Growth Action Planning

A clear, structured plan
built to be used

A comprehensive, written plan that tells you exactly where you're going and how to get there.

The Service

What is a Growth Action Plan?

Most business owners already know what they want. More revenue, a better team, less time in the weeds, a business that doesn't depend entirely on them. The problem isn't the ambition — it's the absence of a clear, structured route to get there.

A Growth Action Plan is not a business plan. It isn't a strategy document that sits in a folder and gets reviewed once a year. It's a working document — built specifically around your business, your market position, and your goals — that tells you what to do, in what order, and by when. It's built for use, not for show.

Every plan I produce is grounded in an honest assessment of where your business actually stands today: what's working, what's holding you back, and where the real growth levers are. From there, we build a structured, prioritised roadmap — one that's realistic enough to follow and specific enough to hold you accountable.

Is This Right For You?

For SME owners ready to move
from reactive to deliberate

If your business is already generating six figures and you know there's more available, but you can't quite see the route — this is for you.

Business owners who are busy but not growing — working hard without the results to show for it
Businesses that have hit a plateau and need a clear path forward
Founders preparing to scale — expanding the team, tightening systems, or pushing into new revenue
Business owners who have goals but no structured route to reach them
Anyone who has tried to "plan" before but never followed through — usually because the plan wasn't grounded in reality

What's Included

Everything your plan needs to work

Current State Assessment

An honest picture of where you are now — revenue, margins, team structure, operations, market position, and how you spend your time. This is the foundation everything else is built on.

90-Day & 12-Month Goals

Specific, measurable, and realistic targets defined at 90 days and 12 months. Not aspirational headings — targets we'll use to drive every decision in the plan.

Growth Lever Identification

Not every business grows the same way. We'll identify which levers actually move the needle for your specific business — whether that's margin improvement, reduced owner dependency, or revenue growth.

Prioritised Action Plan

The plan tells you what to do, in what order, and by when. Priorities are sequenced by impact and feasibility — so the things that matter most get done first.

Accountability Framework

A plan without accountability is just a document. We'll build in a simple, practical framework that keeps you on track — review points, milestones, and early warning signs to watch for.

The Process

How it works

1
Discovery Call

We start with a focused conversation: your business, your goals, your constraints, and where you're stuck. This shapes everything that follows.

2
Deep-Dive Session

A structured diagnostic session that works through all key areas of the business — revenue, operations, team, market, financials, and your role as the owner. This is where we find the real picture.

3
Plan Development

I build your written Growth Action Plan — taking the outputs from our sessions and turning them into a clear, structured document you can actually use.

4
Presentation & Walkthrough

We review the plan together. You ask questions, we refine where needed, and you leave with a document you understand and are committed to.

5
Ongoing Support (Optional)

Execution is where most plans fall apart. If you want ongoing support to implement the plan, that's available through business coaching or a structured Blueprint Session.

What You Leave With

A plan built for
your business

A clear, written Growth Action Plan document — built for your business, from scratch. Not a template with your name at the top.

Your current state — strengths, gaps, and constraints
90-day and 12-month goals, defined and measurable
Identified growth levers specific to your business
A prioritised action list — what to do, in what order, by when
Named owners and timelines for every key action
An accountability framework to keep you on track

Your Coach

Why Richard Shaw

I'm ILM Level 7 qualified in executive coaching and mentoring, a Help to Grow Approved Mentor, and hold an AI for Business qualification. But the credential that matters most here is 25 years working inside complex organisations — UK Government, NHS, and large corporate environments — where planning and delivery were non-negotiable.

I've built and executed plans in environments where the stakes were high and the margin for vagueness was zero. That experience shapes how I work with SME owners. I'm not a theorist. I don't deal in frameworks that sound good but don't survive contact with the real world. I help you build something you'll actually use.

Based in Brighton, East Sussex. Working with SME owners across the UK.

Qualified
ILM Level 7 Executive Coaching & Mentoring
Experience
25+ years in UK Government, NHS & corporate
Approved
Help to Grow: Management Approved Mentor
Also
AI for Business Mentors Qualified
Based
Brighton, East Sussex — working UK-wide

Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to produce a Growth Action Plan?

Typically two to three weeks from our first session to delivery of the written plan. The timeline depends on the complexity of your business and how quickly we can complete the diagnostic sessions. I don't rush it — the quality of the assessment drives the quality of the plan.

Is this a one-off service or ongoing?

The Growth Action Plan itself is a one-off engagement. Ongoing support — to help you execute the plan and stay accountable — is available separately through business coaching. Many clients choose to combine the two.

What if my situation changes after the plan is built?

Plans are built to be worked, not preserved. If your situation changes significantly, we revisit and adjust. The accountability framework we build into the plan is designed to catch shifts early so you're not following a roadmap that's no longer relevant.

How is this different from a business plan?

A business plan is typically written for an external audience — a bank, an investor, a grant panel. A Growth Action Plan is written for you. It's an operational document, not a funding document. It focuses on execution: what you do next, and the month after that, and how you hold yourself to it.

Ready to Start?

Stop guessing.
Start growing.

If you know your business has more in it, and you're ready to build the plan to get there — let's talk.