Are you struggling to scale up your business?

It may be time to engage specialist business support services.........

There are 5.6 million micro-businesses (0 to 9 employees) in the UK. These represent 99% of all businesses and contribute to circa 50% of the total annual turnover.

Micro-businesses are not born with fully fledged support functions which are commonly seen in larger organisations. Owners and managers of small or medium-sized enterprises are therefore well versed in swapping operational and functional hats whilst conducting day to day business.

It is common for businesses to consistently apply their 'winning formula' to the operational elements which sit at the heart of the business. These functions deliver the services to customers and make it viable.

With the repeat orders contributing to a strong order book, attractive cashflows & profits, why would a business need to change anything?

The winning formula will inevitably lead to pressures to grow the business. This leads to the need for more resources which in turn leads to more growth.

Volumes of work will increase, services will expand and the customer base will widen. Contracts are likely to increase in size and complexity, with rising customer expectations to manage.

More reliance will be placed on those being employed. As the business grows, maintaining control becomes more challenging. The scalability of the winning formula will therefore be tested.

Issues, which may never have arisen previously, start to emerge and establish themselves. These can become a distraction to owners and managers placing a stretch on valuable time and resources.

There is a natural psychological self-protection mechanism that kicks in. This brings a halt to growth and instead encourages a more cautious 'play it safe' approach. This serves to shield the business from a potential loss of control and protect it from reputational damage.

It stands to reason this psychological positioning stems from the uncertainty in not knowing how to adapt the business and the risks associated with doing so. This usually occurs at the precise moment the business needs to make modifications enabling it to scale.

These issues can so easily be resolved with the right advice which will help your business make the modifications it needs to scale up.

There are many barriers to business growth which need to be overcome. Achieving sustainable profits & cashflows along with securing a good position within the market can differentiate your business and allow you to compete.

If you've reached a strong place financially and are competing well within the marketplace, you may benefit from engaging some specialist support services to help your business continue sustainable growth.

Typically, for engineering and construction businesses, support with the development of the commercial function is needed in terms of;

• receiving assistance with understanding the administration and management of NEC contracts

• NEC training

• support with pricing works / tender packages

• establishment of processes to manage change during the execution of the works

• compiling compensation / variation claims

• defining, recruiting and building commercial teams

• help in the resolution of contractual disputes

As you grow, there may be simultaneous support needed across multiple functions such as adapting SHE systems, managing your obligations under CDM, quality control and management, human resource management, project controls and performance monitoring.

Support is often only needed on an adhoc or part-time basis initially to minimise the impact on operational overheads.

Engaging expert business advice and support at the right time can really help small businesses to adapt existing ways of working, make good decisions and see the business scale seamlessly.

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We are an independent consultancy business offering professional and advisory services to the UK's utility and energy sectors.

Our expertise in end-to-end business life cycles and in-depth knowledge of the the UK utility and energy sectors, make us the ideal advisors for those looking for business support services.

If you think we can help you, please reach out to us directly at sales@xecpro.co.uk or submit your enquiry on our contact page.