IYK
Clear thinking, better business, lasting results.
Your business is busy. That doesn't mean it's working.
Most contractors I speak to aren't short of work. The problem is what happens to it, margins that don't reflect the effort, decisions made on gut feel rather than fact, and a business that needs the owner in it every day just to keep moving.
It's easy to confuse activity with progress. Being busy feels like success. But if the margin isn't there, the structure isn't there, and every decision still runs through you then the business isn't working, it's just moving. And there's a difference.
MiraDex exists to help owners and directors in the trades and construction sector step back, properly see their business, and build something that actually works, not just something that keeps going.
If that sounds familiar, you're in the right place.
Who is it for
MiraDex works with owners and directors in M&E, building services, construction and the wider associated trades.
The businesses we work with vary in size but tend to share the same picture.
Good reputation.
Decent order book.
A team that generally delivers.
But somewhere between winning the work and cash in the bank, things aren't adding up the way they should. The numbers don't reflect the effort. The owner is still carrying too much. Decisions get made reactively because there's no real structure underneath the business to support anything else.
Some are growing and struggling to keep up with it. Some are standing still and can't work out why. Some just know that what got them here isn't going to get them where they want to be.
You don't need to be in crisis to work with MiraDex. You just need to be honest that the business isn't running as well as it could and open to doing something about it.
About MiraDex Consulting
I'm Michael and I started on the tools.
I spent the early part of my career doing the work, then moved through service management, operational leadership, and into MD-level roles and board positions across building services, M&E, and field service. I've run businesses, owned businesses, and been accountable for everything that comes with it. Delivery. People. Commercial performance. Cash.
I know what it's like to carry a contract that's going wrong. To manage a team that's stretched. To look at the month-end figures and know the turnover is there but the money isn't. To make decisions under pressure with incomplete information and nowhere to go for a straight second opinion.
That experience is what MiraDex is built on.
I'm not a career consultant. I haven't built a methodology in a classroom and applied it to businesses I've never had to run. I've sat where you're sitting and that shapes every conversation I have and every engagement I take on.
If you'd value an experienced second opinion from someone who understands operational pressure and what it actually means to carry responsibility for a business, that's what this is.
The Problem
The business looks fine from the outside. That's part of the problem. Full order book. Decent reputation. Work coming in. To anyone looking from outside, it looks like a successful business. But you know what the reality is and it doesn't always match the picture.
You're still the engine. Everything runs through you. Quoting, decisions, problem-solving, client relationships — it all lands on your desk. You can't step back because the moment you do, things start falling through the cracks. You didn't start a business to be indispensable to it. But that's where you've ended up.
The margin isn't where it should be. The turnover is there. The work is there. But by the time wages, subcontractors, materials, and overhead are settled , what's left doesn't reflect the hours you've put in, and that's before HMRC also taking their piece. You're not always sure which jobs are actually making money and which ones are quietly costing you. And there isn't a clear system to find out.
You're making decisions without a clear picture. Not because you're not capable, but because you're too close to it, too busy in it, there's no structure in place to give you the visibility you need and you simply can't get the time or space to work on the business and not in it. So decisions get made reactively. You deal with what's in front of you and hope the bigger questions answer themselves.
They usually don't.
Services
Every engagement starts with a clear picture.
There's no point putting a plan in place until you know what you're actually dealing with. That's why most of our work begins with a Health Check and builds from there depending on what the business genuinely needs.
Business Health Check
Business Health Check
Start here. A structured look across ten areas of your business, direction, finances, operations, people, risk, and growth. Not a lengthy audit or a pile of paperwork. A focused conversation backed by a proven framework, designed to give you a clear picture of what's working, what isn't, and where to focus first.
You finish with a written findings report and your top priority actions. No jargon. No fluff. Just an honest assessment of where the business actually stands and what to do about it.
This is where most engagements begin. It works as a standalone piece of work, and it works as the foundation for everything that follows.
Strategic Advisory
Advisory
Stay on track. For owners who want regular structure and an independent voice in the room. Someone who knows your numbers, understands your business, and tells you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.
Regular sessions, external accountability, and a consistent rhythm for reviewing performance, making decisions, and keeping the important things from getting buried under the urgent ones.
Fractional Leadership
Fractional Leadership
When you need more than advice. For businesses at a point where advice alone isn't enough. Three to four days a month of director-level support embedded inside your operation, working on the things that need senior attention, driving progress that wouldn't otherwise happen, and giving you the leadership capacity to move forward without the cost of a full-time hire.
In Development
Something we're building for smaller contractors
There are thousands of established, experienced trade businesses in the UK, skilled operators running good businesses, who simply don't fit the mould for traditional business advisory.
Too small for a consultant.
Too experienced for a startup coach.
And largely left to figure things out on their own.
Most of them know their trade inside out. That's never been the problem. The problem is that nobody ever taught them the business side of it, pricing, cash flow, people, growth, tax and there's no obvious place to go when you need a straight answer without feeling like you should already know it.
We're building something specifically for that market. A practical, no-nonsense resource where experienced trade operators can get honest guidance on the business side of things without the jargon, the inflated fees, or the feeling that the advice was written for someone twice their size.
Whatever stage you're at though, if you want a straight conversation in the meantime, get in touch.
We'll always make time for it.
Ready to get a clearer picture?
It starts with a conversation. No pitch, no hard sell, no commitment required. Just a straight discussion about where your business is, what's getting in the way, and whether MiraDex can genuinely help.
If it's the right fit, we'll agree a clear next step. If it isn't, you'll leave the conversation with a clearer picture than you had going in.
