Redwood Field AdvisoryClient Stories
Accounts from owner-managers who have worked with Redwood Field Advisory on operations, finances, and governance.
What clients say
Margaret spent two days on our factory floor before she said anything in a workshop. That patience earned trust with our supervisors, who had seen consultants arrive with answers before they understood our bottlenecks.— Tony V., managing director, metal fabrication, Thornton
The governance review was thorough without being alarmist. We had gaps in our minutes and related-party disclosures that our lawyer confirmed needed fixing. The charter draft saved us weeks of back-and-forth.— Fiona L., chair, family-owned logistics company, Newcastle
David challenged our revenue assumptions on the second warehouse expansion. We delayed six months, reworked the lease terms, and avoided what would have been a painful cash squeeze. Not the answer I wanted, but the right one.— James H., owner, building supplies wholesaler, Lake Macquarie
The operating playbook is sitting in our leadership team's shared drive and actually gets referenced in Monday meetings. My only reservation is that some of the KPI suggestions needed tweaking for our seasonal cycle — Margaret adjusted those in the follow-up fortnight without extra charge.— Priya S., operations director, food manufacturing, Maitland
Extended case: Thornton fabrication firm
Untangling approval bottlenecks in a 38-person shop
Client: Metal fabrication business, Thornton NSW. 38 staff across production, installation, and admin.
Situation: The managing director approved every purchase order above $500 and every schedule change. Production delays were blamed on staff, but the real issue was that supervisors lacked authority to resolve routine conflicts.
Engagement: Twelve-week operational advisory programme with four on-site days and six leadership workshops.
Outcome: Approval thresholds raised to $2,500 for trained supervisors. Weekly production meeting reduced from 90 to 45 minutes with a standard agenda. Owner reclaimed roughly eight hours per week within the first month after implementation.
Client reflection: "I knew I was the bottleneck. I did not know how to stop without things falling apart. The playbook gave my supervisors permission and a structure I could trust."
Extended case: Lake Macquarie wholesaler
Stress-testing a second warehouse before signing
Client: Building supplies wholesaler, single site expanding to a second warehouse in Lake Macquarie.
Situation: Lease terms were agreed in principle. Internal forecast showed positive cash flow within eight months of opening.
Engagement: Four-week financial modelling review with three scenarios.
Outcome: Conservative scenario showed a fourteen-month cash shortfall if seasonal Q3 revenue dipped 12% below plan. Client renegotiated rent-free period and deferred fit-out of non-essential areas, reducing upfront capital by $180,000.
Client reflection: "The model was not wrong — the assumptions were too optimistic. Having an outsider mark them up gave me something concrete to take back to the landlord."