A broad market position
The business had experience across residential and commercial property work, but its external positioning needed to explain more clearly which customers and contracts it wanted to pursue.
FOUNDER EXPERIENCE CASE STUDY
Building the structure behind the next stage of growth at Northern Trade Solutions.
Northern Trade Solutions had grown quickly from a Blackpool-based property contractor into a business serving housing providers, property managers and commercial customers. The next stage required clearer direction, stronger systems and a more deliberate approach to winning and managing work.
In his role as Head of Operations, Alexander Loredan led the development of a practical growth and operational-improvement programme designed to make the business more structured, commercially prepared and easier to scale.
Relationship disclosure
This case study documents Alexander Loredan’s work as Head of Operations at Northern Trade Solutions Ltd. NTS is not presented as a paid Blueprint SME client. It is included to demonstrate the hands-on operational and commercial experience behind Blueprint’s approach.
AT A GLANCE
- Business
- Northern Trade Solutions Ltd
- Business type
- Regional property repairs, maintenance and refurbishment contractor
- Starting position
- A growing operational business with strong delivery experience and ambitions to expand its commercial and public-sector work
- Alexander’s role
- Head of Operations
Overall objective
Build the structure, visibility and commercial preparation needed to support controlled regional growth.
Areas of work
Strategic direction, commercial positioning, procurement and tender readiness, business systems, operational structure, website and digital positioning, commercial business development, and performance and growth planning.
THE CONTEXT
A good business preparing for a more structured stage of growth.
Northern Trade Solutions was established in Blackpool in 2023 and built its early growth through property repairs, maintenance, refurbishment and wider building work.
The business developed a strong base of operational knowledge and repeat work. It was also beginning to work with larger housing, property-management and commercial organisations whose expectations extended beyond completing the physical work.
Larger customers wanted clearer evidence, stronger processes, organised documentation and confidence that the contractor could manage work consistently. This meant the next stage of growth could not rely only on trade capability and reputation.
NTS needed to strengthen the business behind the service. That included how it positioned itself, prepared for procurement, organised information, managed growth and communicated its offer to the market.
The challenge was not simply to win more work. It was to make sure the business was ready to manage better work properly.
THE CHALLENGE
Growth was creating a need for greater structure.
Like many owner-managed SMEs, NTS had developed through practical delivery and fast decision-making. Those strengths had helped the business grow, but the next stage required more of its knowledge and direction to be recorded, organised and shared.
Commercial ambitions needed a plan
The business wanted to increase its work with housing providers, property managers, public bodies and commercial organisations. This required a defined growth route rather than isolated sales activity.
Procurement required stronger evidence
Larger customers expected organised policies, insurance details, competency information, case studies, service evidence and clear tender responses.
Important knowledge needed documenting
Processes, responsibilities and commercial information needed to become less dependent on individual memory and repeated explanations.
Operational systems needed to support growth
The business needed clearer use of its existing systems for leads, quotations, scheduling, records and performance information.
Growth had to remain commercially controlled
Growth alone was not enough. Decisions about customers, recruitment and regional expansion needed to consider operational capacity, service quality and healthy margins.
The solution needed to connect strategy, operations, procurement and commercial development rather than treating each issue separately.
THE OBJECTIVES
A practical programme built around controlled growth.
Alexander defined a connected set of priorities for the business.
- Clarify the long-term direction of NTS
- Strengthen its commercial and public-sector positioning
- Build a more organised approach to procurement and tenders
- Create clearer systems, processes and responsibilities
- Improve the use of operational and commercial information
- Develop a realistic route into new customers and regions
- Protect service quality and profitability as the business grows
- Make the business less dependent on informal knowledge
Every improvement needed to be practical enough for a busy SME to use, not simply look impressive in a report.
WORKSTREAM 01
Turning ambition into a realistic growth direction.
Alexander began by bringing the business’s ambitions, current position and commercial opportunities into one clearer strategic view.
A phased regional plan
The strategy protected the business’s established operating areas across Blackpool, the Fylde Coast, South Ribble and West Lancashire while identifying sensible next-stage opportunities in Lancaster and Morecambe, East Lancashire, Southport and Cumbria.
