Management Accounting
Design firm, $700K annual turnover
Before
3 of 7 projects loss-making, cause unknown
After
Management accounting implemented, rates recalculated, labour costs standardised
+21 pp
margin improvement in 3 months
Strategic Advisor
Strategic advisor for development and construction
Strategy. Results. Growth.
Strategic advisor with hands-on international experience in establishing and managing design, development, and engineering firms in Russia, UAE, Germany, and the United Kingdom
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0
countries: Russia, UAE, Germany, UK
0+
companies strengthened
from scratch
companies built abroad
on-site
advisory at your location
Common Challenges
Does this sound familiar?
Most leaders of design and engineering firms face the same systemic issues
01
No management reporting
The director sees total revenue but not per-project profitability. Decisions are based on intuition, not data. A design firm with $700K annual turnover may not realise that three of its seven projects are loss-making.
Consequence: Revenue exists, but profit does not. Resources are funnelled into unprofitable work.
02
Dependence on key personnel
All client relationships and project expertise rest with one or two individuals. If a single employee leaves, the company loses clients, projects, and reputation.
Consequence: The company cannot scale or be sold. The director is held hostage by key staff.
03
Labour cost chaos
Staff are constantly busy yet there is never enough money at month-end. Labour norms are broken, overtime is untracked, and hourly rates have never been revised.
Consequence: Every new project is a gamble. The team is overworked, morale drops, and clients are dissatisfied with timelines.
04
Growth without structure
More projects, more people, more disorder. The director is drawn deeper into day-to-day operations and has no time for strategic thinking.
Consequence: When revenue doubles, profit stays flat or falls. The company grows in volume but not in value.
Positioning
Industry expertise for scaling your business
An advisor with deep, first-hand knowledge of the design, development, and construction business. End-to-end support from concept to first contract, with on-site availability.
Deep industry knowledge
Progressed through every career stage — from design engineer to director of a project division. Understands project business economics from the inside: profitability, labour norms, pricing, tenders. Not theory — hands-on operational management experience.
Advisor position
I work as an advisor to the CEO of a design firm, not as a guest lecturer or methodologist. Major consulting firms do not work individually with design and development organisations.
Insider understanding
Fluent in the language of project managers, chief architects, developers, and contractors. The specifics of design and construction business — from project profitability to subcontractor management. All first-hand.
Services
Comprehensive expertise: one does the work of five
Operations, finance, organisational structure, sales, and strategy — all in one
Company Launch from Scratch
Full cycle of starting a design, engineering, or development company: from business plan and legal structure to first contracts. In Russia and abroad.
Operational Management
Building processes from brief receipt to documentation delivery. Eliminating bottlenecks that delay projects and erode margins.
Financial & Management Reporting
Per-project P&L, cash flow, management balance sheet. A clear picture: where you earn, where you lose — in a single dashboard.
Organisational Structure & Governance
Reducing dependence on key personnel. Accountability mapping, KPIs, staff retention and development systems.
Sales & Commercial Systems
From ad-hoc order taking to systematic sales with a predictable pipeline. Pricing, tenders, commercial operations.
International Expansion
Establishing and launching design, development, and construction companies in the UAE, Germany, and the UK. Entity registration, partner sourcing, client acquisition. Personal travel and on-site support.
Axis Platform
A product owned by Axis Consult
A management platform for design bureaus: portfolio, schedules, budgets, documents and approvals in one system.
Portfolio and schedule
Every project and a Gantt chart with baseline.
Finance
Budget, plan and actual, cash flow, margin per project.
Documents and approvals
Versions, lifecycle, approver roles, decision log.
Tasks and notifications
Assignments with deadlines and alerts in the internal inbox.
Axis Consult is the developer and owner of Axis Platform. Our consulting experience in development and design is built into the product.
Developed in Russia, data hosted in Russia.
Go to axisplatform.ruExpert
Artem Salikov
Managing Partner, Axis Consult
CEO / COO, 15+ years of experience
Progressed through every career stage — from design engineer to director of a project division. Personally involved in launching businesses in four countries: Russia, the UAE, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Portfolio includes managing development projects for Family Offices.
Delivered over 15 large-scale projects totalling more than 5.5 million sq.m, managing an asset portfolio exceeding $180 million. Revenue growth from zero to $2.7 million and to $1.6 million. Built teams from 6 to 120 people.
Specialisation: scaling design and development companies, operational management, strategy, financial turnaround, and on-site client advisory.
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countries of presence
0+
major projects
0.5M sq.m
total area
0M USD
asset portfolio
For Whom
If this resonates, we should talk
Who you are
A director of a design firm, architectural practice, development, or engineering company. Perhaps you are already thinking about systematising your business or entering new markets. Revenue $350K–$6M per year, 10–200 employees.
Your pain points
- Projects run at a loss and you cannot pinpoint why
- If a key employee leaves, everything collapses
- You cannot take a holiday — every decision runs through you
- No sales system — you accept any order at any price
- Decisions based on gut feel, no management reporting
- Regulatory reviews undermine the financial model
Your vision
- Enter the international market with a clear roadmap
- Your own company abroad with signed contracts
- Every project delivers measurable profit
- The company does not depend on one or two individuals
- You focus on strategy, not specification approvals
How the process works
A transparent journey from first contact to documented results
01
Free 30-minute conversation
We analyse your situation, identify key pressure points, and assess how Axis Consult can help.
02
AXIS Diagnostics in 5 business days
Full analysis: financial model, organisational structure, sales system, key risks. The result — a written report with specific growth opportunities.
03
90-day growth strategy
A prioritised action plan with concrete metrics, not abstract recommendations.
