Consider this for a moment. If you have a pressing tax issue, you talk to an accountant specialising in taxation issues. If you have legal problem, you talk to a solicitor specialising in the area of law that concerns you. It’s second nature to inherently trust these individuals and their firms because they have a ‘professional’ status, regulated by governing bodies such as the FRC and the SRA. So, when you have a critical business problem, to whom do you turn?

You’d probably talk to your accountant first, and in some instances they may be able to assist. It’s more likely though that they suggest you talk to somebody like a business growth advisor or in critical cases where a company is failing, a turnaround specialist or an insolvency practitioner. Apart from the insolvency practitioner, other specialists you talk to will likely be unregulated. So, if you are going to talk to a specialist in an unregulated profession - i.e. one where there’s little accountability or legal consequences, perhaps just a badge of honour or membership, how are you going to know what level of skill and experience you’re going to get? It’s really important, because essentially, you are likely going to entrust that individual or individuals with the fate of your company!

Easy to say hard to do

We hear it all the time: “You can trust us”. For a business owner, that’s easy for somebody to say, but very hard for them to do. So, how can you trust the Adjustment Agency? We ask you to consider our backgrounds and demonstrable industry experience, and the case studies we’ll be adding on this site. The profile and career histories of our main consultants are on public display for all to see, meaning our reputations are all important. We’d hope that from the companies we have worked for and those we’ve worked with, you’ll gain an appreciation of the brand depth and breadth of experience with which our principle consultants are imbued. Review the positions they have held in industry; this is central to demonstrating not just credibility and trust, but their ability to understand how companies of varying sizes operate and are managed. In short, they are seasoned professionals who understand what it means to you for you to place your trust in them.

Who’s behind the Adjustment Agency?

The Adjustment Agency has two principal advisers: Philip Mendonça and Robin Brown. Each has their own range of skills and experience that we believe compliment each other in many ways.

Philip Mendonça

Profile:

A chartered accountant (FCA) who has spent the vast majority of his career working in business rather than in practice.  He firmly believes that numbers are a 'means to an end' rather than an end in themselves.  He has a broad range of experience having worked in a variety of sectors and companies of all sizes.  Philip relishes working for companies that are experiencing fundamental business issues. His varied experience enables him to quickly identify the underlying causes of problems and then propose a variety of options for a working resolution. His career and extensive experience of running peer-to-peer business groups means that a wide range of business contacts whose expertise and knowledge can be brought to bear in addition to his own. Typical problems you’ll likely find Philip solving include enhancing profitability, raising finance for business, helping companies with cash flow issues and mentoring.

Expertise:

• Funding
• Problem solving
• Business rescue / turnarounds
• Leadership and management
• Financial management
• Business growth

You can find Philip on LinkedIn here.

Robin Brown

Profile:

Ask Robin how he views his role with businesses today and he’ll say it’s one of Chief Reality Officer. After holding senior positions in companies on three different continents, including MD of a Fortune 500 company, he’s been exposed to a multitude of different business issues, especially with startups. His lengthy career with technology companies and marketing agencies in the USA, Europe and Southeast Asia, affords often unique insights into the problems companies face in business today. A rich and varied career starting out in physics and electronics and later in business development and marketing within the early data communications industry, enables him to offer different perspectives across a broad range of business issues. For smaller businesses, Robin understands what it means to own and run your own company, having successfully done so for in the past 10 years. He likes nothing more than sitting down with business owners and managers, listening to their ideas and problems and exploring ways to resolve them. As for the Chief Reality Office role - sometimes businesses need to grasp the reality of their position from an alternate, external perspective, they might not like it, but he’s willing to share his perspective and together with Philip, help them achieve a successful outcome.

Expertise:

• Business strategy and analysis
• Creative thinking
• Problem solving
• Strategic marketing
• Digital Marketing; including web development advertising, content creation and SEO
• Growth initiatives
• Leadership & Management

You can find Robin on LinkedIn here.