About Us

A sceat is a small silver coin minted during the Anglo-Saxon period and more commonly known in England as an 'early penny'. The name derives from Old English Sceatt, meaning "wealth", "money", and "coin", and it's also my surname. 

After almost 30 years of working for a number of global Management Consulting and Advisory organisations, I began to realise that, whilst I loved helping solve client problems, much of the politics and culture was less than ideal. Long hours, thankless assignments and the demands to drop everything at short notice were playing havoc with my life and that of my family. Furthermore, Big Consulting pricing meant that those who needed the services most were those who could least afford them. 

Smaller businesses - small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the business lingo - form the bedrock of any healthy economy. They provide jobs, economic growth, and opportunities for local communities. SMEs account for 99.9% of all businesses in the UK and employ 16.8 million people - a massive 61% of the total UK workforce in 2023. They offer local impact across a huge array of sectors, crucially providing employment in local communities, contributing to the vitality of towns and regions across the UK. They contribute significantly to the UK's economic output, with a combined annual turnover of £2.2 trillion, representing 52% of the total turnover of the private sector. They are often more agile and innovative than larger corporations, driving competition and introducing new products and services to the market, with the potential to scale up and become larger enterprises, further contributing to economic growth. Furthermore, they can be more resilient to economic downturns due to their close ties to local communities and their ability to adapt quickly to changing market conditions. Socially, they play a vital role in their local communities, supporting local initiatives and contributing to the social fabric of the area. Crucially, they can boost regional development by creating jobs and stimulate economic activity in areas that may be less attractive to larger companies.

As a long-standing trustee of a charity that supports young people to set up and grow their own businesses, seeing this market of great businesses with great ideas struggle to access cost effective support made me realise that there was a market that I might be able to serve.  The penny - or Sceat - finally dropped when I developed an approach to use my advisory skills to support this market in a sustainable and affordable way. Based in London, we support clients around the London and South-East area, with wider geographical coverage as required.

Arguably we all want to leave the world in a slightly better state than we found it, so focusing my skills and experiences on SMEs to help them on their growth journeys seems like my own small way to help do so. 

William Sceats, Founder