Margins are under pressure
Costs have moved, pricing has not kept up, and the work you win leaves too little behind.
Fettle Profit Transformation
Is your business getting busier without becoming more profitable?
I help owners of established businesses, typically turning over £1m–£5m, work out where margin is being lost and put practical improvements into action.
Six months · £20,000 + VAT (£24,000 including VAT) · Personally delivered by Jamie Cottle.
When more turnover is not the answer
A busy business.
A disappointing bottom line.
Effort is being wasted
Rework, inefficient purchasing and inconsistent processes absorb time and money.
Decisions keep coming back to you
The team is busy, but priorities slip and nobody has a clear view of commercial performance.
Who this is for
Established businesses.
Owners ready to act.
Typically £1 million–£5 million annual turnover, with reliable financial information and a real opportunity to improve profitability.
Turnover alone does not determine suitability. The programme needs a credible commercial case and an owner willing to make changes.
- You want stronger profit, rather than simply more sales.
- You can provide meaningful financial and operational information.
- Your team has capacity to implement agreed changes.
- You value external commercial leadership and accountability.
If a focused review or lighter ongoing support would be more useful, explore the other ways to work with Fettle.
Seven tangible deliverables
Know exactly what
you are investing in.
Profit Diagnostic
A comprehensive assessment of financial performance, margins, pricing, purchasing, costs, productivity and commercial processes. A clear baseline for the work ahead.
Profit Opportunity Register
A prioritised register showing estimated financial impact, implementation requirements and confidence levels, so you can decide where to focus.
180-Day Profit Improvement Plan
An implementation roadmap with agreed priorities, named responsibilities, milestones and measurable objectives.
Commercial Performance Dashboard
A practical management dashboard tracking the profitability, operational and commercial measures that matter to your business.
Three Priority Improvement Projects
Jamie leads implementation and oversight of three agreed initiatives, such as pricing optimisation, cost reduction, operational efficiency or profitable growth.
Management Accountability System
Clear responsibilities, performance reviews and reporting routines that help decisions turn into consistent action.
Transformation Results Report
A comparison of baseline performance against actual results, with a forward-looking 12-month improvement roadmap.
The six-month programme
Find the profit. Fix the leaks.
Make the improvements stick.
01 / Weeks 1–4
Discover
Understand the business, establish financial baselines and identify commercial opportunities.
02 / Weeks 5–8
Design
Prioritise opportunities, agree three improvement projects and build the 180-day roadmap.
03 / Weeks 9–20
Deliver
Drive implementation alongside you and your team, with regular reviews and clear accountability.
04 / Weeks 21–26
Demonstrate
Measure results, embed improvements and set the next 12 months of commercial priorities.
A commercial case you can examine
Measure the improvement.
Understand the assumptions.
First, establish the baseline
We agree the starting position using your financial and operational information. We look at margins by work, product or customer where the data supports it, alongside pricing, costs and productivity.
Then, test the opportunities
Each opportunity records its assumptions, expected impact, costs, confidence and delivery requirements. We challenge overlap and double counting before deciding what to pursue.
Track what actually happens
The dashboard compares actual performance with the baseline. We separate realised profit from forecasts, one-off savings from recurring benefits, and released time from cash savings.
Keep the result in context
The final report explains implementation costs and relevant changes in sales volumes, product mix or trading conditions. An annualised opportunity is not the same as profit already earned.
We recommend the programme only where we see a credible commercial case. Financial opportunities are estimates; no specific profit increase or return on investment is guaranteed.
People • Decisions • Accountability
Practical leadership.
Personally delivered.
I’m Jamie Cottle. I bring more than 15 years building and running businesses, including businesses with multimillion-pound turnover. My approach draws on the difficult lessons as well as growth.
As a commercial business consultant based near Lancaster, I work with owners across Lancashire and the North West to turn decisions into practical improvements.
Read Jamie’s background ↗A review gives you a plan. This programme helps deliver it.
The optional Fettle Clarity review (£995 + VAT) gives you findings and a 90-day Action Plan that you lead. Profit Transformation includes deeper profit analysis, six months of implementation leadership, three agreed projects and measured results.
You keep control of your business. Jamie brings the commercial challenge, delivery structure and accountability to help the improvements stick.
Helping Owners Build a Business That Works Better for Them.
Before we talk
Your questions, answered.
Is a financial return guaranteed?
No. Opportunities are estimates, not promised results. We agree assumptions and measures, then distinguish realised improvements from projected annual benefits. Results depend on the opportunities available, implementation and trading conditions.
Is my business the right size?
Typically, this programme suits established owner-managed businesses with £1 million–£5 million annual turnover. Reliable financial information, a meaningful commercial opportunity and the capacity to implement matter more than turnover alone.
What does £20,000 + VAT include?
The six-month programme includes commercial analysis, planning, implementation leadership for three agreed projects, a performance dashboard, reporting and accountability. The total is £24,000 including VAT. Scope, meeting arrangements and payment terms are agreed in writing before work starts.
Do I need to buy a Fettle Review first?
No. Profit Transformation includes its own Profit Diagnostic. Fettle Clarity (£995 + VAT) is an optional, standalone review with a 90-day Action Plan. You can start Profit Transformation directly.
Who implements the changes?
Jamie leads the agreed programme, challenges decisions, coordinates priorities and reviews delivery. You and your team own day-to-day actions and retain management authority. Project responsibilities and the time required from each person are agreed together.
What sits outside the programme?
Unlimited consulting time, outsourced bookkeeping, custom software development, specialist contractor fees and taking over day-to-day management are not included automatically. Any additional work or external costs require a separate agreement.
Can you work with my accountant and management team?
Yes. The programme works alongside your existing team and advisers. Fettle focuses on commercial improvement and implementation; your accountant continues to provide specialist accounting and tax advice.
How do we get started?
Book a free 15-minute introductory call or send an enquiry. We discuss your business, the problem and whether a deeper assessment is worthwhile. Before recommending the programme, we assess whether there is a credible commercial case for the investment. You receive an agreed scope before committing.
Illustrative example — not a client result.
Where did the extra labour hours go?
Opportunity register
Actual labour hours exceed quoted hours → compare the last ten completed jobs → operations manager reviews the estimating allowance.
The manager checks job sheets for rework and unquoted extras before changing the allowance on the next quote.
Explore the effect of a discount on margin| Measure | Quoted | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| Labour hours | 400 | 456 |
| Gross margin | 32% | 27% |
| Rework hours* | 0 | 18 |
| *Included in labour hours above. | ||
Talk through your profit challenge with Jamie.
Six months · £20,000 + VAT (£24,000 including VAT)