Safe Guidance Investments Clients §03
The positions a mandate starts from.
The scope follows what is genuinely missing: expertise the company does not hold internally, a market it does not know, or a partner it has not found.
- 01 Companies with an investment or construction project
- 02 Companies that need expertise they do not hold internally
- 03 Companies seeking new markets
- 04 Companies sourcing suppliers or partners
- 05 Distributors and channel partners
- 06 Companies building a sales network
- 07 Companies entering a new market
- 08 Companies assessing an opportunity
Companies with an investment or construction project
Context
The project exists and the funding is covered, but the structure that carries it through is not: who holds the cost, who answers for the technical side, who checks the contracts and who chases the permits. The risk is not running out of money — it is losing control between stages.
First stage
A description of the project, the stage it has reached and the budget available. The first stage establishes what is missing from the structure and who needs to be brought onto the team.
Stages covered
- Economic analysis of the investment and its real cost structure
- Project budget, tracking against it and variance reporting
- Contracts with contractors, suppliers and designers
- Project management, technical execution management and quality control
- Urban-planning documentation and permits
- Handover of the works and the technical construction file
Companies that need expertise they do not hold internally
Context
The need is real but bounded: an economic analysis, a contract, a technical file, a permit, a legal opinion. Hiring a permanent specialist is not justified, and deferring the decision costs more than the advice would.
First stage
The question, in whatever form it exists, and the date by which it has to be answered. The first stage confirms whether it can be covered on its own or calls for a wider mandate.
Stages covered
- Framing the exact question that has to be answered
- Assigning the specialist from the discipline that covers it
- Analysis of the situation and the documents the conclusion rests on
- A written result, usable in front of a lender or an authority
- Follow-up clarification within the agreed scope
- Taking on the next stages, if the analysis points to them
Companies seeking new markets
Context
The company has production, services or execution capacity available, but revenue depends on a small number of customers or on a single market. There is no data on where else demand exists for what it offers, or how the client is reached there.
First stage
A description of the offering, the capacity available and the price or rate. From these come a first market shortlist and an estimate of final cost.
Stages covered
- Selection of markets with real potential, on demand and price data
- Verification of the price level the offering can sustain
- Identification of buyers, distributors and channel partners
- Certification, licensing or qualification requirements in each market
- Introductions to the shortlisted partners, and follow-up
- An entry timetable, ordered by priority market
Companies sourcing suppliers or partners
Context
Demand is identified and the customer exists, but the source is missing or is no longer competitive: the current partner cannot hold the volume, the capacity, the price or the specification required.
First stage
The specification sought, the estimated volume or capacity and the target price. The first stage establishes whether that price is reachable, and from which markets.
Stages covered
- Definition of the specification, the volume or capacity, and the target price
- Identification of the markets relevant to the kind of offering sought
- Selection of partners and verification of real capacity
- Comparison of commercial terms across the shortlist
- Final cost, calculated in full for each option
- Introductions and support through to a first order
Distributors and channel partners
Context
The commercial network exists and works, but the portfolio needs new offerings — on comparable terms and from partners that can be relied on.
First stage
The categories in view and the commercial terms the network already works to. Partner selection is built from those.
Stages covered
- Identification of categories with unmet demand
- Selection of suppliers and partners in the relevant markets
- Verification of capacity, certification and continuity of supply
- Comparison of commercial terms and final cost
- Contracting, licensing and documentation requirements
- Introductions to the shortlisted suppliers
Companies building a sales network
Context
The offering already sells, but through individual contacts rather than a network. Growth depends on every conversation being held directly, because there are no distributors, dealers or agents selling continuously across clearly defined territories.
First stage
The territories targeted and the commercial terms the offering can support. Both determine the structure of the network and the partner profile.
Stages covered
- Network structure: partner tiers, territories and exclusivities
- The profile of the distributor, dealer or agent required
- Recruiting and vetting partners for each territory
- Terms of cooperation: discount, targets, duration, territory
- The commercial materials and training the network requires
- Expanding the network and replacing underperforming partners
Companies entering a new market
Context
Activity is stable in the home market and expansion into another country or region follows. What is missing is knowledge of the local channels, the competition and the entry requirements.
First stage
The market or region in view and the commercial objective. The first stage tests whether entry is viable before resources are committed.
Stages covered
- Analysis of local demand, competition and price levels
- Structure of the distribution channels and the terms of each
- Regulatory, certification and labelling requirements
- Identification of suitable local partners
- Pricing structure and the delivery model into the market
- An entry plan with stages, timeline and risks
Companies assessing an opportunity
Context
A specific commercial idea exists — a product, a market, a possible partner — but no verification of it. The decision to commit capital or capacity would otherwise be taken without data.
First stage
A description of the opportunity in whatever form it exists. The first stage establishes what has to be verified, and in what order.
Stages covered
- Verification of demand and price level in the market considered
- Existing competition and substitutable products
- Barriers to entry: tariffs, standards, local requirements
- Estimate of final cost and of the break-even point
- Whether partners exist through whom the opportunity can be realised
- A written conclusion: viable, conditionally viable, or not recommended
The first conversation carries no cost and no commitment.
Describe the project, the job or the market you have in mind. The reply includes a first read on the situation, the disciplines it involves and the stages proposed.