Carl Reader | Author, The Franchising Handbook and The Startup Coach

Carl’s key goal is to help businesses to start, grow and franchise. He is widely regarded as the UK’s leading expert and advisor to small businesses. He prides himself on offering straightforward advice to businesses looking to start, grow or franchise… and lives by the simple ethos of ’rolling your sleeves up and take action”. He is the author of The Startup Coach and The Franchising Handbook, both published by Hodder.

His advice covers everything a business owner needs to know, from sales, marketing, finance, legal, HR issues and administration through to growth strategies, fund raising and exit planning.

Carl regularly contributes to newspapers and magazines around the world on all aspects of starting and running a business. Carl was listed in the CityAM Top 100 Entrepreneur List and regularly advises business leaders on the international business circuit. He has been recognised in the Accountancy Age 35 under 35, and was ranked number 5 in the ICAEW Economia50 list of influential sources of finance news and analysis.

Carl’s business journey has been nothing but inspirational. From starting his career as a YTS hairdresser at 16 to heading up d&t, a multi-award winning, mid-tier accountancy firm. Established in the 1990’s, the firm now supports thousands of businesses across a wide range of sectors. Under Carl’s guidance the firm won British Accountancy Awards in 2013 and the 2020 Innovations Awards in 2014. Today Carl is widely recognised as a leading voice in the business world.