The six stages of an engagement
Discovery call
We start with a 30-minute phone or video call. No charge, no obligation. The purpose is simple: you describe the problem or opportunity you are facing, and we ask enough questions to decide whether we are the right fit. If we are not, we will say so and point you to someone who is. About one in five discovery calls ends with an honest recommendation to try a different type of adviser, and we are comfortable with that.
By the end of the call we will have agreed on a rough scope and a date for the on-site diagnostic.
On-site diagnostic
One or two of our consultants visit your premises for one to two days. We interview key staff, walk through operations, review documents and observe workflows. This is not a clipboard exercise. We talk to the people who do the work because they almost always know where the friction is before management does.
For financial diagnostics, we request access to your accounting system or exports of your last three years of statements before we arrive. That lets us arrive prepared rather than spending day one waiting for data.
Analysis and modelling
Back in our Glasgow office, we spend five to eight working days turning raw findings into actionable insight. For operational engagements this means process maps, bottleneck analysis and cost-of-delay calculations. For growth strategy projects it means market sizing, competitive positioning and financial projections under at least two scenarios.
We build our models in standard spreadsheet tools so you can stress-test assumptions yourself after the engagement ends. No proprietary black boxes.
Recommendations presentation
We present our findings in person whenever possible. The deliverable is a written report, but the real value is in the conversation around it. We walk through each recommendation, explain the reasoning, answer challenges and adjust priorities based on your feedback.
Reports range from 12 to 40 pages depending on scope. Every recommendation includes an estimated cost to implement, a projected financial impact and a suggested timeline. If a recommendation requires specialist expertise we do not have, we name specific firms or freelancers who can help.
Implementation support
Many clients want help putting the plan into practice. We offer two formats. The first is a fixed block of advisory hours, typically 20 or 40, used over three to six months. You draw on those hours for check-in calls, document reviews and problem-solving sessions as implementation progresses.
The second format is embedded support, where one of our team spends one or two days per week on-site for an agreed period. This works well for larger operational changes where someone needs to be in the room when decisions are made.
Review and close-out
Three months after the last implementation milestone, we schedule a review meeting. We compare actual results against the projections in our report, document lessons learned and identify any follow-on work that might be worthwhile. This meeting is included in the original fee.
If the engagement delivered what we promised, we ask for a short testimonial. If it fell short, we want to understand why. Either way, the review is how we hold ourselves accountable and how you get a clear record of return on investment.
A look inside our work
Consulting is often abstract. Here are two snapshots that give you a sense of what the diagnostic and analysis stages look like in practice.
How we charge
We quote a fixed fee for the diagnostic and report stages so you know the cost before we begin. Implementation support is billed either as a fixed block or at a day rate, depending on what suits you better.
Typical engagement costs for an SME with 10 to 80 employees:
- Financial diagnostic (report only): £3,200 to £5,500
- Operational efficiency (diagnostic plus 20 hours of implementation support): £6,000 to £9,500
- Growth strategy (full engagement including review): £7,500 to £14,000
- Digital readiness audit: £2,800 to £4,200
These ranges depend on the size of the business, the number of sites and the complexity of the problem. We will give you a specific number after the discovery call.
Travel within central Scotland is included. For sites elsewhere in the UK, we add actual travel and accommodation costs at face value.