Not a to-do list. An "imagine if" list. The things that could be sharper. The areas that could be better. Your business isn't broken, but those niggles, left unaddressed, will hold you back from the growth, profitability and resilience you're capable of.
Identifying the real causes and getting them sorted is exactly what I do.
Sound familiar?
"I'm stuck."
Growth has stalled and I can't put my finger on why.
"We can't scale."
Everything still runs through me. The team isn't quite there.
"I'm firefighting."
There's no time to think strategically, let alone act on it.
"Something feels off."
On paper we're fine. But I know there's more in this business.
"We've plateaued."
What got us here won't get us to the next level.
"I need a sounding board."
I want someone honest in my corner who has seen it before.
The method
I've developed my own planning methodology, the Winning Game Plan. It aligns strategy, sales, marketing, operations, people and culture on a single, living page. No drawer-filling documents. No 40-slide decks. A plan every part of the business can work from and be held accountable to.
See all the ways we work →The List Conversation
We start with a proper conversation about the niggles you carry around. No obligation, no pitch. You leave with something useful.
Joining the Dots
An honest examination of the 11 core areas of your business. The real causes, not the symptoms, and what to address, in what order.
The Winning Game Plan
A single, clear, actionable page. Strategy, sales, marketing, operations, people and culture. A living plan the whole business runs from.
Execute together
As a thinking partner, fractional advisor, or hands-on alongside the team. The conversations matter. The actions matter more.
Is this you?
The Founder at the Ceiling
Running a business between £2m and £15m. Built it yourself, know it inside out, and yet something isn't right. Maybe growth has stalled. Maybe the team isn't where it should be. Maybe the business just isn't the well-oiled machine it could be.
You don't need another solution. You need a proper diagnosis from someone who's seen enough businesses to tell the presenting issue from the real one.
The Leader Ready to Scale
£10m to £50m+. The leadership team is in place but you lack a trusted strategic voice from outside. You're not in crisis, but you know the things that need sharpening now will become headaches later.
International expansion. New markets. Restructuring. Building the leadership layer beneath you. You want a long-term relationship with someone in your corner, not a series of disconnected interventions.
A word on cost
Every niggle on that list has a price tag attached. Missed revenue. Wasted resource. A team underperforming. Opportunities that never quite happen. The longer they go unaddressed, the more expensive they become.
Board-level thinking, without the cost of a full-time hire. And on every workshop and planning engagement, a 100% money-back guarantee. I'm that confident in what we'll achieve together.
Get a straight answer on what's holding you back
What people say
Words from the leaders I've sat alongside, managing directors, sales heads, founders building real businesses in the real world.
He has helped us on our journey to become market leaders. Extremely passionate, enthusiastic, someone who will challenge the status quo and stretch the team to become even better.
Mark Lant
Head of Sales, ProGARM
Having a sounding board like Michael has been invaluable. The money we've spent has been some of the best we've ever spent at JWT. I don't think I have ever closed for Christmas feeling so motivated.
James Walker
Managing Director, James Walker Textiles
Wow! Michael is a superstar of marketing. An insightful, engaging and powerful speaker who packs a punch with substance, and at the same time, makes it all simple.
Richard Palmer
Speaker, writer & leadership coach
Ready to talk?
No obligation. No sales pitch. Just a conversation that will give you something useful.
