First-time operators
You've opened the doors, or you're about to. We help you put the right foundations in place early, so growth doesn't mean firefighting.
Advisory, mentoring & investment for B2C operators
Write the manual before you need it.
Practical, face-to-face guidance, and the option of investment, for first-time founders, growing operators and brands taking their first steps towards franchising.
01
For operators building something that needs to last.
We work with consumer-facing businesses at the moments that matter most: getting started, getting bigger, and getting ready for others to run what you've built.
Ready to expand
One site works. Now you're thinking about the second or third. We help you work out what has to be true before you commit.
Emerging franchise brands
You're starting to wonder whether others could run your model. We help you test that thinking well before the journey to franchising begins.
02
Three ways to work together.
Every engagement starts with a conversation about where your business is and where you want it to go.
Advisory
Focused support on the decisions in front of you, from operations and people to readiness for expansion. Clear thinking, honest views and practical next steps.
Mentoring
An experienced sounding board over time. Someone in your corner who has seen what works, what doesn't, and what usually gets missed.
Investment
For businesses we're already working with, the option of investment alongside our support. Backing what we believe in, with our own money as well as our time.
How investment works
Advice first. Investment alongside it, never instead of it.
- Only where we're already involved. Investment is available exclusively to businesses we're actively mentoring or advising. It grows out of a working relationship, not a pitch.
- Proportionate to your business. The size of any investment reflects the size and stage of your business at the time, so it fits where you are.
- No executive seat. You stay in charge. Our role remains mentoring, advice and consultancy: practical support, real examples from experience, and introductions to the right people.
03
A word from the founder.
Video coming soon
Charlie Thompson
I was one of the founders of The Massage Company, launched in 2016, and as Managing Director I helped grow it into a multi-award-winning franchise network built on a membership model, creating jobs for more than 200 specialists, before selling it in 2025.
Before that I ran large-scale operations at Virgin Active and QHotels, chaired the UK Spa Association, and since 2010 I've advised health, leisure and wellness businesses across Europe through CTC International.
So I've seen both sides: building something from a single site, and running it at scale. That's what I bring to every conversation.
04
What we stand for.
Advice is easier to find than ever. Advice you can trust is not. We believe the best guidance still happens across a table.
Trust
We'll tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear, and we'll do it in person wherever we can. Everything we do is built on relationships, not transactions.
Relevance
No templates and no theory for its own sake. Our advice fits your business, your stage and your sector, and it's grounded in how B2C operations really run.
05
Let's talk about your next chapter.
Whether you're just starting or already planning your next site, we'd like to hear from you. Get in touch however suits you best.
- Emailletsgo@theoperationsmanual.co.uk
- Telephone+44 7974 834790