why is intellectual property so important to buyers?

Confidential© Equiteq 2015 equiteq.com

Growing equity, realizing value

8 Levers Webinar Series

Intellectual Property Webinar


Well-managed IP enables the firm to scale and to command premium prices

Confidential© Equiteq 2015 equiteq.com 3

When we look at a consulting firm we use our Equity Growth Wheel

Market Proposition

IntellectualProperty

Quality ofFee Income

Sales &MarketingProcess

ConsultantLoyalty

ClientRelationships

Sales &Profit Growth

ManagementQuality

EquityGrowthWheel


There are four categories of intellectual property

Incr

ease

d pr

otec

tion

and

incr

ease

d co

sts

Patents

Trademarks

Copyrights

Trade Secrets


The IP in most consultancies is in the Trade Secrets’ category


1. Ensure the IP is driven by the business strategy and there’s a well defined process to manage it.

2. Create a high quality inventory of different types of IP:• IP to market your services• IP to deliver your services• IP to run your business

3. Manage the IP assets

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To scale the business you need to manage the three elements of IP

Market Proposition

IntellectualProperty

Quality ofFee Income

Sales &MarketingProcess

ConsultantLoyalty

ClientRelationships

Sales &Profit Growth

ManagementQuality

EquityGrowthWheel

Intellectual Property lever elements:


1. Ensure the IP is driven by the business strategy and that there is a well-defined process to manage it

Plan Create Store & Protect Communicate

Business Plan

Measure & Review


2. Create a high quality inventory of IP to deliver your services, market your services, and…

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IP to deliver your services IP to market your servicesMethodologies, workbooks, templates, process maps, project plans, software tools, questionnaires, research guides

Videos, webinars, white papers, reports, case studies, e-books, presentations, articles, blogs, twitter feeds


… run your business

• Business plan • Sales forecasts• Compensation plans• Budgets• Resourcing & recruitment plans• Sub-contractor database• Competitor analysis

• Client account plans• CRM data• Proposals and contracts

• Governance structures• Finances• Shareholder agreements• Employment contracts


3. Manage the IP assets

Knowledge management maintains integrity• Exercise executive direction• Define the IP framework• Ring-fence an investment in consultant utilisation• Train relevant staff• Store in a searchable format

Knowledge engineering creates content• Appoint owners for all IP• Capture explicit and tacit knowledge


For your Intellectual Property homework try these Start, Stop, Continue strategies

Give accountability for IP to a member of the senior management teamStart

Stop

Continue Continue to deliver great benefits to your clients, and then write it down!

Stop treating IP development as a luxury you can’t afford


Please make use of our free thought leadership material

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Growing equity, realizing value

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