Frequently Asked Questions
SGI Consultants has supported over 2,000 businesses across 12 years of operation, delivering measurable outcomes through our proven methodologies.
This comprehensive FAQ addresses the most common enquiries from entrepreneurs, startups, and established businesses seeking professional consulting services.
Our responses reflect evidence-based practices and demonstrate our commitment to transparent, results-driven partnerships
About SGI Consultants
Three things. First, our 90 per cent funding success rate across 2,000+ delivered plans since 2012 compares to the UK SME bank-loan first-submission market average of 37 per cent (BVA BDRC SME Finance Monitor, Q4 2024). Second, our engagements are personally led by senior consultants rather than delivered through junior consultants under nominal senior oversight. Third, we publish transparent fixed pricing across all service tiers (£500 to £7,000 for most engagements; up to £15,000 for strategic transformation work) rather than hiding prices to force sales conversations. We are positioned in the senior-led UK mid-market: above template providers and freelancers, below Big Four day rates of £1,500 to £3,800.
Three primary groups. First, UK founders preparing funding applications to banks (HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds, Funding Circle, OakNorth), grant bodies (Innovate UK, Start Up Loans, British Business Bank), the Home Office (Innovator Founder Visa), and major UK VCs (Atomico, Balderton, Index Ventures, Octopus, Seedcamp, LocalGlobe, SFC Capital, Cambridge Angels). Second, established UK SMEs facing growth, strategic, operational, or turnaround challenges, typically £500,000 to £20 million in turnover. Third, international founders preparing for the UK market entry often do so via the Innovator Founder Visa pathway.
SGI's proprietary diagnostic framework is structured as PM + (PS x (EO - (C+E+P+T))). The variables map to Product-Market fit, Product-Service quality, Engine Optimisation, and the constraint factors (Capital, Execution, People, Timing) that erode commercial outcomes. The formula provides a systematic way to identify which constraint is actually limiting growth, rather than the one a founder names first. It is applied across every SGI engagement. The full methodology is published on our methodology page.
A four-component customer acquisition framework: Standout Branding, Orchestrated Connections, Attract and Amplify, Revenue Maximisation. Applied within marketing strategy and growth consulting engagements. Addresses the structural reasons most UK SME marketing programmes fail to produce measurable revenue. The full framework is detailed on the Marketing Strategy service page.
Business Plan Writing Services
Standard delivery is 3 to 4 weeks from engagement to final delivery. An express turnaround of 10 to 14 days is available for the Standard and Premium tiers for an additional fee. Faster than 10 days is rarely defensible because the work is being templated rather than written.
90 per cent across 2,000+ delivered plans since 2012, calculated across completed engagements where the client submitted to a funder within 12 months of delivery. The UK SME bank-loan first-submission market average is 37 per cent (BVA BDRC SME Finance Monitor, Q4 2024), so SGI's rate is approximately 2.4 times the prevailing market baseline.
Technology and SaaS, professional services, hospitality, retail, healthcare and regulated care, manufacturing, FMCG and distribution, financial services, social enterprise, construction, and renewable energy. Specific named cases include Planetary Processing (Cambridge deep-tech), Velani Hospitality Group (12-site UK hospitality), Santax (Bristol FMCG distribution), Jamaica Rum Vibes (Tesco distribution), and Jessamy Home Care (multi-region care). 400+ franchise plans completed across major UK franchise systems.
Yes. We maintain dedicated experience across UK bank loans (high street and challenger banks), Start Up Loans, Innovate UK grant programmes (when reopened), Home Office Innovator Founder Visa applications, franchise applications, EIS/SEIS structures, and equity rounds from angel through to Series A. Each funder type has its own assessment framework,k and we structure plans against the relevant published criteria.
Startup Consulting
Concept validation (whether the business model is fundable). Strategic positioning (how to differentiate and price). Investor readiness (financial modelling, pitch development, network introduction). Market entry planning (for international founders entering the UK or UK founders entering new sectors). The work sits upstream of plan drafting in most cases; the plan is downstream of the strategic decisions.
A business plan writer takes an already-formed business concept and produces a structured document. A startup consultant works at an early stage, addressing the strategic questions that determine whether a plan will succeed. Writers execute on existing direction. Consultants set direction. Some SGI engagements are pure writing, some are pure consulting, and most are hybrid
Business Funding Facilitation
Five phases. Strategy development to identify the optimal funding route. Readiness assessment of documentation, financials, and positioning. Documentation preparation, including pitch deck and financial modelling. Targeted introduction to funders within our network. Transaction support through to completion.
For debt funding (bank loans, asset finance, alternative lending): no upfront fees; we receive introducer commission from lending partners on completion. For equity funding: success-aligned fees set at engagement, payable only on funding completion. For grant applications: project-based pricing as part of business plan work.
Named UK relationships maintained across banks (HSBC, Barclays, NatWest, Lloyds, Funding Circle, OakNorth), grant bodies (Innovate UK, Start Up Loans, British Business Bank), the Home Office, and major UK VCs (Atomico, Balderton, Index Ventures, Octopus, Seedcamp, LocalGlobe, SFC Capital, Cambridge Angels, OION).
Business Consulting and Growth
Big Four UK day rates run £1,500 to £3,800 per consultant per day (G-Cloud public-sector framework data). A typical Big Four SME engagement runs £30,000 to £150,000. Most UK SMEs assume this is the only credible option and self-exclude on cost. SGI's £500 to £7,000 fixed-price packages deliver comparable analytical rigour through senior-led mid-market positioning, with engagements personally led rather than delivered through junior consultants.
