The open office floor of an established company, seen from a balcony above: three teams at their desks, a man carrying a folder between them, shelves of records at the back, an empty area under the windows, and a raised glass office where one executive works behind stacks of papers while an employee waits at the door.

A firm for established businesses

Build the company yournext stage needs.

We find out whether the company is strong enough to carry its plan: to do everything the plan will ask of it. Then we build what is missing and make the company stronger along the way.

What does this company need to become to execute its next stage, grow stronger, and create more value through it?

01Can the company carry the plan?

Before anything changes, we examine the company against its actual plan: who decides what, what the work depends on, where the company cannot take on more work, and what would stop the plan. You get a clear answer, and the evidence behind it.

Answer: Proceed · Proceed after changes · Do not proceed

Not yet.

02What needs to change or be built?

We fix what would stop the plan, and build what the company does not have yet. We do this inside the company, with the people who will run it. The work covers who decides what, how work moves, the systems that keep track of it, and the checks that keep it working. Nothing changes until you have accepted what we found.

The company could not do this. Now it can.

03How does the company become stronger through it?

We check every change against the plan, then keep watching to see whether it keeps working, so any slipping back is seen early and can be fixed. The aim is a company that comes out of the work stronger, not one that has only been made ready for a single plan.

  1. 01 AS IT IS
  2. 02 MEASURED
  3. 03 PROBLEMS FOUND
  4. 04 BUILT
  5. 05 PROVEN

This scene was made to explain the work. It is not a real company. Evidence from real client work is in the case studies below.

Our past work

Work inside established companies.

Three real cases, with the company names taken out, shared with each client's agreement. Every result shows where it started, what changed, how it was measured, and what the evidence can and cannot prove.

WHO DECIDES · AND HOW WORK IS TRACKEDFOUNDEREVERY BIG DECISION GOES TO THE FOUNDERONLY WHAT MANAGERSCAN'T DECIDE GOES UPGENERAL MANAGERDECISIONS · MOVED CLOSER TO THE WORKSALES & BOOKINGENQUIRYVIEWINGBY HANDCUSTOMERS LOST BEFORE THE VIEWINGENQUIRYRESERVATION FEEVIEWINGPROPERTY CHOSENDEAL DONEEVERY BOOKING RECORDEDBOOKING · MADE DIGITALMAINTENANCEREQUESTWORKREQUESTS TAKING ABOUT 2 MONTHS TO FIXREQUESTASSIGNEDTRACKEDCOMPLETEDCHECKED, THEN CLOSEDLATE JOB ALERTMAINTENANCE SOFTWARE · BUILTSTORAGEITEM TAKEN OUTNO RECORDITEMS TAKEN WITH NO RECORD · BUYING FROM MEMORYITEM TAKEN OUTSCANPERSON + JOBMATCHED TO RECORDSRECORDEDSTOCK-TRACKING SOFTWARE · BUILTEVERY ITEM TAKEN OUT LINKED TO A JOBBUYINGBUYING · NOW RUN BY FINANCE & OPERATIONSFROM MEMORYBUYACTUAL USEREORDERBUYFINANCE & OPERATIONSHR & LEGALONE PERSON · COVERING IT ON THE SIDEONE OVERLOADED HR & LEGAL ROLEHR & LEGALMANAGERCONTRACTS & COMPLIANCEOFFICERJUNIOR HR & LEGALASSOCIATEHR & LEGAL · BUILT
HOW THE COMPANY WORKED, BEFORE AND AFTER · DRAWN FROM OUR RECORDS OF THE WORK

FEC-C01 · REAL ESTATE GROUP · GULF REGION (GCC)

The plan Grow the property business and its building-care side (facilities) with new investment money, without making the problems already inside the company bigger.

The plan to grow made sense. The problem was inside the company: 8 of the 9 areas of the business we checked were not ready for what the plan would ask of them.

What we found

  • The founder was still the person most decisions had to go through.
  • The founder, the maintenance supervisor and the storage manager were three critical single points of failure: so much depended on each of them that if one was missing, their part of the work could stall.
  • Maintenance requests were taking around two months to fix.
  • Bookings were done by hand, and customers were dropping out before they came to view the property.
  • The storeroom and buying were being run mostly from memory.
  • There were no written step-by-step procedures for how the work should be done.
  • All HR (staff matters) and legal work was being handled by one overloaded role.
  • Managers had not been told clearly what they could decide, what they were responsible for, or how their work would be measured.

