01
A sales problem may be a process problem
Leads can look weak when the real issue is slow response, unclear qualification or inconsistent follow-up.
Typically for established UK owner-led businesses with £1m–£5m turnover and 5–40 people. Construction and professional services are particularly relevant, but not exclusive.
Growth & Operations
Senior capacity to make the business work better and grow.
Chris works alongside owners and management teams to identify what is holding the business back, then leads and helps implement the changes.
The role
One partner across the issues that do not stay in neat boxes.
Growth, operations, people, systems and technology affect one another. Chris can move between them without treating each symptom as a separate assignment.
- 01
Growth
Sales process, business development, proposition, pipeline, pricing and the revenue opportunities worth pursuing.
- 02
Operations
Delivery processes, management information, productivity, handovers, accountability and operating rhythm.
- 03
Technology
The software, integrations, automation and AI that can remove useful work rather than add another tool.
- 04
Implementation
Projects, owners, deadlines, decisions and practical support until the agreed change is working.
The difference
Advice is useful. Implementation changes businesses.
Traditional consultancy often ends when the recommendations are presented. This work is designed to continue into action: deciding what matters, agreeing ownership, managing the work and dealing with the obstacles that appear once implementation starts.
Chris brings senior judgement, but works inside the practical constraints of the business. The aim is not to make the owner dependent on another adviser. It is to leave clearer decisions, stronger management and ways of working the team can continue.
Connected diagnosis
The first problem you see is not always the one you need to fix.
02
An operational problem may need a technology change
Rework and delay can come from information being copied between systems or held by one person.
03
A technology project may be a management problem
Software will not fix unclear ownership, weak decisions or a meeting rhythm that never closes actions.
04
An AI opportunity may need a better workflow first
Automating a poor or ambiguous process makes it faster, not better. The job has to be clear before the tool is chosen.
The engagement path
Start with clarity. Add implementation or ongoing leadership when it makes sense.
01 · Owner's Review
Find what is holding the business back.
A focused initial engagement covering growth constraints, operational bottlenecks, owner dependency, accountability, process, systems and worthwhile automation or AI opportunities. The outcome is a short set of priorities and recommended next actions.
Review the starting point02 · 90 days
Turn priorities into working changes.
Chris works with the owner and team to shape the projects, assign owners, set deadlines, make decisions and measure progress. The work is built around the business's priorities, not a standard programme.
Discuss an implementation programme03 · Where useful
Retain ongoing senior capability.
Chris can remain involved as a Fractional Growth & Operations Director: part-time senior commercial and operational leadership without another full-time hire. This is optional, flexible and agreed around a continuing need.
Discuss fractional leadership
A sensible fit
Established enough to have complexity. Small enough for the owner to feel all of it.
This is most relevant when the business has customers, a team and a track record, but growth is harder than it should be and senior capacity is stretched.
It is unlikely to be right for a pre-revenue idea, a business looking only for a report, or an owner who wants to hand over every decision without staying involved in the change.
Chris does not guarantee outcomes or recommend technology because it is fashionable. Scope, measures and commercial expectations are agreed before implementation work begins.
Common questions
- Is Chris a fractional operations director or fractional COO?
- Those are useful market terms for part-time senior operational leadership. Chris uses Growth & Operations Partner because the work covers both commercial growth and operations, and includes hands-on implementation alongside the owner and team.
- Is this business consultancy?
- It can include diagnosis and advice, but it is not built around producing recommendations and leaving. Where a business proceeds beyond the Owner's Review, Chris helps lead the implementation and keeps ownership and delivery visible.
- Does every business follow the same 90-day programme?
- No. The priorities depend on the business. The work might centre on sales, management cadence, process, reporting, systems, automation, AI or responsibilities. The 90-day structure provides focus; it is not a fixed set of modules.
What happens next
What change has nobody had the capacity to lead?
Start with the problem. Chris will be direct about whether an Owner's Review, a 90-day programme or another route makes sense.