How we started
In 2016, our founder Alistair Kemp left a 15-year career at one of the Big Four accounting firms because he was tired of delivering 200-page reports that clients never read. He wanted to build a consulting practice that produced short, direct recommendations and then stayed to help implement them.
The first office was a single room above a solicitor on Victoria Place in Bosco Gardens. Alistair took on four clients in the first year, all small manufacturers in central Scotland with turnover between £1m and £5m. Every one of them renewed.
By 2019 the team had grown to five. We moved to a larger space on the same street and began taking on clients in hospitality, professional services and food production. The pandemic tested us, but it also proved the value of having solid cash-flow models and flexible operations plans. Several of our clients navigated 2020 without redundancies because their forecasting was already in place.
Today we are a team of nine, still based in Bosco Gardens, still focused on owner-managed businesses with turnover between £500k and £20m. We have no plans to become a large firm. Staying small means every client works directly with a senior consultant, not a graduate analyst.
What we believe in
These are not slogans on a wall. They are the rules we use to decide which projects to take, how to staff them and when to push back on a client.
Plain language
If a recommendation cannot be explained in two sentences to someone without a business degree, it is not ready. We rewrite every deliverable until it passes that test.
Implementation over analysis
Analysis is only useful if it leads to a change. We spend roughly 30% of every engagement on diagnosis and 70% on helping the client put the changes into practice.
Honest scoping
We turn down projects where we think the client can solve the problem themselves with a good book and a weekend. We also turn down projects outside our competence. Saying no protects our reputation and the client's budget.
Measurable outcomes
Every engagement has a target metric agreed before we start: a percentage reduction in cost, a time saving, a revenue figure. At the 90-day review we check whether we hit it. If we didn't, we explain why and what to do next.
The people behind the work
You will work with one of these consultants directly. We do not hand projects to junior staff or subcontractors.
Alistair Kemp
Founder and lead consultant
Chartered accountant with 22 years of experience. Specialises in financial planning and pricing strategy for manufacturing and food production businesses.
Laura Menzies
Senior consultant
Former operations director at a £12m logistics company. Laura leads our process improvement and workflow redesign projects, with a particular focus on hospitality and retail clients.
Nikhil Sharma
Consultant
MBA from the University of Edinburgh. Nikhil handles growth strategy engagements and market analysis. Before joining us he spent five years in strategy roles at two Edinburgh-based technology firms.
Key milestones
2016
Alistair Kemp opens the practice with four manufacturing clients in central Scotland.
2018
Laura Menzies joins as the second consultant. The firm expands into hospitality and professional services.
2019
Team grows to five. We move to a larger office on Victoria Place and complete our 50th project.
2021
Post-pandemic demand drives a record year. We help 14 clients restructure operations after Covid disruptions.
2023
We pass 100 completed engagements and launch our rolling 13-week cash-flow forecasting service.
2025
Team of nine. 127 projects completed. Client retention rate at 92%.