What we changed

  • DECISIONS · MOVED CLOSER TO THE WORK

    We set up a clear chain of managers: Chief Executive → General Manager → Department Heads → Teams. Each level was told in writing what it could decide by itself and what it had to pass up to the level above.

  • MAINTENANCE SOFTWARE · BUILT

    We built maintenance software made for this job and put it into use. Every request was recorded, given to someone, followed, finished and checked before it could be closed. Late jobs set off alerts, and the company could now measure how well each technician was doing.

  • STOCK-TRACKING SOFTWARE · BUILT

    We built stock-tracking software that uses barcodes, and put it into use. Every item taken out of the storeroom was linked to the person who took it and the job it was for. Buying could now be based on what was really used instead of memory.

  • BOOKING · MADE DIGITAL

    Booking by hand was replaced with a digital booking process. Customers paid a reservation fee (a payment to hold their place) before the viewing, and every booking could be followed from that payment until the deal was done.

  • HR & LEGAL · BUILT

    The one overloaded role became three clear jobs: HR & Legal Manager, Contracts & Compliance Officer (compliance means making sure the company follows the rules and laws), and Junior HR & Legal Associate.

  • 35 PROCEDURES · WRITTEN

    We wrote 35 step-by-step procedures (15 core procedures and 20 management procedures), so important work no longer depended on whoever happened to remember how to do it.

Time to fix a maintenance request

About 2 monthsDATED REQUESTS + EXCEL RECORDS, CONFIRMED BY MANAGEMENT

48 hoursMAINTENANCE SOFTWARE RECORDS

Before the changes, maintenance requests were sitting open for roughly two months. After the new software and way of working went live, the normal time from request to fix came down to 48 hours.

What changed:

Request → given to a technician → followed → finished → checked.

The people did not suddenly become better technicians. What changed was how the work was handed out, followed and checked.

Material cost

No reliable, up-to-date record of stock

32% lower over 5 monthsAbout $230K saved a year, at that rateSTOCK SOFTWARE RECORDS + PURCHASE RECORDS

Material costs fell 32% over the five months we measured. The company bought the same amount as before, so the saving did not come simply from buying less.

The saving came from three things together: tighter control of stock, stopping items being used without a record, and lower prices from suppliers. The evidence we have does not show that the software alone produced the full $230K saving.

More results from our work with this company

Stock theft
Items taken with no record → Zero items taken without matching recordsBARCODE CHECK RECORDS
Booking speed
37% fasterMANAGEMENT'S MEMORY → SALES SOFTWARE RECORDS
Customer satisfaction
48% higherTENANT SURVEYS, BEFORE AND AFTER
Staff job satisfaction
73% higher over 6 monthsSURVEY OF ALL STAFF
Founder micromanagement (stepping into small, everyday details)
58% lessSEEN ON SITE BY FEC + STAFF INTERVIEWS
THE PLAN · GUESTS A DAY02505007501,000CHILDREN'S PARKADULT PARK · PLANNEDADULT PARK · SEEN ON SITE WITH REAL CROWDS · 800–1,000GUESTSBOOKING-ONLY ENTRYBOOKINGKIOSKENTRY · REDESIGNEDSEPARATE QUEUESENTRY & TICKETINGRIDE OPERATIONSLIFEGUARD COVERAGEFOOD & BEVERAGECLEANING & MAINTENANCEGUEST SERVICESSUPERVISIONUNWRITTEN HABITS ·UNCLEAR WHO REPORTS TO WHOMAREAS & SUPERVISORS · SET UPFOUNDEREMERGENCIES DEPEND ON THE FOUNDERHEAD SUPERVISORTOO BIG FORSUPERVISORSCHAIN OF COMMAND · BUILTSAFETY SYSTEM · PUT IN PLACE · A MISSED CHECK ALERTS THE SUPERVISOR
HOW THE COMPANY WORKED, BEFORE AND AFTER · DRAWN FROM OUR RECORDS OF THE WORK

FEC-C02 · LEISURE COMPANY · GULF REGION (GCC)

The plan Open a separate adult waterpark at a new site, built for 500–1,000 guests a day and 50–100 staff, without stretching the way the children's park was run further than it could handle.

