A Little History…

Part 1: My Background – In Brief

I spent a decade running my own business consulting practice after years in finance and operations. Now, back home in Scotland, I’m here to help local owners build strong, sustainable, and enjoyable businesses. 

Part 1: My Background - Longer Version

Born in Edinburgh, I emigrated to Canada at twenty-two, where I spent eighteen years with the Toronto Dominion Bank - ten of those years as a hands-on branch manager visiting local business owners right at their shops and offices.

Working at that scale taught me exactly how a large business becomes large - what works and doesn’t work in a business - and how to spot the hidden pitfalls that cause smaller operations to stumble.

Following my time in banking, I spent 20 years in Southern California, including a decade running my own business consulting practice – starting as a financial coach before transitioning into full business consulting.

During those same years, my wife Stephanie, and I also owned and operated a vegan bakery in Ocean Beach. This gave us first-hand experience of the dedication it takes to run a small business from the ground up.

For the five years leading up to my retirement, I served as a general manager, in a small manufacturing company in Washington State.

While there, I modernised their operations - standardised the assembly process to speed up production, introduced powder-coating to improve the product’s finish, created a customer manual, and upgraded their financial tracking by introducing Quick Books.

After returning home to Scotland in 2012, I settled in a quiet village in the East Neuk of Fife and enjoyed fourteen years of retirement.

However, my passion for business never truly left. I am stepping back into coaching because I genuinely love helping people succeed. I want to see local owners get real joy and reward out of their businesses, instead of feeling overwhelmed by daily demands.

Part 2: My Approach &
Commitment

I’ve developed a strong intuition for spotting the simple things that easily get missed in daily operations. Sometimes a business doesn’t need a complex overhaul - it just needs an outside perspective to uncover a hidden or missed opportunity.

When I take on a client, I treat your business challenges as my own. I have a natural persistence: I don’t give up easily, and I don’t walk away when a problem gets tough. If there is a  friction point holding you back, I will stick with you and keep digging until we find a practical solution that works.