We book a half-hour video or phone call at a time that suits you. During this call we ask about your company size, sector, annual revenue range and the specific problem keeping you up at night. We are listening for whether our skills match your situation; if they don't, we will say so and point you elsewhere. There is no fee and no obligation. By the end of the call you will know whether it makes sense to go further.
If we agree to proceed, we send you a short checklist of documents we need: profit and loss statements for the past two years, a current organisation chart, your customer acquisition costs (if known) and any internal reports you think are relevant. Most clients send this as a shared Google Drive or Dropbox folder. We also schedule one-hour interviews with up to three key people in your team, usually the owner, the finance lead and one operational manager. These interviews happen by video and are recorded with your permission so we can refer back to exact quotes.
We analyse the numbers and interviews, then produce a written diagnosis report of 15 to 25 pages. This document identifies the root causes of the problem you raised on the discovery call, quantifies the financial impact where possible and ranks issues by urgency. We do not pad the report with background research you already know. Every finding is tied to a specific number or a direct quote from your team. You receive the report as a PDF and we walk you through it on a 60-minute call.
Based on the diagnosis, we draft an action plan with concrete tasks, responsible people, deadlines and expected outcomes. Each task has a priority label: do now, do this quarter or park for later. We assign ourselves to the tasks that need consulting input and assign your team to the tasks only they can execute. The plan lives in a shared spreadsheet so everyone can see progress in real time. We revise it with you until you are comfortable that every item is realistic given your current capacity.
This is where most consultants disappear. We don't. During the implementation phase we hold a 30-minute check-in call every week with the project owner on your side. We review what got done, what got stuck and what needs to change. If a task requires specialist input, for example rewriting job descriptions, modelling a new pricing structure or preparing a board presentation, we do that work and deliver it within the agreed deadline. You are not left to figure out the hard parts alone.
At the end of the engagement we produce a short closing report that compares your baseline numbers to where you are now. We document what changed, what still needs attention and what you can handle internally going forward. If the results justify continued support, we offer a quarterly retainer at a reduced rate. If not, we shake hands and you keep every document, template and spreadsheet we created. Nothing is locked behind our login.
Our process works best when you can commit three things:
One person on your team who can answer questions, approve decisions and attend the weekly check-in. This is usually the owner or a senior manager. They should expect to spend about two hours per week on the project during the implementation phase.
We cannot diagnose problems with incomplete numbers. If your bookkeeping is behind, let us know early and we can recommend an accountant to bring it up to date before we start. We sign a mutual NDA before you share anything sensitive.
A report that sits in a drawer helps nobody. We are direct about what needs to change, and sometimes the changes are uncomfortable: discontinuing a product, restructuring a team, raising prices. If you are not ready to consider those options, the engagement will not deliver value and we would rather tell you that upfront.
Yes. About 60% of our engagements are fully remote. Video calls, shared documents and screen recordings cover most needs. If you prefer face-to-face sessions, we travel to your office; travel within Northern Ireland is included in the fee, and mainland UK travel is billed at cost.
During data gathering (week 1), expect about four hours across three people for interviews and document preparation. During implementation (weeks 4 to 12), the project contact should set aside two hours per week. Other team members are pulled in only for specific tasks relevant to their role.
Good. That means you are paying attention. We present the evidence behind every finding and welcome pushback. If you can show us data that contradicts our conclusion, we revise it. The diagnosis is a working document, not a verdict.
Always. We send a mutual NDA before you share any financial data. We also avoid working with direct competitors simultaneously in the same local market. If a conflict of interest arises, we disclose it immediately.