Gain Clarity From Our Frequently Asked Questions
What does Leslie & Co do?
Leslie Co helps owners, founders and leadership teams improve how their business performs, positions itself in the market and presents its value. We bring together commercial, operational, marketing and creative capability to connect issues that are often treated separately. The starting point is what the business needs to achieve and what is getting in the way.
1
Who is Leslie & Co for?
Leslie & Co is for people running businesses who know something could be better, particularly when they are approaching a meaningful change. That might mean growth, funding, a launch, a new direction, succession or preparing for sale. It can also mean strengthening an established business or reducing how much depends on its owner. You do not need to arrive with a finished brief.
2
What kinds of problems can Leslie & Co help with?
3
The problem might be work that is difficult to deliver consistently, unclear priorities, an offer customers struggle to understand, or marketing and presentation that do not reflect the quality of the business. These issues often overlap. We help establish which problems matter most and how improving one part of the business can support the others.
How is Leslie & Co different from a consultancy or marketing agency?
4
Leslie & Co combines commercial judgement, operations, positioning, marketing, communications and creative work in one offering. We can consider whether a visible problem has its roots elsewhere: for example, whether weak marketing reflects an unclear offer, or whether growth is exposing delivery problems. The purpose is to connect the decisions and the practical improvements the business needs.
Who is behind Leslie & Co?
Leslie & Co was founded by Lyndsay and Grant Leslie, wife and husband, whose complementary experience spans commercial, operational, marketing and creative work. Our wider family enjoy helping businesses just as much as we do and have done so for decades. When the right opportunity comes along, we can bring that experience into the work too.
5
Do we need help with every part of the business?
6
No. The work can focus on a particular issue or connect several areas where that makes sense. A positioning project might reveal a presentation problem, while an operational review might show that the offer needs simplifying. We should understand those connections without assuming that every business needs a large programme of work.
What if we know the business could be better but cannot explain why?
7
Start with what you are noticing. Perhaps decisions keep coming back to you, the team is busy but progress feels slow, or potential customers do not seem to understand the value you offer. Examples are more useful than a polished diagnosis. We can use them to explore where the difficulty sits and what needs closer attention.
What should we look at in a business review?
8
A useful review connects your ambition with what happens in practice. Consider your customers, offer, commercial performance, delivery, people, responsibilities and how the business explains its value. Look for evidence of recurring problems rather than relying only on impressions. The result should be a clear view of priorities, unanswered questions and practical next steps.
How do we decide what to improve first?
9
Consider the effect of each issue, its urgency and whether other improvements depend on resolving it. Also consider the time, money and attention needed to make the change. A useful first priority removes a meaningful constraint or tests an important assumption. Trying to improve everything at once can make it harder to see whether anything is working.
How can we tell whether the problem is operational or marketing-related?
10
Look at where the difficulty appears. If suitable prospects struggle to understand why they should choose you, examine the offer, positioning and communication. If customers buy but delivery is inconsistent, examine capacity, processes and responsibilities. If customers arrive with expectations the business cannot meet, both areas may need attention. Follow the customer experience from first enquiry through delivery.
What does business readiness mean?
11
Business readiness means having the capabilities, information and capacity needed for a particular next step. Readiness for growth differs from readiness for succession or funding. Start by defining the intended change, then consider what must be true for it to work: who will do the work, what evidence is needed, which systems must hold up and where the main gaps sit.
What can we prepare before asking for help?
12
Write down what you want to change, why it matters now and a few examples of what is getting in the way. Note any important deadlines, previous attempts and people who will need to be involved. Relevant business information can help later, but you do not need to assemble a large pack before an initial conversation.
How can we prepare the business for growth?
13
Look beyond generating more demand. Check whether the offer is clear, the work is commercially worthwhile and the business can deliver more without losing quality or overwhelming key people. Identify likely pressure points in capacity, responsibilities, processes and customer experience. Leslie & Co can help connect those operational questions with how the business positions and presents its offer.
How can Leslie & Co help us prepare for funding or investment?
