Advisory
& Consultancy

Commercial perspective
for construction &
owner-managed
businesses.

I provide practical, confidential business advisory and consultancy to owners who want an experienced outside view of their company.

The business does not need to be in crisis. Often the most valuable work happens earlier: when turnover is growing but margin is not, when the order book is strong but cash is tight, when management structure has not kept pace with the company, or when the owner knows the business could perform better but needs help identifying where to focus.

At other times, the situation is more urgent and the company needs restructuring, recovery planning or support making difficult decisions.

My perspective comes from more than two decades of building and operating businesses, primarily in construction. I remain an active owner and Managing Director today.

Where I can help

  • Commercial performance - understanding where the business is genuinely making and losing money.

  • Cashflow and working capital - looking beyond profit to the timing and movement of cash.

  • Margin and cost control - reviewing pricing, project performance, overhead and leakage.

  • Growth strategy - deciding what good growth looks like and whether the business can support it.

  • Project and contract selection - particularly in construction, assessing whether work is commercially sensible before committing.

  • Operational structure - clarifying responsibility, management information, systems and decision-making.

  • Leadership and management - helping owners create more control as the business grows.

  • Restructuring - reshaping cost, operations, roles, contracts or focus where meaningful change is required.

  • Turnaround and recovery - establishing priorities when a company is already under pressure.

  • Business sale and transition thinking - helping an owner prepare commercially for a change in ownership or direction, while bringing in specialist corporate, legal and tax advisers where required.

Particularly for construction businesses

Construction businesses can appear exceptionally busy while becoming commercially weaker.

Retention, delayed valuations, disputed accounts, variations, long programmes, underpriced work, rising labour and material costs and the working-capital demands of multiple concurrent projects can create pressure very quickly.

Because my career spans both project delivery and business ownership, I can look at the operational and commercial sides together.

That might mean interrogating a tender before the company takes it on, reviewing live project margin, understanding WIP and cash exposure, improving variation control, assessing overhead, or deciding whether the order book actually suits the resources and risk appetite of the business.

Practical experience, not coaching 

I am not a motivational business coach and I do not work from a predetermined consultancy formula.

I start by understanding the business as it actually is: the numbers, the contracts, the people, the commitments, the operational reality and the owner's objectives.

Then we identify what matters most and what can realistically be changed.

My own experience includes growth, commercial success, significant business difficulty, rebuilding and continued ownership. That means I am comfortable discussing both ambition and uncomfortable realities.

What happens when we talk?

The first conversation is confidential and straightforward.

What is the owner trying to achieve? What is working? What is not? What do the numbers say? Where is cash tied up? Which contracts are performing? What commitments are coming? Is the management information good enough? What decisions have been delayed?

From there we can decide whether I can add value. Sometimes a focused conversation is enough. Sometimes it makes sense for me to remain involved while changes are planned and implemented. I do not sell a fixed consultancy package simply because one exists. The level of involvement should fit the problem.

When another professional is needed

There are clear limits to my role. I am not an accountant, lawyer, insolvency practitioner or regulated financial adviser.

Where a situation requires specialist advice, the right professional should be involved early. I am comfortable working alongside accountants, lawyers, insolvency practitioners, corporate finance advisers and other specialists so that the owner receives the right expertise.

Informal support

Not every conversation needs to become a consultancy engagement.

I also give some time informally and without charge to construction and business owners going through particularly difficult circumstances. It is not a formal charity and I do not present it as one. It is simply practical support from somebody who understands the pressures of ownership first-hand.

Sometimes helping an owner get clarity, ask the right questions or reach the right professional early can make a meaningful difference.

Talk to Samuel

Whether the objective is to strengthen a good business, manage growth, improve commercial performance or deal with a company already under pressure, the starting point is the same: understand where the business really is.

© 2026 Samuel Shutlar. PG Integrity Services Limited trading as Province Group (co no: 14097681). Privacy & Terms.