The expansion itself made sense. The problem was that the existing company had been built for a children's park handling roughly 100–400 guests a day with 10–20 staff. The adult park was a different park to run, at a different site, with different rides, staff, safety demands and guest numbers. It needed its own way of being run: its own areas, supervisors and staff levels.

What we found

  • 8 of the 9 areas of the business we checked were not ready for the expansion.
  • The children's park was already close to its practical limit at around 300–400 guests a day. The new park needed to handle as many as 1,000 a day.
  • Most of the park's work ran on habits people had learned over time. Ticketing, lifeguard rotations, cleaning, safety checks and staff handovers were not properly written down.
  • The informal way of managing 10–20 staff would not work with 50–100 staff. There was no clear line of who reports to whom, and nothing written down about what supervisors could decide on their own.
  • Safety checks were being completed only 70–85% of the time.
  • Only 40–60% of incidents (accidents and other problems) were being properly recorded.
  • Emergency response still depended on the founder being there. There was no set chain of command, saying who takes charge, that could work without him.
  • Guests could only get in one way, by booking. With the number of guests planned for the new park, that single way in was expected to cause serious hold-ups at the entrance.
  • There was no proper system to keep track of stock: chlorine, uniforms, food and drink stock, cleaning materials and other supplies that get used up.
  • Staff were not scheduled around the busiest times and places. At the new park's size, that would have meant too many people in some areas and too few in others.

What we built

  • AREAS & SUPERVISORS · SET UP

    We set up the adult park to run its own way, rather than copying the children's park.

    The park's work was split into seven clear areas:

    • Entry & Ticketing
    • Ride Operations
    • Lifeguard Coverage
    • Food & Beverage
    • Cleaning & Maintenance
    • Guest Services
    • Supervision

    Each area was given a minimum number of staff for busy and quiet times, a supervisor, clear duties, and a clear line of who it answers to.

  • CHAIN OF COMMAND · BUILT

    We created a clear chain of command: who answers to whom, and who takes charge.

    Each area's supervisor reported to a Head Supervisor. Supervisors were told in writing what they could decide themselves and what they had to pass up to someone more senior.

    The founder no longer had to make everyday running decisions himself or personally lead every emergency response.

  • STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURES · WRITTEN

    We turned the park's unwritten habits into written, step-by-step operating procedures.

    They covered:

    • ticketing and entry
    • lifeguard rotations and positioning
    • cleaning and maintenance
    • guest complaints, and when to pass them up to someone more senior
    • staff handovers
    • emergency response

    Each procedure explained what had to happen, who was responsible for it, what “done properly” looked like, and when something had to be passed up to someone more senior.

  • ENTRY · REDESIGNED

    The old entry, where every guest needed a booking, became two separate ways in:

    Guests who booked ahead → their booking is checked at the entrance

    Walk-in guests (no booking) → self-service kiosks

    The actual queues were split as well, with new signs, barriers and staff positions designed for the busiest times.

  • SAFETY SYSTEM · PUT IN PLACE

    FEC recommended running safety checks on a proven, ready-made specialist platform instead of building new software from scratch. The client then got Mobaro, a platform of that kind, following that recommendation.

    The adult park's safety checks were then moved into digital checklists covering:

    • ride inspections
    • lifeguard positioning
    • equipment checks
    • maintenance checks
    • emergency equipment

    Every completed check was time-stamped. A missed check automatically created an alert for the responsible supervisor.

  • INCIDENT REPORTING · REBUILT

    Every incident now had to be recorded digitally when it happened.

    The record included:

    • what happened
    • where it happened
    • who was involved
    • what response was taken
    • what follow-up was required

    Supervisors could see open incidents as they happened. Emergency practice drills and the chain of command were also built into the system.

  • STAFFING · PLANNED AROUND BUSY TIMES

    We worked out when the adult park would be busiest and planned staff schedules around those times.

    The goal was simple:

    the right number of people, in the right part of the park, at the right time.

