Business Consulting FAQ

It depends on the format you choose. A diagnostic project takes two weeks from the day we receive your documents to the day we present findings. The growth programme runs for six months with fortnightly touchpoints. Advisory retainers are month-to-month after an initial three-month commitment.

If we finish early, we finish early. We do not stretch work to fill a contract period.

Most of our clients turn over between £1 million and £40 million and employ between 10 and 250 people. Below that range the cost of a consulting engagement is hard to justify against the returns. Above it, the problems tend to require larger teams than ours.

We have occasionally worked with startups that have strong revenue traction but need help structuring their operations before a funding round. Those engagements are usually shorter and more focused.

Yes. We take on clients across the UK. For companies in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland we do the majority of the work remotely, with periodic on-site visits for process mapping or team workshops. We have also worked with two Irish companies that have UK subsidiaries, though our expertise is in UK regulation and market conditions.

For a financial review we ask for 12 months of management accounts (monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash-flow statement), your latest filed statutory accounts and recent bank statements. If you use accounting software like Xero or QuickBooks we can pull reports directly with read-only access.

For operations work we need process documentation if it exists, but honestly most companies do not have up-to-date process maps. That is fine. We build them during the discovery phase by observing and interviewing your team.

We quote fixed fees for diagnostic projects and monthly fees for longer engagements. There are no hourly billing surprises. The diagnostic is £2,400 plus VAT. The growth programme is £1,800 per month plus VAT. Advisory retainers start at £950 per month plus VAT.

If scope changes during an engagement we discuss it openly and agree any fee adjustment before the work happens, not after.

Absolutely. We sign an NDA before receiving any confidential information. We have a standard mutual NDA we can send you, or we are happy to sign yours. Confidentiality is non-negotiable in our work; we frequently see sensitive financial data, personnel records and strategic plans.

We have a straightforward policy: if you are dissatisfied with the output of a diagnostic project, we will revise the report at no additional charge. If after the revision you still feel the work has not met the brief, we will refund 50 per cent of the fee.

On longer engagements, either party can end the arrangement with 30 days written notice. We have only had two early terminations in eight years, both because the client company was acquired mid-engagement.

We do not broker investment deals or act as regulated financial advisers. What we can do is prepare your business for a funding conversation: tidy up your accounts, build a credible financial model, draft the commercial sections of an investment deck and rehearse the pitch with you. Several clients have used our diagnostic reports as supporting material in successful loan applications and equity raises.

Financial reviews are mostly remote. We need your data, not your desk space. Operations work requires at least two to three days on-site during the discovery phase because you cannot map a warehouse process from a video call. Leadership coaching sessions can go either way; some managers prefer face-to-face, others find video calls more practical.

We are flexible. The split usually settles itself naturally once we understand your working environment.

We have the most experience in distribution, light manufacturing, professional services and B2B software. That said, the principles of financial analysis, process improvement and management development apply broadly. We have also completed engagements with a dental group, a chain of veterinary practices and a facilities management company.

If your industry involves heavy regulation we have not encountered before, we will tell you upfront and suggest whether a specialist firm might serve you better.