Business Mentor · Mid Wales

Your business shouldn't depend on you this much

Mid Wales has some of the most self-reliant business owners in the country. When you're running a business in Powys or the surrounding area, you learn quickly to figure things out yourself — there has not always been much local support on hand.

That independence is a strength. But it can also become the thing that holds a business back. When the owner is the answer to every question, the business stops being scalable and starts being fragile.

I work with established SME owners across Mid Wales to put the structure, leadership and accountability in place that means the business can perform — and grow in value — without everything running through them.

Book your initial 60-minute conversation No preparation needed. We'll start with how your business is actually running today.

Working with SME owners across Mid Wales, including Welshpool, Newtown, Llandrindod Wells, Brecon, Machynlleth and the wider Powys area.

Rob Douglass – Business Mentor Mid Wales

Mid Wales businesses

Resilient businesses. Ready for the next stage.

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.

Agricultural & Rural Businesses

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.

Construction & Building Trades

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.

Manufacturing & Engineering

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.

Family & Generational Businesses

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.

Does this sound familiar?

If any of this feels familiar, you're not alone

Many Mid Wales business owners have not had easy access to the kind of practical, commercially grounded business support that is more readily available in larger cities. They have managed with what they had. But a business at £1m–£10m turnover has outgrown instinct and goodwill. It needs structure.

Everything still comes back to you

Your team are loyal and hardworking, but not really managing

Decisions take too long or get reversed

The business has grown, but it feels harder — not easier

Cashflow is unpredictable or tighter than the turnover suggests it should be

Profitability doesn't reflect the effort going in

You are thinking about the future — stepping back, succession or sale — but the business isn't ready

You know things need to change, but you haven't had the time or outside view to work out where to start

What looks like a people problem is usually a structure and accountability problem.

Most business owners in Mid Wales who get in touch have been managing these pressures for longer than they should. The issues are real and fixable — but they rarely fix themselves without outside perspective and a clear starting point.

What I do

This is hands-on, not theory

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 clarity, 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.

Creating clarity around direction and decision-making

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

How it works

How we work

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.

Initial 60-minute conversation

We talk through how your business is actually running.

Straight view on the business

Clear, honest view of what is really going on.

Right fit both ways

We only move forward if it makes sense for both of us.

Ongoing support to implement change

This is a working relationship, not just advice.

Results

The problem is rarely what you think it is

Every business has multiple issues. The starting point is understanding what actually matters, then prioritising what will make the biggest difference.

£5m Turnover

Manufacturing business

Owner involved in everything, leadership team not really leading

Introduced structure and accountability
Implemented proper meeting rhythm

Result Owner stepped out of day-to-day decisions within 3 months
Created capacity to focus on growth and commercial improvement

£2.5m Turnover

Engineering business

Strong team, but constant friction and lack of accountability

Reset leadership expectations
Defined responsibilities and behaviours

Result Improved alignment and stability
Created a stronger platform for performance and growth

£1.2m Turnover

Service business

Constant firefighting, poor planning, weak visibility

Introduced planning and job control
Improved daily structure

Result Reduced firefighting and improved margins
Brought better control and visibility into day-to-day operations

What clients say

Straight feedback from SME owners

★★★★★

"Rob has been invaluable as my business mentor as I've been scaling my electrical business. He has a real knack for breaking down complex business challenges into straightforward steps I can actually implement. What I value most is having him as a sounding board — whenever questions come up about growth, systems, or the next steps for the business, I know I can run things past him and get practical guidance based on his genuine experience of scaling businesses."

Tomos Durnell

Tomos Durnell Electrical

★★★★★

"Working with Rob has been a transformative experience for both myself and my business. His attention to detail and the depth of insight he provided helped me fully understand every aspect of my business. As a result, I now have clear direction, structured plans, and actionable strategies, rather than constantly reacting to challenges as they arise. If you are serious about growing your business and want to work smarter with clear, focused goals, I highly recommend Rob Douglass as a mentor."

Alex Perkins

Shire Web Design

★★★★★

"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."

Mary Louise

TrustTech

5.0 · 5 reviews on Google

Get in touch

If your business feels harder to run than it should be, let's fix that

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 with clarity.

Phone

07528 275465

rob@robdouglass.co.uk

Rob Douglass

Area covered

Mid Wales, Powys, Welshpool, Newtown, Llandrindod Wells, Brecon and surrounding area

The initial 60-minute conversation is free and carries no obligation. It is simply a conversation about how your business is running.

About

Most SME owners don't have a growth problem. They have a clarity, structure and value problem.

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.

Background

Operations Director

PE-backed SME · scaled to successful trade sale in 2022
Led operations, structure and performance improvement through a period of growth and change

Post-acquisition leadership

Led acquired business within UL Solutions · £2bn+ global organisation
Operated within a highly governed environment, balancing operational delivery with strategic and commercial priorities

Business Mentor

UK Business Mentoring · Mid Wales and Powys
Working directly with SME owners to improve structure, leadership, performance and commercial discipline

Focus

SME owners · £1m–£10m turnover
Typically working with businesses dealing with owner dependency, lack of clarity, weak accountability and performance pressure