  • STOCK TRACKING · BUILT

    A stock-tracking system was installed for chlorine, uniforms, food and drink stock, cleaning materials and other supplies that get used up.

    Stock levels, the points at which to reorder, and every item taken out were recorded by area and date, so buying could be based on actual use rather than memory.

Guests a day handled without things breaking down

300–400 a dayCHILDREN'S PARK · MOST IT COULD HANDLE, SEEN ON SITE

800–1,000 a dayADULT PARK · SEEN ON SITE WITH REAL CROWDS

The first park, the children's park, was seen running reliably at around 300–400 guests a day.

After the new setup of areas, supervisors and staff levels was in place, the adult park handled 800–1,000 guests a day without things breaking down.

This result did not come from one change.

Our case record says it came from all of these working together:

  • the new setup of areas, supervisors and staff levels
  • written procedures
  • supervisors' power to decide
  • redesigned entry
  • the safety system
  • staffing planned around busy times
  • stock tracking

Safety checks completed

70–85%CHILDREN'S PARK · SEEN ON SITE

95–100%ADULT PARK · MOBARO RECORDS

The old park relied on safety checks done by habit, with nothing written down.

At the adult park, the digital safety system showed that 95–100% of checks were completed, even though the new park was running with far more guests and staff.

The improvement came from the combination of:

  • written safety procedures
  • software that made sure checks were done
  • automatic alerts
  • staff training

rather than software alone.

More results from our work with this company

Incident reporting
40–60% → 90–100%SEEN ON SITE + MANAGEMENT'S REPORTS → MOBARO RECORDSReporting every incident became required, and each one was recorded digitally on the spot, as it happened.
Time to get each guest through entry
3–6 minutes per guest at the smaller children's park → 2–4 minutes per guest with adult-park crowdsTIMED ON SITEWithout the entry redesign, the old way in was forecast to take 8–15 minutes per guest with the new park's guest numbers.
Queue wait
30–60 minutes forecast if nothing had changed → 15–30 minutes seen on site with adult-park crowdsFORECAST → TIMED ON SITEThe children's park had seen 10–20 minute waits with far fewer guests, so that number cannot fairly be compared with the adult park.
Staff coordination
10–20 staff, managed informally → 50–100 staff working with clear areas, supervisors and reporting rulesSEEN ON SITE BY FECStaff coordination remained stable while the operation moved from roughly 10–20 staff at the children's park to 50–100 at the adult park.
HOW ORDERS ARE MADE · AND HOW THE COMPANY SELLSTHE FACTORYGETTING SUPPLIESPRODUCTIONPACKINGDISPATCHEXITMATERIALSAT ITS LIMIT · 20–40% OF ORDERS DELAYED AT BUSY TIMESPACKING AND DISPATCH SHARE ONE TIGHT SPACENEXT TO PRODUCTIONAT THE EXITMOST-USED MATERIALS · MOVED CLOSER TO WHERE USEDCLEAR WALKWAYS · A DAILY RULEFACTORY FLOW · REDESIGNEDSAME TEAM · SAME EQUIPMENT · SAME AMOUNT OF WORKFOUNDERSUPPLIER, CUSTOMER AND PRODUCTION KNOWLEDGE MAINLY IN THE FOUNDER'S HEADMOST DECISIONS OUTSIDE THE DAILY ROUTINE COME BACK TO THE FOUNDERSUPPLIER CONTACTSPRODUCTION STANDARDSNEGOTIATED TERMSCUSTOMER REQUIREMENTSDELIVERY SCHEDULESORDER HISTORYQUALITY STANDARDSRELATIONSHIP NOTESCOMPANY KNOWLEDGE RECORD · WRITTEN DOWN FROM THE FOUNDERNEW CLIENTSREFERRALSNEW CLIENTNO CRM · NO ONE IN CHARGE · NO TARGET · 0–1 WON A MONTHCONTACTCHECK FITPROPOSALDEAL SIGNEDCRM · EVERY POSSIBLE AND CURRENT CUSTOMERONE PERSON IN CHARGE · TARGET: 4 NEW PARTNERSHIP CLIENTS A MONTHSALES SYSTEM · BUILTWHO IT SELLS TOHOSPITALS · SCHOOLS · RESTAURANTSRETAIL CHAINSBETTER PRICES AND DELIVERYRETAIL CHAINS COMPETING FOR THE SAME BUYERSSTILL MOST OF THE MONEY COMING INNOTHING ONLY IT COULD SELLNO BRAND OF ITS OWNLITTLE CONTROL OVER PRICINGEXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE · ONLY SELLER OF A PREMIUM PRODUCT LINE IN ITS CITYONLY THIS COMPANY CAN SELL ITWHERE IT SELLS · CHANGEDFITNESS DRINK BRANDGYMS · SOLD IN BULKDIRECT TO CUSTOMERSRUNS ITNEW BRAND · BUILTPICKED TOTAKE OVERNO WORKING PLAN FOR HANDING OVER · THE PERSON PICKED TO TAKE OVER IS HARDLY INVOLVEDLEARNING BUYING SUPPLIES, PRICING, PRODUCTION, SALES AND CUSTOMERS
HOW THE COMPANY WORKED, BEFORE AND AFTER · DRAWN FROM OUR RECORDS OF THE WORK

