I understand the pressures that come with running a business where it’s personal as well as commercial. The decisions are harder and the stakes feel higher. I’ve been there.
WELCOME TO THE SUMMIT
East Lancashire
East Lancashire is home to some genuinely ambitious businesses. If you’re leading one of them and you’re ready to talk about where you want to take it, you’re in the right place.
Our East Lancashire team brings together two very different backgrounds and two very different sets of skills. What Chris and Jane share is a straightforward belief that your business can go further than it currently is, and a clear way of helping you get there.
Meet Chris Ball
SUMMIT GUIDE – EAST LANCASHIRE
I’ve spent the last 25 years either leading large organisations or building businesses of my own, so I have a fairly good idea of what it takes to grow one. I know what it feels like when things are moving and I know what it feels like when they’re not.
What I bring to the businesses I work with isn’t a formula. It’s judgement, honesty, and a genuine belief that there’s almost always a way through, whatever the challenge looks like right now.
I work particularly well with family businesses and companies with large teams, where the human side of growth, getting people aligned, building communication, and making sure everyone owns their part, tends to matter just as much as the commercial strategy. I’m also comfortable getting into the detail of marketing, brand, and messaging when that’s where the gap sits.
WHO WE WORK BEST WITH
We tend to connect well with business owners and leaders who know something isn’t quite working but can’t always put their finger on what.
WHERE I SPECIALISE
Manufacturing, engineering and technical businesses
I’ve worked closely with businesses where the product and the process are everything. I understand how these businesses think and what growth looks like in a technical environment.
Team building and communication
Getting people to take real ownership of their roles is one of the hardest things to do in a growing business. It’s also one of the things that makes the biggest difference when you crack it.
Spotting and seizing opportunities
Sometimes the opportunity is there but nobody’s quite sure how to go after it. I’m good at helping businesses see what’s in front of them and work out how to act on it.
Marketing, brand and messaging
A strong commercial strategy needs to show up properly in the market. I help businesses make sure their brand and message reflects what they’re actually capable of.
I won’t tell you what to do. It’s your business and your vision. But I will ask the right questions, push you when you need it, and stay by your side until we get you where you want to be.
Meet Jane Gilchrist
SUMMIT GUIDE – EAST LANCASHIRE
I spent over two decades in senior legal roles, working across corporate and owner-managed businesses. Over time my work naturally expanded beyond legal matters into the wider health of the businesses I was advising. I kept finding myself drawn to the leadership and people side of things, where I could see the real difference being made.
That shift wasn’t accidental. I’ve always believed that a strategy only works if the people responsible for delivering it are clear on what they’re doing and why. Getting that alignment right is where I spend most of my time now.
I work particularly well with businesses that have good bones but aren’t quite firing on all cylinders. Often the thinking is sound but something in the way the leadership team operates or communicates is getting in the way of progress. That’s usually where I start.
WHO WE WORK BEST WITH
We tend to connect well with business owners and leaders who know something isn’t quite working but can’t always put their finger on what.
WHERE I SPECIALISE
Legal and professional services
I spent twenty years working inside legal businesses and understand the culture, pressures and dynamics that come with them. I’ve also co-founded a coaching collective dedicated to developing leadership in the legal sector, so this is genuinely close territory for me.
Strategic clarity and execution
Through my work with MACH Advisory, I help print businesses fix broken workflows, get more from their MIS platforms, and align their systems with how the business runs. Good strategy needs good operations behind it.
Leadership development
I work with emerging leaders who are ready to step up but need the confidence and skills to do it. Helping someone find their footing in a senior role and watching them grow into it is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.
Succession and transition planning
Whether you’re planning an exit, bringing in new leadership, or preparing the next generation to take over, getting the transition right matters enormously. I’ve helped businesses navigate that process without losing momentum.
Culture and people performance
When the culture is right, everything runs more smoothly. I help businesses build environments where people are genuinely engaged, communication is clear, and accountability sits where it should.
Clarity is always my start point. Growth needs honest conversations and I’m not afraid to have them. But I also know that real progress comes through people, so everything I do is built around making sure your team is as strong as the strategy behind them.
THE FRAMEWORK
Success GPS
Most business plans sit in a drawer. Success GPS is built to make sure yours doesn’t.
It’s a structured programme that has been developed over eight years and tested with more than 450 businesses. It gives you and your leadership team a clear, agreed direction, a set of priorities that everyone understands, and real accountability for making progress happen.
The work covers three things: getting clear on the results you want, aligning your people around that destination, and building the habits and ownership that keep things moving. The result is a business that grows with purpose rather than just activity.
