The Performance
Strategic Business Advice
Building a Stronger, More Profitable Future
Your Partner in the Boardroom, Not Just the Back Office.
Scaling an owner-managed business to its next level is a lonely pursuit.
Whether you are targeting your first £1m or navigating toward £15m, we provide the objective oversight, financial "firepower", and strategic clarity you need to lead with confidence.
Better performance is not only about growth this year. It is about building the financial strength, systems and decision-making capability that give the business more options in the years ahead.
Beyond Compliance
Most accountants stop once the numbers are produced.
We believe the real value comes from using those numbers to make better decisions, improve performance and build a stronger business.
- A focused conversation about your business, goals and current support.
- We identify where better advice, visibility or structure could help.
- No obligation — just a useful discussion
What Strategic Advice Actually Looks Like
Strategic advice isn't about looking at the past; it's about engineering your future.
We focus on three core levers:
- Maximising your profit,
- Protecting your cash, and
- Building a business that can eventually run without you.
Peter Disney -Top 10 Global Business Advisor
Helm’s global ranking of independent accountancy and advisory firms, 2022.
Most accountants speak to you once a year.
We meet you every quarter or month and actively help you run your business.
"Wood and Disney actively call to check how things are running for us and offer help even when we haven't asked for it"
Nicky Schofield - Smart Dojos Limited
Sector: Sports
Four Ways We Help Businesses Grow Stronger
Every successful business faces different challenges.
Our Strategic Business Advice framework focuses on four key areas that most directly influence profitability, resilience and long-term success.
Together, they help create a stronger, more profitable and more future-ready business.
Business Growth & Scaling
Build sustainable growth without losing control.
- Increase turnover strategically
- Scale without damaging cashflow
- Reduce owner dependency
- Create capacity for future growth.
Profit, Cashflow & Financial Performance
Turn hard work into stronger financial results.
- Improve profitability
- Strengthen cashflow
- Build strategic cash reserves
- Increase financial resilience
Strategic Planning & Business Direction
Make better decisions with greater confidence.
- Clarify business priorities
- Focus resources effectively
- Identify opportunities and risks
- Create a roadmap for growth
Technology, Systems & Business Performance
Build a business that can thrive without constant owner involvement.
- Improve efficiency
- Leverage technology and AI
- Reduce key-person dependency
- Create long-term scalability
Building A Better Business Is About More Than Growth
The strongest businesses do more than increase turnover.
They improve profitability, strengthen resilience, create opportunities for their owners and build greater freedom for the future.
That is why our advice focuses not just on today's challenges, but on helping you create more choices for tomorrow.
This is what working with Wood and Disney feels like
Before working with us:
- You only hear from your accountant once a year
- You don’t fully understand your numbers
- Cashflow worries never quite go away
- You second-guess big decisions
After working with us:
- You have regular, structured support
- You understand exactly where your business stands
- You feel in control of cash and profit
- You make decisions with confidence
Most business owners stay with the same accountant for years — even when they know they are not getting enough support.
The RISK of staying where you are ...
- profits are lower than they should be
- cashflow issues persist
- poor decisions go unchallenged
- opportunities are missed
"Vast difference to my previous accountants. I can trust you and contact you whenever needed."
Andy Skinner - AMS Business Services Limited
Sector: Professional Business Services
If you’re unsure whether you’re getting the level of advice your business needs:
Real World Impact
How We Help Business Owners Like You
Most business owners come to us feeling unsupported, unsure about their numbers and worried about their business.
Here’s what happens when that changes.
The Scenario: Essex based, IT support company.
- Appointed during a crisis — accountant gone, key salesperson gone, business mid-sale
- Management accounts were late, inaccurate and unreliable
- Net profit was just ~1% of turnover
- Sales activity was actually destroying profit, not creating it
What changed:
- Rapidly rebuilt bookkeeping and produced reliable management accounts
- Identified and removed loss-making sales activity
- Introduced robust credit control (previously non-existent)
- Eliminated reliance on overdraft and HMRC time-to-pay
The result:
- Profit increased despite lower turnover
- Debt to Dividend: Overdraft cleared and no longer needed
- Surplus cash generated and extracted to holding company
- Business sold in a
multi-million pound deal
Overdraft Eliminated. Surplus Cash Created. Multi-Million £ Exit.
The Scenario: Essex based, manufacturing business.
- Family business operating from home garage
- Parents heavily involved in day-to-day operations
- Personal assets exposed to trading risk
- No clear succession or exit structure
What changed:
- Created group structure to separate risk and protect assets
- Moved buy-to-let properties into holding company
- Supported move to larger premises with integrated living/business setup
- Helped transition leadership to next generation
The result:
- The Lifestyle Win: Facilitated the move from a garage-based operation to a bespoke business and living small-holding.
- Successful Succession: Supported the transition of the son to MD, allowing the parents to achieve their goal of semi-retirement.
- Assets protected from trading risk
- Crisis Proofing: Business continued to run smoothly even during health issues
- Stronger, more resilient structure for the future
We didn’t just help them grow — we helped them step back and protect everything they had built.
"They have helped us to focus on future-proofing the business and putting the necessary personnel in place"
Deborah Atkins, Abacus Shutters Limited
Sector: Manufacturing and Construction
Stronger Businesses Create More Choices
Improving profit, cashflow and operational performance is not simply about growth.
It is about creating options.
- Options to invest.
- Options to step back.
- Options to build personal wealth.
- Options to pass the business on or eventually sell it.
This is where Legacy & Wealth begins.
Take the Next Step
Wood and Disney supports established owner-managed businesses across Colchester, Essex and the UK with strategic advice to improve profit, cash flow, growth and long-term performance.
Improving profit, strengthening cashflow and building a more effective business are not ends in themselves.
The real objective is creating greater freedom, stronger long-term value and more future choices for you, your family and your business.