Engine Optimisation represents our systematic approach to ensuring your product or service reaches profitable markets efficiently. EO encompasses four critical components:
- Marketing Engine Optimisation: Developing effective customer acquisition strategies that deliver sustainable customer acquisition costs and lifetime value ratios
- Financial Engine Optimisation: Implementing robust financial management systems that support growth while maintaining profitability
- Operational Engine Optimisation: Streamlining processes and systems to support scalable delivery without compromising quality
- Strategic Engine Optimisation: Establishing forward-thinking strategies that anticipate market changes and maintain competitive advantages
This holistic approach ensures that improvements in one area support and enhance performance in others, creating sustainable competitive advantages.
Business Mentoring and Coaching
Our mentoring programmes provide structured guidance and support through three service tiers designed to accommodate different business stages and requirements:
Basic Programme (£150/month): Includes monthly one-hour mentoring sessions, foundational business assessments, email support, and access to essential resources and templates. Suitable for early-stage entrepreneurs requiring fundamental guidance.
Standard Programme (£300/month): Provides bi-weekly mentoring sessions, comprehensive business assessments, priority scheduling, detailed progress tracking, and advanced resources. Designed for businesses in growth phases requiring regular strategic guidance.
Premium Programme (£750/month): Offers weekly mentoring sessions, unlimited email support, real-time progress tracking, flexible scheduling, and occasional in-person meetings. Appropriate for businesses requiring intensive support during critical growth or transition phases.
All programmes include access to our Business Success Formula framework and personalised guidance based on your specific challenges and objectives.
We maintain a 90% success rate for clients who complete our full Business Funding Service process. Our fee structure varies by funding route:
Debt Funding: No upfront fees - we receive introducer commissions from lending partners upon successful completion, eliminating client costs while maintaining service quality.
Equity Funding: Success-only fee structure with rates determined by funding amount and complexity. Fees are only charged upon successful funding completion, aligning our interests with your success.
Other Questions
Successful consulting engagements require active client participation to ensure deliverables reflect business realities and stakeholder expectations. Required involvement varies by service type:
Business Plan Development: Requires approximately 5-10 hours of client time over the 21-day development period for interviews, data provision, and review sessions.
Business Funding Services: Initial time investment of 2-3 hours for strategy development and documentation preparation, with additional time for investor meetings and due diligence processes.
Growth Consulting: Ongoing engagement requiring 1-2 hours weekly for assessment activities, strategic discussions, and implementation oversight.
Mentoring Programmes: The time commitment varies by programme tier, ranging from 1 to 4 hours monthly, plus implementation of recommended actions.
Client confidentiality and data security represent core operational principles. We implement comprehensive protection measures:
Legal Protections: All client engagements are governed by detailed non-disclosure agreements covering information protection, usage limitations, and confidentiality duration.
Technical Security: We utilise enterprise-grade security systems, including encrypted communication, secure document storage, and access controls, to safeguard sensitive information.
Process Controls: Internal processes limit information access to essential team members and include comprehensive audit trails for all client data handling.
Professional Standards: All consultants maintain professional accreditations and adhere to industry confidentiality standards established by professional bodies.
Service selection depends on your current business stage, immediate priorities, and resource constraints. We provide systematic assessment approaches to identify optimal solutions:
Free Business Assessment: Comprehensive evaluation of your business health, growth potential, and strategic priorities. This assessment identifies specific areas that require attention and recommends suitable service packages.
Consultation Sessions: One-hour strategic discussions to understand your objectives, challenges, and constraints. These sessions enable us to recommend tailored solutions aligned with your requirements and budget.
Phased Approach: For businesses with multiple requirements, we can structure our services in phases to spread the investment over time and demonstrate value before making additional commitments.
Information requirements vary by service type, but typically include:
Business Overview: Company history, current operations, target markets, and competitive positioning.
Financial Information: Current financial performance, projections, funding history, and future requirements.
Strategic Context: Business objectives, growth plans, challenges, and success metrics.
Market Intelligence: Customer insights, competitive analysis, and industry knowledge.
We provide detailed information-gathering templates and conduct structured interviews to collect the required data efficiently, while minimising client time investment.
Project initiation typically occurs within 5-7 working days of initial contact, provided that all necessary information gathering is complete and the required resources are available. Our standard process includes:
Day 1-2: Initial consultation and service selection
Day 3-4: Information gathering and project scoping
Day 5-7: Team assignment and project commencement
For urgent requirements, we can expedite this process to begin within 24-48 hours; however, some preparation activities may need to be compressed to meet accelerated timelines.
The most effective approach is to begin with our complimentary business assessment, which provides valuable insights into your business's current position and future opportunities.
This assessment includes:
- Comprehensive evaluation using our Business Success Formula
- Identification of untapped market opportunities
- Tailored strategies and recommendations from senior consultants
- Demonstration of how our services can transform your business performance
To schedule your free assessment, contact us through our website or call +4420 3398 8685
We'll arrange a convenient time for an in-depth discussion of your requirements and objectives.
Ready to work with a UK consultancy that covers the full business journey?
Whether you need investor-ready business plans, complete startup support, or growth optimisation for your established business, SGI Consultants delivers integrated expertise across every business function and stage.
Why Comprehensive Matters:
Specialist consultancies force you to piece together isolated advice from multiple providers—business plan writers who can't advise on operations, startup consultants who don't understand growth scaling, marketing agencies that ignore financial realities. The result is conflicting guidance, coordination overhead, and critical gaps.
The SGI Difference:
One team with complete expertise. Business planning across all funding types. Startup consulting from concept through Series A. Growth services addressing every operational and strategic challenge. Financial management. Marketing strategy. Operational efficiency. All integrated, all coordinated, all working together as a complete system.
Your Next Step:
Book a free 30-minute assessment. We'll evaluate where you are, identify what you need, and provide honest guidance on the optimal path forward. No obligation. No sales pressure. Just clear, expert direction from the UK's most comprehensively experienced business consulting team.