No preparation needed. We’ll start with how your business is actually running today.
Most SME owners don’t have a growth problem. They have a structure problem, and it’s quietly costing them value.
If everything still comes back to you, decisions don’t stick and performance isn’t where it should be. The issue is usually how the business is structured and run.
I work with business owners to get control back, improve performance and build a business that is not dependent on them.
Working with SME owners across Liverpool, and the wider region.
Liverpool has a strong and diverse SME base, manufacturing and engineering businesses around Knowsley and Speke, logistics and distribution operators, construction and trade contractors, professional services firms and family-run businesses that have been trading for generations. What many of them have in common is that they were built by someone who made things happen through sheer determination. That gets a business to a certain size. But past a point, willpower is not enough. What the business needs is structure.
Businesses across Knowsley, Speke and the wider industrial areas that have grown headcount and complexity but not always the management structure to match.
Owner-managed operators where the founder still holds too much operational knowledge and customer relationships. Strong businesses that are hard to scale or step back from.
Trade and specialist contractors with good order books but inconsistent margins, weak job control and management teams that need clearer direction and accountability.
Established businesses where succession, ownership and leadership are starting to matter, and where structure and value need to be built with purpose, not left to chance.
Everything still comes back to you
Your team are busy, but not aligned
Decisions take too long or don’t stick
You have meetings, but nothing really changes
Cashflow is tight or unpredictable
Profitability doesn’t reflect the effort going in
Financials are there, but not really driving decisions
You know the business could run better, but you’re not sure how to fix it
What looks like a people problem is usually a structure and accountability problem.
Most business owners I speak to have been putting up with this for longer than they should have.
Take the 5-minute Owner Dependency Scorecard to find out how long your business could actually run without you, and what that means for its value.
I work with business owners to understand how the business is really operating, identify what is holding it back and focus on what needs to change first.
Most businesses don’t need more ideas. They need fewer priorities, better decisions and proper execution.
This is not about trying to fix everything at once. It’s about identifying the key issues, prioritising properly and focusing on what will make the biggest difference.
Setting direction and making decisions stick
Putting structure and accountability in place
Improving commercial discipline and profitability
Defining roles so people actually own outcomes
Addressing behavioural and people challenges directly
Reducing reliance on the owner
Building practical tools, including AI, that expose real numbers and reduce reliance on the owner
This is not a programme or a fixed process. Mentoring only works if there is a strong working relationship and a clear understanding of what needs to change.
We talk through how your business is actually running.
Clear, honest view of what is really going on.
We only move forward if it makes sense for both of us.
This is a working relationship, not just advice.
Liverpool is further from Ruthin than the Wirral or Chester, so I plan visits carefully. The important sessions still happen in person at your business, with online sessions keeping things moving in between.
From a workshop in Speke to a distribution site in Knowsley or an office in the city centre, a business shows its real shape on site. That’s where I see how decisions get made, where the bottlenecks are and who is carrying the load.
Online sessions in between are shorter and practical: what has changed since last time, what is stuck, and what needs a decision from you this month.
Growth Platform, the Liverpool City Region’s growth hub, is a good route to funding, export support and specialist programmes. It isn’t set up to give you one person working alongside you month after month. That’s what mentoring adds.
Different situations call for different levels of support. Most of my work with owners in the £1m–£10m range falls into one of these two.
A working relationship, not a one-off review. I stay close to the business as decisions, structure and performance evolve, meeting regularly and staying in touch in between. If you’ve had the Business Value Review, the first session turns it into a working plan.
From £950 a month + VAT
Ideal when you want consistent perspective and support as things evolve, not just a single conversation.
A structured, independent review of over 170 areas of the business, from strategy, management and processes to marketing, financials and people, with a close eye on how much of it depends on you. You get a written report and a clear set of priorities, with no ongoing commitment.
£3,500 + VAT
Ideal when you want an honest view of where the business stands before a big decision, a push for growth, or a future sale.
Not quite £1m–£10m, or looking for something different?
Running a smaller business? The 60-Day Business MOT is a focused review for businesses under £500k turnover, and Early-Stage Mentoring gives you regular support as you grow.
Need to build capability in your team rather than work with you directly? Management Training helps SME teams build stronger leadership and management skills.
Need experienced input on one specific project or problem? I also take on day-rate consultancy: focused, practical work with a clear outcome.
Every business has multiple issues. The starting point is understanding what actually matters, then prioritising what will make the biggest difference.
See more results →Owner involved in everything, leadership team not really leading
→ Introduced structure and accountability
→ Implemented proper meeting rhythm
Owner stepped out of day-to-day decisions within 3 months
Created capacity to focus on growth and commercial improvement
Most SME owners don’t have a growth problem. They have a structure problem, and it’s quietly costing them value.
Having been a business owner myself, I understand the reality behind the numbers: the pressure, trade-offs and consequences of decisions made too late or without structure.
Before working with SME owners, I operated at board level within a PE-backed business and later led a business within UL Solutions following acquisition, inside a £2bn+ global organisation.
That experience changes how I look at businesses:
Understanding how businesses are assessed commercially
Knowing what stands up to scrutiny
Balancing operational reality with strategic direction
The goal is always the same: a business that is less dependent on the owner, more commercially robust, and structured for long-term performance and value.
“I have had the privilege of working with Rob previously, and knowing his track record of business success, I was very happy to be given the experience of working with him again, this time as a business mentor for my Tech Recruitment business. Rob has already provided me with valuable tools and plenty of thought-provoking insights. His guidance has given me lots of things to focus on, and I’m genuinely excited about the months and years ahead as we continue working together.”
I work with owner-managed businesses right across Liverpool, including Merseyside, Knowsley, Speke, Aintree and Bootle. If you are nearby but not on that list, it is still worth asking.
No. Alongside Liverpool I work with SME owners across the Wirral, Chester, Shropshire, North Wales and Mid Wales. The approach is the same wherever the business is.
Mainly owner-managed businesses turning over roughly £1m to £10m. If you are under £500k turnover, the 60-Day Business MOT or Early-Stage Mentoring is usually the better starting point. Between £500k and £1m, it depends on the business, so get in touch and we will work out which option fits best.
The registered office is in Ruthin, North Wales, and I work across Liverpool and the surrounding regions.
Yes. The key sessions happen in person at your business, anywhere across Liverpool and Merseyside, with online sessions in between to keep things moving.
Yes. Contractors often have full order books and good reputations, but weak visibility of margin job by job, and a site team that still needs the owner to make every call. Getting control of both is usually where the work starts.
Not quite. Coaching usually helps you find your own answers. Mentoring adds experience: I’ve run businesses, been through a PE-backed sale, and I’ll tell you what I think. If you’ve been looking for a business coach in Liverpool, this is the more hands-on version.
No preparation needed. We’ll start with how your business is actually running today. If it makes sense, we’ll take it further. If not, you’ll still leave knowing what to fix first.
No preparation needed. Start with how things really are today. If it makes sense, we’ll take it further. If not, you’ll still leave knowing what to fix first.