Wellington Glass and Window

Company: Wellington Glass and Mirror
Industry: Glass and Glazing
Ownership Structure: Husband and wife team

The Problem: The owners purchased the business with a clear goal: run it for three years, sell it, and fund their retirement. They invested their life savings into the purchase. However, after two years—and despite working with another business coach they had made virtually no progress.

The business was entirely dependent on the founder. He was trapped working 60-hour weeks, acting as the primary technical support for the entire operation. Because their retirement was on the line, his financial fear severely restricted his ability to let go of control. The stress was immense; if they could not sell the business for two to three times what they paid, their retirement plans would be ruined.

The ACBE Solution : We intervened to completely restructure the operational engine and the owners’ timeline, shifting the focus from a panicked exit to building a highly valuable, systemised asset.
Leadership & Structure: We established a formal Senior Leadership Team (SLT) consisting of the owners, an Operations Manager, and a Workshop Manager. We implemented structured weekly Work-In-Progress (WIP) meetings with strict agendas and templates.
Systemization & Reporting: We documented solid Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and introduced simple, daily reporting on sales, profit, and individual tradesman efficiency. This gave the owners the data-backed comfort they needed to step back.
Mindset & Delegation: We coached the founders on the mechanics of “letting go.” We helped them understand that allowing the team to make mistakes is a pillar of growth, and we built the cost of those learning curves into the operational budget.
Strategic Marketing: We repositioned their brand to ensure they traded at a premium, profitable rate, rather than competing at the bottom of the market.
The Growth Treadmill: We secured a commitment from the owners to extend their timeline to five years, putting them on a strategic plan to triple the size of the business.

The Outcome: Explosive Growth within two years, the business doubled in size, and overall productivity increased by over 80%.
Reclaimed Time: The founders now live remotely and only work in the business two days a week. A newly appointed General Manager handles the day-to-day operations.
A Profitable Exit: The business is performing so well that the owners have delayed their sale to maximise returns. They are now on track to sell the business in 18 months for an estimated four times their original purchase price.

The Client Quote: “We told Kerry our ‘why by when,’ and he moved the ‘why’ by a factor of two. Now we are on track to receive more than we anticipated. I thought working myself into the ground was just the price of owning a business. Kerry has given us the systems, reporting, and comfort that we are going to deliver exactly what we need to do.” — Founder, Wellington Glass and Mirror