Butcher, baker, candlestick maker, biscuiteer, architect, accountant, seaweed farmer, furniture restorer, brewer, timber merchant, toy retailer, dancewear, IT programmer, optician, recruiter, coach, counsellor, printer, TV & Film, cleaners, charities, furniture manufacturer, builders, fashion designers, marquee suppliers, garden centres, restaurants, hotels, event organisers... all have benefited from our clever input, and reaped the benefits as a result.

Organisations from Zero to £50million turnover have used Fordham Henderson to gain a better and clearer understanding of their business.

Case Study One

Events Company Going Global

Challenge: The owner of this outside events business (MF) had the opportunity to sell into a large corporate for the first time. An interview had been scheduled for the next week and she asked for us to coach her through the interview process.

Solution: We met with MF and discussed her proposition, the benefit to the client and how her company was ideally placed to provide the work. We underlined the true market value of using her company over another and how to work in overseas markets (one of the criteria for acceptance).

Result: The interview was a success! They asked alot of questions that we covered, the company was accepted on the Preferred Supplier List and work from both the UK and overseas poured in.

Response: "Great work! Great result! Are you free for another meeting? I need to build a bigger team and you're the people to help me." MF

Case Study Two

The Case of the Edible Seaweed

Challenge: This company (AK) whilst small, had been accepted to supply a major high street retailer, but didn't have the systems in place to operate at the requested capacity or the cash flow to support the order.

Solution: Fordham Henderson met with the two Directors and process mapped the logistics of the supply chain from farming to harvesting, packaging to distrbution. Our consultant then introduced AK to a previous client; modern invoice factoring business, and a match in heaven was made.

Result: AK were able to stagger supply the retailer, and therefore supply in smaller quantities at first. We paid particular attention to ethical farming methods and allowed them to reduce costs on packaging and distribution through a leaner process. The Invoice factoring company agreed to factor one invoice at a time and only those that were needed at the right time for the business overall.

Response: "Once again excellent work from you guys! Some really useful points and our road to discovery is clearer as a result of your work. Can we talk about our next round of funding?"

Case Study Three

Saving the Lives of Furniture Restorers

Challenge: This well established company (PC) had lost its mojo. The Directors were very hands on, married, with kids, order book full, but with no time to enjoy the money they were making, which wasn't very much. Clients loved their bespoke furniture offering, but were reluctant to pay bespoke prices and the small factory was not a great place to show clients around.

Solution: Fordham Henderson met with the Directors and carried out a review of their work practices, pricing policies, market value testing, client feedback, showroom location, gallery placements, process review, branding, marketing and sales strategies, employment of two apprentices.

Result: Within twelve months PC had grown from three employees to six inc. two apprentices gained from a local art and fashion college. The furniture was now being displayed in art galleries, they gained a new client following and they received commissions where they could charge a much improved price. This increased both turnover and profitability, enabling them to employ a manager, giving them the time and space they needed to once again enjoy their business and their young family.

Response: "To be given the opportunity to get our business and our lives back means the world to us. Just having you around has inspired and motivated us to keep going, when we were actually considering closing down. Can you imagine that now? Thank you so much, we can't wait until our next meeting."

Case Study Four

How big is your inflatable?

Challenge: This market challenger company (SH) was the brainchild of an Inventor with little comercial experience. Many clients took advantage of his good nature in business to renege on paying. The workshop where he designed and manufactured was small and tools were out of date. Manufacturing hours were not properly costed and pricing structure was non-existent, which resulted in commissions making a loss. Returns were high, where clients suggested they would purchase but then only rented and paid accordingly.

Solution: Fordham Henderson met with the Inventor/Director and put in place a robust marketing strategy with a pricing schedule, balanced with production and distribution costs. A niche market was exploited to gain exposure and traction worldwide.

Result: The niche market saw this as a great opportunbity to 'show-off' their own products and competiton in that market led to demand for this product increasing ten fold, at the right price. SH was able to move to a manufacturing base, employ two new assistants and offer bespoke design, shipping worldwide.

Response: "I found your input challenging at first as you questioned almost everything I was doing, but your attitude and passion for developing my business shone through. I eventually agreed to all the points you recommended and things are at last moving in the right direction for us."

*The image depicted here is a stock photo and does not reflect the product or those of any other company.

Case Study Five

The Design Secrets We Can't Promote

Challenge: This specialist company is a solutions provider for Architects, Direct Clients, High-end builds and Motor Yachts. They come up with intuitive engineering solutions that no one else can, but because many clients are shall we say, well known, they can't publicise what they do. How to scale when you can't promote?

Solution: Fordham Henderson met with the founder and assessed the projects they had and were working on. Values, Mission, Vision and Purpose were reviewed both strategically and operationally. An innovative PR and marketing strategy were created enabling work to be published in industry magazines without compromising the clients confidentiality. The 'aloofness' and 'secrecy' of the projects were enough to have clients knocking at their door.

Result: PS saw an increase in both enquiries and contracted work, and were able to add the additional service of concept design to offer to their cleints, which in turn, acted as a pipeline for more work.

Response: "I'd had a number of 'friend' mentors in the past but all were too nice and not challenging me enough, I knew if I wanted to up our game I needed to pay a professional mentor to make me do it... and boy you did just that, you were exactly what I needed!"