UK businesses face a transformation paradox. Bold ambition and patchy execution are leading to costly consequences.New Blog Post
At She Sparks, we're seeing a recurring challenge, particularly in fast-scaling businesses. It's the issue of being 'almost' right.
Often it's not about the glaring issues like a faulty product or a failing go-to-market strategy. It's the underlying issue that lot's of things are 'almost' right!
Almost having the right sales structure
Almost implementing a consistent onboarding plan
Almost appointing the right leaders to drive momentum
Almost aligned with what your customers actually need...but not quite
This 'almost' approach may have a few minor issues, but can lead to a costly misalignment of your business. Recent studies show that the average digital transformation project costs approximately $10.9m, yet 37% of these initiatives fail to achieve the intended outcomes.
Moreover, a Deloitte survey found that a staggering 82% of companies fell short of their cost reduction targets in 2024, up from 72% in 2023. This highlights the, often hidden, financial strain of ineffective transformation.
In the UK, the pressure is most definitely on. National Insurance contributions are rising, operational costs are hiking up, and business are under tremendous pressure and financial strain. A survey indicated that 1 in 4 UK companies don't have a plan to address these escalating costs, and 43% are uncertain about sustaining business growth.
So the message is clear, in today's climate 'almost' is not good enough. Businesses need to move beyond partial solutions and commit to well-executed transformation strategies in order to thrive.
When growth outpaces foundations
We've worked with businesses that are scaling rapidly (often through acquisition), with huge ambition. But once a deal has landed, the gaps become clear. New teams join with different ways of working. Playbooks are outdated or non-existent. Leadership styles vary. Both sales and operations are left to interpret what good looks like, often with little clarity on how to truly deliver value - to the business and to the client. So instead of cohesion, you get complexity. Instead of confident growth you get friction.
The people behind the process
One of the biggest blockers to successful transformation is trying to do it 'side of desk'. Too often we see transformation or change becoming a second job, squeezed between BAU and firefighting. The result is fragmented change. A new tool here, a comms plan there, some leadership workshops...nothing truly embeds though.
This is why partnering well really matters. Not just for strategy, but for the sleeves rolled up delivery to make change stick. You need people who can get under the skin of your business, understand your customer context, and co-design solutions that are real and proven.
Re-alignment starts outside-in
The businesses getting it right are the ones transforming not just for internal efficiency, but in line with what their customers actually need. They're not just looking to streamline, they're asking:
How do we show up differently to our clients, now and as their needs evolve?
These businesses are building from a clear purpose. They are investing in their people, and they're aligning their operations with their customers' future.
If you're scaling and something doesn't feel right, even though nothing is technically broken, it might be time to engage some outside-in perspective. Don't be in the 'almost' camp, it's an expensive place to be!
Book some time in with us for an outside-in perspective.
#SheSparks #EmbeddingTransformation #EmbeddingChange #ScalableGrowth
