One government decision can gut a revenue stream. One “loyal” team member can cap your growth. One annual budget can lull you into thinking you’re in control when you’re not. That’s where strategy stops being a document and starts being a series of tough, practical decisions.
Mike Jones was joined by Mike Price, founder of MPA Group, to talk about business strategy for UK SMEs and scale-ups trying to stay viable amid rapid change. Mike shares the real story of building a firm through major shifts, including how regulatory change reshaped an entire product line and why diversification is not a nice-to-have; it’s a survival skill.
We also take aim at the annual budget process. If your organisation spends weeks producing a plan that will be wrong, you’re paying twice: once in time and once in bad decisions. We unpack rolling 12-month forecasting, quarter-by-quarter refinement, and how better financial planning supports adaptability rather than constraining it. Along the way, we get into wage pressure, youth hiring, automation and “AI”, plus why the fractional model (fractional CFO, fractional marketing lead, fractional COO) can give smaller businesses the capability they need without the risk of a full-time cost base.
We close with a direct challenge: your advisors should be business advisors first, not just compliance. If you’re paying fees, demand decision support that helps you move. Subscribe for more candid strategy conversations, share this with a founder who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest constraint you’re tackling next.
Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-price-04004614/
MPA: https://www.mpa.co.uk/
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🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast
📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/
