From thin cover and late filings to the meetings that bring regular work.

Where they were

A year in, the business was winning work on the strength of the owner's operational background and quietly running on foundations that would not survive a serious buyer's questions. Insurance sat below what the contracts required. Statutory filings were late. And the accreditations that security buyers ask for before they will hold a real conversation, along with the optional ones that mark a firm out as serious, were not in place.

The owner knew something was wrong. What he did not have was a picture of what a correctly built security business actually looked like, and he had not found anyone who could show him rather than sell him something.

What we did

Twelve sessions, one obligation at a time, in the order that mattered to the next contract rather than the order in a textbook.

• The foundation first. What a limited company of this size owes Companies House and HMRC, by when, and what happens when it slips. The late filings were brought current and a calendar put in place so it would not recur.
• Cover that matches the contracts. Public liability, employer's liability and the levels clients specify, checked against what was actually held. The gap was closed before the next tender, not after a claim.
• The accreditations, in the right order. The ones a buyer treats as a minimum, then the ones that signal quality above the minimum. Each was mapped to what it required of the business, so the owner could see the work involved before committing to it.
• The right professionals. The business was connected to an accountant suited to a thirty-person security firm and to an HR support team for contracts and employment questions. My role was to make sure the owner understood what he was asking them for.

Every session ended with one task completed before the next.

Where they are now

The business that could not get past a buyer's first questions began holding serious client meetings, and those meetings turned into regular work. The owner now knows what his business is built on and can show it to anyone who asks.

Anonymised at the client's request.