Experience you can put to work.

Turning service into a dependable profit centre

£30k → £730k peak

The challenge

A substantial service operation was generating only £30,000 in annual contribution. New software existed, but meaningful targets, reporting and consistent accountability were missing.

What I did

Introduced technician utilisation, labour recovery and aged work-in-progress measures; established weekly dashboards, incentives and manager development; maintained regular review over several years.

The outcome

Peak annual service contribution reached approximately £730,000 after four years, alongside a reduction in headcount from 51 to 26. The current year is running at approximately £430,000, below that peak.

Building a new route to market

£1m+ annual online sales

The challenge

The business relied heavily on physical branches while customer buying habits moved online. The opportunity lacked clear ownership, capability and management attention.

What I did

Assessed competitors, developed internal talent, selected specialist external support and invested £12,000 in a new website, with eCommerce managed as a proper business activity.

The outcome

Within three years, the website was generating more than £1 million in annual sales, creating a scalable route to market alongside the branch network.

Funding a share buyback while protecting working capital

£1.5m facility secured

The challenge

Buying back a 44% external shareholding required a cash payment the business could not safely fund from its day-to-day operations.

What I did

Led the Santander funding process in an employed director role, coordinated information and property security, and structured repayment to preserve cash headroom and flexibility.

The outcome

The full £1.5 million facility enabled the buyback to complete without interrupting normal operations. The loan included flexibility to repay early without penalties.

Making specialist expertise commercially productive

£90k loss → £124k profit

The challenge

A specialist fishing retailer had knowledgeable staff and respected brands, but excessive staffing and stock, weak stock productivity and a £90,000 annual loss.

What I did

Took direct responsibility, used supplier and angler relationships to create destination events, and planned commercially disciplined Black Friday campaigns around ageing and selectively purchased stock.

The outcome

The business reached near break-even within a year, £25,000 profit after two years and £124,000 annual profit after three years.

From Post-it notes to a shared sales pipeline

Weekly pipeline visibility

The challenge

Sales opportunities were scattered across notebooks, private spreadsheets and individual memory, leaving management unable to assess the pipeline reliably.

What I did

Led the Salesforce business case and implementation, introduced common sales stages and focused on adoption. Extended customer data into service follow-up reminders.

The outcome

Within a year, every sales representative was using the CRM. Finance and sales gained weekly pipeline reporting, clearer accountability and retained customer knowledge.

Giving the business a shared direction

One agreed direction

The challenge

The business had no documented vision or long-term direction. Senior leaders were making decisions using slightly different interpretations of its purpose.

What I did

Worked with the owner and management team to clarify vision, mission and strategic choices, then incorporated them into management and investment discussions.

The outcome

New products, markets, training and investment could be assessed against a shared direction, helping the business decide both what to pursue and what to decline.

Commercial & operational leadership

Relocating a UK head office and cutting facilities cost by 40%

£175k annual saving

The challenge

A 40-person UK operation within a £126m recurring-revenue global software division faced a sharply higher lease renewal. Remaining in the existing office would have locked the business into a materially higher annual facilities cost.

What I did

Acted as the sole UK lead, built the financial case and presented it to the divisional Finance Director and General Manager. Reviewed the property market and viewed three shortlisted sites; led commercial, landlord and legal negotiations; managed employee consultation with HR; selected the fit-out partner based on strategic fit and service as well as price; and managed approximately £250k of fit-out expenditure within an overall programme of around £1m, including HVAC, technology and operational readiness.

The outcome

The relocation delivered approximately £175,000 of recurring annual savings, reducing facilities cost by 40%. The high-specification office became the UK head office and a key meeting hub for R&D, HR, sales, customer service and senior leadership, as well as colleagues travelling from North America and across Europe.