Samples of our work

We work for business big and small. This page offers some samples of the work we’ve done recently. It’s not by any means a complete list, nor does it name who we have worked for. We can’t name our clients or say what we’ve done in detail because the very nature of our work is to be kept secret: business have paid us to give them strategic advantage, and part of the advantage works because of its confidentiality.

But here are some things we’ve done for small businesses…

Chalestra helps mechanic double his business capacity

There's nothing worse than having to stand around waiting for things to happen when you have a long order book, and tons of work to do. The general thinking is that you when you've reached your capacity, there's no more you can do. But that's wrong.

This business was a mechanic with a moderate industrial unit. It is fully equipped with the latest technology to service cars of virtually any make. But there was a problem.

Much time was spent waiting for other people, particularly parts. A car would be put on a hydraulic lift, stripped to see what was wrong with it, new parts assessed and purchased, as well as the need for specialists. The car would then unmovable, and would stay on the lift until the parts arrived or a specialist could find time to see it, which often took days, maybe weeks. That lift, a vital resource, was out of action for all that time, while other customer vehicles were waiting to be repaired.

There are 3 lifts, so it won't take long before they are all out of action. Our mechanics first thought is that any solution is too expensive.

So we showed him a way that cars waiting for parts could economically be put on trolleys and the lifts put back into action.

Now, workload is much more consistent, less pressurised, and he can now get twice as much work through the shop.

Chalestra helps photography business back to trade

It has happened to so many businesses over the last few years. Thriving businesses reduced to the brink, or to nothing.

There are many reasons why this happens, including recessionary explanations, competition, changes on culture, changes in practice that were badly managed, and so on. And despair and misfortune can play their parts. The stories we hear are without limits.

So it comes to pass, in a chance meeting, I hear the story of a photography business that was doing well. So well, in fact, that it chose to expand its horizons before the recession to move into video and TV work. It got it wrong at the wrong time, lost focus on the core business, took on debt and lost customers, and spent a few years falling apart.

So, we had a think, and we made a pitch. We knew that the business had assets that could earn money, and we saw a route to bring the business back to profit using a variety of routes to market, and using the assets that it still had.

Several weeks later, and they are employing again!

Chalestra sees debt collection agency back to profits with happy customers

There is a bad habit with debt collection agencies. It is that they are looking for a fast buck (though who could blame them?). There isn't an honest fast buck to be had these days.

And there's a reason why there's so much bad debt. It is that there's precious little money moving around. So marrying the two looked like a challenge at first.

Debt collection agencies work by taking bad debts off financial institutions and spending time recovering the debts. For the financial institutions, it means the loss of a customer, because that customer was creditworthy once. And it is not economically sound for the financial institution to keep long-term debts on its books.

So how can a debt collection agency make a meaningful profit if it can't earn a fast buck, and get the cash in quickly? Chalestra spent some time looking at the problem and found a variety of solutions that could work for the agency and the debtees. You do have to work with both.

The debtees are now paying, and the agency is back to profit, though there are no fast bucks.

Chalestra has found workable models that can work for any business that has a lot of debt on there books.

To find out more about Chalestra's consulting services, and to benefit from it, please contact us.