– About Karl

I have built things, bought things, broken things, and learned from all of it.

Here is the honest version of how I ended up doing what I do.

Where I started

I spent the early part of my career as a software developer, working across large organisations and early-stage startups. That background gave me something most people in marketing and business consulting do not have: a genuine understanding of how systems work, how to build things that scale, and how technology can do the heavy lifting that most businesses still do manually.

It was rarely the product that separated the businesses that scaled from those that failed. It was almost always the systems, the people, and whether the business was built to work without its founder at the centre of everything.

I became interested in business growth not through a marketing agency but through the businesses themselves. Working inside startups, watching some of them scale and others fail, I became fascinated by what separated the two.

02: Acquisitions

What I learned from buying businesses

I have acquired and worked inside businesses across marketing, IT support, and logistics. Some of those experiences went well. Some did not. The ones that did not taught me more than any course or consultant ever could.

The biggest lesson was about people. A business with weak systems but a strong operator can be fixed. A business with strong systems but the wrong person running it will fail regardless of how good the foundations are. I now spend more time thinking about the human side of any business I get involved with than almost any other factor.

A business that depends entirely on its owner is not really a business. It is a job with more risk and less job security.

Every acquisition reinforced the same truth. It is why the Business Dependency Score exists, and why it is the starting point for almost every conversation I have with business owners.

03: Why I Do It This Way

The thinking behind the model

Most marketing agencies charge whether they deliver or not. Most consultants give advice and leave the implementation to you. Most business coaches are good at helping you think but have never actually run the kind of business they are advising on.

I built my approach around a different principle. I only fully benefit when the client does. In the growth partnerships I run through Exit Blueprint, I take an equity stake backed by a specific growth target. If the milestones are not hit, the equity comes back. That alignment changes everything about how I approach the work.

Through Exit Blueprint I run courses and tools for business owners who want a structured way to think about their next five years. The flagship tool is the Business Dependency Score, which is avaiable for free, because the right thing is to give people something genuinely useful before asking for anything in return.

04: The Personal Bit

A few things that do not go on a CV

My grandfather was a ship’s captain whose first command was a vessel called the Tabora. That name sits behind Tabora Capital not because it sounds impressive but because it means something. The idea of a first command, taking responsibility, navigating uncertainty, doing the work with the resources you have, is one I come back to often.

I’m better at being direct than being diplomatic, which people either appreciate or find uncomfortable. I am more interested in what is true than what sounds good. I’ve made enough expensive mistakes to know that honesty about a problem is always worth more than confidence about a solution.

05: The Entities

The three ways I work

Exit Blueprint

Courses and tools for owners thinking about their next five years

Short courses, the free Business Dependency Score scorecard, and practical frameworks for business owners who want a structured way to plan where their business is going.

Visit Exit Blueprint

Tabora Capital

Equity growth partnerships for businesses ready to scale, step back, or sell

I work with a small number of businesses each year. I take an equity stake and work alongside the owner as a thinking partner. Where specific work is needed, my team handles it. The equity vests against agreed milestones.

Book a Confidential Call

Tabora Digital

Marketing services for small and medium businesses

Website builds, SEO, email marketing, AI automations, paid advertising, and social media management. Four package tiers from £145 per month.

Explore Marketing Packages

Take the free Business Dependency Score.

If you are a business owner who has read this far, take the free three-minute scorecard. It will tell you exactly how reliant your business is on you right now and what your score means for your ability to scale, step back, or sell.

Take the Free Dependency Score

Or get in touch directly if you would rather start with a conversation.