04
Weekly advisory support
1–2 hour sessions, ongoing messenger access. We solve real problems, not prepare slide decks.
05
KPI-based results
Goals are documented in the agreement, measurable and verifiable. This is accountability for outcomes.
Case Studies
Client results
Tangible changes in design and engineering companies
Organisational Structure
Architectural practice, 12 employees
Before
All key client relationships with a single chief architect
After
Organisational structure built with 3 project managers, deputy prepared
0 clients
lost after the chief architect's departure
International Expansion
Engineering company: UAE market entry
Before
No understanding of the market, legal structure, or entry channels
After
Free Zone entity registered, 2 developer partnerships established
5 months
from decision to first contract
Testimonials
Trusted by our partners
Letters of appreciation from clients
Thank you and the Axis team for the work delivered. I commend the professional discipline, careful immersion in the industry context, and respect for deadlines. Results: targeted introductions organised, new collaboration channels opened, the contact base significantly expanded and structured.
D.A. Suprun
Chief Executive Officer
SU 37 LLC
Construction Management
I extend my appreciation for the detailed review of our processes and high-quality diagnostics. The Axis team demonstrated a high level of expertise: from interviewing key departments to metric verification. We highly value the personalised approach and the ability to find non-standard solutions in complex situations.
S.N. Suvorov
Managing Director, Northwestern Region
Spectrum Holding Group
Engineering, Design, Construction
From the first days of our engagement it was clear that this is not merely a professional but a reliable partner. Deep knowledge in business strategy and analytics revealed new opportunities and improved existing processes. Revenue growth of 24.5% in 4 months, client receipts increased by 95%.
S.A. Ostroukh
Chief Executive Officer
IMAGO LLC
Architectural Practice
Expertise in Numbers
Measurable specialisation
0+
companies transformed
0
focus areas: operations, finance, sales
0M+ RUB
average client revenue
0
days to first measurable results
Industry depth + cross-functional competencies
Axis Consult combines deep, insider knowledge of the design, development, and construction business with a senior-level management perspective. An MBA background enables the transition from narrow industry expertise to the level of operational control, financial recovery, and systematic business scaling.
Narrow specialisation combined with functional competencies in finance, strategy, and management allows seeing the full picture — from the profitability of a single project to the architecture of the entire company. The result: concrete numbers within 90 days.
Core competencies
- Establishing design and development firms abroad (UAE, Germany, UK)
- International expansion: registration, partnerships, first contracts
- On-site advisory at the client's location
- Management accounting in design business (per-project P&L)
- Labour cost standardisation for project and chief engineers
- Organisational structure: from functional to project matrix
- Financial planning and tender pricing systems
- Commercial systems and proactive sales
Engagement Models
Three tiers of partnership
Each tier delivers a specific result, documented in the agreement
Diagnostics
$5,000
one-off session, 5 business days
In-depth review of a key management or financial challenge. Deliverable: a concrete action plan with priorities and timelines for 90 days.
- Project economics analysis
- Organisational structure audit
- Operational processes review
- Commercial operations review
- Strategy session + 90-day roadmap
Core
Mentorship Retainer
from $7,500
per month, minimum 3 months
Ongoing advisory for the CEO: operational management, finance, team, organisational structure. Fixed goals and metrics documented in the agreement.
- 4 strategy sessions per month
- Unlimited messenger access
- Monthly financial review
- Quarterly strategy revision
- Fixed outcomes, not billable hours
Turnkey Project
from $25,000
comprehensive project, 3–6 months
Complete build-out of a company or business unit: organisational structure, processes, financial model, management reporting.
- Full organisational structure from scratch
- Financial model and reporting
- Sales system and pipeline
- Or: UAE market entry
- 3-month post-completion support
Refund
Refund under the terms of the public offer if the diagnostics identify no profit growth opportunities.
Refund terms in the offerPaid service
AXIS Diagnostics: 5 days, 1 growth strategy
A comprehensive business review of your design / engineering company with a concrete 90-day action plan
What is included (10 hours of work):
- Project economics analysis: profitability, labour costs, where money is lost
- Organisational structure audit: key-person dependency, accountability gaps, bottlenecks
- Operational processes: from brief receipt to documentation delivery
- Commercial operations: client acquisition, pricing, unprofitable orders
- Strategy session with a prioritised 90-day roadmap
What you receive:
- TOP 5 profit leakage points with figures
- Prioritised 90-day plan
- Management reporting template for a design firm
- Project profitability calculation model (Excel)
- Follow-up call at 30 days, complimentary
$5,000
Fixed fee. Timeframe: 5 business days.
Contact
Let us discuss your situation
A free 30-minute conversation. We will show you 2–3 specific areas where your design firm loses profit
8 (495) 151 41 35Frequently asked questions
Yes. Most of our clients are organisations with 5 to 80 employees. It is precisely at this scale where companies most often lack a management system, management accounting, and a second tier of leadership. These are solvable challenges.
Over 5 business days: analysis of financial flows and project profitability, organisational structure and accountability mapping, sales system and client management. The deliverable — a written report with specific growth points and a 90-day plan.
Weekly working sessions of 1–2 hours, ongoing messenger access for urgent matters. Concrete goals and metrics are fixed in the agreement. Work proceeds on priority tasks — operational management, finance, organisational structure, sales — depending on the situation.
No. We work across Russia in an online format, as well as with companies in the UAE and CIS. In-person meetings are available by arrangement.
A refund under the terms of the public offer. If the 5-day diagnostics identify no specific profit growth opportunities, the fee is refunded in the manner described in the public offer.