Longer-term expansion was treated as a later growth stage, dependent on management capacity, systems and operational readiness.
Growth gates
Expansion decisions were linked to practical conditions such as contract demand, staffing, management capacity, service performance, systems and financial control.
Commercial discipline
The long-term direction focused on becoming a trusted regional property-services contractor. Specific financial ambitions and forecasts are not included in this public case study.
WORKSTREAM 02
Creating a single operating framework for the business.
A major part of the work was the development of the NTS Operating System, bringing strategy, market understanding, processes, responsibilities and working standards into a connected set of documents.
Strategic direction
The operating framework records the business’s ambition, priorities, target customers, geographic direction and growth conditions.
Market intelligence
Competitor and market analysis was developed to identify where larger regional contractors were strong and where a responsive, well-organised SME could compete differently.
Future operating documents
The framework was designed to support an operations manual, tender library, HR guidance and quality-management materials.
Decision discipline
The operating system provides a reference point so growth activity can be tested against agreed priorities rather than driven by every new opportunity.
The purpose was not to create paperwork for its own sake. It was to give the business a clearer way to make decisions and repeat good work.
WORKSTREAM 03
Making the external message match the business NTS was becoming.
NTS had historically completed a significant amount of residential work. The growth strategy required a clearer commercial position while retaining the ability to serve appropriate residential customers.
A clearer commercial offer
The commercial service structure was organised around shop fitting and refits, reactive repairs and maintenance, void property works, planned maintenance, commercial refurbishment and facilities-management support.
Defined sectors
The business identified relevant sectors including housing associations, property management, commercial offices, hospitality, retail, education, healthcare and industrial organisations.
Clearer geographic positioning
The message was updated to reflect NTS as a commercial contractor serving Lancashire and the North West, supported by the line “Building. Maintaining. Improving.”
Website and digital direction
The website and wider digital presence were reviewed to support commercial credibility, procurement discovery and clearer communication of services, sectors and operating areas. This case study does not claim that every planned website or SEO improvement is complete.
WORKSTREAM 04
Preparing the business for larger customers and formal opportunities.
Commercial growth required more than identifying potential customers. NTS needed to make it easier for procurement teams to assess the business and understand its capability.
Tender library
A structured approach was developed for storing approved company information, policies, insurance details, service evidence and reusable tender content.
Customer evidence
Relevant examples of responsive repairs, void works, refurbishment, planned maintenance and commercial support were identified for future submissions.
Health and safety information
Existing evidence such as CHAS approval, risk assessments, method statements, toolbox talks, PPE arrangements, competency checks and working-at-height controls was organised.
Insurance and company information
Insurance details, company background and service information were brought into the procurement-readiness process.
Procurement relationships
A more deliberate approach was developed for identifying and contacting decision-makers across councils, housing providers, property managers and commercial organisations.
Opportunity assessment
Tender and contract opportunities were considered against service fit, operating geography, delivery capacity, commercial value and evidence requirements.
Readiness work cannot guarantee acceptance by a procurement team or the award of a contract.
WORKSTREAM 05
Moving from general marketing to focused commercial activity.
Alexander developed a more targeted approach to business development using defined customer groups, procurement contacts and direct outreach.
Priority customer groups
Commercial development focused on housing providers, councils, property managers, facilities-management organisations, hospitality businesses and other organisations responsible for property portfolios.
Direct decision-maker outreach
Contact lists and outreach activity were built around relevant procurement, property, facilities and operational decision-makers.
Practical follow-up
The approach connected initial outreach with procurement onboarding, quotation activity and follow-up rather than treating contact generation as the final result.
Low-administration delivery
As outreach grew, the process was adjusted to avoid detailed tracker administration taking more time than the commercial activity itself.
The aim was a focused commercial process that the business could maintain, not a reporting system that became a job in its own right.
WORKSTREAM 06
Designing an organisation that could grow without unnecessary layers.
The proposed organisational structure was developed around clear reporting lines and practical management responsibilities.
