Conduit Business Advisory
Board level thinking, without the hire
Ongoing strategic input for owner-managers who want a commercial sparring partner.
Conduit Business Advisory is for owners who want senior commercial input into how the business is run — but don't yet need, or want, a full-time non-executive or strategy director on the payroll. It fills a gap most owner-managers know well: the point at which the business has outgrown the founder doing everything alone, but isn't yet big enough to justify a full board. We work alongside you month to month, as a commercial sounding board and a second pair of eyes on the decisions that matter.
Who this is for
Typically, our clients are owner-managers of UK businesses turning over somewhere between £2m and £50m. They're good at what they do — often exceptional operators — but they're making big commercial decisions without anyone credible to test their thinking against. If that sounds familiar, this is the kind of service built for you.
What we help with
Organic growth.
Pricing structure, sales function design, margin by customer and product, and where to push next — new segments, new geographies, or deeper penetration of what's already working. Most growth problems are commercial problems dressed up as marketing problems, and we treat them that way.
Bolt-on acquisitions.
Identifying the right targets, making an approach without tipping your hand, and structuring the deal so it actually works post-completion. Integration is where most acquisitions underperform, so we stay involved through the first year rather than disappearing at signing.
Operational improvements.
Gross margin, cost base, working capital, reporting, and the systems underneath all of it. Usually this means finding the two or three things that actually move the numbers — not a full transformation programme the business doesn't need.
Exit readiness.
Pricing structure, sales function design, margin by customer and product, and where to push next — new segments, new geographies, or deeper penetration of what's already working. Most growth problems are commercial problems dressed up as marketing problems, and we treat them that way.
How the engagement works
We start with a scoping conversation to understand the business, the decisions you're facing, and where senior input would actually be useful. If it makes sense to work together, we agree a clear engagement letter covering scope, deliverables, and how we'll operate.
From there, we work on a monthly retainer with defined deliverables — typically a mix of scheduled sessions, work between sessions on specific commercial questions, and availability for the decisions that come up in between. It's a working relationship, not a report-and-invoice arrangement.
Every quarter, we step out of the week-to-week and run a strategic review: where the business is against plan, what's changed in the market, and what the priorities should be for the next three months. This is where most of the real value tends to land.