Business consultancy and mentoring
Practical help to grow and strengthen your business
Running a business can leave little time to step back and see what needs to change. You may be getting enquiries but too few sales, spending money on marketing without a clear return, managing a team that needs more direction or deciding how to expand. I bring more than 45 years of business experience to those conversations. Together, we’ll identify the priorities, agree a workable plan and put it into action.
Business consultancy and mentoring
Where I can help
The work is shaped around your business and its immediate priorities. These are the areas owners most often bring to me.
Sales and conversion
Improving how you handle enquiries, quotations, follow-up and the conversations that lead to a sale.
Marketing and positioning
Identifying the right customers, sharpening your offer and concentrating your spending where it has the best chance of working.
Business planning and growth
Setting priorities, reviewing the numbers and building a practical plan that fits your resources.
Operations and leadership
Addressing the pressures on the owner, the team and the way work is organised.
Start-ups and acquisitions
Testing an opportunity and making a more informed decision before committing.
Franchising
Drawing on my long experience of developing and working with franchise networks.
My approach
How I work with you
We start with a proper conversation about the business, the numbers, what you have already tried and what you want to achieve. I then help you identify the few changes most likely to make a difference. Depending on the assignment, I can advise, work alongside you on implementation and provide regular review and accountability.
How an assignment works
- Understand the business
The numbers, what you’ve already tried and where you want to get to.
- Focus on what matters most
The few changes most likely to make a difference, in a plan that fits your resources.
- Put it into action
Advice, hands-on help with implementation, and regular review and accountability, depending on what the assignment needs.
Success stories
Business stories
A few examples of businesses I’ve worked with.
Getting a tech start-up off the ground
I worked with the founders of a tech start-up from the idea through to launch. Together we prepared for and secured their funding, built a clear brand and got the business into its market.
Helping a retailer branch out
An established retail business wanted to widen its product range. I helped the owners plan the move into new markets, and they went on to increase their revenue by 50%.
Putting a manufacturer back on track
A manufacturing company was losing time and money to inefficiencies. I recommended a set of changes, and once they were in place the business saw significant improvements in productivity and profitability.
Why choose Clive?
Why work with Clive on your business?
You get an experienced person who listens carefully, asks direct questions and stays involved in finding a practical way forward.
You deal with Clive
You work with me personally, from the first consultation through to review. You won’t be passed to a team.
Shaped around your business
The work starts from your priorities and resources, not a fixed package.
Experience
45+years in business, including sales, business development and franchising
Testimonials
What clients say
Business owners describe working with Clive, in their own words.
A colleague suggested I spoke with Clive as my start up business still wasn’t hitting target after 18 months trying. We discussed a number of areas which needed attention, put strategies in place and marked out some Key Performance Indicators to measure progress.
I’m happy to say this year has been a record, with turnover up by 160%. This thanks to Clive’s expertise, knowledge, drive and enthusiasm. This has been a game changer for me and the business, best investment we have made. I recommend him to all my friends and contacts.
Clive has been responsible for our business development from start-up, development and then through franchising. He is highly experienced in his field and has helped us build the business in all aspects over many years, from the ground up to a national network. Proof of this is that he is still working with us over 20 years later!
Our business needed help to increase our turnover and improve our marketing and sales conversion rate. A business associate recommended Brilliant Coaching as they had worked wonders for his business. We had a long discussion with Clive, who reviewed and assessed our sales and marketing methods and our needs.
Long story short, through sharpening up and re-targeting our approach, improving our offering, improving our sales training and motivation we more than achieved our goals. So much so we were approached and bought out 2 years later by one of our competitors! Highly recommended.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about working with me on your business.
What do you actually do for a business?
I help owners and leaders with growth, sales, marketing, difficult decisions and franchising. I work out with you what is holding the business back, agree a practical plan and, where it helps, work alongside you to put it into action.
Which businesses do you work with?
Businesses of all sizes, from sole traders and start-ups to established firms and franchise networks. The work is shaped around the business and its immediate priorities, so you won’t be sold a fixed package.
What happens in the free initial consultation?
We talk about the business, the numbers, what you have already tried and where you want to get to. By the end, we’ll both know whether working together would be useful and what the next step should be.
Can the work be done remotely?
Yes. All sessions take place on Zoom, so it doesn’t matter where your business is based.
How is an assignment agreed?
After the consultation, I’ll suggest what the work should cover: advice, working alongside you on implementation, regular review and accountability, or a mix of these. Fees vary with the type and length of the work, and there are different packages to suit different budgets.
How quickly will I see results?
That depends on the business, the changes involved and how quickly they can be put in place. We’ll agree at the start how progress will be measured, so you can see whether it’s working.
Is everything confidential?
Yes. Everything you share about your business is kept strictly confidential.
Free initial consultation
Let’s discuss your business
Tell me what is happening, what you have tried and where you want to get to. In a free initial consultation, we can decide whether working together would be useful and what the next step should be.