14
Leslie & Co can help strengthen the business behind the funding ambition and make its value easier to understand. That can involve clarifying the offer, priorities, operating approach and presentation, and identifying where the supporting evidence needs work with your Data Rom. Preparation should connect what the business says with what it can demonstrate. The precise scope, including any specialist advice required, needs to be agreed for the situation.
Be clear about the customer, the problem you solve, why the offer is worth choosing and how you will deliver it. Test the assumptions that matter most before committing heavily to presentation or promotion. Then make sure the launch message, customer experience and operational arrangements tell the same story. A strong launch needs a workable offer as well as attention.
What should we work through before launching a business, product or service?
15
How can Leslie & Co help with a change in direction?
16
A new direction can affect customers, the offer, operations and how the business is understood. Leslie & Co can help connect those decisions so that the change is clear internally and credible externally. Useful starting questions include what you want to retain, what must change, who the future customer is and what the business needs to do differently to serve them.
How can we reduce the business's dependence on its owner?
17
Identify decisions, relationships and tasks that routinely depend on the owner. Ask why: missing information, unclear responsibility, concentrated knowledge or habits that have never been challenged. Start with a recurring bottleneck and make the responsibility, process and necessary information clearer. The aim is a business that can operate more consistently without every question returning to one person.
How can we prepare for succession?
18
Consider what the business needs to keep doing well as responsibility changes. That includes leadership responsibilities, decision-making, customer relationships, knowledge and everyday delivery. Leslie & Co can help address the operational, commercial and communication aspects of that preparation. Any ownership, legal, tax or other specialist requirements should be considered separately with the appropriate advisers.
How can we prepare a business for sale or acquisition discussions?
19
Start by making the business easier to understand and less dependent on assumptions or individual knowledge. Clear responsibilities, consistent delivery, a well-defined offer and credible evidence can help explain how it works and where its value lies. Leslie Co's relevant contribution is improving business readiness and presentation; transaction-specific responsibilities and specialist advice need to be established separately.
Can an established business improve without changing everything?
20
Yes. Begin by identifying what already works and what customers value. Then focus on the parts that create friction, no longer fit the business or hold back its next step. The right change may be a clearer offer, better responsibilities or more consistent presentation. Improvement should preserve useful strengths while addressing the issues that matter.
What do Perform, Position and Present mean?
21
Perform concerns how the business works and delivers. Position concerns its place in the market and why customers choose it. Present concerns how clearly and credibly its value is communicated. These are connected ways of looking at the business. Work can focus on one or bring them together, depending on what needs to improve.
How does clearer positioning help a business?
22
Clearer positioning helps a business explain who it is for, what it offers and why that matters to the right customers. It can make decisions about messages, marketing and sales conversations more consistent. Begin with the customer need, the alternatives customers consider and the reasons they might choose you. The positioning must reflect something the business can actually deliver.
When does a business need better presentation?
23
Presentation needs attention when the website, proposals, materials or conversations fail to communicate the quality and value of the business. Symptoms include inconsistent messages, unclear explanations or materials that no longer reflect the offer. First check that the underlying offer is clear. Better design and writing are most useful when they express a sound commercial message.
Why should operations and marketing be considered together?
24
Marketing creates expectations that operations must fulfil. If the promise and the experience differ, winning more customers may increase the strain on the business. Equally, a business that delivers excellent work may be held back by poor communication. Considering both together helps align the customers you attract, what you promise and how you deliver it.
What happens when we contact Leslie & Co?
25
We will get in touch to understand your situation and what you would like to change or achieve. If we can help, we will explain the proposed work, timing and fee before you decide whether to proceed. You do not need a finished brief, and making an enquiry does not commit you to an engagement.
How does Leslie & Co approach an engagement?
26
Our approach is to see what is happening, decide what matters and improve it. We start by understanding the situation, then establish priorities and agree the work needed. The detail depends on the business and the issue. The important thing is a clear connection between what we learn, what we decide and what changes as a result.
What information might you need from us?
