Small changes for big impact

Joe had developed a very innovative product that solved a building security problem that saved time, money, and reduced risks. He was making headway in a market he knew well but was struggling to break into a new market where he knew there was far greater potential. The events of the day and the needs of the business kept pulling him back to the workshop, so his focus on growth was lacking. He couldn’t see a way through and was already working 12-14 hours per day.

Working with Joe, we were able to establish a new plan and structure, with a focus on sharing responsibilities among his team to free up more of his time. This gave Joe the freedom to put more of his energy back into executing the business’ long-term strategy for progression. Two years on and he had penetrated his new market, increased sales by >300% to £3.2m and invested in a management team to facilitate further expansion.

Peter was an engineer and inventor who had created a platform for integrating built environment sensors to enable cause and effect decision making. It had so many applications, many of which were highly valuable to the end customers. However, his proposition was diluted through the lack of focus on the value proposition and this ambiguity confused potential buyers. The result for Peter was he was running out of cash and time fast.

When I came on board, we first listed the priority solutions where there was clear demand and then put all the other functions on hold as it were until cash was flowing. Within three years, Peter had more than 10 products on the market, producing steady sales of more than £4.5m per annum and a strong cash flow. He is debt free and still has many more solutions to bring to market, providing immense possibilities for further expansion.

Maya had taken over her security FM company, founded by her parents, about five years earlier and had great plans to grow the company. She was successful in the first couple of years, but for the last three had not managed to go any further. For Maya, it felt like every step forward preceded two steps back. Her confidence was damaged, and she didn’t know who to turn to, concerned her staff would lose faith in her if she went to them. Maya had got herself into a hole which was taking a toll on her professional and personal life.

By making several small changes to company procedures, we were able to achieve big results. Within just 12 months of working with Maya, orders grew by >15% and profits by >20%. The newly invigorated Maya and her much more engaged team were now flying. Within three years, sales were up by >300% to >£9m and the business was eventually sold for more than seven times the original value when she inherited the company from her parents.

Mateo had founded a small business with his partners, Malinda and Antonio, selling a unique ultra-low energy external lighting system. While sales were okay, he knew the potential far exceeded what was currently being achieved. He had tried so many things, including employing salespeople, but this only saw costs go up while profits stagnated. He was starting to doubt his own judgement and was becoming disillusioned, although he still believed in his heart that the opportunities were there. His business partners still had trust in Mateo, but understood the business was facing several challenges.

Working with Mateo, it quickly became apparent he had tremendous resilience, although often he was getting up and going again without stopping to learn from the setbacks along the way. He became so caught up in achieving his long-term goals that some of the obvious issues were not being seen.

A plan was developed between us to reshape the approach to sales with some new direct markets as well as continuing to optimise existing channels. The proposition, marketing, organisational structure and pricing were all revised for the new direct markets. The result was an increase in sales by >15% in the first 12 months and a complete switch to direct sales within 3 years. By then, gross margins were up by >40% on sales that had increased by >200% to >£12m. Mateo is now expanding into Europe and has a senior management team that takes care of day-to-day business to enable him to totally focus on growth.