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 Shropshire, and the wider region.
Whether a business is in Telford’s industrial parks or a market town high street, the challenge for most Shropshire SME owners at a certain stage of growth is the same: the business has become more complex than the management structure around it. Decisions still flow through the owner. Managers manage in name more than in practice. Performance is inconsistent. And the owner, despite all the effort, is not building the kind of business that is genuinely valuable or easy to step back from.
Telford’s industrial base includes a significant number of precision engineering, specialist manufacturing and component businesses. Many have grown substantially but without the leadership structure, management cadence or commercial discipline that size demands.
Trade and specialist contractors operating across the county, strong order books and good reputations, but often weak on job margin visibility, management accountability and the kind of operational structure that makes growth sustainable.
Owner-managed service firms in Shrewsbury and across the county where the founder’s expertise and relationships are the business, and where the critical challenge is building something that does not depend on them personally to function.
Long-standing businesses across Shropshire’s market towns and rural areas where the conversation is increasingly about succession, leadership transition and building real commercial value, not just revenue.
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.
Mentoring works best when I can see how the business actually runs. So the important sessions happen at your premises, whether that’s a unit in Telford, an office in Shrewsbury or a yard outside Ludlow, with shorter online sessions in between to keep things moving.
The first conversation can be at your business or online, whichever suits you. Once we’re working together, I spend time on site with you and, where it helps, your managers. That’s where the real picture comes from: how the day runs, where decisions get stuck and who is carrying what.
I’m based in Ruthin, so the north and west of the county, from Oswestry and Whitchurch down to Shrewsbury, is a straightforward drive. Telford, Bridgnorth and the south of the county are further, so we plan visits around the sessions that matter most and use online sessions for the rest.
Shropshire Growth Hub and Thrive Telford are good places for funding, grants and start-up advice, and worth knowing about. What they aren’t set up to provide is one person working with you month after month on how the business is run. That’s the gap mentoring fills, and the two sit well side by side.
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.
“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 Shropshire, including Telford, Shrewsbury, Oswestry, Bridgnorth, Market Drayton and Ludlow. If you are nearby but not on that list, it is still worth asking.
No. Alongside Shropshire I work with SME owners across the Wirral, Chester, Liverpool, 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 Shropshire and the surrounding regions.
Yes. Most mentoring sessions happen at your premises, with online sessions in between. For businesses in the south and east of the county, we plan visits around the sessions that matter most.
Yes. Manufacturing and engineering businesses often share the same issues: an owner still at the centre of every decision, managers who supervise rather than lead, and margins that aren’t as visible as they should be. Those are exactly the things mentoring works on.
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 Shropshire, 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.