adding more potential to your business

www.vscgrowth.com.au

overcomechallenges

about us

PromiseVSC Growth will partner with you to grow the potential of your business. We offer experience with a more personal and practical approach that delivers enduring value.

VisionVSC Growth aims to be the preferred trusted advisors to medium and large businesses in the areas of strategy, organisational performance and leadership.

MissionWe will earn our preferred trusted advisor status through:

• Understanding our clients

• Personal service and considered advice

• Developing our network, experience and approach

• Focusing on creating enduring value

Managing a business presents challenges daily. Steve Coote, Director of VSC Growth, understands those challenges. With over 30 years operational experience, Steve appreciates business demands faced by senior executives. Steve founded VSC Growth Plus Pty Ltd in 2001. For a number of years Steve contracted his services almost exclusively to leading professional services consultancy Cardno (ASX:CDD). In his tenure at Cardno, Steve held various senior management roles, from leading business units and divisions to General Manager, Group Operations of the global group of 3000+ people. Following an association over 30 years with Cardno, Steve left in 2009 to focus on building his VSC Growth consultancy.

In his career Steve has participated in the merger and acquisition of more than 30 companies - from identification to due diligence to integration, he understands the process. Steve also offers direct experience in business planning and all corporate services (such as operational finance & budgeting, business systems, IT, marketing, HR and administration) functions. He has experience managing profitable businesses in good times, and the not so good.

Steve has a reputation for building strong professional relationships, analysing businesses and improving their performance - by building teams, setting goals and coaching managers.

Steve believes the success of VSC Growth will be judged by the success of its clients. His commitment to delivering solutions which match client needs and expectations is his business goal.

betterperformance

strategy businessIn today’s dynamic business environment having a well thought out business strategy is essential. Planning and implementing a successful strategy for the future mitigates risks and opens opportunities for growth and sustainableprofits.

At VSC Growth we help businesses produce strategies that increase potential. We help you clarify your goals, engage your key personnel, assess the current state, explore possibilities for the future, and identify boundaries. Our services can help you develop practical implementation plans that engender the commitment of the organisation and lead to improved bottom line results.

Should Mergers & Acquisitions form part of your growth strategy, VSC Growth can assist. We provide support services in the areas of M&A strategy, due diligence, and integration that are focused at increasing value.

Questions that you might be asking…

• What will my business look like five years from now?

• How will we grow in a dynamic economy?

• What impact will market changes and competition have on my business?

• Which are the most important actions I need to take to implement our strategy?

• Who in our business should I engage to help implement the strategy?

• How can I be confident that I will get positive returns from M&A?

organisational performance clientsSuccessful organisations enjoy the spoils of high performance because their teams are aligned, know exactly what they have to do, and have the necessary skills and resources to deliver. They also have the policies, processes, systems and controls that regularly deliver high quality services and products to clients.

VSC Growth’s experience in business operations can help you review and optimise your organisational capacity, capability, structure, and business practices or, more simply, your “readiness to achieve”. We establish performance systems which align with your strategy and encourage a healthy performance culture within your teams.

In business things don’t always go to plan and an under performing business unit or division can decimate companyprofitsandshareholderreturns.VSCGrowthhassignificantexperience in “turnaround” projects and will provide fresh insights that will make a positive difference. By developing client relationship strategies we can even help you turn your high maintenance/low profitclientsintochampionsofyourbusiness.

Questions that you might be asking…

• We want to grow, but do I have what we need to deliver?

• How can I get my leaders and teams working together better?

• How do I improve quality and client satisfaction?

• Can I reduce our costs without impacting on quality or service?

• Why can’t my direct reports sort out their unit’s problems?

• We are working hard but why aren’t we making more profit?

leadership resultsThe responsibilities and expectations of CEO’s and Senior Executives are constantly increasing in a business environment that is always presenting new challenges.

Continuously developing the health, breadth and depth of leadership within the business is paramount to growth and sustainable success.

VSC Growth can help your key people meet the challenges of today and transition with the business into the future.

