Explore Our Courses And
Resources To Enhance Your Skills And Knowledge.
Guides
Practical, student-built playbooks for real-world problems.
Step 1: Find the Real Problem (Not Just the Loudest One)
Before you open Excel or PowerPoint, work out the true issue.
Clients usually shout about symptoms, not causes.
How to do it
1.Don’t stop at “profits are down”. Keep asking why.
2.Use the 5 Whys to drill to root cause.
3.Sketch a Fishbone Diagram to group causes (people, processes, systems…).
4.Prioritise by impact; ignore minor or out-of-scope noise.
Example:
Sales are down.
Fewer repeat customers
Long queues and new checkout machines
Self-checkouts are slow and glitchy
Root cause: Poor checkout tech is damaging customer retention.
Step 2: Make a Smart Guess Early (Hypotheses 101)
Don’t wait for perfect data. Great case-solvers form an educated
guess—a hypothesis—then test it quickly and iteratively.
How to do it
1. Craft a statement: “I believe [Problem X] happens because of [Cause Y].”
2. Break that into mini-questions and test each one:
• Is Cause Y actually occurring?
• Is it large enough to explain the whole issue?
• If yes, what change would fix it?
3. Pull whatever evidence you can—interviews, quick charts, reports—and pressure-test your assumption.
Example:
Hypothesis: “Sales dropped because delivery times got slower.”
Check delivery records, Net Promoter Scores, and competitor benchmarks.
Confirm—or disprove—the hypothesis with logic and supporting data.
Outcome: Hypothesis either validated (slower deliveries hurt sales) or rejected, guiding you to the next root-cause candidate.
Step 3: Financial Analysis Without Fear
You don’t need to be a finance major to run effective financial analysis.
It’s about understanding how the business makes and loses money and being
able to model that in a simple, structured way.
My personal experience: Arez and myself (James) are computing and business
students respectively. Before business cases, I thought financial analysis
was a daunting task with its large numbers and complex formulas, but we’re
here to break this down for you. Read below!
What to look at:
• Revenue and cost breakdowns (by product, region, or customer segment).
• Margins:
o Gross Margin = (Revenue – COGS) / Revenue
o Net Margin = Net Profit / Revenue
• Growth trends in revenue and expenses.
• Valuation basics:
o P/E Ratios
o EV/EBITDA
o Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) estimates
Tip:
Use colour-coded Excel sheets to model best-case, base-case, and worst-case scenarios.
• Practice timed cases, start with a small one hour long case, then three hour long cases, etc. This is excellent practice for business cases and is utilised by many business schools and consultants.
• Get used to making assumptions without full data; companies are paying you to tackle their problems. You are expected to critically think about the problem.
• Use our walkthroughs and mock exercises to simulate interview-style cases
Use Strategy Frameworks - Do not force fit them if they do not feel right
o Understand how companies deliver and capture value
Risk & Mitigation Strategy
• Score risks based on likelihood and impact
• Use colour-coded matrices (Red = critical, Yellow = monitor, Green = low concern) - Ask: “How likely is this risk, and what would the impact be if it occurred?”
• Use a risk matrix
• Build risk thinking into your recommendations and executive summaries
• Anticipate, Don’t React
• Think: “What could go wrong, and what would that mean?”
• Encourage foresight: risks are not just worst-case scenarios, they are any factor that could reduce value or derail the plan.
• Clear structure with placeholders for each section
• Built-in KPI formulas and formatting aligned with consulting-style outputs
Bonus: Fit your presentation around the origin country of the company
• Using their currency denomination, £ or $ – it helps to keep the presentation coherent
• Use their culture to your advantage; if you are talking about customers, then use common names from that country. Or if you are advising a food company, then analyse local food trends to synergise your information.
• Bonus tip: I was once told when presenting to European companies to cut any theatrics out of my style and keep it strictly business. However, across the Atlantic, Americans prefer a more informal, upbeat presentation with a bit more theatrics and story-telling.
Practice Case Examples
Case Study: Retail Chain Expansion
A fashion retailer is exploring expansion into Eastern Europe but is unsure if the move is financially viable.
This case is recommended to take about one hour to complete, if you feel confident with this then it is recommended to try the 3 hour one.
Retail Chain Expansion – Steps 1 to 5
• Step 1: Real Problem → Uncertainty about profitability due to rising setup and logistics costs.
• Step 2: Hypothesis → “Expansion is viable if setup costs stay under £300K and local demand is sufficient.”
• Step 3: Financial Model:
- Setup Cost per Store: £250K
- Forecasted Sales: £1.1M/year
- COGS: 55%
- Overheads: £200K
- Estimated Net Margin: ~10%
• Step 4: Recommendations:
- Pilot 5 stores in major cities
- Partner with local logistics companies
- Tailor product lines to local tastes and pricing sensitivity
• Step 5: Risk & Mitigation:
- Risk: Brand unfamiliarity → Solution: Collaborate with local influencers
- Risk: Currency fluctuations → Solution: Use hedging instruments
Step 6: Executive Summary
See downloadable template for structured write-up:
Case Study: EcoGo Electric Scooters – Strategic Expansion Dilemma
Client Background
EcoGo is a fast-growing UK-based company producing electric scooters aimed at urban commuters aged 18–35. Founded in 2018, EcoGo quickly built its reputation on sustainable design, superior battery life, and strong brand presence driven by digital marketing and influencer partnerships.
EcoGo scooters retail between £600 and £1,200 and hold about 20% of the UK market. The company has annual revenues of £18 million and maintains a healthy net profit margin of approximately 12%. The market for electric scooters is expanding rapidly, driven by sustainability trends, high urban traffic congestion, and the cost-of-living crisis pushing consumers toward cheaper transport.
Current Situation
EcoGo has saturated its initial UK market segments and is facing increased competition from established brands (e.g., Xiaomi, Ninebot by Segway) and new innovative startups entering the market with cheaper products.
The management team is considering two major strategic options:
1. International Expansion into Germany or France:
• Germany is environmentally conscious with strong public transport infrastructure but restrictive regulations on scooter use.
• France has fewer regulatory barriers, high consumer acceptance, but intense competition from established players (Lime, Tier).
2. Product Line Diversification:
• Launch a budget scooter model priced under £500, aimed at university students and younger demographics.
• Develop a premium scooter priced at £1,500+, with enhanced features (GPS tracking, anti-theft tech, superior battery), targeting the luxury consumer segment.
The board requires a clear recommendation backed by market analysis, financial evaluation, strategic fit assessment, and a comprehensive risk analysis.
Your Task (3-Hour Case) – Steps 1 to 3
• Step 1: Define the Core Problem (Suggested Time: 20 mins)
– Clearly state the primary strategic issue facing EcoGo.
– Summarise your analysis, recommendation, and risk mitigation clearly and persuasively in a concise one-page executive summary.
Case Study: SustainTech – Deciding the Future of Sustainable Construction
Company Background
SustainTech is a UK-based construction-technology firm founded in 2005, specialising in solar-integrated roofing, eco-friendly insulation, and smart energy-management systems.
The company generates £50 million in annual revenue, holds ~15 % UK market share, and enjoys a net margin of ~15 %. Core clients are residential developers, commercial RE firms, and government sustainability projects.
Current Situation & Strategic Challenge
Growth has slowed as global giants (Saint-Gobain, LafargeHolcim, Siemens) flood the sustainable-build space. SustainTech’s board has surfaced three strategic pathways:
