Below £5m? The Constraint Isn’t Your Market.
I work with scientific manufacturing, general manufacturing, joinery and cabinetmaking, property development, hot tub retail, HVAC engineers, classic car restoration, aerospace, training organisations and engineering firms.
Different sectors. Different products. Different technical challenges.
Same problems.
Lack of clarity.
Wrong customers.
Margin pressure.
Operational inefficiency.
Owner dependency.
Inconsistent leadership.
Which is why I’m often wary when an owner under £5–10m says, “I think we need a Non-Executive Director or industry specialist”
It sounds strategic. Grown up. Sensible.
But often, it’s premature.
At sub £5–10m, the issue is rarely governance.
It’s execution.
A NED’s role is mostly oversight. Challenge. Accountability at board level. They assume a functioning leadership structure already exists. They operate at altitude.
But most owner-managed businesses at this stage don’t have a board problem.
They have a design problem.
The strategy may be broadly fine.
The ambition is usually clear.
The intent is there.
What’s missing is structural clarity inside the business:
- Clear guidance from the top.
- Defined roles with real ownership.
- Consistent measurement.
- A disciplined meeting rhythm.
- Agreed rules of the game.
- A leadership team that actually leads — not just manages workload.
And here’s the uncomfortable bit.
It’s not the industry that’s the constraint.
Owners often look for an industry specialist, believing someone who “understands our sector” will fix it.
But across manufacturing, engineering, property and retail, the patterns repeat. Because the root issue isn’t technical. It’s leadership architecture.
Who decides what?
What gets measured weekly?
What defines a good customer?
How are margins protected?
How are standards enforced?
Below £5–10m, the business still reflects the owner’s habits. Their clarity. Their tolerance. Their structure.
That’s where a business coach adds value.
Not by giving industry answers.
But by redesigning:
- Decision flow.
- Accountability.
- Customer selection.
- Value articulation.
- Performance tracking.
- Leadership behaviour.
A coach works in the engine room with you. They challenge your assumptions. They expose blind spots. They force clarity. They help you build capability in your leadership team — not just hold it to account.
You can question the results.
Or you can redesign the system that’s generating them.
Results follow structure.
Always.
And until the structure is intentional, higher-level oversight won’t change much.
If the business still relies heavily on you…
If margins fluctuate depending on who shouts loudest…
If meetings feel busy but not decisive…
If your leadership team avoids hard conversations…
You don’t need more oversight.
You need better design.
Below £5–10m, in most cases, the real lever isn’t external governance.
It’s internal redesign.
And that work starts closer to home than many owners expect.
If a conversation would help, simply send me a message
Andy Walter
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