“I was introduced to Martyn Fray by an industry colleague when my company was recording substantial losses and was under extreme bank and creditor pressure.  His guidance and expertise enabled me to bring my company rapidly back to profitable trading.  Martyn has joined our board as Non-executive director. I really benefit from his contribution”
                             

 

“Ian Franks has certainly bought strategic direction to the company. We are delighted with the results of his work with us.  Both my team and I really feel the benefits.  The whole team has new direction and motivation.  I too was challenged by the advice and modified my role and approach.  The changes really are showing through now. Most challenging, but enjoyable and definitely worthwhile.  Thanks very much”  

Steve Hill, MD/Owner: Electrical Products Distributor

 

"Mike Teasdale helped us bring some strategic clarity to our operational setup with the business. He worked well with different levels within our team as part of enjoyable workshop sessions to really help us understand what our key areas of focus should be. Overall, SPS concentrate on understanding the ‘helicopter’ view of a business as well as the detailed complications, adding strategic experience and insight to guide future decision making processes."

 

"Working with our senior management team and our Chinese manufacturing partner over the last 18 months, Keith Newton has successfully directed a programme to implement and deliver a new range of electronic products for the retail home safety market.     His focus, commitment and attention to detail has contributed to a key growth stage of our company and to the milestone of posting our first £1M profit.  Keiths’  input  to business process optimisation as we have grown our in-house resource has been valuable and I look forward to working with him again on future projects."

“Working with John Short has been like having the benefit of hindsight when you need it – before taking decisions, not after. He often provides an alternative view of our business that sheds new light on the bigger picture when, as a start-up, it is easy to focus overtly on day-to-day operations. His guidance has been key in planning our business growth, ensuring that we set and achieve targets - an invaluable asset to our business!” 

 

 

"In my dealings with Stephen Jackson, we have always had full and frank discussions.  I have found him to be a valuable source of creative and practical business ideas"

 

"In mid 2007 our marketing agency, Intandem Marketing and PR, suggested we ask John Short of SPS to work with us to develop a cohesive marketing and sales strategy.

 

Absolute markets conveyancing services through a wide range of professional intermediary routes to market. We were seeking a compelling and competitive strategy to drive sales and margin through existing routes to market and to open up new routes to market. John Short and Keith Stearman of SPS ran a planning workshop and then wrote a detailed marketing and sales strategy that was the focal point of the company’s budget and business plan.

 

John and Keith swiftly helped build our understanding of the opportunity and how we should sell our services effectively. They wrote a clear, detailed and persuasive marketing and sales plan that we incorporated into our Budget Business Plan and are now implementing successfully. I would recommend them.”

 

‘We asked Mike Teasedale to work with our senior management team to clarify elements of our business development strategy. Mike proved himself to be an able, effective and productive facilitator. He helped us identify key issues and opportunities, prioritise our key actions and he left us with an effective written summary and monitoring tool. We are looking forward to working with Mike again in the near future."

 

"Nick Brown was able to bring to the issues facing this company a degree of clarity and objectivity that on my own I would not have been able to achieve. His help in priorities and the relative importance of all the demands on my time was particularly helpful."

 

"We have been very fortunate to have had Tony Wightman on our team for the past 2 years.  Under Tony’s guidance our Company has continued to flourish and he has undoubtedly helped to shape the positive direction in which we are going."   

 

“I remember John Short and Roger Gregory of SPS making an initial observation to us that we were ‘flying blind’. I didn’t know what he meant by that, but over the months that followed, he taught and mentored us, to enable us to put all the instruments and tools in place for us to establish strategies, budgets and performance reports to run the company effectively. Now we are ‘flying’ with all the instruments in place and working. Having grown so much in this time, we wouldn’t have survived ‘flying blind’ and I thank John and Roger for sharing their expertise with us”  

                                                                                             MD Specialist Furniture Business

It was very good to have the discussion last week, and it was really great to have your input.  You gave us the opportunity to think about the possibilities we have in a strategic way.  So, it was great for us to step out of the daily activities and think more strategically.  You had an important role in this process.  Many thanks!!!  (Mike Teasdale)

Owner of a Dutch Internet retailer.

