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Accountancy

From Founder-Led Startup to Multi-Entity Global Aviation Group

Industry: Aviation Parts Supply & Global Distribution
Services: Accountancy, Tax, Advisory & Structured Finance
Advisory Partner: P10 Financial Group

LGM Aviation’s Backstory

Some businesses are built with spreadsheets and strategy decks. This one was built on instinct, obsession, and a deep-rooted love of aviation.

For Louis, it started long before LGM Aviation even existed. Growing up around aircraft, stepping onto Boeing 747s as a child, and training with the RAF, aviation wasn’t just an industry - it was ingrained.

I did three years learning to fly in the RAF, which makes me dangerous enough to know about parts, but not the technical part person per se. I'm more from a commercial capacity - contracts and negotiating fleet wide supply chain contracts for airlines.

In 2017, Louis took the leap. He left a comfortable director’s salary at a major competitor with no real safety net, no structured plan, and no significant capital – just a vision and a willingness to take risk.

It was just kind of a loose idea. It's a big industry. Big expensive industry. Lots of barriers to entry.

Then came COVID.

While much of the world slowed down, LGM Aviation found opportunity in disruption. With airlines grounding fleets and aircraft being repossessed, demand surged for specialist support. Louis spent six months in Exeter helping repossess Flybe aircraft - and that intense period of operational chaos planted the real seed for growth.

That was the moment the business shifted from idea to engine.

The Challenge

As LGM Aviation accelerated, so did the complexity behind it.

Like most founders, Louis was doing everything - sales, operations, finance, logistics, and strategy - all while trying to keep up with a global, 24/7 industry that never sleeps.

The business was expanding rapidly across borders and currencies, with teams operating in the US and Dubai, but the financial infrastructure behind the company hadn’t evolved to match the speed of growth.

The existing accountants were designed for simple, local businesses. LGM Aviation was anything but.

  • Multi-currency trading

  • Multi-country operations

  • Complex tax exposure

  • High-pressure cash flow cycles

  • Historical financial inaccuracies

When Louis approached P10, the initial problem wasn’t just growth - it was stability. Before capital could be raised, before lenders could be approached, the foundation had to be rebuilt.

As Chris explains:

Before we could deal with capital raising and reach out to banks, we needed to make sure he had robust records that could stand up to any sort of forensic approach.

The real challenge was creating a structure capable of supporting a rapidly scaling, time-critical aviation supply business without slowing down its momentum.

The Solution

P10’s work with LGM Aviation went far beyond compliance.

The first phase focused on repairing and restructuring the financial core of the business:

  • Rebuilding historic accounting records

  • Correcting poor legacy advice

  • Implementing robust reporting systems

  • Establishing structures that could support forensic scrutiny

Once the foundation was secure, the focus shifted to strategic growth enablement.

A key turning point was introducing an invoice finance facility – a vital solution in an industry where demand is immediate and opportunities are fleeting.

In aviation parts, when a component becomes available, hesitation isn’t an option. Waiting for debtor payments could mean missing the deal altogether. By allowing LGM Aviation to draw down on outstanding invoices immediately, Louis could source parts instantly and fulfil urgent demand, fuelling rapid expansion.

The aviation industry being so immediate… when a part is available you need to go and get it. Having a facility and then immediately drawing down on outstanding debt and using those funds that day to go and get it – that helped the growth of the business.

Alongside capital strategy, P10 delivered ongoing advisory across the wider group, including:

  • Creation of a group structure under LGM

  • Formation of new UK and overseas entities

  • Development of holding company architecture

  • Tax and advisory support across multiple trading arms

  • Strategic planning for diversified operations including marine specialist divisions

As trust deepened, LGM Aviation began leveraging P10 across all divisions - treating them not as an external supplier, but as an embedded strategic partner.

The Outcome

LGM Aviation has evolved from a single-founder operation into a global, multi-entity aviation parts supplier, operating across time zones and currencies in one of the most relentless industries in the world.

Today, the business benefits from:

  • A robust financial framework capable of supporting aggressive growth

  • Improved cash flow management and access to capital

  • Clear group structure supporting scalability and diversification

  • Seamless cross-division advisory and compliance support

  • A strategic platform for future expansion

What once felt chaotic now runs with structure, clarity, and control - without compromising the speed that defines the aviation supply chain.

As Louis puts it:

We don't have the luxury of time. We work in time critical industries… and to have that level of expertise available to us all in-house, one road, works so well for us.

The Takeaway

Some founders build fast. The smart ones build sustainably.

LGM Aviation’s story isn’t just about scaling a business - it’s about transforming chaos into controlled momentum, replacing reactive firefighting with confident decision-making.

From unreliable records and stretched cashflow to a globally structured group backed by strategic financial advisory, this is a partnership built not just on technical delivery, but understanding, speed, and trust.

Because in aviation, anyone can sell a part. But building a business that can keep up with the industry’s pace takes structure - and the right partner to support it.

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