Half a day to work out what comes next
Sometimes all it needs is a focused few hours with someone outside the business to see it clearly.
One half day, together
In one session we'll get under the skin of your business, work out what's really going on and focus on where there's an opportunity to make a difference.
That might mean spotting an untapped opportunity in the customers or data you already have, strengthening your positioning so people have a much clearer reason to choose you, working out which products or services are actually worth pushing, identifying where you're wasting time or money, or finding a new route to growth you've been too close to the business to see.
Or perhaps there's simply something that's been niggling at you for months and you need someone from outside the business to help you finally work it out.
We'll have a quick call beforehand. If you already know the problem, great. If you don't, that's fine too. I'm pretty quick at getting under the skin of a business and asking the questions that get us to what really matters.
Then we spend the half day working through it together. I'll bring a fresh pair of eyes, plenty of questions and 25+ years of commercial experience; we'll challenge some assumptions, look properly at what's going on and work out what to do about it.
How the half day runs:
We start with the business as it is today. What's working? What's not? What's niggling you? What have you been meaning to look at but never quite get around to?
You talk, I'll listen, ask a lot of questions and start joining the dots.
Discover
Then we narrow it down. What's actually getting in the way? Where's the opportunity? What could make the biggest difference?
This is often where something that has felt complicated for months suddenly becomes much simpler.
Define
And then we work out what to do about it.
Not a 40-page strategy document. Practical decisions and next steps you can actually get on with.
Direct
What you leave with
You'll leave knowing where to focus and why.
Depending on what we uncover, that might be:
an opportunity you're currently missing and a plan for how to go after it
a stronger position in the market and clearer reason for customers to choose you
a better understanding of which customers, products or services are actually driving the business
somewhere you're spending time or money that simply isn't delivering enough back
a new revenue opportunity, market or route to growth worth exploring
something you can stop doing, simplify or deprioritise so you can put your energy somewhere more useful
Most importantly, you'll have made some decisions. You'll know what matters now, what you're going to do about it and where you and the team should focus next.
And yes, hopefully you'll also feel rather relieved that the thing that's been going round your head finally makes sense!
I'll follow up with a short written summary, so the thinking doesn't disappear the minute you get back into the day-to-day and you've got something useful to share with the team.
And after our half-day together
From there, you and the team can get on with it.
If what we uncover needs some more exploration, planning or support to make it happen, we can talk about that too. No big consultancy programme automatically attached.
"Sarah has a brilliant ability to start with the numbers, really understanding what’s going on under the surface, and then shape the activity that’s both creative and commercially focused. It’s a strategic approach that’s grounded in insight and always aligned to what the business actually needs. She’s also a joy to work with. Sharp, thoughtful, and collaborative. Sarah brings a calm confidence and clarity to every conversation."
Mitali Kelly, FD / Board Advisor