Client Stories
Different businesses. Different challenges. Different routes forward.
No two businesses arrive with exactly the same problem, and I do not try to fit them into the same solution.
Differences can come from pricing, management, positioning, cash flow or the business model. Often the most important thing is getting clear on where the owners want to go. These stories show what that looks like in practice.
Getting clear on the business they actually wanted to build.
56three Architects
Richard and Gordon had already built a successful architectural practice with a strong culture and highly motivated team.
But both were stretched. They remained heavily involved in projects, sales and marketing, the management structure needed to develop, and growth was beginning to take the business in a direction they were not completely convinced they wanted.
We started by getting clear on the future they actually wanted for 56three Architects.
From there, we worked backwards and created a simple one-page plan around the tipping points that needed to fall.
That clarity has provided the foundation for work across management development, company structure, recruitment, values, culture and involving the wider team in business development.
More than two years later, the relationship continues to develop. An important part of the value now comes from how well I understand 56three Architects, its people and what Richard and Gordon are trying to create.
“Concord thinking has turned our traditional approach on its head.”
Richard Howl, Managing Director,
56three Architects
Turning a successful specialist into a strategic commercial partner.
Roxburgh Murray Associates
In many ways, that success was creating the next set of challenges.
He was thinking about pricing, cash flow, recruiting his first employees, premises, which areas of work to focus on and how to get in front of more of the right clients.
We started by building a monthly retainer proposition that created more predictable income for Roxburgh Murray while making payments easier for clients. We also developed performance-related pricing linked to the commercial value Lewis was creating.
From there, we worked on repositioning the company from a traditional QS provider towards a premium Strategic Commercial Partner, making the wider commercial value of Lewis's expertise much clearer.
As the proposition and his confidence developed, Lewis began approaching more of the businesses he really wanted to work with.
21 target clients currently in the pipeline
+ 7 further first meetings planned
First full-time employee recruited, with another hire planned
“What sets him apart is his ability to understand both the strategic and commercial aspects of a business, tailoring each proposition to the specific needs, priorities and challenges of the clients being pursued.”
Lewis Murray, Managing Director,
Roxburgh Murray Associates
Client Stories
3× original turnover and team size in one year.
Farsight Digital
Geoff had built a good digital consultancy, but too much still depended on him.
He wanted to grow the team, spend more time doing the consulting work he enjoyed and create a stronger foundation underneath the business.
The challenge was that pricing, cash flow, staffing and owner dependency were all connected.
We started by looking at the real value Farsight was creating for clients. That helped build greater confidence around pricing and how the business communicated that value.
Recurring monthly arrangements were introduced where they suited the client relationship. We also improved Geoff's understanding of the numbers and how different business decisions affected cash flow and profitability.
At the same time, we explored more flexible ways to build the team without every new person immediately becoming a major fixed cost.
During the year we worked together, Farsight Digital tripled in both turnover and team size.
“His input is a brilliant mixture of encouragement, challenge, practical help, connections and strategy.”
Geoff Todd, Managing Director,
Farsight Digital
Proven Impact
Real transformation for real businesses.
Construction Business
From 50–60 hour weeks to a management team taking responsibility.
40%+
Gross Margin
15-20
Hours Saved / Wk
The owner knew the management team needed to step up, but the business did not yet have the structure or information needed to make that happen. At the same time, profitability was a major concern and the owner was working 50–60 hours a week.
We introduced regular management meetings and reporting across operations, sales, marketing, finance and HR. Senior responsibilities were strengthened, people were moved into roles that better matched their strengths, and much greater attention was given to the commercial performance of individual projects.
One of the biggest changes was introducing proper gross-profit reporting by project. That quickly showed where the business was making money and where it was not. Some individual projects had previously fallen below 0% gross margin. By the end of the work, average gross margin was above 40%.
Just as importantly, the management team was carrying far more responsibility and the MD had moved from 50–60 hour weeks to working roughly 9am to 4.30pm, giving him much more time for family life.
Accounting Practice
Charging more became a natural conversation.
£299
Monthly Fee Up From £80
100%
Confidence Growth
The owner was working long hours with only limited part-time support.
He wanted to grow the team, but the fees being charged did not create enough profit to do it. Like many experts, he was also uncomfortable asking clients to pay more.
The focus was not simply increasing prices. We worked on making the service more valuable and making that value much easier for clients to see.
That included better reporting, more strategic input, stronger communication and using technology to automate work that could add value without creating large amounts of additional delivery time.
Fees moved from around £80 per month to £170, and later to £199–£299
per month.
But one of the biggest changes was confidence.
The sales process became a much more natural conversation because the owner no longer felt he was trying to justify a price. He could clearly show what the client would receive and why it mattered.
Clients were happier, the team began to grow and the owner regained much more time for family life.
Fractional Finance Practice
From £3k to £9k monthly turnover
in six months.
3X
Turnover Increase
6 Month
Timeframe
The owner was an experienced finance professional delivering a good service, but much of that expertise was being sold through a relatively low day rate. There was considerably more value available to clients than the proposition was communicating.
We strengthened the offer by bringing reporting and strategy much more clearly into the relationship and moved the business towards higher-value monthly retainers.
A major part of the work was helping the owner understand the value he was already creating. That changed the way he approached both sales and existing clients. He became much more confident leading conversations, clearer about the clients he most wanted to work with and more comfortable charging appropriately for the value being delivered.
We also built sales questionnaires designed to help prospects recognise their own needs, and developed a Diagnostic Financial Review that gave prospective clients a compelling reason to start a conversation.
Monthly turnover increased from around £3,000 to £9,000 in six months.
Web & Seo Business
A better business model was already hiding inside the business.
100% Inc.
In half of clients recurring fees
Automated
Reporting
The company was primarily focused on one-off website projects. That created lumpy cash flow and meant the owners were continually having to find the next website client.
SEO was already part of what they offered, but it represented a relatively small part of the business and was being sold for around £100 per month.
The opportunity was not simply to find more website projects. It was to develop the recurring part of the business that was already there.
We strengthened the SEO proposition with more strategy and much clearer reporting, helping clients see the results they were already receiving. For around half of the existing clients, pricing increased from approximately £100 to £199 per month, with little increase in delivery time because much of the reporting could be automated.
The business moved towards a much stronger recurring-income model and away from having to continually replace one-off project revenue.
Sometimes the smarter route is not adding something new. Sometimes it is recognising the value of what is already sitting inside the business.
What it feels like having Ewan involved.
“A sounding board and a source of expert help.”
“He looks at things from a totally different perspective.”
“A brilliant mixture of encouragement, challenge, practical help, connections and strategy.”
“He keeps momentum going on important developments that could easily be lost to day-to-day pressures.”
Your business will have its own story.
These examples are deliberately varied because the work is different for every client. Your business will have its own history, personalities, strengths, pressures and ambitions. The starting point is understanding where you are now, where you genuinely want to go
and what is actually getting in the way.