North of Linear

The main piece of work

The Business Review

Step back. See the whole picture. Decide what to focus on next.

For when you want to understand how the business is working and what it needs next. It’s a considered look at your business. You won’t get a generic business plan or a list of standard recommendations.

Arrange a free introductory call

Who it suits

Owners who want to understand the business as a whole.

The Business Review is for when the problem isn’t one question but the shape of the whole thing: a business that’s busy but not adding up, a big decision you can’t see clearly, or a sense that it works on paper but not for you.

A Starting Map shows you what’s really going on. The Business Review works through it with you, and ends with a plan you’ll actually act on.

If you’d like to start smaller, begin with a Starting Map. Its fee counts towards a review, and the review builds on your map.

What we look at

Person, value and business, together.

This is the map I use for every review. Each part changes how you see the other two, so I never look at one on its own.

PersonWho is behind the business, and what do they need it to give them?
ValueWhat are customers really paying for?
BusinessHow does it work, day to day?

Person

What you want, what you’re good at, what drains you, your capacity, and what you need the business to give you.

Value

What customers actually value, trust, come back for and recommend, including value beyond the obvious product or service.

Business

How your offers, customers, pricing, delivery, income and capacity fit together in practice.

How it works

Think first. Talk second.

You don’t need perfect answers on the spot. After a short first call, I take time to understand your situation before we dig in, so our working time can focus on the thinking, not catching me up on the background.

When you book, you’ll get a one-page timeline so you always know what’s next. If anything would make the process easier for you, such as more time, a different format or larger text, just tell me.

  1. A short, free call. We talk through what’s going on, check that a Business Review is the right fit, and agree a window, usually three to four weeks.
  2. You tell me about the business. A short set of questions to answer in your own time, in writing or by recording your thoughts.
  3. I build a starting map. From what you share, your website and social media, any customer information you have, and my own observations. It’s deliberately incomplete. If you’ve had a Starting Map, we build on that instead.
  4. Reflective rounds. Two or three rounds of questions, answered in writing, by recording your thoughts or in conversation, each with a reply-by date. We question what’s been assumed and follow the connections.
  5. A playback session. In person or online, I walk you through the clearer map I’ve prepared.
  6. Your written summary. Your clearer map and a small number of priorities to take forward, with a recorded walk-through if you’d like one, and a short check-in a few weeks later.

How I think it through

A stable way of looking. A flexible way of thinking.

Six kinds of thinking, used in whatever order the situation needs. One review might move straight through them. Another might circle back two or three times. I follow what we find.

  • UnderstandWhat’s actually going on?
  • QuestionWhat are we assuming?
  • ReframeAre we solving the right problem?
  • ExploreWhat else could be possible?
  • ConnectWhat patterns or opportunities emerge?
  • Make it usefulWhat does this mean in practice?

What changes

The difference between the two maps is the work.

“What do we understand now that we didn’t when we started?”

The starting mapThe map after the work
Person

“I’m just not good with the money side.”

“I want a business that runs on four days a week and lets the winter months be quieter.”

Value

“I design gardens.”

“Clients aren’t just buying a design. They’re buying the confidence to commit to a big decision about their home, and someone who sees what they can’t.”

Business

“I need to take on more projects.”

“I need fewer, better-priced projects, plus a design-only option for people who want to do the build themselves.”

This is a fictional example, written to show how the map can change. It is not a client case study.

What you leave with

Something you can use, not just a conversation.

  • Your clearer map. A short written summary: what’s already working, what we found, and why it matters.
  • A few priorities, in order. Three at most, plus what to stop doing.
  • A One Page Plan. One focus, one decision and three steps you’ll actually take, with dates.
  • A check-in. A short call a few weeks later to see what’s moved.

The page shown is from a fictional example, written to show how a Business Review reads.

Example One Page Plan for a fictional wedding photographer. The focus: price next season’s weddings for the value couples describe. The decision: raise the full-day price from £1,100 to £1,450 for new bookings. What done looks like: by 31 January the new price is on the website and three weddings are booked at it. Three next steps with days and times, the likely obstacle and what to do if it happens, and a check-in date.
Page 5 of a fictional Business Review: the One Page Plan.

Fee

Shaped to what the review needs to cover.

Every business is different. We start with a short, free call, and once I understand what the review needs to cover, I’ll suggest the scope and fee before anything is agreed.

The Business Review is business consultancy. It isn’t therapy or counselling, and it doesn’t promise particular results.

Arrange a free introductory call Or start with a Starting Map