Most projects run between 6 and 16 weeks. A focused financial review might take six weeks. A full operational overhaul with process redesign and staff training usually needs 12 to 16. We agree the timeline during the diagnostic phase before any fees are charged, so there are no surprises.
General questions
We have completed projects in B2B professional services, food and drink manufacturing, third-party logistics, construction subcontracting, recruitment and SaaS. The common thread is that these are owner-managed or PE-backed businesses doing between £500k and £30m in annual revenue. If your sector is outside that list, we are still happy to have a conversation; the analytical frameworks transfer well.
Yes, provided you have at least six months of trading history and monthly revenue above £10,000. Below that threshold, the business usually needs to focus on product-market fit rather than operational consulting. We can point you to early-stage advisors if that is where you are.
A named lead consultant owns every engagement from start to finish. That person attends every meeting, writes every recommendation and is accountable for the results. We do not delegate client work to juniors and then have a partner show up once a quarter to present findings. Our team is small on purpose: six consultants, each with over a decade of hands-on operating experience.
Absolutely. We regularly collaborate with external accountants, solicitors and industry-specific advisors. At the start of an engagement we identify who else is involved and agree on communication channels. Duplication of effort helps nobody, so we define clear lanes early on.
Fees and contracts
We offer three pricing models: a fixed project fee, a monthly retainer, and a performance-linked fee where part of our payment depends on hitting agreed targets. The diagnostic phase is always a flat fee so you can evaluate us before committing to a larger engagement. See our Pricing page for details.
The first call or video meeting is free and lasts up to 45 minutes. During that call we learn about your business, discuss what you want to achieve, and give you an honest assessment of whether we can help. There is no obligation and no sales pressure. If we think another type of advisor would serve you better, we will say so.
We build measurable targets into every engagement contract. If we miss those targets, our fee is reduced proportionally. This has happened twice in eight years, and in both cases the shortfall was small. We also include a break clause at the end of the diagnostic phase: if the findings suggest the project is not viable, you can walk away having paid only for the diagnostic.
No. Travel within England is included in the project fee. If you need us to travel outside England or purchase specialist software licences, we discuss those costs upfront and get written approval before incurring them. Invoices are itemised line by line.
Working together
During the diagnostic phase, we typically need two to three hours per week from the business owner and about one hour per week from each relevant team lead. Once implementation starts, time requirements vary. Process changes might need daily check-ins for a week; financial restructuring might only require a weekly review call. We schedule around your operations, not the other way round.
Both. The diagnostic phase usually involves at least two on-site visits so we can observe workflows, talk to staff and understand the physical layout of your operation. After that, most of the analytical work happens remotely, with on-site days scheduled for workshops, training sessions and key meetings. We are based in England and can reach most locations within a few hours.
You keep everything: reports, templates, dashboards, process maps, training materials. We also include 30 days of email support after the engagement closes at no extra charge. If you want ongoing advisory support, we offer a monthly retainer that includes a set number of consulting hours and a quarterly review meeting.