 

John Short was a personal mentor to the CEO of a Specialist Residential Care company for 12 months.  The CEO writes:

 

 “Making the transition from a largely public sector background to running a commercial operation was challenging. Having the opportunity to problem solve and test things out with somebody with a strong business background was invaluable. Concentrated time with a mentor provided the opportunity to reflect on issues which might otherwise not have been explored properly in the pressure of day to day business. An external viewpoint enabled me to maintain some sense of perspective but more particularly to focus on what was important and understand better what was just background noise for the business. The role of a critical friend means that the mentor is on 'your side, but will challenge when things are drifting or becoming bogged down"

 

John Short of SPS has been working with national vending company Boxlogix since early in 2007.

The MD writes “As we drive forward John’s understanding of the business coupled with his commercial insight is proving invaluable. Like wise his mentoring support which provides a sounding board and guidance on a wide range of issues”

 

"Mike Robson and Paul Chapman of SPS are now providing month by month assistance in implementing our growth and exit plan and in keeping it on track. They have helped me focus on the things that really matter".

 

 

‘‘From the start and thereafter, Paul Fileman was proactive and consistent in valuable and strategic contributions that were exactly in line with company goals. He is a high energy, good-natured and a wonderful person to work with. You can always count on him – I recommend him highly.’’

 

‘‘I have used the services of David Mellor and SPS for over three years now. He has been invaluable in helping me focus on my business and produce and implement strategies for growing my business and increasing our profitability.’’

 

David and SPS have also assisted a number of my clients. Without exception, they have all said how much the mentoring process has helped them move their businesses forward. I cannot recommend David or the SPS team enough.

 

‘‘I laboured in my business putting in all the hours I could but with little filtering through to the bottom line. I was introduced to Paul McKibbin at SPS and enjoyed a day’s workshop with him. Paul enabled me to see my business much more clearly, to set meaningful and realistic targets and is working alongside me to help to achieve those forecasts. The initial strategy day open my eyes to what I could achieve with my business. With the help of SPS I am now achieving things I never thought I would even get close to.’’

 

"If it were not for the help provided by Paul Chapman and Mike Robson I would have to hire another Director at three times the cost".

Managing Director, Manufacturing company.

 

 

‘‘Generally speaking we have been most impressed with the work carried out by SPS. Keith Stearman has proved to be the consummate professional, most perceptive of our requirements, tolerant of our inexperience etc., and these qualities, together with his unbounded personal enthusiasm have made our dealings with him a pleasure. We found the broad spectrum of expertise and solid business experience provided by SPS to be invaluable in these early stages, with appropriate advice and guidance on tap at any time. The SPS-completed Business Plan was instrumental in us obtaining investment from Partnership Investment Finance, and now places us in a very strong position should we have the need or desire to attract further investment down the line.  This funding is now in place and already starting to bear fruit, although we are still in the early stages of business development.

 

We would therefore not hesitate to recommend the services of SPS to other companies with similar requirements.’’

 

‘‘James Short, a specialist in strategic planning, leadership, personal development and change management provided participants on our SME Leadership and Management Seminar, with useful and practical ideas on how to prepare a vision for themselves and their business, and implement a marketing campaign.  The seminar participants received a lot of benefits from James’s idea and enthusiastic approach.’’

 

‘‘During those first dark days, when we were getting our company up and running, Mike Robson at SPS helped us map out a business strategy and tactical plan to make our business really work. Three years on, and you’ve no idea how valuable the lessons we learnt from that first SPS workshop’’

“Geoff Balfour combines exceptional leadership qualities and extraordinary motivational and coaching skills with incisive business intellect and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of commercial drive! He has played the roles of mentor, innovator and strategist with equal effectiveness and commanded universal respect from all within his team, having challenged and stretched us to reach our potential.”

 

‘‘We have worked with a number of the SPS team over the last 4 years on a range of projects and initiatives, notably access to finance, business improvement and strategic planning and execution. We have worked principally with David Mellor but also with Paul Chapman and Stephen Furner.

 

In addition to being fun to work with, they are very professional in their outlook. They excel at building empathy with their clients and have used this to good effect in providing valuable practical advice and support to a number of our members. We very much look forward to this relationship continuing.

‘‘Starting a bricks-and-mortar business was a massive change for us, and it quickly became clear that there were areas of this type of business that we just didn't understand. Thankfully we engaged Duncan McLean at SPS, who not only filled in the gaps for us but also provided mentoring and expertise to the business as a whole.

 

Without SPS, I have no doubt that we would not still be in business. Thanks to their support and expertise, we're not only still trading, but we're actively pursuing growth and expansion in ways that would never have occurred to us.’’

 

 

"Working with Mike Teasdale on a funding application was a great pleasure.

