The penny drop moment.
You know your business is losing money somewhere. You can feel the friction. The workarounds. The systems that don't talk to each other.
I help print, embroidery, workwear, and promotional merchandise businesses decode exactly what's happening in their operation — and build a clear plan to fix it. Plain English. No jargon. No vendor agenda.
on site
“If I spent a day in your business looking at your systems, your processes, and your technology — how confidentare you that I wouldn't find anything costing you money you don't know about?”
That question is worth sitting with. Most owners can't answer it honestly.
Someone from the industry.
Not parachuting in.
I've spent 25 years working inside the businesses I now advise — print, embroidery, workwear, promotional merchandise, and branded apparel. I've been through what you're going through. I know where the money disappears and why the systems don't connect.
Most technology advice fails businesses like yours because it comes from people who've never processed a decorated order in their life. I built Decoded Ops because product-based businesses with a decoration service deserve someone who genuinely understands their operation from the inside.
Start with a free 60-min callThe Translation Gift
I take what you're trying to convey — often half-formed, vague, hard to articulate — and reflect it back as a solution or a clear path forward. Business owners feel understood in a way they often haven't been before.
Out-of-the-Box Problem Solving
When a system can't do something, I don't accept the limitation. I find a different way — connecting things not designed to connect, reframing the problem so the existing tool handles it differently.
Truly Independent
No referral fees. No vendor relationships. No agenda beyond what is right for your business. Every recommendation stands on its own merit. Platform agnostic and vendor neutral. Always.
One day. Six areas. Complete clarity.
I spend a day in your business and cover six areas that most technology consultants never go near. The result is a plain English report that tells you exactly what's happening, what it's costing you, and what to do about it.
IT Infrastructure
Security posture, connectivity, identity management, and IT costs. Every risk identified, costed, and prioritised. Licensing waste surfaced and eliminated.
Software & Systems
Every tool in use assessed — what it costs, what it does, whether it's right. ERP, MIS, and management platforms assessed or selected. Independent vendor brief on your terms.
eCommerce & Digital
Platform, UX, integrations, B2B capability, decoration tools. Customer journey mapped end to end. WCAG accessibility review included.
Processes & Operations
Every process mapped from order in to invoice out. Stock, fulfilment, and despatch reviewed. Quick wins separated from bigger projects.
Growth & Opportunity
Revenue lines with most potential identified. New channels and markets assessed. Technology roadmap built for where you're going, not where you've been.
AI Readiness
Where AI could genuinely help your specific operation. What needs to be in place first. An honest view — not a tool sale.
Choose your engagement level
One day on site. Written report within 5 working days. Six audit areas. Every finding specific to your business.
- Full day on-site audit
- Written report in plain English
- All 6 audit areas covered
- 50% on booking, 50% on delivery
Everything in Diagnose, plus independent tool evaluation and a full vendor shortlist — so you go to market on your terms.
- Everything in Diagnose
- Independent tool evaluation
- Vendor shortlist & briefs
- Platform-agnostic recommendations
Full implementation oversight. Minimum 3 months. I stay involved through delivery — holding vendors to the brief.
- Everything in Advise
- Implementation oversight
- Vendor management
- 30 days notice after 3-month minimum
If after reading the report you don't believe it has identified at least three times the value of the fee in recoverable cost or lost revenue — the fee is refunded in full. No conditions. No questions asked.
From conversation to clarity in four steps
No jargon. No vague frameworks. A clear, structured process that starts with listening and ends with a plan you can act on.
Understand
A structured discovery conversation — your operation, your pain points, your ambitions. I listen more than I talk. No pitch. No assumptions. 60 minutes. Free.
Audit & Diagnose
One day on-site across all six audit areas. Every finding evidenced and quantified against your real data. Nothing vague. Nothing generic.
Architect
Independent recommendations — systems, vendors, integrations, sequencing. A written brief in plain English that puts you in control of any procurement. No vendor agenda.
Implement & Oversee
Where needed, I stay involved through delivery — holding vendors to the brief, acting as your central point of contact.
The penny drop, in their own words
From workwear to promotional merchandise, here's what business owners say after working with Decoded Ops.
“We'd been running on spreadsheets and gut feel for years. Craig spent a day with us and handed back a report that showed us exactly where we were losing money and why. Within six months we'd implemented two of his recommendations and recovered more than three times his fee.”
“Every technology consultant we'd spoken to before had tried to sell us something. Craig came in with no agenda and told us the truth — some of it uncomfortable. But it was exactly what we needed. The independence is the whole point.”
“I couldn't put into words what was wrong with our operation — I just knew it wasn't working. Craig listened, asked the right questions, and came back with a report that described our problems better than I could have. That was the penny drop moment.”
Case study
What happens when the audit doesn't come first.
A print & embroidery business. £154,000. 18 months. What a £10k audit would have prevented.