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 Mid Wales, and the wider region.
Mid Wales has a diverse and often underestimated SME base. Agricultural suppliers and rural service businesses, food and drink producers, construction and building trades, manufacturing businesses around Welshpool and Newtown, and tourism and hospitality operators, many of them long-established and deeply rooted in the communities they serve. What they share is that they have survived and grown largely on their own terms. The challenge, past a certain size, is that informal management and owner-led decision-making becomes a ceiling rather than a strength.
Suppliers, contractors and processors serving the farming and rural economy. Often highly capable operationally, but without the management structure to support growth or reduce reliance on key individuals.
Trade and specialist contractors with solid order books but inconsistent margins, job control that relies on the owner and management teams that have grown without formal structure or accountability.
Owner-managed manufacturers around the Welshpool and Newtown area that have scaled headcount and complexity but not always the leadership rhythm and commercial discipline to match.
Businesses that have been passed down or built over decades, where succession, leadership transition and building long-term value are starting to matter, often for the first time.
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.
Mid Wales covers a lot of ground. Welshpool and Newtown are a manageable drive from Ruthin; Llandrindod Wells and Brecon are further. So we agree a rhythm that gets the most out of every visit.
Rather than short, frequent trips, site visits tend to be longer working sessions at your business, with you and, where it helps, your managers. That’s where the real picture of the business comes from.
Online sessions carry the work between visits: reviewing progress, unblocking decisions and keeping the plan on track. For many rural and family businesses, this suits the way they already work.
Business Wales and the Development Bank of Wales are good places for free advice and finance, and worth knowing about. Mentoring adds what they aren’t set up to provide: one person, over months, focused on how your business runs and how much of it rests on you.
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 →Constant firefighting, poor planning, weak visibility
→ Introduced planning and job control
→ Improved daily structure
Reduced firefighting and improved margins
Brought better control and visibility into day-to-day operations
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.
“We were a bit sceptical at first about bringing a mentor into our family-run business, but we knew we needed help finding what was holding us back. Rob came in and really changed how we think and how we look at the business. He’s helped us understand what we need to do to grow properly and more profitably. We’d definitely recommend Rob and are excited about where things are heading with what he’s helped us put in place.”
I work with owner-managed businesses right across Mid Wales, including Powys, Welshpool, Newtown, Llandrindod Wells, Brecon and Machynlleth. If you are nearby but not on that list, it is still worth asking.
No. Alongside Mid Wales I work with SME owners across North Wales, Chester, the Wirral, Liverpool and Shropshire. 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 Mid Wales and the surrounding regions.
Yes. Site visits are part of how I work, wherever you are in Mid Wales. For businesses further south, we usually plan fewer, longer visits and more online sessions in between.
Yes. Agricultural, food and rural businesses in Mid Wales are often family-run and have grown over generations. The questions tend to be about structure, succession and who will run the business next, as much as day-to-day performance.
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 Mid Wales, 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.