Crystal Light

COMMERCIAL, OPERATIONAL & CULTURAL CONSULTANCY.

Crystal Light works with start-ups, SMEs and large organisations in sport, fitness and health to design, initiate and deliver mission-critical growth.

Providing a hyper-tailored consultancy service in response to a wide range of client needs that includes brand positioning core, growth architecture, go-to-market planning, new product development & launch, and supply chain development.

My approach champions clarity of vision, simplicity of strategy and agility in execution, and is born of my own extensive experience leading high-growth businesses.

Guided Wattbike through a decade of growth. From a niche product to a globally recognised brand, driving awareness and growth across D2C and B2B channels.

Supporting and advising Four Five to accelerate sustainable growth in a new and fast paced market.

Supporting the business from its kickstarter launch to full production launch. Accelerating growth whilst ensuring this was sustainable for a new brand in a new vertical.

TG had a strategic focus on entering and growing new vertical markets. Built and executed strategic plans for new vertical market in health, consumer, hospitality, corporate and medical markets.

Proposition

Growth Architecture

Whether you are trying to bring a new product or service to the market, evolving your existing range or need to overhaul your range architecture, Crystal Light can work at each and every stage to ensure you create, position and launch your product or service in the most effective way, in the most optimal markets.

New Product Development & Launch Go-to-Market Planning

Crystal Light takes you on a journey to gain a deeper knowledge of your strategy in order to defend and grow market share so that you out manoeuvre and stay ahead of your competitors; making sure the pillars are in place to achieve growth, knowing who you customers are, ‘why’ they care, where to invest, when not to, building the growth engine and cross-functional working.

Supply Chain Development

The best products deserve the best partners, providing the best quality, on time and at the right cost. Crystal Light can help ensure this is a smooth, long and successful partnership

Services

Strategic Development and Execution - Vision, mission, brand, growth, and operational strategies

Product Innovation, Architecture and Development - Idea generation, selection and development, product strategy, and positioning

Product Launches - Start-up, new audiences, new regions, new vertical markets, and strategy

Market Launches - Market insights, strategy, partnerships, planning, and execution

Customer Segmentation - Commercialising data, priority markets, and personas

Go-to-Market Planning - Customer, marketing, channel selection (D2C, B2C, B2B), sales, growth engine, and strategic partnerships

Growth Engine - Accelerating growth, brand marketing, performance marketing funnel, cross-functional working, measurement (KPIs), and evaluation (OKRs)

Sourcing, Manufacturing and Supply Chain - Sourcing, QA, S&OP, and management

Fund Raise and Exit Planning - Structuring, reporting, connecting, and sale process preparation

My Approach

By spending time discussing and aligning on a clear understanding of your mission and objectives we can define what success looks like and how to achieve it. This allows us to determine and align on the best strategies required to achieve success, and the tactics to deliver the strategy. Finally, by continuous evaluation, measurement and adaptation we can deliver a winning plan.

Testimonials

Ian Wilson - Wattbike Founder

" I’ve worked with Rich since December 2011. He initially set-up our commercial business, moving on to Commercial Director, and becoming CEO in 2018, overseeing the growth of our key markets in the UK and our ever-expanding worldwide markets, now in 25 countries across commercial and consumer markets.

Rich led the company from B2B to D2C by driving the development from the drawing board to the finished product of our award-winning Atom smart bike, the world’s first complete smart bike.

Alongside this was the development of the Hub App, as well as working with and managing our manufacturing partners in the Far East.

Key to the growth was the ability to create a strategic plan the team could implement, manage the growth and development of a ever-expanding team, develop relationships with new markets and our distribution partners, overseeing the product launches and working with our developers was critical to our success".

George Kruis - fourfive Co-Founder

“As co-founder of wellness company fourfive and having retired from full time professional rugby 1 year ago my main focus has been on fast tracking my learning in the business world. Rich has been a constant and a reliable sounding board for a wide range of different areas giving relatable and actionable advice which he then follows up on. He consistently goes above and beyond and is one of the rare ones that actually over delivers. He has a deep level of experience and it would be hard to find someone in his extensive network that speaks poorly of him”.

Nick Broadbent - Tailfin Founder

“Rich is has been a trusted Tailfin advisor for many years. Seasoned in the cycling industry, he has helped us navigate many tricky situations including raising investment, finance, hires, brand decisions, and strategy. His eagerness to help, broad experience and positive attitude are a winning combination that make him a pleasure to work with”.

How We Work..

Vision & Scope

Understand your vision, goals and needs. Map the scope of work and key stakeholders. Define the priorities that will drive progress

Mission, Objectives & Team

Engage and align the team. Agree critical outcomes, outputs and measurement criteria. Ensure all work is aligned with core business objectives, timings and work in progress

Strategy, Tactics & Process

Write macro strategy and tactics and how this flows through the micro process. Ensure all the growth and enabler pillars are in position in order to enable accelerated growth

Execute & Measure

Action agile workflow. Combine cross-functional working and include opportunities to review progress and process

About

Rich has 20+ years of operating and leading Sports, Fitness and Health businesses across D2C, B2C and B2B channels.

He has vast experience in taking both digital and hardware products to market, having led digital and hardware product innovation and launches, brand and marketing growth, as well domestic and international B2B sales growth.

With a customer, brand and product-first approach, Rich is entrepreneurial, thriving in the development of performance structures with a commercial approach. This is supported with a strong operational background in manufacturing, supply and distribution.

Principles

Clarity of Vision

Be wide-eyed and crystal clear on the vision that defines all action.

Simplicity of Strategy

Be bold in the pursuit of a plan that accelerates forward by stripping back.

Agility in Execution

Be alert to change and open to redraw the path in response to new challenges and opportunities.

We would love to work with you, so please get in touch.

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All the best,

Crystal Light Team

The Origin of Crystal Light

I was lucky to have my formative years in North Devon where the sea played a big part in shaping my life, surfing being a big part in that. Riding the waves allows a freedom that most don’t get to experience, especially at such a young age. My friends and I were given good tuition that unlocked our freedom to explore. Through surfing across the seasons, we learned about strategy, safety, energy management and how to adapt to the immediate surfing environment on any given day. Our surfing lives were about optimising the opportunity for personal and performance growth.

There was a legendary local surfer in my village who helped shape my childhood. His guidance stuck with me, and I draw on it to this day. He was one of the original UK surfers and formed boards in a small shop - it felt like a shack. His face, hair and physique had been moulded and gnarled by the sea. He had wisdom and an air of calm. He had a clear vision for his life and for the boards he formed. His strategy on life and business were simple and effective, and he was agile as he adapted to the growth in surfing in the UK, as well as the demands that laid on him and his business.

My appreciation for his inspiring ways grew with the further experiences I had in my life and work. From personal projects and growing businesses through to complex and dynamic situations, I have always returned to and reinforced those principles - clarity of vision, simplicity of strategy, and agility in execution.

There was a sticker on each of the surfboards my early mentor crafted with such passion and precision. Two words in primitive lettering: Crystal Light.