Just because you run one of the UK's 5.6 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), that certainly doesn't mean that you don't need management consultancy.
Indeed, expert advice can be even more valuable when you have a smaller, less experienced, or more generalised management team. However, you probably can't afford to go to one of the Big Four. (And I'm sure you know where to find them if you can.)
So, while I'm not exactly Pricewaterhouse Coopers, over 25 years in management means that I still know a thing or two - especially within SMEs, in both the commercial and charitable sectors.
One of the most common issues that I encounter is a organisation wasting money by trying to save it.
- Increased prices → fewer sales.
- Reduced staff → lost opportunities.
- Low salaries → inexperienced (and often unmotivated) workforce.
- Under-qualified staff → essentials neglected.
- Insufficient supervision → problems not addressed, but allowed to escalate...
All too often, cost savings in the short-term create a vicious spiral that leads to significant losses, organisational collapse, or business failure in the long term. Similar principles apply to time and other finite resources too.
Other issues on which I've previously advised my clients include:
- focusing on what their customers want to buy (rather than what the organisation wants to sell)
- learning from past mistakes (even when there's no continuity of personnel)
- challenging unhealthy cultures that have be allowed to fester.
So if you'd like to discuss how my management experience can help your organisation, please get in touch.