How Adam Seaton Built a 50-Person Consultancy from a One-Man Band

What does it take to grow a consultancy from scratch, sell it to a global firm, and then choose to start all over again?

In this episode of The Catch Up Podcast, host Phillip Blackmore sits down with Adam Seaton to explore his remarkable journey from Microsoft Dynamics contractor to founder of Seaton Partners and now co-creator of Team Joe. Adam shares the behind-the-scenes realities of scaling a business, navigating feast-or-famine cycles, managing through Covid, and making the tough call to sell to EY.

"It turned into Adam being a one-man band, and three months later having a 2.1 million pound contract on the table." - Adam Seaton

Listeners will get candid insights into entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation in the ERP and Dynamics 365 world. Adam also introduces his latest venture, a SaaS training platform designed to transform how enterprise users learn business software. It’s a conversation packed with lessons for anyone in tech, consulting, or business growth.

Click Here to Watch the Video Episode.

• (00:00) - How Adam Seaton Built a 50-Person Consultancy from a One-Man Band
• (01:11) - Adam's Career Beginnings
• (03:04) - Transition to Consultancy
• (04:49) - Contracting and Early Challenges
• (07:28) - Building Seaton Partners
• (11:42) - First Major Breakthrough
• (15:56) - Growth and Team Building
• (22:25) - A Promising Start to the Year
• (22:34) - The Impact of COVID-19
• (23:23) - Adapting to Remote Work
• (23:36) - Navigating Financial Challenges
• (24:07) - A New Opportunity with EY
• (25:50) - Transitioning to EY
• (28:00) - Challenges at EY
• (28:46) - Reflecting on the EY Experience
• (29:40) - Starting a New Venture
• (31:13) - Building a Training Business
• (33:01) - Innovating in Training
• (41:11) - Looking Ahead

Adam Seaton: A seasoned Microsoft Dynamics expert and former founder of Seaton Partners, Adam scaled the consultancy to nearly 50 staff before its acquisition by EY. He now leads Team Joe, a startup rethinking ERP training with a product-first, user-centric approach.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How Adam Seaton scaled a Microsoft Dynamics consultancy from the ground up
• The challenges and rewards of selling a business to a global firm
• Why ERP training is often overlooked and how Team Joe is changing that
• What it takes to build a SaaS product in a post-Covid world
• Insights on hiring, leadership, and building strong consultancy teams

Action Points:

1. Build for Growth, Not Just Profit: Adam shares why reinvesting in people and skills paid off more than chasing margins. Prioritising team development helped Seaton Partners scale sustainably and retain top talent.
2. Plan Your Exit Early: Whether you're thinking of selling or stepping back, Adam explains why having a long-term view on exit options can shape better business decisions, even if you're not actively pursuing a sale.
3. Don’t Underestimate Training: Many ERP projects treat training as an afterthought. Adam reveals why a long-term, measurable approach to user education can make or break software adoption.
4. Use Contracting as a Launchpad: Learn how Adam used a structured four-day contracting week to bootstrap his business, allowing time to build his own client base and brand.
5. Adapt Quickly to Market Shifts: From Covid to cloud transformation, Adam discusses how staying agile and investing in early adoption helped future-proof his consultancy and fuel innovation.

The Catch Up Podcast brings you candid conversations with industry leaders, consultants, and change-makers from the Microsoft Dynamics and tech ecosystem. Hosted by Phillip Blackmore, Sales Director at Catch Resource Management, each episode dives into the real stories behind business transformation, career pivots, and scaling success. Expect thoughtful interviews, practical insights, and honest reflections.

Brought to you by Catch Resource Management, a leading UK recruitment specialist for Microsoft Dynamics and ERP talent, this podcast is your inside track to the people shaping the future of enterprise technology. Tune in for new episodes and stay ahead of the curve.

Produced by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford, UK.