Sten10 joined Unseen at the end of 2024, bolstering the Group’s presence in the assessment and selection space, and expanding its reach into L&D and beyond. We speak to Ben Williams, Founder and MD of Sten10 about his journey so far.

Can you tell us about the early days of starting your business? What inspired you to create Sten10?

Before starting Sten10, I had worked as an independent, freelance Occupational Psychologist for six years. I loved the variety and autonomy of working for a range of consultancies and clients, but over time, I started to question: “Is this what I want to be doing until I retire at 70? Could I build something larger than myself?”

I particularly enjoyed the creativity and brainpower involved in designing psychological assessments and the whole endeavour of trying to ‘map out’ the human mind. So, I started a limited company, built a website, hired a graduate and thought of a name. ‘Sten10’ is a pretty nerdy reference to how we assess people’s personality: Sten scores run from 1 to 10, and a score of 10 is the most extreme 2% of the population.

Did you always picture yourself as a Founder and business owner?

About 15 years ago I took a psychological assessment battery which aims to predict the highest level in an organisation you are ever likely to reach, where I was told I would never get beyond ‘technical expert’. I have made it my life’s mission since then to prove the test wrong!

But seriously, I probably always thought I would start a business one day; but that was always to be a by-product of being a psychologist first and foremost. Over time my mindset changed, and the challenge and ability to influence that come with being a business leader became of equal interest and appeal.

What was the biggest challenge you faced as a business before joining the Group, how did you overcome it?

Being the owner of a small business without external funding, the success of the business is inextricably linked to your personal finances and, therefore, your appetite for risk. This meant that certain staffing, technology, and innovation decisions needed to be postponed, scaled back, or abandoned. This was frustrating at times, but this cautious approach enabled the business to remain profitable and grow its turnover consistently for 13 years. Could we have grown faster with external investors sooner? No doubt. However, I had a strong drive to remain independent and autonomous and I didn’t feel I could have both... Until Unseen.

What was it that attracted you to Unseen? Was it the people, our values? Was it an exciting opportunity for growth?

In much the same way as I questioned my future after 6 years as a freelancer, after 13 years of running Sten10 I grew increasingly interested in seeing what we could achieve with more support behind us: what would our ‘full potential’ look like? We had a few discussions before deciding the right ‘home’ for Sten10, but Unseen stood out for a few reasons:

1. The retention of a lot of autonomy and the opportunity to work alongside the impressive leadership team in a consultative capacity to plan the future of the business.
2. The natural synergy between what Sten10 does and the other Unseen Group companies: I couldn’t have wished for a more natural fit and a clearer definition of how ‘the whole can be more than the sum of its parts’.
3. The group has an entrepreneurial feel: an exciting, ambitious culture which mirrored my experience to date, and was one I wanted to be a part of.

“I am grateful to [Unseen] for their patience, positivity, and empathy throughout.”

How did you find the acquisition process? Was it a smooth transition? Did you feel supported along the journey?

Having never sold a business before, I particularly appreciated the clear way in which things were explained and how I could ask lots of questions without fear of embarrassment. I won’t say that there weren’t times I felt a little overwhelmed by the ‘newness’ of it all, but I am grateful to Zac, John, Dee, and James for their patience, positivity, and empathy throughout.

How did the Sten10 team feel about becoming a part of the wider Unseen Group? Have any new members fit in well with existing ones?

The Sten10 team were initially surprised by the news and, as is natural, felt some trepidation about the changes they might face. Both the Unseen team and I have checked in frequently to see how they are feeling, and I am pleased to say the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

The team feel that they have been kept informed and have really appreciated the structured integration process we have followed to date. They can already see the benefits of being part of a wider group.

What are the things you’re personally most excited about when you think about the year ahead as part of the Group?

2025 as part of Unseen will bring a deep focus upon where Sten10 has the most potential to grow.

From a psychologist perspective, I am personally looking forward to building upon our successes in the ‘assessment for development’ space. Specifically, designing and running immersive, engaging leadership development centres and providing subsequent coaching.

From a commercial perspective, I am looking forward to identifying new and creative ways that we can leverage the wealth of skills, knowledge and expertise across the group!