FEC-C03 · FOOD & DRINK MANUFACTURER · EUROPE

The plan Sell more and make more without pushing more orders through a factory already at its limit, relying on referrals to win new clients, or making the business even more dependent on its founder.

The company had a strong local name, established customers and supplier relationships. But all 9 parts of the business we examined needed changes before the company could carry the growth plan properly.

What we found

  • The factory was already close to its limit. During busy periods, 20–40% of orders were delayed, and a normal order took 2–3 days to get out.
  • Packing and dispatch (sending orders out) both depended on the same tight part of the factory, so work got stuck there.
  • Sales had no CRM (software that keeps track of every customer and possible customer), no one clearly in charge and no target. The company was gaining only 0–1 new client a month, mostly through referrals.
  • Important supplier, customer and production knowledge lived mainly in the founder's head.
  • Most decisions outside the normal daily routine still came back to the founder.
  • Most sales came through hospitals, schools and restaurants. Larger retail chains were competing for the same buyers with better prices and delivery.
  • The company had no exclusive product channel (nothing that only it was allowed to sell), no product brand of its own and little control over its prices.
  • There was no working plan for handing over to the next leaders. The person picked to take over was hardly involved in running the company.

What we changed

  • FACTORY FLOW · REDESIGNED

    We changed the physical layout of the factory.

    Packing moved next to production. Dispatch moved to the exit. The materials used most often were moved closer to where they were used, and keeping walkways clear became a daily rule.

    The goal was simple:

    work should move forward through the factory instead of crossing back over itself.

  • SALES SYSTEM · BUILT

    We installed a CRM and built a clear sales process:

    contact → qualify (check they are a good fit) → proposal (an offer) → close (sign the deal)

    Every possible new customer and every existing customer was added to the system.

    One person was put in charge of winning new clients, with a target of 4 new partnership clients a month.

    The team was trained on real possible customers, real calls and real proposals while we were working with the company.

  • WHERE IT SELLS · CHANGED

    The company had mainly been selling as a normal supplier to hospitals, schools and restaurants.

    We helped secure an exclusive franchise deal with an eight-figure (tens of millions) Arabic sweets manufacturer: within the company's city, only this company could sell that manufacturer's premium product line.

    That changed where the company stood in its market.

    Instead of only competing with larger businesses for access to buyers, the company now controlled access to that premium product line in its market.

    Its existing customers were kept, but they were no longer its only way to grow.

  • NEW BRAND · BUILT

    We built a new fitness drink brand from zero.

    It created two new ways to sell:

    • wholesale through gyms (selling in bulk to gyms)
    • direct to customers

    It also gave the person picked to take over a real business of his own to run. That made him learn sourcing (buying supplies), pricing, production, sales and looking after customers, inside the parent company.

  • COMPANY KNOWLEDGE RECORD · WRITTEN DOWN FROM THE FOUNDER

    Important knowledge was taken out of the founder's head and written down for the business to use.