27
That depends on the question we are trying to answer. Useful inputs may include your current offer, customer feedback, examples of how work is delivered, existing marketing materials and relevant performance information. Conversations with the people involved can also matter. We would agree what is needed for the proposed work rather than ask you to prepare everything in advance.
What will we receive at the end of the work?
28
The outputs should be agreed as part of the scope. Depending on the need, they could include a clearer set of priorities, practical changes to how work is organised, a better-defined offer, clearer messages or improved presentation materials. What matters is that you understand what will be delivered, how it will be used and who is responsible for the next steps.
How are the scope, timing and fee agreed?
29
We first need to understand the issue and the intended outcome. We can then explain the proposed work, responsibilities, timing and fee so that you can decide whether to proceed. Any important assumptions should be clear at that point. A useful scope makes it easy to understand what is included and what would require a separate decision.
Do you support implementation after recommendations?
30
The time required depends on the scope, the information already available and who needs to contribute or make decisions. It is important to establish those responsibilities before the work starts. Your team's knowledge will help make the work relevant, and clear decision points can prevent unnecessary delays. We would discuss the expected involvement when shaping the engagement.
Can Leslie & Co work alongside our existing team or advisers?
31
Where it suits the work, the engagement can be shaped around the people already involved in the business. Clear responsibilities matter: who provides information, who makes decisions and who implements each change. Existing employees, agencies or specialist advisers may hold knowledge that is important to the outcome. Those working arrangements should be agreed at the outset.
When should we use external support rather than hire another employee?
32
Consider whether the need is ongoing work with a clear role, or a specific problem, change or decision that needs outside perspective and additional capability. A permanent role may make sense for sustained responsibility. External support may be useful for a defined piece of work or while clarifying what the business actually needs. Sometimes improving the way work is organised should come before either choice.
What should we ask before choosing a business adviser or provider?
33
Ask how they understand the problem, what relevant experience they bring, what they propose doing and what you will receive. Establish who will do the work, what they need from you, how progress will be judged and how scope or fee changes will be handled. Ask for relevant evidence and the limits of what it demonstrates. A good conversation should make the decision clearer.
How should we measure whether the work is helping?
34
Choose measures that relate to the issue being addressed and establish a starting point where possible. Operational work might be assessed through delays, rework or dependence on key people. Positioning and presentation work might be assessed through customer understanding, enquiry quality or the consistency of sales materials. Agree what you will observe, when you will review it and what other factors could affect the result.
What does a good outcome look like?
35
A good outcome is a meaningful improvement in the business's ability to do what comes next. That might mean clearer priorities, more consistent delivery, less reliance on the owner or an offer that is easier to understand and choose. The intended outcome should be specific to the engagement and realistic about what the work can influence.
How do we start a conversation?
36
Tell us what is happening in your business and what you would like to change or achieve. Include any important timing and what prompted you to get in touch. If you are unsure where the issue sits, explain what you are noticing. We can take the conversation from there.
Where are you based, and where do you work?
37
We are based in Aberdeenshire. We can travel for agreed work, with travel arrangements confirmed as part of the proposed engagement.
Which sectors and business sizes do you work with?
38
We work across sectors, typically with businesses of 2–50 people. The starting point is the situation you are facing and whether our combined commercial, operational, marketing and creative capability fits what you need.
Can engagements be remote or on site?
39
We can work flexibly, combining remote and on-site work to suit the project. Face-to-face time on site can be particularly helpful during an engagement. We agree the working arrangements as part of the scope.
What does a typical engagement cost?
40
Project costs start from £495 per month, excluding VAT. We typically charge between £1,500 - £3,000 per month, however, the final monthly fee depends on the agreed scope. Your proposal will set out the work, timing and fee before you decide whether to proceed.
How soon can you start, and how long does the work take?
41
Start dates depend on availability, and the duration depends on the project and agreed scope. We confirm availability and the proposed timetable at the proposal stage.
How do you handle confidential information?
42
We work under confidentiality arrangements agreed for the engagement. We can discuss these before you share confidential business information.