Business mentoring for Northumberland owners and founders
A clearer direction. Your business working better.
When you are running a business, it can be hard to step back long enough to decide what needs to change.
Perhaps the same problems keep consuming your time. You are weighing up a digital or AI investment. Or you have an idea and need to get clear about the customer, the offer and what to test first.
I am Brian Schur, based in Amble on the Northumberland coast. I bring more than forty years of business and technology experience to practical conversations about the decisions in front of you.
We work together for three months. You put the agreed actions into practice, and we meet regularly to review progress and work through what comes next.
What we can work on
Improve processes and reduce wasted effort
Understand where work gets stuck, what is being duplicated and which changes would make the greatest difference. Choose a manageable starting point and review whether it helps.
Make sensible digital and AI decisions
Work out what your business needs, what you already have and whether a new tool or investment is worth pursuing. Consider the cost, your team's capacity and the practical implications before committing.
Clarify your direction and proposition
Get clear about who you serve, the problem you solve and where to focus. For founders, this includes examining assumptions and deciding what to test before investing further.
Two starting points
You already run a business.
We start with what is happening now: the recurring frustrations, the decisions you keep postponing and the opportunities you want to pursue.
You are developing a business.
We start with the customer and the proposition, then work through the evidence and the next practical steps.
You need to be willing to act between meetings. The programme is most useful when there is a real decision or problem to work on. It is open to owners and founders across Northumberland.
How it works
- Initial meeting In person
- Progress review Online
- Progress review Online
- Final meeting In person
- Next steps Your call
An initial meeting in person.
We look at your ambitions, your current position and the main obstacles. Together we agree priorities and a short action plan.
Two online progress reviews.
We examine what happened, tackle obstacles and adjust the next actions using what you have learned.
A final meeting in person.
We review what changed and agree your next steps. If you want further support, we can discuss it then.
I am based in Amble, Northumberland. Initial and final meetings take place in person across Northumberland, or elsewhere within approximately an hour's drive, with the location agreed before we start.
Between meetings, you are welcome to email or call with questions arising from our work. If I cannot speak when you call, we arrange a suitable time.
Experience you can draw on
My work has included mentoring agency owners and teams, supporting more than 140 SMEs through Teesside University DigitalCity, and holding executive responsibility for digital and technology in a £140m travel business.
I have worked alongside founders on business positioning, product decisions and launch planning, including FamilySafe, where I am a director and shareholder. My work on DementiaNet involved listening to users, validating needs and guiding a service from research through delivery.
You will work directly with me throughout.
Read the agency mentoring case study »The commitment
£2,250 for three months
- Month 1£750
- Month 2£750
- Month 3£750
The proposed programme fee is £2,250 for three months, payable in three monthly instalments of £750, with VAT added where applicable.
Book a free 30-minute conversationWhat it covers
That covers the four meetings, preparation, short action summaries and reasonable contact between sessions. We agree on the scope in writing before starting.
Your responsibilities
You remain responsible for decisions and implementation. If you need substantial research, documents created or implementation help, we discuss and price that separately before doing the work.
When it ends
The programme ends after three months. There is no automatic renewal.
Business mentoring is provided by 1968 Limited, trading as 1968 Consulting.
Start with a conversation
Tell me what you are trying to achieve and what is getting in the way. We will establish whether my experience and this programme are a useful fit for your Northumberland business.