Clear reporting lines
The proposed route was designed around operatives reporting through site supervision and contract management to the Head of Operations.
Dedicated planning support
A future planning role was identified to coordinate the work diary and improve how jobs, resources and commitments are organised.
Business support and compliance
Customer coordination, finance and compliance responsibilities were grouped under the Finance and Business Support function.
Proportionate meetings
The proposed rhythm focused on weekly tactical meetings, monthly strategic reviews, major-project briefings and quarterly one-to-ones, avoiding unnecessary daily meetings.
The structure was designed to create clearer ownership without adding management positions before the workload justified them.
WORKSTREAM 07
Using existing tools more deliberately.
NTS already used Simpro to support leads, scopes, quotations, scheduling and job records. The improvement programme focused on making better use of that system and the information around it.
Lead and quotation management
A clearer route was developed from initial opportunity through scoping, quotation, scheduling and follow-up.
Quotation expectations
The business established an internal aim of issuing quotations within three working days where the information required to price the work was available. This is not an unconditional customer guarantee.
Operational records
Better records support customer communication, evidence gathering, tender responses and future performance review.
Management information
Plans were developed for clearer operational indicators, monthly board reporting and decision-making based on actual business performance.
Commercial control
Growth planning considered margin, workload, service quality and operational capacity instead of using turnover as the only measure of success. No internal financial figures are published here.
THE OUTCOMES
A business with clearer direction and stronger commercial foundations.
The programme involved work by Alexander, NTS directors, employees and external partners. The outcomes below are business-wide progress rather than the result of one person acting alone.
A defined long-term direction
NTS established a clearer ambition to become a trusted regional property-services contractor, supported by phased geographic priorities and practical growth conditions.
A stronger commercial position
The business’s external message became more focused on the needs of housing providers, property managers and commercial organisations.
Improved procurement readiness
Company information, policies, evidence and tender materials became more organised and easier to use when procurement opportunities appeared.
Trusted-contractor progress
During this period, NTS secured trusted-contractor status with a local authority and a property-management business, creating immediate opportunities for new work.
Progress with larger commercial customers
The business progressed through formal procurement with a hospitality organisation while continuing to develop relationships across property and facilities management. Pending opportunities are not presented as secured contracts.
A practical operating framework
The NTS Operating System created a structured base for future operations, quality, tender and people documentation.
Clearer organisational planning
The business developed a proposed structure for contract management, supervision, planning and business support that could be introduced as workload and capacity required it.
Growth grounded in commercial reality
The strategy connected growth decisions to service quality, management capacity, operational readiness and commercial control.
THE BLUEPRINT CONNECTION
The experience behind Blueprint’s practical approach.
The work at NTS reinforced a central idea behind Blueprint SME: a growing business rarely needs advice on only one isolated issue.
Commercial positioning affects who finds and trusts the business. Procurement readiness depends on policies, evidence and working practices. Growth planning depends on operational capacity. Business systems determine whether good work can be repeated consistently.
Blueprint was created to bring these connected areas together and turn them into practical work that an SME can use.
Business Consultancy & GrowthTender ReadinessBusiness Systems & DocumentsWebsite Design & BrandingSEO & Online Visibility
These links describe services available through Blueprint SME. They do not change the employment relationship under which the NTS work in this case study was completed.
PRACTICAL LESSONS
What other growing SMEs can take from the work.
Do not wait for a tender deadline to organise the evidence
Policies, insurance details, case studies and standard company information are easier to prepare before an opportunity appears.
Growth needs conditions, not only targets
New areas, customers and roles should be linked to capacity, systems, demand and commercial performance.
Write down what the business already does well
Documenting useful processes makes them easier to repeat, improve and explain to new employees and customers.
Make the website reflect the customer you want next
A website should explain the business you are building, not only the work that created its early growth.
Keep systems proportionate
A process should save time, improve control or reduce risk. If the administration becomes more demanding than the work, the system needs simplifying.
BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT
Is your business growing faster than its structure?
Blueprint helps SME owners clarify the direction, strengthen the systems and complete the practical work needed for the next stage of growth.
Start with what is happening now. We will help you identify the clearest next step.