The Six Pillars method
Every business stands on six pillars. When growth stalls, one of them has usually started to shake and is putting pressure on the rest. Six Pillars reviews all six one by one so we first see where the problem really is — then decide what to do, and in what order.
The six pillars, with their sub-topics
1. Position & direction — strategy and choices (where we play, what we say no to), differentiation and place in the market's mind.
2. Offer, price & value — service bundles, pricing, service mix, and new services or products.
3. Market & demand — market size, competitors and substitutes, access channels, trends and regulation.
4. Marketing & sales — brand and message, funnel and conversion, sales skill, customer experience, repeat, referral and retention.
5. Finance & profitability — margin per service, unit economics, cash, revenue concentration and risk.
6. Organisation, team & execution — skill, motivation and incentives, capacity, process and quality, data and dashboard, owner dependency and decision speed.
The two laws this method stands on
One: a business performs at the level of its weakest pillar — so more advertising on a healthy pillar is only cost.
Two: the problem is not always where you feel the pain.
What is in scope and what is not
In scope: infrastructure decisions and tools — website and booking, CRM and follow-up, dashboard and data, capacity and equipment; each can be the bottleneck.
Out of scope: accounting and tax, legal and contracts, recruitment, and the technical build of infrastructure (code, servers and networks, day-to-day support). Those are specialist execution tasks, handled with the right expert when needed.
What the review produces
- The three main bottlenecks, each with its financial impact
- Three development opportunities, in priority order
- A 90-day action map
Frequently asked questions
How long does the review take?
Depending on the size of the business, usually one to three working sessions plus a few days of data review.
What is needed from me?
Access to sales and cost information, knowledge of the team, and an honest conversation with the owner or manager.
Which businesses is it for?
Any growing business — from service businesses and brands to small and medium companies. The method is not tied to one industry: the six pillars are the same in every field.