LDC Top 50 2025
Chris Garner
Founder and CEO
Avensure
Chris Garner founded Avensure in 2011 after spotting the opportunity to create an outsourced HR specialist that included an insurance product to protect businesses against employee tribunals. He’s since bolted on many more features, including health and safety support, people management software, onsite training, immigration services, and employee wellbeing offerings like counselling, GP services, and employee perks.
Now based in Manchester, the business is a UK leader in employment support, generating £20 million in revenue from over 7,000 clients. “I’m so proud of what we’ve built,” he says. “We could triple in size in the UK alone, and our software is designed to go global.”
We could triple in size in the UK alone, and our software is designed to go global.”
Q&A
Where will future growth come from?
We invest £1 million a year into our online service, which we’re pushing hard. It’s been costly and complex, but our clients love it and it’s something that supports our retention rates. 90 per cent of this year’s turnover is already baked in – these are recurring, uplifting contracts. We have built an HR platform that we can tailor to different territories. I just want to keep growing and building great products and services.
Tell me about a challenging time
I’m ambitious and always think I can trade myself out of a problem. In my business, it’s all small monthly fees, so you need thousands of clients to make it work. For the first six years, I was in debt. That’s when I learned about overtrading, and what happens when you sell too much, too quick. I had to slow down sales and restructure the company. We came out of that time healthier, leaner and sharper and grew faster as a result. It was a proud moment when I paid off the debts. I remember making that last payment and thinking, ‘I’m free’.
Are entrepreneurs born or made?
There’s a natural ability within my family. My father had his own business and my siblings run businesses too. I’ve always been independent: I was a handful when I was young, often pushing boundaries at school. Since leaving school at 18, I’ve never worked for anyone else. I’ve always done my own thing and built successful businesses.
