find me with my family or outdoors playing golf, paddle-boarding, wild-water swimming, windsurfing, kayaking, hiking, or playing with our two dogs.
The knees can’t do football any longer, and the shoulders don’t stay in for rugby, so I took up hockey in 2021 (for the first time ever at the tender age of 54) to feed my thirst for competitive team sport!
I hope we get to work together – I love sharing what I’ve learnt, and get a huge buzz from seeing my clients succeed.