Big news, Martyn Cohen is officially joining Cockerill & Co. After a decade plus leading sales and ops across major flooring names, then launching MC Growth Consultancy earlier this year, Martyn is bringing his people first approach into the community. In this episode Tom digs into why he said yes, what he has learned helping retailers, commercial contractors and manufacturers, and how he will add firepower for our members in 2026. About MartynFormer senior leader at Headlam and Carpetright, now growth consultant working across retail, commercial and manufacturing. Known for building high performing teams, fixing recruitment bottlenecks, improving buying terms, and making complex installer set ups work in the real world, HMRC included. What we coverThe announcement, why Martyn is joining Cockerill & Co, and how the partnership worksFrom redundancy to momentum, the first 8 to 9 months of MC Growth ConsultancyThe £2 to £3 million ceiling, when systems, people and process become the growth leverTwo magic moments, franchise results and a commercial client that needed to scale capacity before salesPeople first performance, recruitment done right, culture, and honest conversations that avoid formal performance casesThird party fitter networks, pricing, VAT, HMRC headaches, and how to stay on the right side of the lineBuying power, where the hidden points are in supplier terms, and why a thirty minute call can save tens of thousandsUnplanned services that now matter, recruitment search, interview support, and prep for sale or full business exitsWhy the Cockerill & Co community works, who not how, and proof from peer results, not pitch decksKey takeawaysGrowth is usually blocked by capacity and capability, not just leads or ordersRecruit well, train well, support well, and you will keep good peopleBuying smarter puts profit straight to the bottom line, many miss it through sheer busynessCommunity beats going it alone, the right room saves time and moneyIf we cannot add value, we will say so, the goal is impact, not invoicesWho this helpsIndependent retailers who want to scale without losing sleepCommercial contractors hitting operational limitsManufacturers building UK routes to market or fitter ecosystemsOwners preparing to sell in the next two to three yearsChapter guide00:00 Welcome back, and the announcement 02:00 Martyn’s journey, redundancy to consultancy 06:30 Early wins, franchise systems and commercial capacity 11:45 Risk, reputation, and why the pipeline kept growing 14:30 What Martyn brings, people, recruitment, HR and culture 18:30 Installer networks and HMRC, lessons from Carpetright 21:30 Buying power that moves the P and L 24:30 Recruitment as a service, interview help, and search 26:30 Prep for sale, valuation thinking and finding buyers 29:30 Why the community matters more than the features 33:00 Values, saying no when it is not a fit, doing the real work 39:00 How to get involved and next steps LinksWatch on YouTubeListen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsCockerill & Co, join the community or request a consultConnect with Martyn on LinkedInWork with usWant a straight talking plan to grow, sort your people challenges, or unlock margin, reach out and we will set up a proper call. CreditsHost, Tom Cockerill Guest, Martyn Cohen Produced by The UK Flooring Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