We can provide support to all levels in your organisation in the form of practical “sounding board” advice to questionandexplorespecificissues,through to more structured mentoring programs. Our coaching programs include tailored personal growth plans that align with business objectives.

It is no surprise that Boards and Directors are also exposed to increasing responsibility and expectation. Access to VSC Growth’s operational experience can provide Boards with a valuable resource to contribute to governance and risk management.

Questions that you might be asking…

• How might I approach this current issue differently?

• I (or my reports) are not achieving the expected results, what can we do?

• Who will replace me, or my leaders, in the event of a departure?

• How do I help our key people and future leaders grow with the business?

• Our CEO says everything is under control but how can I be sure?

• How effective are our governance procedures?

services

guaranteedresults

Initial Conversation

Each engagement starts with an initial conversation. We want to get to know you and your business and begin toexplorehowwemightbeabletohelp.Wefindthatwhen we collaborate with clients, we can jointly develop a strategy to solve your problem. If VSC Growth can’t help, we will try and connect you with people who can.

Proposal

After the initial conversation, and once we have agreed to an overall approach, we will provide you with a formal proposal. The proposal will detail the goals, service type(s), delivery method, program and fees. We will discuss the proposal with you to ensure that it meets your requirements.

Engagement

VSC Growth will usually adopt the following methodology for an engagement:

Deeper Understanding - We have a natural instinct for engaging, questioning and investigating.

Open Collaboration - We respect experience and facilitate shared thinking and evaluation of solutions and risks.

Practical Action Plans - We plan actions, responsibilities,timeframesandbudgetstofityourrequirements and participants’ capacities.

Effective Implementation - We coach and mentor participants, remove road blocks, and encourage timely and effective action.

Monitoring & Review - We report on progress and agree with you any adjustments needed to achieve your goals.

Evaluation

Ultimately, achieving tangible results for you, on time and within budget, is our objective. We will review the success of the engagement with you. If something needs to be done to complete the engagement we will work with you to address you concerns. Our guarantee is that if we haven’t delivered on our promises we don’t expect you to pay us.

At VSC Growth we pride ourselves on successful

strategies and proven methodologies. We thrive

on challenge and draw upon our skills to help

clients grow their business in line with long term

objectives, leveraging opportunities while

effectively managing risks.

Change can be seen as a challenge for many

leaders, the true challenge however, is not simply managing change, but

successfully motivating and leading others.

VSC Growth offers tailored consulting solutions that

help you to think, plan, perform and achieve

results that deliver growth.

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sustainableoutcomes

“Steve Coote worked for Cardno over a period of 30 years.”- Managing Director Cardno Limited

(ASX:CDD)

I worked with Steve from 1997 when I joined Cardno as Managing Director, and was involved with his progression from being a senior engineer, through a business unit manager, division manager, to General Manager of Group Operations.

Steve’s approach to management was at all times thoughtful, consultative, and strategic.

Steve was heavily involved in assisting me to develop Cardno’s Strategic Plan for 2005 to 2010 including midterm updates and was a key participant in our merger & acquisition integrations.

Stevealsocontributedtospecificareasof the Cardno group that required change including increasing the service focus andfinancialperformanceofpartsofthebusiness.

He was a highly trusted advisor to me as Managing Director, and also showed a great skill in pulling teams together including teams from new merger partner’s organisations.

Overall Steve Coote made a strong contribution to Cardno over a long period of time and was highly regarded in our company. Andrew BuckleyManaging DirectorCardno Limited (ASX:CDD)

“Steve was able to establish personal relationships with the owners and gain a thorough understanding of TBE’s people and processes for his cultural and technical assessment.”- President Cardno USA (ASX:CDD)

Steve and I enjoyed working closely together on strategy, M&A, and business operations over a seven year period with ASX Listed Cardno. In my current capacity as President of Cardno USA, I have been charged with the challenge of growing and managing Cardno’s entry into the North America market.

