Find what is wasting time, costing money or holding the business back.
The Cooper Business Review takes an independent look across the whole business to identify what is wasting time, costing money or slowing progress. You receive clear priorities, honest recommendations and a practical plan, with help delivering it when needed.
The review at a glance
- Independent review across the business
- Fixed fee agreed before work starts
- Prioritised plain-English action plan
- Typically completed within two weeks
Remote or on-site, depending on the business and scope.
Built for owners who know the business could work better, but cannot see the whole picture from inside it.
It is designed for growing, owner-led businesses where systems, costs and processes have developed over time, but nobody has had the space to step back and assess how well everything still works together.
It is particularly useful when costs have crept up, the team is constantly busy without enough moving forward, important projects keep slipping or you suspect the business has outgrown its current tools and processes.
A look across the business, not one department.
Processes and workflows
How work moves through the business, where it stalls, duplicates effort or relies too heavily on one person’s memory.
Software and subscriptions
What you pay for, what overlaps, what nobody uses and what could be replaced by something simpler or better value.
AI and automation
Where modern tools could genuinely save time, improve quality or remove repetitive work, and where they would only add noise.
Sales and commercial
Where enquiries come from, what happens to them, how opportunities are followed up and what stops good work becoming signed business.
Market and competition
How competitors present themselves, what customers expect, how your offer compares and where useful opportunities or gaps exist.
People and recruitment
Whether roles and responsibilities are clear, where capability is missing and whether recruitment, onboarding or training would help.
Customer experience
What it is actually like to find, buy from and deal with your business, from the first enquiry through to delivery and invoicing.
Digital presence
Whether your website, content, Google visibility and AI-search presence accurately reflect the business and attract the right work.
Stalled projects
The important work that keeps slipping, why it is stuck and what would be required to finally move it forward.
A clear plan, not a pile of observations.
- A clear view of what is working and what is not
- Immediate quick wins and cost-saving opportunities
- Priorities ranked by impact and effort
- A practical plain-English action plan
- Honest advice about what is not worth changing A written summary you can refer back to
Four straightforward stages.
- 01
Conversation
We talk through the business, what is frustrating you, what keeps getting postponed and what you want to improve.
- 02
Scope and fixed fee
We agree what the review will cover, what information I need and the fixed price before any work begins.
- 03
Review
I examine the relevant systems, costs, processes, performance and opportunities rather than relying on assumptions.
- 04
Findings and plan
You receive a prioritised action plan and a conversation to walk through the findings, questions and recommended next steps.
The kind of thing a review typically finds.
- Overlapping software doing the same job twice
- Subscriptions continuing without a clear owner or purpose
- Manual administration that could be simplified or automated
- Enquiries and quotations that are not consistently followed up
- Roles that are unclear or recruitment that keeps being delayed
- A website that does not explain why customers should choose you
- Competitors presenting a stronger or clearer offer
- A process that only works when one particular person is available
A recent review for a creative agency identified overlapping software and unnecessary subscriptions, reducing opperating costs by more than £1400 while making the team’s workflow simpler.
The plan, or the plan plus a pair of hands.
Take the plan forward yourself
The findings, priorities and action plan are yours. You can implement everything internally, use your existing suppliers or take the recommendations away for later. There is no obligation to purchase further support.
Bring COOPER in to help deliver it
I can take ownership of selected projects, help implement the recommendations or provide ongoing second-brain support while the changes are made.
The things people usually want to know.
How long does a Business Review take?
Most reviews are completed within two weeks once the agreed information is available. The exact timing depends on the size of the business and the scope of the review.
What do you need from me?
An honest conversation and access to the information we agree is relevant. That might include software and subscription lists, recent enquiries, process documents, website data or examples of how work currently flows. I will not ask for access that is unnecessary.
Do I have to use you to implement the changes?
No. The findings and action plan are yours. You can implement them internally, use other suppliers or ask me to help with the parts that matter most.
Is this just a software audit?
No. Software and subscriptions often provide quick savings, but the review can also examine processes, sales, market position, recruitment, customer experience, digital visibility, AI opportunities and stalled projects.
What does it cost?
The review is priced as a fixed piece of work after a short scoping conversation. The cost is agreed before anything starts, so you know exactly what you are committing to and there are no open-ended consultancy charges.
How do you handle confidential business information?
Anything shared for the review is treated as confidential and used only for the agreed work. The information required will be agreed in advance, and I will not ask for access that is unnecessary.
What if you do not find anything worth changing?
Then I will tell you plainly. Confirming that something already works well, or that a proposed change is not worth the cost, is part of the value of an independent review.
Start with a conversation.
Tell me what is frustrating you, costing more than it should or repeatedly getting pushed back. We can work out whether the Cooper Business Review is the right place to begin.