Clients - advising small and medium sized businesses

We serve SMEsSmall and Medium Enterprises of all sizes, from one person businesses to larger ones with a hundred staff and more, and including many social enterprises. Some clients have traded for many years, whilst others are have yet to start. We work in all sectors of the business community, including:

• TourismTourism and tourist businesses, hospitality and leisure
• FoodFood businesses, drink and fish
• ManufacturingManufacturing businesses, engineering and technology
• Arts and crafts
• Services
• Retail
• Construction and engineering
• Transport and logistics
• FarmingFarming businesses, horticulture and forestry
• Environmental goods and services
  
• Social enterprises and community projects

Whatever, the size or business type, we can help by providing experienced and practical business advice. Here are some examples of our business clients and the work that we did with them:

• We helped a coaching inn and restaurant to evaluate its financial performance, and then used this to develop a business case for refurbishment and expansion and to make 2 successful grant applications.
• We assisted a farm based B&B, holiday let and activities business to improve its customer and management information and improve online marketing.
• Our support for a boutique hotel comprised an assessment of sale and acquisition options before helping them to prepare a business plan and successful grant application for expanding their existing property.
• We helped a small hotel to refinance its bank mortgage in a difficult financial market to consolidate purchase and improvement costs.
• A major activity centre needed our help to attract more corporate business using a targeted marketing plan and more focused on-line marketing.
• We helped a micro-brewery to buy its first equipment with grant assistance, preparing a business plan, financial plan and marketing plan, which allowed it to scale production and sales slowly as it developed and gained confidence.
• We helped a water producer to develop ISO 9001ISO 9001 accreditation certifies that formalized business processes are being applied quality management systems, and with learning about tendering processes so that it could sell more effectively to the public sector and larger customers.
• We helped a meat producer and farm shop with a business review after the death of a key family member which allowed the family to decide to re-start the business and on new business direction. ·9 An ice cream and dessert manufacturer needed help with succession planning to decide the scale, location and type of business moving forward.  We then helped them plan a premises re-location to allow expansion.
• We assisted a sole trader shell fisherman to write a business plan, to buy equipment with grant assistance, and to plan local sales and marketing activities to expand his business
• We conducted a business review for a fish processing and marketing business which assessed the viability of the business and the performance of is management, and set out a clear action plan to improve and refocus sales

• Sole trader starting up – business and financial plans, assistance with raising bank and grant finance, profit planning and marketing – results: business funded and launched, cost effective marketing clearly targeted, trading profitability
• Lifestyle partnership – pre-retirement business needed help with business and financial plans and fund raising – results: business designed to deliver income without strain, adequately funded and successfully launched
• Small growing company – business and financial plans and assistance with raising bank and grant finance – results: confidence strengthened, funds raised, growth maintained, additional employees taken on
• Small company making losses – marketing plan and cost reduction plan – results: profitability achieved from increased trade as a result of focused advertising, merchandising and business presentation, alongside significantly reduced operating costs
• Family firm trading steadily – business review to identify issues and plan for the future – results: issues identified with partnership structure and business image and plans made to address them
• Not for profit environmental services company – Business review, financial plan, marketing plan: results: key issue identified was insufficient commercial revenue, addressed by marketing plan to increase sales and financial plan to put members in firm control of their finances
• £600k company growing fast – business review followed by business and financial planning to raise additional bank and grant finance, and implementation of financial management to control cash flow and profitability – results: losses identified and reversed, controls put in place, business stabilised, additional finance raised, business grew to over £3m with a year
• £4m company making losses – business review to identify issues and actions to address them, followed by project management to get things done – results: 20% growth, restoration of profit, ambitious plans for strategic development
• £4m management buy out (MBO) – business and financial planning and assistance with raising bank finance – results: adequately funded buy out, restructured management team, new subsidiary started with grant assistance