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What to expect
Broadly the same sequence whichever engagement you commission, whether it produces a report, a model or a strategy. You should know what happens at each point, what we need from you, and what you will have at the end. If you are more interested in how we assess a business than in what happens when, that is set out in our approach.
The sequence
Most engagements end at stage five with a report and a discussion. What follows is available rather than expected.
A short discussion, by telephone or video call, to understand the business, your circumstances and the questions you want answered. We use it to agree which engagement would be useful, if any. If we do not think one would help, we will tell you.
We send a proportionate list of what we need, which varies with the engagement. The list is a request for context rather than a due-diligence exercise. We agree it with you first, and we do not ask for material we do not need.
We work through the business using the Aston Finch Value Framework: strategic readiness, commercial performance, digital presence and financial performance. Which of the four carries most weight depends on the engagement, and several draw on more than one, but the business is always considered as a whole.
What you receive depends on the engagement: a written report for a review, a model, an identity or a strategy for the bespoke work. Whichever it is, it is in plain English, it sets out the position as we find it, and anything we recommend carries why it matters and what priority it deserves.
A conversation to talk the findings through, test them against what you know, and answer questions. Your accountant or solicitor is welcome to join. Many engagements end here, and that is a perfectly good outcome.
Some clients act on the recommendations internally. Others ask us to help with particular pieces of work. Both approaches work well. Where we do assist, it is agreed and scoped separately, and it never changes what the assessment said.
Businesses evolve, and priorities move with them. Some clients choose to revisit their priorities periodically as the business develops. There is no programme to join and nothing recurring to commit to, only a discussion you can have again when it would be useful.
Your involvement
The demand on your time is modest, and most of it is in the two discussions rather than in paperwork.
We do not ask you to prepare anything specially, and we do not need perfect records. How the information looks today is itself part of the picture.
Timing and control
For the Exit Readiness Review, the written findings are usually within two to three weeks of receiving the information required. That is an estimate rather than a promise. For every other engagement, timing is confirmed along with the scope before anything begins, because it depends entirely on what the work is being asked to cover. Where something needs longer, we say so beforehand rather than afterwards.
What happens afterwards is entirely your decision. There is no next stage to buy, no process to enter, and no follow-up sequence. Some owners act on the priorities immediately, some take a year over them, and some conclude that the time is not right. All of those are legitimate answers.
The first discussion costs nothing and commits you to nothing. It is a way of establishing whether an engagement would be worth your while.