Optimising Business Performance
OPTIMISING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE
FRACTIONAL EOS® integrator,
COO, OPERATIONS leadership & Consultancy
Helping entrepreneurs transform their business & achieve their end goals....
Welcome to Abbott Consulting! We specialise in delivering fractional EOS® Integrator, COO, operational leadership and consultancy services for service based companies and deliver game-changing results that drive positive change, enhance performance, boost profitability, and increase business value - leaving the CEO free to focus on achieving their vision for the business and shaping its strategic direction.
To remain competitive and achieve visionary goals and objectives, any business regardless of age or size, must look to continuously improve performance. As such, effective operational leadership is integral to the organisation's success and longevity.
And yet a lot of founders, leaders and owners of small businesses often underestimate the role that an Integrator, COO or Head of Operations will play in determining a sustainable and profitable growth trajectory - most probably because the role is not directly tied to revenue generation. As such, a lot of entrepreneurs and founders tend to focus on hitting sales targets and revenue goals, as they attempt to grow the business.
But sustainable business growth demands more than an increasing top line. The business requires a robust foundation and scalable infrastructure, designed specifically to adapt and support the business as the company grows.
So while the entrepreneur may be obsessed with generating leads, driving sales and engaging with prospects and customers, if the business is not structured to be effective, efficient and scalable, future growth will be unsustainable.
The expertise and leadership skills of an Integrator or COO provide a crucial asset to the business and must therefore be considered as a critical component of its growth strategy. The Integrator or COO provides the structure and team leadership that elevates the CEO to focus on strategic initiatives and long-term growth. They provide experienced operational perspective, insights and ideas in their mission to help transform the business to the next level.
About
Abbott Consulting is owned and led by Sarah Abbott, who has over 25 years experience working in business and operations leadership for some leading organisations and clients, including GSK, Wembley Stadium, Allianz, QBE, Axa and TMK Group.
Sarah understands the challenges that confront small business owners every day. In 2001 she co-founded a successful software consultancy that specialised in delivery of digital transformation and data management solutions for the large commercial (re)insurance and financial services sectors. Over the next seventeen years, in her role as Commercial & Operations Director, the company grew from a start-up to become an established and well respected market player, working with a global blue-chip client-base on enterprise digtal transformation projects across UK, US, Europe and Middle East.
In 2018, following a successful company exit, Sarah wanted to leverage her experience acquired from working with larger enterprises and corporate clients, and offer corresponding solutions and services, tailored for small businesses. As a result, Abbott Consulting was set up to provide their CEOs, owners and founders with the same capabilities and expertise provided by hiring a full time equivalent, but delivered on a fractional bases. The benefits of using this approach provides the business owner with a customer-focussed, strategic partner, dedicated to achieving mutual objectives and outcomes for the business, that drive long-term gains and competitive advantage, whilst negating the commitment, fixed costs and high overheads associated with increasing headcount. Guaranteeing a flexible, pain-free and low-risk option to small business owners who are dedicated to transforming and growing a resilient, sustainable and profitable business.
ABBOTT CONSULTING support and believe in the power of EOS™
The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS™) - is a business operating model that is currently used by more than 170,000+ organisations around the world to clarify, simplify, and achieve their vision. EOS™ connects companies – through language, values, perspectives, and experiences, and when you run on EOS™, you run smarter and you run faster.
Abbott Consulting believe in the power of EOS™ and apply its concepts, frameworks and principles for clients looking to structure and scale their business - to deliver outcomes that maximise P&L results, increase business value & develop cohesive, consistent and productive teams
We are certified EOS™ Masterclass Integrators, and partner with Ninety.io software to help our clients and their teams optimise the execution of their EOS™ strategy.
'Integrator|'in-te,-gra-ter n
One who integrates; one who harmoniously unites the major functions of a business; one who keeps the trains running on time; one who creates focus, accountability and alignment. Right Hand Person, Number Two, Steady Force
'rocket fuel' - gino wickman & mark c winters
'Integrator|'in-te,-gra-ter n
One who integrates; one who harmoniously unites the major functions of a business; one who keeps the trains running on time; one who creates focus, accountability and alignment. Right Hand Person, Number Two, Steady Force
'rocket fuel' - gino wickman & mark c winters
Helping businesses operating in.....
Technology
Online & E-Commerce
Professional Services
we work with their Visionaries, CEOs & Founders who feel.......
We Use An Integrated Approach
Business owners will often view the results and performance of their departments or functions eg Sales, Finance, Operations etc, as separate and independent areas of the business, when trying to grow their business. This type of approach rarely succeeds long-term and will often result in a damaging cost to the business, in terms of finance, performance, efficiency and time...
This is because they should be addressing the WHOLE picture, and not thinking of their business as an independent collection of its people, functions, systems and processes.
