Business Growth
Business Growth be it starting or scaling a business is not easy. You have many of the same issues of a large business but no budget or staffing to do what you need to do. Watching the financials is one key aspect but there are also other areas that need your attention and are often overlooked. From customers and branding to financials and pricing, we can take an overview of your business and identify new opportunities, areas needing immediate attention and areas for business change. Together we can work out potential plans of action.
Business Growth – Starting, scaling or exiting
- Identify areas for growth, areas for improvement, areas to cut and ways to pivot your business.
- Growth strategy can cover many areas from marketing to financials. Help preparing a business growth plan for 3 to 5 years for seeking investment or internal use.
- Not sure whether to exit or how to do it? Let’s take a look at your market, competition, financials and come up with the options to consider. If you like I can also help you work through to the end game.
Business Growth Review
- Do you have specific areas needing detailed analysis and review and you don’t know where to start?
- Do you need to apply for ISO accreditation and want to do a complete audit walkthrough of your business and how it works to simplify the process, or just need that to train new staff?
- Wanting to audit your produres and document them or identify problems?
- Or let’s do a strategic overview of your business, how the industry is going and how your business fits within the industry to help you adapt then you can decide which, if any, you take forward, and if you wish we can walk through that process together.
Financial Review for Business Growth
- I am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants having trained with Price Waterhouse Coopers and Grant Thornton in Australia, London and Scotland. I have worked in CA firms and in large corporate organisations as well as in my own business.
- My work has covered Audit, Insolvency, Investigations, Liquidations, Administration, Startup, Reconstruction, Financial Analysis, Consulting and Sale of business.
- I have put these things into practice myself as both Head of Finance for a startup for Kodak and then as Founder and CEO in my own business, which I scaled and then sold. Pre BREXIT we were trading online in 7+ countries. I have also worked with US based companies.
- Together we can do a complete financial review of areas of concern. I can hand hold you through your options.
- It is your decision on what you implement based on our discussions.
Operations Review
- Through my previous work and ongoing improvements in my own business over the years I love helping identify issues with operations to save time and money and improve processes.
- Let’s work on improving your processes with some attention to detail or training.
- Do you need more, less or different staffing? How can you handle flexible work? Having problems with setting KPIs?
- Don’t leave operations reviews until it is too late. Maximise efficiency and profits in your business.
Digital Marketing Review
- Not trained in marketing and not able to work out who your ideal audience is or why your branding isn’t working online?
- I have practical experience of what works in digital marketing for ecommerce and in marketing your brand. I can give me views or refer you to experts if required.
- What are your returns on investment and what is not working? What platform do you start with and what skills do you have in the office team?
- Let’s work to identify quick wins and gaps in your marketing to help make more money.
Choosing the right ecommerce developer or platform for you
There are good and bad developers. Just as there are good and not so good ecommerce platforms. Most importantly it is about choosing the right ecommerce developer or platform for your business, having it working correctly and tracking performance.
- Which ecommerce platform do you choose?
- Had developer recommendations but how do you choose?
- Cannot afford a support package? Do you need it?
- Don't like design recommendations so are they right?
- Do you need a platform at all or can you sell on a mainstream platform like Amazon, Etsy, or Ebay?
- It can be a minefield. I can point you to the right places and to clarify I do NOT earn commission from anyone. I will give you my view, meet with you if you wish, but the end decision is yours. Be sure they actually know what they are talking about. Ask me about your requirements today.
Ecommerce or Business Coaching and Close Mentoring - How it works
I have successfully consulted, coached and mentored other business owners and managers in the past. I am also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants ANZ, ex Management Consultant and a member of the Association of Business Mentors, having passed the Institute of Leadership and Management official mentoring introduction course. I have worked in start up with Kodak and my own business, in exiting with a successful sale of my own business, in consulting, investigations, restructuring and change management, insolvency, audit, liquidations, scale-up and on specific business projects. Most importantly, for Ecommerce I have headed a team of up to 8 as Founder Owner and Ecommerce Manager in my own business.
Some people request just a few hours advice but this is often not enough. It takes time to understand your business, your strategy and goals, your customers and your website. There is also preparation for each issue you are facing for the coaching sessions. I recommend 1.5 hour sessions and a minimum of 6. Payment is upfront however talk to me if you have any concerns. You should be happy to proceed once we have had our exploration meeting. If you are not then perhaps we are the wrong fit and I will be clear on that, as should you. It's important the advisor and the client understand and hopefully like each other. Exploration meetings are free for half an hour.
You will get your value for money guaranteed so time with me is an investment in your business and a practical session rather than a theoretical application of what the books say. Invest in your future today. Learn from someone who understands and has done it!
Close Mentoring - personal business development
1.5 hours one to one
- Learn the tips and tricks in business or ecommerce.
- I always meet with my mentee first for a free half hour exploration session to be sure we are the right fit.
- If you would like to proceed I do recommend a group of 6 sessions of 1.5 hours to get the most out of mentoring.
- Close mentoring is about working together to talk through your general business training needs to grow your business or ecommerce knowledge, improve performance and deal with your business and your team.
- We do not look at any specific business problems. Sessions are informal and over a longer period of time than coaching but this varies by client.
- Close mentoring helps you personally to develop at work.
- We can also agree to combine this with coaching if you wish.
Coaching - working through specific problems
1.5 hours one to one
- Ecommerce coaching, business coaching, or a combination also consists of 6 sessions minimum but let's chat first for a free half hour exploration meeting to be sure you agree the value of having these sessions with me.
- Coaching is not consulting, I will not DO your work for you. You can take or reject my recommendations as you wish.
- As a coach I work to support you to achieve your desired outcome on specific issues you have in your business. This may be ecommerce, profits, pricing, staffing, margins, dealing with suppliers or customers, scaling or even how to exit ... you choose each session.
- We work together to help you dicover the answer and you are accountable for what action you take and it's success.
- We can combine this with mentoring if you wish.
- I will work to support and guide you until the tasks are completed.
Group Coaching 4+
Coaching on specific topics with 4 to 6 people
- Discounted rates for group sessions of 4 or more.
- For these sessions we agree upfront in our half hour free exploration meeting what the topics will be for each of the 6 sessions.
- We then cover one specific topic for each session and we get everyone's views on how certain problems could be best addressed, with training framing and guidance by Ann-Maree.
- You, as clients, are all accountable for your own work after we deal with each specific topic but you will now be on the path to solving the issues covered.