How We Work
How we run mandates.
A small firm, senior attention, and a clear view of what happens at each stage.
Getting started
How an engagement starts.
01
First conversation
A first conversation to understand the business and what is actually in the way.
02
An honest answer
If we do not think we can help, or the work does not justify the cost, we say so at that point.
03
Scope and fee agreed
If it does, we scope the mandate and agree the fee in writing before anything begins.
Process
A clear sequence, not a black box.
01
Diagnostic
Understanding the business as it actually operates, rather than as the accounts describe it. That means time with the people doing the work, not just the management team.
02
Design
Deciding what changes, in what order, and what each change is worth. We prioritise by impact, not by what is easiest to deliver.
03
Implementation
We do the work rather than handing over a document. Entity formation, systems, introductions, negotiations, whatever the mandate requires.
04
Review
Checking that the change held. Most advisory relationships end at the recommendation. Ours do not.
Fees
How we are paid.
We work in four ways, and we agree which one applies before any work begins.
Retained mandates
Where a business needs sustained input rather than a one-off answer, we work on a monthly retainer for an agreed scope and term. This suits owners who want us close to the business over months rather than weeks.
Fixed-scope projects
Where the work has a defined start and finish (a structure review, a market entry plan, a set of documents), we agree a fixed fee for a defined deliverable.
Transaction mandates
For fundraising and M&A we work on an engagement fee plus a success fee tied to completion. The engagement fee reflects the work required to bring a mandate to market. The success fee means we are paid properly when you are.
Equity participation
On a small number of mandates we take equity rather than, or alongside, a fee. This is limited to situations where we are closely involved in building the business and both sides want our interests tied to the outcome.
Difference
What we do differently.
Operators, not career consultants
We have built, run and sold businesses ourselves. That experience shapes what we recommend and what we refuse to recommend.
Partner-led
A partner runs your mandate and stays on it. Our analysts support the work. They do not replace the person you hired.
We implement
Most advisory work stops at the recommendation. We stay through execution, because the value is in the change, not the document.
Cross-border by default
Active mandates across the UK, France, Monaco, the UAE and China. We do not just advise on international expansion, we execute it.