Strategic planning
Define where your business needs to be in 3-5 years and build a clear, actionable roadmap grounded in financial reality.
RVA Business Consultancy delivers practical, experience-grounded advisory to established SMEs — helping you strengthen operations, unlock hidden value, and plan confidently for growth or a high-value exit.
Business owners typically engage RVA when:
RVA works with established SMEs facing critical decisions — whether that's scaling for growth, optimising for margin, or preparing for a high-value exit.
You've built something valuable. Now you want to extract maximum value — through a private sale, trade sale, or succession — while protecting your people and legacy.
Your margins are being squeezed. Sourcing direct, developing your own product range, or restructuring your supply chain could unlock significant profit — and you need an experienced guide.
You're growing — but growth brings complexity. Systems that worked at £3M don't work at £15M. You need strategic clarity, the right team structure, and processes built to scale.
Practical, results-driven support across the full spectrum of business challenges — from strategy and sales through to exit and supply chain.
Define where your business needs to be in 3–5 years and build a clear, actionable roadmap to get there — grounded in financial reality, not wishful thinking.
A well-prepared exit protects your legacy, rewards your people, and maximises your return. We assess value drivers, prepare the business for market, and guide every step of the process.
Your people are your most valuable asset — and your biggest cost. We review structure, performance management, and development pathways to unlock your team's potential.
It can feel lonely at the top. Through one-to-one coaching, we work on clarity, decision-making, confidence, and emotional intelligence — the skills that separate good managers from great leaders.
As your business evolves, your sales strategy must evolve with it. We review customer base, competitive positioning, sales team structure, and pipeline management to drive sustainable growth.
For established distributors, developing your own products or sourcing direct from manufacturers can unlock significant margin. We guide you from concept to shelf — including supplier selection, branding, and FX management.
As you scale, your systems and processes must scale with you. We map requirements, evaluate software solutions, manage implementation, and ensure lasting adoption across your team.
Strong margins and steady cashflow are the backbone of a resilient SME. I help business owners uncover the real drivers behind their numbers — from pricing and margins to working capital and cash‑conversion timing. By identifying where value is created or lost, I deliver clear, practical actions that strengthen financial performance and keep your business moving confidently through challenging economic conditions.
Clean, practical modules that make complex decisions easier to discuss: editable, mobile-readable, and focused on owner outcomes rather than consultant jargon.
Business Value System
Supported by listening, negotiation, presentation, objection handling, relationship building, CRM discipline, metrics, and follow-up.
Supplier selection, material sourcing, quality assurance, import/export, FX risk, sustainability, and ethical sourcing stay visible throughout.
Most consultants give you frameworks. RVA gives you answers grounded in decades of actually running businesses — from start-ups to fast-growing distribution operations, international supply chains, and complex business exits.
That operational perspective changes everything. Problems that look theoretical on a whiteboard look very different when you've lived them on the warehouse floor, in supplier negotiations, or in the boardroom ahead of a sale.
Decades of experience running real businesses — distribution operations, product sourcing, P&L ownership. Not theory. Not frameworks. Tested judgement.
Deep sector knowledge in Distribution, Manufacturing, and Retail means advice benchmarked against your actual peers — not generic SME averages.
Every engagement considers the end game. Decisions made today — on systems, structure, and people — should increase the value of what you eventually sell or hand on.
All engagements operate under a signed NDA. Your financials, strategies, and sensitive business information are protected — always. Full GDPR compliance as standard.
From corporate finance specialists to international brand owners and multi-site operators — here's what clients say about working with RVA.
"We had always been impressed by the product portfolio work Richard had delivered previously. Once our business reached the scale where strategic resourcing and product development became a priority, Richard was the clear choice to support us.
Working closely with both myself and our senior commercial lead, Richard provided consultancy across strategic planning, product development, supplier rationalisation, and negotiation strategy, as well as execution support. He also introduced new approaches to shipping consolidation and foreign exchange management, ensuring these initiatives were delivered as efficiently as possible.
The work provided a strong commercial foundation for developing our own branded product range and positioning the business for long-term growth."
"Richard's creativity and strategic insight never cease to impress me. I have complete confidence in recommending him to any organisation seeking to improve performance and business value."
"Strategic insight that uncovers new revenue streams — Richard helped reinforce our existing sales channels while identifying several exciting, previously unexplored opportunities."
"Detailed, concise, and highly constructive commercial due diligence. Richard demonstrated a clear understanding of each applicant's strengths, challenges, and key issues requiring immediate focus."
"The depth and breadth of experience Richard brings in product development, international trade, and global sourcing has been invaluable. Practical guidance, global insight, and a structured approach that delivers."
"Practical, effective solutions to complex supply chain problems."
"Richard has been invaluable in helping me manage complex supply chain challenges over the years. From dealing with difficult suppliers to resolving stock shortages and non-supply issues, his advice has always been practical, fast, and effective.
Richard has an exceptional ability to grasp complex commercial challenges quickly and to identify clear, positive solutions where others might see uncertainty. He brings real-world experience and a calm, strategic approach that consistently delivers results. Richard is an asset to any retail or distribution business."
"Richard helped me turn around a struggling business into a profitable operation — streamlining operations, focusing on profitability, and implementing a long-term succession plan. Transformational."
After a decade of providing informal business consultancy — responding to ongoing requests from business owners who valued a straight-talking, experienced perspective — Richard V Allmark officially launched RVA Business Consultancy.
Richard's background is unusual among consultants: he has spent decades running businesses from the inside. That means managing distribution operations at speed, sourcing products from overseas manufacturers, navigating complex supply chains and FX exposure, building and restructuring teams, and personally guiding owners through well-planned, high-value exits — from preparation right through to completion.
The result is consultancy grounded in operational reality — not academic frameworks or theoretical models. If you've seen it in a textbook, you won't hear it from Richard unless it actually works in practice.
Whether you need a focused half-day review or ongoing strategic partnership, RVA adapts to where your business is and what it needs.
Focused consultations and ad hoc reviews. Billed in 15-minute increments after a one-hour minimum.
Diagnostic reviews, coaching sessions, and focused workshops. Includes preparation and summary notes.
On-site strategy days, process workshops, and facilitation. Includes pre-session planning and outcomes report.
Ongoing strategic or leadership advisory with rolling monthly support and dedicated access.
All rates exclude VAT. Fixed-price packages available for defined deliverables (e.g. Business Health Check — from £950). Charities and non-profits receive a 10% discount. Travel charged at 45p/mile (HMRC rate).
Every engagement starts with a straightforward conversation about your business and where you want it to go. No obligation. No jargon.
Confidentiality guaranteed. All enquiries are handled with absolute discretion. Formal engagements operate under a signed NDA and are fully GDPR compliant.