Practical help from people who've built, run and sold businesses
We help owner-managers across the South West build better-performing, more valuable businesses.
Better results. Better decisions. Less pressure on you.
Day-to-day demands make it hard to step back and work on your business, not just in it. We help you make that time count, with independent experience and practical changes that last.
- Greater clarity on what's holding you back and where the opportunities are
- Better decisions, with experienced, independent challenge
- Improved performance in profit, management and operations
- More time and freedom, as the business depends less on you
- Confidence about the future, whether you plan to grow, change or sell
We're not here to tell you how to run your business. We're here to help you make it work better for you.
Is your business working for you?
A few details about your business, then 16 quick questions about the business and about you. You'll see straight away where you stand and the two or three things most worth your attention, and we'll email you a fuller report.
Who we are
We're Simon Spiller and David Tait. We've each spent 30 years building and running businesses, in the UK and abroad.
Together we bought The Croft, a residential care home, ran it through the pandemic and sold it for much more than we paid. We also built Spiller & Tait, an online coffee brand, and sold it for a multiple of revenue. Both were seven-figure businesses.
David is an operations and supply chain specialist. He built a business distributing optical and medical equipment across Russia and Eastern Europe in the 1990s, and now runs Hawkins Coffee, a UK coffee roaster and wholesaler that also sells direct to consumers online. He also advises several small businesses, from property improvement to booking apps. David on LinkedIn
Simon has built and sold businesses in several sectors in the UK and the USA, and worked as a management consultant with major international companies across Europe. With his wife Caroline, he owns Betterclean Services, a commercial cleaning business of around 200 people across South West England. Together they also owned and ran Otterton Mill for eight years, one of the South West's leading visitor and cultural attractions and food destinations. Simon on LinkedIn
We're business owners first, advisers second.
Where we can help
Improve performance
Find where profit, cash and time are being lost, and what needs to change.
Grow with confidence
Strengthen your management, people and operations so your business can grow without becoming harder to run.
Reduce dependence on you
Build a business that doesn't rely on you for every decision or problem.
Prepare for what's next
Make well-informed decisions about succession, investment, acquisition or exit.
How we work
There's no one-size-fits-all approach. We agree what's needed, keep things straightforward and focus on practical results.
Business Review
A fixed-fee look across your business: what's working, what's holding you back and where the opportunities are. You get a few clear priorities and a practical plan.
Focused support
Experienced, hands-on help with a specific challenge, working alongside you and your team to make decisions and get things moving.
Sounding board
Regular, independent conversations with people who understand business ownership, whether your business is growing or well established.
Sectors we know well
Not on the list? Many of the challenges business owners face are the same, whatever the sector. Let's talk.
Start a conversation
Tell us what's happening in your business and what you'd like to achieve. We'll be straightforward about whether we can help, suggest an approach that makes sense and agree fees upfront.
[Contact details and form go here]