Time for Morris and Ledger to cash in?

What does distributor VADition have in common with forest adventure outfit Go Ape and novelty card maker Moonpig?

Yes, they’re all in the enviable position of being ranked among the UK’s 100 fastest-growing private firms, according to the Sunday Times.

The fact that VADition has grown to become a near £25m firm just four years after its inception will come as no surprise to those who remember founder Ian Morris and Neil Ledger’s involvement with Data Connectivity and equIP.

The duo founded Data Connectivity in 1992 and rapidly built up the networking distributor before flogging it for £7m in 1998. They repeated the trick at equIP, which they sold in 2005 for a cool £10.5m just five years after its launch.

VADition’s Fast Track success will inevitably prompt renewed speculation about Ledger and Morris’ exit strategy.

After all, it has now been four years and five months since the duo launched the 'Web 2.0 and social networking' specialist (albeit it took a few months before it was trading in earnest). If their two previous ventures are anything to go by, it won’t be too long before the fiercely entrepreneurial pair decide to cash in and move on.

And crucially, the firm now has the critical mass to attract amorous glances from the big boys. Whether Morris and Ledger want to sell or not, VADition's healthy net profit margins of over six per cent, its relationships with some eye-catching vendors and its reputation for its demand generation and business development skills will ensure it is a prime target over the coming months and years.