Integrating the business functions to ensure alignment of company values, engagement with the business vision and core focus is critical to communicating, understanding and achieving the visionary objectives of the business. This approach ensures that the outcomes delivered, align with the strategic goals of the business as a whole, rather than just those of the individual department or function.
Our Core Focus:
Empowering business owners to clarify their vision and secure traction in their target market, while living their best life through achieving their goals and getting everything they want from their business.
Our Core Values:
Integrity | We are open, unbiased, honest, ethical and respectful
Partnership-Led | We believe that long term success starts with exceptional partnerships.
Accountability | We hold ourselves accountable to you. We measure our success by the achievement of your goals
Collaboration | We believe in the power of working together
Trust | We promise truth, transparency & openess in our interactions
Passion | We empower business owners to live their best life by getting everything they want from their businesses
VISIONARY & INTEGRATOR - One sees the future, and the other makes it happen
'rocket fuel' - gino wickman & mark c winters
VISIONARY & INTEGRATOR - One sees the future, and the other makes it happen
'rocket fuel' - gino wickman & mark c winters
Services
Services
The fatal assumption that an individual who understands the technical work of a business, can successfully run a business that does the technical work
'the e-myth' - michael e gerber
The fatal assumption that an individual who understands the technical work of a business, can successfully run a business that does the technical work
'the e-myth' - michael e gerber
Operations Leadership
- EOS® Integrator
- Strategic Execution
- Performance Measurement & Optimisation
- Strategic Project Management
- Alignment and Integration of Key Business Areas
- Business Process Automation & Systemisation
Financial Performance
- Accounting Systems e.g. Xero*, Dext, Hubdoc
- Financial Performance Optimisation
- Product & Pricing Strategies
- Revenue & Profit Growth & Forecasting
- *Certified Xero Adviser
Data, Systems & Process
- Core Processes
- Digital Transformation
- Software Systems Selection & Implementation
- Project Management
- SOP /Process Manuals
- Data Analysis, Measurables & Scorecard
Customer Experience
- Customer Experience Strategy
- Client Acquisition and Retention Policies
- Customer Performance Metrics & Analysis
- Customer Support Software Implementation eg Zendesk
- Customer Data & GDPR Policies
Marketing
Digital Marketing Strategy
- CRM Systems Selection & Implementation
- Sales Performance Optimisation
- Sales & Marketing Team Leadership
- Website Design and Optimisation
People
- Team Leadership
- Recruitment, Onboarding & Training
- Accountability Chart
- HRIS Software Implementation
- Team Selection, Right People in Right Seats
- HR Strategy
- Gov.uk 'Help to Grow: Management Course' Mentor
Clarify your vision and you will make better decisions about people, processes, finances, strategies, and customers.
'traction' - gino wickman
Growth Plans
Our Integrator and COO services are delivered on a retained and ‘Fractional’ basis, providing the business with a completely flexible & cost-effective means of acquiring the expertise, knowledge and value provided by a full-time COO/Integrator ......but at a fraction of the cost.
Unserstanding your in-house team already possess the core technical and specialist knowledge and experience required to develop your product/service offering, we embed ourselves within your team, so that we can leverage our strategic business and operational skills and expertise to best complement yours.
As such, we provide different plans customisable to the specific requirements and growth stages of your business:
1. As a fully embedded member of your leadership team (retained COO and EOS Integrator)
2. On behalf of your team (Strategic project management)
3. Advising your business with consultancy and mentoring services
With no increase in headcount, overheads or fixed costs, we find that being this flexible ensures a truly bespoke service, and ensures cost-effective outcomes for your business AND the bottom line.
Start
- For young businesses in the start up phase – our retained COO / Integrator services will ensure your business is set up and structured for growth.
- Our 'Start' package includes: ◦ Defining core processes ◦ Creating an accountability chart that provides leadership team with visibility that the right people are sitting in the right seats ◦ Creating a technology systems strategy that will enable your business to scale ◦ Analysing the data by creating the scorecard and defining key metrics to track performance, growth and ensure financial health ◦
Improve
- Providing executive leadership experience, professionalism and expertise to growing companies on an affordable basis.
- Our 'Improve' package will: ◦ Provide accountability for executing the business plan & oprational strategy ◦ Identify & resolve cross-functional issues and ensure departmental alignment to key objectives ◦ Identify and eliminate process bottlenecks to enable increased efficiency ◦ Recommend and implement most appropriate technology solutions ◦ Develop a culture of execution that helps your company achieves key objectives
Grow
- Providing support for companies growing faster than the speed of light, while building best in class class business management and team leadership processes that improve profit and drive growth.
