Execution support for ambitious businesses
Who we work with
We work with businesses across Ireland and the UK including:
Founder-led or family-owned businesses
Businesses backed by minority investors, including angel, venture capital or private equity
Businesses controlled by private equity or other institutional investors
Businesses typically have a proven model, market demand and clear growth ambition.
Our approach can be particularly impactful at key stages:
Scaling: the current way of working is limiting growth or driving up costs.
Acquisitions: operational review of target companies and aligning ways of working to avoid duplication and friction.
Adding resources: investing in new hires, AI or systems before optimising the underlying work.
Investment, succession or exit: the business needs repeatable performance and less key-person dependency ahead of a transition.
We may be introduced to the business by advisors, non-executive directors or shareholders but our key relationship is always with the CEO.
Where this approach is not a good fit
There are times when our hands-on approach isn't the right fit for a business. We find that our work struggles to gain traction if:
Leadership avoids the mirror
Leaders expect improvement but are not willing to change their own behaviour or how decisions are made.The silver bullet
The expectation is quick fixes or new technology without addressing how work actually flows.Headcount-first brief
The primary goal is cost-cutting or headcount reduction in isolation, rather than improving how work flows.The outsourced problem
Responsibility for improvement is outsourced entirely and treated as a side project, rather than integrated into day-to-day management.The fundamental strategy is flawed
Operational improvement can highlight issues with market, offer or pricing, but it cannot fix a business pointed in the wrong direction.
If any of these feel familiar, let’s have an open, no-obligation conversation about whether Work Better Studio can help.