As a consultant you have to get under the skin of a business relatively quickly in order to understand both the business and how you can contribute in practical terms. At the moment, I am in the fortunate position of holding a number of advisory roles in small businesses which range from the tech sector to the hospitality sector. Each of my clients requires different things from me. In no particular order, here is a selection of the work that I am doing for them.
1. Property searches and landlord negotiations
2. Introductions to suppliers/service providers and senior people who may be in a position to help them
3. Strategic planning and execution of that plan.
4. Mentoring/coaching
5. Process improvement and cost base reduction
6. Fundraising and support through due diligence
It’s quite a varied list which makes things both interesting and satisfying as I can see the value added very quickly. I also enjoy interacting with founders/business owners as you can get decisions made quite quickly.
All of my work at the moment is focused on growth although I have a lot of experience with business turnaround and I am open to supporting a distressed business.
