Working With Me
You know something's badly wrong. You're not sure how bad it is, whether it can be fixed, or what to do first. I've spent 12 years leading businesses through exactly this.
Most leaders in crisis are working with incomplete information, making decisions in the dark, and burning through time they don't have. My job is to give you clarity fast, stop the immediate damage, and build a path through the chaos that actually works.
I don't work from templates or textbooks. I've lived this: losing 85% of revenue overnight, navigating COVID and supply chain collapse, putting companies into administration, restructuring teams whilst keeping businesses alive. The scars are real, and they're why I can tell you what's actually going to work versus what sounds good in a boardroom.
This isn't consulting theatre. It's surgery.
The work moves through four distinct phases, though most businesses only need the first two urgently. Watch each to understand where you might be and what happens next.
Clarity → Stability → Transformation → Innovation
Phase 1 - Clarity
Phase 1: Clarity The business feels chaotic because you don't know what's actually wrong. We strip away the management accounts, the rationalisations, the wishful thinking. Within days, not weeks, you'll know exactly what you're facing: how much time you have, what's causing the damage, and what your real options are. Most leaders feel relief just knowing the truth, even when it's grim.
Phase 2 - Stability
Phase 2: Stability The business is haemorrhaging cash, trust, or capability. We stop the bleeding first: secure immediate funding, shore up key relationships, make the hard people decisions that have been delayed too long. This isn't about perfect solutions. It's about buying enough runway to think properly about what comes next. Stability work is brutal and unglamorous, but it keeps you alive.
Phase 3 - Transformation
Phase 3: Transformation The crisis is contained but the business still doesn't work properly. Now we rebuild: fix the operating model, strengthen the team, install systems that actually function. This is where most turnarounds either succeed or fail, because it requires changing how people work whilst they're still exhausted from the crisis. It's hard, slow, and completely necessary.
Phase 4 - Innovation
Phase 4: Innovation The business works, but it's not distinctive. This phase is rare because most companies either don't survive to reach it or don't want to keep pushing once they're stable. For those who do: this is where you build genuine competitive advantage, test new models, and position for growth rather than survival. This is where turnaround becomes transformation.
What Makes This Different
I've lived it. 12 years as an MD navigating crisis after crisis. I'm not coming in with a playbook from a consulting firm. I'm bringing scar tissue from doing this work operationally.
I work on both the numbers and the people. Most turnaround specialists are brilliant with financial restructuring but ignore culture. I do both. You can't save a business if the culture is broken, and you can't fix culture if you're running out of cash.
I bring in experts when needed. I'm not a financial restructuring specialist or an employment lawyer. When you need those skills, I connect you to people I trust who respond urgently to crisis situations.
I'm honest about what's fixable. Sometimes the right answer is to close with dignity. If that's where you are, I'll tell you, and I'll support you through it rather than taking your money to delay the inevitable.
I don't do this alone. Turnarounds need operational expertise, financial expertise, legal expertise, sometimes HR specialists. I orchestrate a network of professionals I've worked with for years, ensuring you get the right expertise at the right time.
How This Works
1. Initial Conversation (Free, 30-60 minutes) No spreadsheets yet. Just an honest conversation about what's happening and whether I can help. If I can't, I'll tell you and point you toward someone who can.
2. Decision Point: Can I Help? Three questions:
Is there enough runway? (Money or goodwill to buy time)
Are they ready for hard truths and hard choices?
Do I have the right experience for their specific situation?
If the answer to all three is yes, we move forward. If not, I'll refer you to specialists (insolvency practitioners, mental health support, or other consultants) and I won't take your money.
3. Clear Engagement Terms
What phase we're working on
What I'll deliver and by when
What it costs and how payment works
What happens next (continued engagement, handoff, or clean exit)
4. Regular Communication I don't disappear between deliverables. You'll know what's happening, what I'm finding, and what's coming next.
5. Honest Exit When the work is done, I leave. If you need ongoing support, we discuss retainer or advisory arrangements. If you don't, we shake hands and I make sure you're set up to continue without me.
Ready to Talk?
If you're facing crisis and need clarity fast, let's have an honest conversation about whether I can help.
No pitch. No obligation. Just a straight conversation about what's really happening and what your options are.