    We wrote down:

    • supplier contacts
    • negotiated terms (the deals that had been agreed)
    • delivery schedules
    • quality standards
    • production standards
    • customer requirements
    • order history
    • relationship notes

    This meant the company could start to run without one person holding all of its most important knowledge.

Time to get an order out

2–3 daysSEEN ON THE FACTORY FLOOR + DISPATCH RECORDS

1–1.5 daysDISPATCH RECORDS AFTER THE REDESIGN

The factory layout changed.

The team did not. The equipment did not. The amount of work did not.

During the period measured, the team, equipment and amount of work remained the same. The material operating change was the factory layout.

Orders handled per day

35–50

50–70MEASURED ON THE FACTORY FLOOR + DISPATCH RECORDS

The same factory could handle more orders after the layout was changed.

At the same time:

Orders held up at the busiest times 20–40% → below 15%

More results from our work with this company

New partnership clients
0–1 a month, mostly ones who came to the company themselves → 4 a month, 3 months in a rowMANAGEMENT'S COUNT → CRM RECORDSThe CRM tracked every new client from first contact to signed deal. The records showed that the new clients came from the company reaching out to them (outbound sales), not from more clients coming to it on their own.
Number of clients
About 30 → About 40–50 within 3 monthsMANAGEMENT'S COUNT → CRM RECORDS
New fitness brand
€0 → Selling at €8,800 a month by month 2FINANCIAL RECORDSThe brand did not exist before we started work with the company.By month two, it was selling at a rate of €8,800 a month, from bulk-selling contracts with gyms (wholesale) and direct sales to customers.
Gyms selling the drink
0 contracts → 5 gym contractsSIGNED CONTRACTSEach gym agreed to order at least 500 bottles every order cycle (each regular round of orders).
Who the company sells to
Hospitals, schools and restaurants only → Existing customers + exclusive franchise with an eight-figure sweets manufacturer + sales to gyms + a brand sold direct to customersPARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT + COMPANY RECORDSThis was a partial change, not a finished one.The original institutional customers (hospitals, schools and restaurants) still brought in most of the company's revenue. The new ways of selling made the company less dependent on them; they did not end that dependence.

Worked with 8 companies, helping oversee major business decisions involving over $225 million in capital.

Our park was thriving and growth was strong, but with expansion on the horizon we knew the old way of running things would not hold. What was built informally had to be rebuilt properly before scale turned into strain.

Read the case studies

This is what we mean by building the company your next stage needs.

How FEC works

Facts before any change. Proof after it.

FEC starts with the plan, examines whether the company can deliver it, changes what would stop it, and proves the changes work in the company's real day-to-day running.

  1. 01 · START WITH THE PLAN

    We begin with the plan the company has decided on and is trying to deliver.

  2. 02 · EXAMINE THE COMPANY

    We look at how the company actually works and what would stop the plan.

  3. You get a clear answer: proceed, proceed after changes, or do not proceed.

  4. 03 · CHANGE WHAT WOULD STOP THE PLAN

    If the company agrees, we change what would stop the plan and build what the company does not have yet.

  5. 04 · PROVE THE COMPANY CAN CARRY THE PLAN

    We test the changes against the plan, with the company running at its full, real workload.

  6. 05 · KEEP WATCHING WHAT MATTERS

    Where the changes need watching over, we look for signs of things slipping back to the old ways, so they can be fixed before the old problems return.

The firm

Set up as a professional firm. Led in person.

FEC helps established businesses become the company their next stage needs.

We work with established companies that are taking on a big new plan, when the company may not yet be set up to deliver it.

We do all of it in one place: we inspect how the company really works, design how it should work, put the changes in place, and show the evidence.

The work can cover management, who decides what, how the business runs day to day, systems, software, people, and how the company sells, whatever the company needs to deliver the plan properly.

We stay close enough to the work to see whether what was built actually keeps working.

Ibrahim AbuShamala speaking with two people across a meeting table.
Ibrahim AbuShamalaFounder, Fornax Execution Consulting

Other Fornax businesses

Some problems in delivering a plan need more than a change to how work is done or managed. They need lasting tools, like software, that the company runs on.

Start with the plan.

Tell us what the company is trying to do next.

01 · THE PLAN

Write at least 20 characters to continue.

The rest of the questions open once you have written 20 characters.