- Our 'Growth' package : ◦ Ensures that the existing model and operating system is fully scalable and adapting effectively to growth ◦ LMA (evaluates) the team, skills and job requirements to ensure that the right people are sitting in the right seats ◦ Leverages technology systems to ensure optimal efficiency and consistent output
Start
- For businesses in the start up phase – our operational expertise will ensure your business is structured for growth.
- Our 'Start' package includes: ◦ Defining core processes ◦ Creating an accountability chart that provides leadership team with visibility that the right people are sitting in the right seats ◦ Creating a technology systems strategy that will enable your business to scale ◦ Analysing the data by creating the scorecard and defining key metrics to track performance, growth and ensure financial health ◦
Improve
- Abbott Consulting offers corporate experience, professionalism and expertise to growing companies on an affordable basis.
- Our 'Improve' package will: ◦ Provide accountability for executing the business plan & oprational strategy ◦ Identify & resolve cross-functional issues and ensure departmental alignment to key objectives ◦ Identify and eliminate process bottlenecks to enable increased efficiency ◦ Recommend and implement most appropriate technology solutions ◦ Develop a culture of execution that helps your company achieves key objectives
Grow
- Providing support for companies growing faster than their systems and technology can keep up while building best class operations that improve profits and fuel growth.
- Our 'Growth' package : ◦ Ensures that the existing model and operating system is fully scalable and adapting effectively to growth ◦ LMA (evaluates) the team, skills and job requirements to ensure that the right people are sitting in the right seats ◦ Leverages technology systems to ensure optimal efficiency and consistent output
Discovery
- Our discovery sessions offer an objective and unbiased assessment of your business, to identify any challenges and issues you may be currently facing, and your current stage of EOS implementation (or any other operating system you may be using to build your business and position for growth). We then use the information we gather in these meetings to povide customised solutions and recommendations based on your prioritised areas of need. These services are available as a standalone service, but usually make up the initial phase of our fractional Integrator services.
Strategic Projects
- Strategic projects are defined as a type of project that aligns with the overall goals and objectives of the business. They are usually focussed on improving performance, competitiveness, and growth, and often characterised by their complexity, high level of risk, and long-term impact, often requiring a significant investment of time, resources, and budget. As such, we ensure that each project is carefully planned and executed, creating a well-defined project plan and provide the skills and experience needed to ensure success.
Consultancy
- Our COO consultancy and advisory services are for those times when greater clarity is sought on strategic operational issues, projects and priorities. For times when the expertise and unbiased viewpoint and output from an external advisor or EOS Integrator is needed to provide answers and solutions to questions that can’t be solved unilaterally. We work with you and your business to provide guidance, perspective and planning on any areas of concern, or in need of improvement.
Discovery
- Our discovery sessions offer an objective and unbiased assessment of your business, to identify any challenges and issues you may be currently facing, and your current stage of EOS implementation (or any other operating system you may be using to build your business and position for growth). We then use the information we gather in these meetings to povide customised solutions and recommendations based on your prioritised areas of need. These services are available as a standalone service, but usually make up the initial phase of our fractional Integrator services.
Strategic Projects
- Strategic projects are defined as a type of project that aligns with the overall goals and objectives of the business. They are usually focussed on improving performance, competitiveness, and growth, and often characterised by their complexity, high level of risk, and long-term impact, often requiring a significant investment of time, resources, and budget. As such, we ensure that each project is carefully planned and executed, creating a well-defined project plan and provide the skills and experience needed to ensure success.
Consultancy
- Our COO consultancy and advisory services are for those times when greater clarity is sought on strategic operational issues, projects and priorities. For times when the expertise and unbiased viewpoint and output from an external advisor or EOS Integrator is needed to provide answers and solutions to questions that can’t be solved unilaterally. We work with you and your business to provide guidance, perspective and planning on any areas of concern, or in need of improvement.
*Pricing is determined on the size of the company, stage of growth and complexity of the engagement. Fractional and retained services carry a minimum term 6 month commitment.
Benefits:
"Sarah’s leadership skills and expertise of steering a company through times of growth and transformation, as well as periods of tough trading conditions, can be evidenced by her achievements to date."
colin whickman, greenstreet LTD
Frequently Asked Questions
An Integrator (COO) is responsible for aligning key functions of the business to ensure they work in alignment with strategic objectives.
The integrator is accountable for:
• Establishing scaleable infrastructure
• Holding the team accountable
• Leading the day to day
• Delivering optimal P&L results
• Strategic execution
An Integrator:
• Works using logic
• Implements and executes
• Enforces resolution of problems, challenges and issues
• Focuses and unites the team to understand the business vision and its core values
Why Does My Business Need An Integrator?:
A business integrator enables the visionary and CEO to shape their vision and lead strategic direction. The integrator will execute the vision, and help to remove the obstacles and barriers that can stand in the way of growth.
