Practical business consultancy for owner-managed and growth-stage SMEs: business process analysis, growth strategy and managed implementation, built on a clear strategic view.
Most of the businesses that ask us for help are not in trouble. The symptoms vary, but they tend to look like this.
The business is busy and usually profitable, but growth has stalled.
Often by costs nobody has looked at for years.
The appointment that was meant to help has not delivered what was hoped.
Almost every question still ends up with the person at the top.
The underlying issue is usually the same: the business has outgrown the way it is run. We work with owner-managed and growth-stage SMEs across Lancashire, from professional services firms in the city centre to manufacturers and distributors along the M6 and M65 corridors.
Every engagement is shaped around the business in front of us. As we explain on our About Us page, we start at a strategic level, so that any change to processes, people or marketing is tied to where the business is actually trying to go.
We map how work really flows, from first enquiry to final invoice, and find the steps that cost time or money without adding value: duplicated data entry, quoting that depends on one person, slow approval chains.
Which customers, products and services make money, which absorb effort, and where the realistic growth is. This often overlaps with our marketing consultancy for Lancashire SMEs.
Recommendations only matter if people adopt them. We plan the order of changes, brief the team and set simple measures, so you can see whether a change is sticking.
Where it helps, we stay on: running a new sales process alongside your team for the first few months, or sitting in on weekly reviews until the new routine is simply how the business works.
Preston sits on the M6, with the M55 and M61 joining close by, and on the West Coast Main Line. Home to Lancashire County Council and the University of Lancashire (formerly UCLan), it has a broad economy: public sector and education, professional and financial services, logistics, and an aerospace and advanced manufacturing supply chain linked to BAE Systems' sites at Samlesbury and Warton.
Since around 2013, the Preston Model has encouraged the city's large "anchor institutions" to spend more locally. For a small supplier that is a real opportunity, if it can compete on price, quality and reliability, and handle tender paperwork without the owner losing a fortnight to it.
At a management meeting, on the shop floor, or in front of the team when a change is announced. Video calls work well for regular check-ins, but early diagnostic work is almost always better done in person.
A no-obligation discussion about where the business is and what is getting in the way. If we do not think we are the right fit, we will say so.
Interviews with the owner and key staff, a look at the numbers and a walk through the main processes. This normally takes a few days, spread over two to four weeks so it does not disrupt the business.
A short written report with priorities, the effort each change involves, and the measures we would use to track progress. Not an 80-page binder that sits on a shelf.
Optional. Some clients take the plan and run it themselves; others want help for the first three to six months. Where the real need is ongoing support for the owner or leadership team, our business mentoring programme is often a better fit than a project.
Mostly owner-managed businesses with somewhere between five and around 100 staff. Below that size, the owner usually benefits more from a mentor than a consultant. Above it, there is often an internal team who can do much of the analysis, and we tend to work on specific projects.
No. We are based in Preston and much of our work is across Lancashire and the wider North West, but we also work with businesses elsewhere in the UK, using a mix of site visits and remote sessions.
It depends on the scope. We agree the work and a fixed fee before anything starts, so there are no open-ended day rates running in the background. The initial conversation is free.
Some process fixes pay back within weeks, for example removing a duplicated step in quoting or invoicing. Strategic changes, such as moving away from low-margin customers or entering a new market, usually take six to 18 months to show clearly in the accounts. We will be clear about which is which at the start.
Sometimes, although publicly funded schemes open and close regularly, so always check what is currently available. At the time of writing, the government-backed Help to Grow: Management course is run by business schools including Lancaster University and the University of Lancashire, and local councils and chambers of commerce publish details of other support. We are happy to point you towards anything relevant.
If you run a business in Preston or elsewhere in Lancashire and something feels stuck, tell us what you would like to change, and we will tell you honestly whether and how we can help.