During our strategy meeting Mike brought his expertise & experience, which created a very solid foundation. His “hands on” approach, no nonsense style and ability to handle both the financials and the written content for the application were invaluable.
The surprising part was that all this “grey haired” experience was combined with a real “Go get” mentality, which was very inspiring.
Thank you Mike and I look forward to working with you again in the future."

Managing Director –  Healthy Foods Sales & Dustribution Business

"As leading member of the marketing management team, Paul Fileman was recognized for his complementary balance of visionary insight and ability to turn these visions into real business results.  He was highly respected by both his team and customers as he always led by example and had an attentive and consultative approach that brought out the very best in people.  Honesty, integrity and delivering on commitments were strong personal attributes."

 

Archived Testimonials

 

‘‘Since engaging David Mellor and SPS in February 2006, we have experienced a transformation in the way we run our business. David has helped us to navigate the pitfalls encountered by companies that grow from five to 15 employees in a single year. We look forward to continued success and growth, and see SPS as being a key partner in achieving our future goals.’’

“During my five years at X-Rite I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Geoff Balfour. Geoff is an outstanding business leader with top notch business skills and a passion for both his business's and his employee's success. Geoff has an excellent grasp of both domestic and international business and always worked diligently and effectively as a part of X-Rite's worldwide business team.”

 

‘‘David Mellor has been working with us for over 2 years now. At the corporate level he has provided us with a valuable external view on some of our strategic initiatives. At the client level, his contribution has been unique, helping a significant number of aspiring entrepreneurs launch their respective businesses on a sound footing, with  ‘go to market’ plans capable of implementation.’’

 

 

‘‘The review process and ongoing support from Keith Stearman at SPS has proved to be invaluable. Our business model was interrogated fully to examine the potential and the validity of the plan. Each meeting was both demanding and informative by way of scrutinising the detail and talking through the options and prospects.

 

The revised business model and supporting narrative has proved to be successful in attracting new service partners and members for the Network. We believe we have the required documentation to convince investors of our ability to deliver strict financial performance.

 

In discussions with SPS the review has enabled me to personally challenge the expected targets and ensure that a more strategic approach is undertaken in the coming months.

 

The professional advice from SPS particularly relating to the delivery of our sales and marketing approach has been invaluable. We have clear objectives and targets set out to protect the intellectual property of the Network and to select the right sort of company / operators we need to enhance the business.

 

We now have a clear understanding of the short to medium term goals and look forward to securing a positive development phase for the business.

 

The support of SPS has been significant in allowing a business with limited resource to focus intently on the requirements of the Network.

 

In particular I found the support at several meetings important in helping my personal confidence during commercial negotiations not related to my previous operational experience.

 

The business has a long way to go to achieve its overall objectives however the involvement of SPS supported by WYV has been critical in getting us to the end of the first year trading.

 

All of the planed objectives have been achieved and we have secured the offer of a loan facility from PIF following the advice and mentorship of SPS.’’

 

 

“ I worked with David Mellor for a number of years when we were both at Deutsche Bank, and am delighted that we are still working together now that I am at Cass Business School and David is with SPS. The most notable characteristic which I recall from our time together is his ability to get the job done efficiently and in a 'first class' way, without compromising his integrity or personal code of conduct, which I know is very important to him.”

 

 

‘‘We are growing rapidly. We are increasing our turnover, taking on new people in our Brighton base and entering new markets. Mike Robson at SPS is helping us to plan and structure our expansion so that we and our company grow and consolidate our growth efficiently’’

 

‘‘It’s easy to talk about someone when all circumstances under which you’ve encountered them have been positive.  However, you learn significantly more about someone when tough times hit.

 

I met David Mellor when he was a Venture Capitalist with Deutsche Bank.  I often heard him tell a client that getting the money was the easy part; the real work begins when the money’s in the bank.  David was an investor and board member in my previous company and we worked through some very difficult circumstances as a company and as a board of directors.  

 

This is when David’s character stood above all others.  Regardless of the circumstance, David ALWAYS takes the high road.  There were numerous opportunities for David to take a position to ‘protect’ his investment, but always made decisions that were in the best interest of the company, rather than a short-term decision for the investment.

 

 Today, long after the demise of my previous company, David continues to provide me with guidance, support, knowledge, expertise and contacts.  His conversations are always thoughtful, consistent and without prejudice.  I recommend him highly as an associate and executive.’’