By hiring an experienced and EOS® certified Integrator, you are getting access to a resource with a wealth of business knowledge and experience. who relish the challenges and excitement of putting their diverse skillset to work, proving a game changing hire for a small business.
If your business is not reaching its goals or growth objectives, you can be certain that you need an integrator working with you and leading your team.
A Fractional Integrator / COO works for your company on a part-time or interim basis. They’re there to offer you guidance, expertise, and executive-level leadership to assist your business avoid roadblocks in your business model and clear the path for strategic development.
Fractional COOs provide various services at a fraction of the cost of a full-time COO, making them an appealing growth tool for small and medium-sized businesses and organisations looking to transform and scale, without the resource required for a full-time equivalent.
The Fractional COO model is becoming increasingly popular as businesses look for ways to do more with less.
Business Health:
A good Integrator will run the business’ day-to-day operations as the CEO and Visionary’s right-hand man or 2nd in command. But a great Integrator thinks strategically about growth to anticipate operational issues that arise as the business scales. Because they work across the business, they aren't tied to one business area or goal; their objective is to ensure all business functions work in alignment and unity. This means that they view the business and its needs objectively, driving performance and delivering results continuously aligned to strategic objectives.
Increased Productivity:
One of the biggest reasons small businesses may defer from hiring an Integrator in its formative growth stage, is because it can be perceived as a role that does not directly contribute to revenue growth, and as such does not provide an immediately visible RoI.
But the function of an Integrator is critical for the long-term success and health of a business, establishing processes that help to increase efficiency, optimise performance and streamline, all indirectly leading to increased turnover, profit and sustainable sales growth.
Customer Success:
Research shows that 19% of small businesses fail because they ignore or are inattentive to their customers.
A key focus of the Integrator is measuring performance and identifying how well the business operates and make necessary improvements that ensure customers are provided with the best possible value, experience, and service.
Fractional, Cost Effective Leadership Experience:
Because an experienced operations manager will oversee multiple roles in a growing business, such as HR, Finance, Marketing, Customer Experience, Systems, Admin, it saves the business from employing multiple people to cover the same roles. This ensures cost effectiveness, and surplus funds saved from recruiting other roles can instead be invested in supporting growth initiatives.
Increased Profitability:
Accountable for financial management of the business, controlling operating budget, and constantly monitoring income and expenditure targets to promote profitability. leaving CEOs and business owners the ability to focus on growing the business and increasing sales.
Driving Change and Transformation:
An Integrator provides the leadership and experience required to navigate change and drive transformation to ensure the business adapts to rapidly emerging social, economic, technological and environmental changes - faster, leaner and smarter. Crucial for business survival in a post-pandemic world.
There is no such thing as “one size fits all” in our world because every client we work with has differing requirements and priorities. This means that our services are always customised to the specific challenges, their priorities and timescales needed by your business.
That being said, we use our proven process for engaging with us:
- Discovery Call
At our discovery meeting, we’ll spend time getting to know you and your business. We’ll discuss your journey to date, your level of EOS maturity (if applicable), where you want the business to be and your objectives for getting there, detailing any challenges and roadblocks that have been standing in the way. We will also discuss the type of support you think you need.
If you decide you’d like to work with us, we’ll submit a draft proposal outlining these requirements, and promptly arrange a second meeting to review.
- Proposal Review and Sign Off
At this second meeting, we’ll invite your comments on our recommended solutions put forward in our proposal, together with the amount of fractional Integrator/COO support we have proposed to ensure optimal results. This meeting will also provide the opportunity for us to answer any questions you may have,
Following this second meeting subject to incorporating any requested changes or revisions discussed we will ask for our proposal to be signed off.
If any amendments are required, these will be made and resubmitted for sign off.
- Onboarding
Following sign off, the final Stage starts with our onboarding process, when we schedule a date for a Kick Off Call. The KOC is our inaugural meeting with the business, and it is when we will take more time to evaluate the business in greater detail, in terms of journey to date, most urgent requirements and priorities, and also discuss any updates, or changes to requirements, plans or current issues etc. since our client discovery meeting. This is also when we start the process of creating the new business strategy, and begin our new journey together....
Abbott Consulting are ICO registered and fully compliant with GDPR regulations. All engagements are undertaken with integrity and contractual confidentiality. From our experience working in large corporate environments where data security and confidentiality are critical, we always work under non-disclosure agreements which we can provide, or will use yours.
Additionally all devices, equipment and software applications used are fully encrypted and GDPR compliant.
More questions?
The entrepreneurial myth - The myth that most people who start small businesses are entrepreneurs
'the e-myth' - michael e gerber
Get in touch
contact details
E-Mail: enquiries@smabbott.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)7711 562197
Address: 3 Ducketts Wharf,
107-109 South Street
Bishops Stortford
Herts
CM23 3AR