To assist me with this expansion, Steve provided M&A due diligence, M&A integration, and business operations assistance. As a member of Cardno’s due diligence team for the acquisition of the Floridaheadquartered,450personfirmTBE, Steve was able to establish personal relationships with the owners and gain a thorough understanding of TBE’s people and processes for his cultural and technical assessment. Steve also oversaw the Cardno corporate inputs into all of our North American M&A implementations and chaired the integration committees for merger partners EMG, WRG, and TBE.

While over-seeing transition and change programs, Steve demonstrated a capacity for engendering trust and respect from our new partners. Steve in his capacity as GM Group Operations, helped with monitoring the ongoing health and performance of all our business operations in North America and UAE.

When required to question or challenge our approach, Steve did so with a healthy balance of support, diplomacy, and tenacity - with the aim of helping us deliver positive and sustainable commercial outcomes.

Michael RenshawPresident Cardno USA (ASX:CDD)

“Steve is armed with a vision of what can be achieved. He provides a path for successful and sustainable outcomes” - Brown Consulting

Steve Coote commenced working with Brown Consulting to undertake a high levelprojectdesignroleinconfiguringa prospective Enterprise System to suit current and/or desired business processes, which included (among other things) a detailed project implementation strategy. Early in the project it became apparent that Steve could offer much more to the project and the scope was extended to consider the strategic aspects of future project and business performance management. Through a series of high level meetings andworkshops,Stevefirstlygainedasolid understanding of the nature of Brown Consulting’s current environment and plans for the future, then reviewed the systems and processes currently in place. From that he determined the resources and capacity gaps in implementing prospective changes in the context of the internal and external risks that may have an impact. Steve’s knowledge provided a valuable insight and contribution in preparing and planning for the risks of such a major organisational change initiative. His experience in mergers and acquisitions and the challenges facing the effective use and integration of systems to achieve a competitive advantage were vital in establishing a robust business case. Steve can work at all levels in the organisation and gained the respect of both board members and line managers throughout his involvement. His professional approach encourages open discussion, constructive debate and a high level of commitment and participation. He has perhaps seen the best and worse of enterprise systems in his diverse roles and armed with a vision of what can be achieved, he provides a path for successful and sustainable outcomes. I would be pleased to recommend Steve for any similar or related project where his senior leadership capabilities together with his extensive operational experience and practical approach would ensure a successful outcome

Shane Fracchia Chief Operating Officer, Brown Consulting

“Steve helped us quickly negotiate a 35% price increase with our major client, and this has immediately increased ouroverallprofitabilityby a third” - Sandra Nanka

My partner and I engaged the services of Steve Coote from VSC Growth to help improve our business performance. We were in a business that we loved, but we were working too hard and not getting the returns we were looking for.

After our initial interview, Steve undertook a complete audit of our current business operationsandfinancialperformance.Wewere hesitant of being told what we were doing wrong, we knew our business and we alsoknewourprofitswerenotgreat.ButSteve’s approach was a pleasant surprise!

Whiletheauditidentifiedthingsthatneededtobefixed,Stevehadundertakensomeadditional market research. He showed us the high value of our brand as a leader in the marketplace and he encouraged us to recognise the level of skills already available in our organisation that we were underselling.

Over the following months we jointly reviewed our business strategy including new opportunities and agreed on an implementation plan. Initially we had a lot to do, but during our monthly meetings Steve has helped us focus on actions that wouldhavethegreatestimpactfirst.Infact,Steve helped us quickly negotiate a 35% price increase with our major client, and this has immediately increased our overall profitabilitybyathird.

We have more to do but thanks to Steve's positive coaching approach, and continued support through follow up meetings, we feel moreconfidentaboutourabilitytocontrolthe direction of our business going forward.

Sandra NankaPartner, Mudbrick Cottage Herb Farm

testimonials

maximiseyour potential

Not sure where to start?

Call us for a confidential no obligation discussion and see how we can help maximise your potential.

Steve Coote, Director Phone +61 412 148 428 info@vscgrowth.com.au

info@vscgrowth.com.auwww.vscgrowth.com.au