Product development has been the thread running through my career for more than 20 years.

I've worked across fashion, streetwear, outdoor, technical apparel and equestrian products, developing products for established brands, working directly with manufacturers and material suppliers, and helping turn ideas into products that can actually be made, sold and scaled.

My experience spans the whole development journey — from initial concept and commercial viability through materials, sourcing, product development, costing and production.

But some of the most valuable lessons haven't come from working for other brands.

They've come from building my own.

I've sat on both sides of the table.

Building Cross Section Equestrian gave me a very different perspective on product development.

When it's your own money being invested, your own stock sitting in a warehouse and your own customer buying the finished product, decisions around MOQ, margin, manufacturing, freight, product performance and timing suddenly become very real.

It's why I approach consultancy commercially as well as creatively.

A technically brilliant product isn't enough if the numbers don't work. A cheap factory isn't a bargain if they can't deliver the quality you need. And developing something simply because it can be made doesn't necessarily mean it should be made.

I believe good consultancy should be practical.

I'm not interested in producing impressive-looking presentations that leave you wondering what to do next.

I'll ask questions. I'll challenge assumptions. I'll get into the detail when the detail matters. And I'll be equally comfortable discussing product construction with a factory as I am talking margins, positioning and growth with a founder.

Sometimes that means validating an idea.

Sometimes it means finding the right manufacturing partner.

Sometimes it means identifying the problem that's been quietly costing a business money for years.

And sometimes it means saying, “I wouldn't do this.”

That's part of the value of having someone experienced sitting on your side of the table.

Experience without the corporate overhead.

Cross Section Consultancy gives founders and growing businesses access to senior product-development experience without needing to employ a full-time product director.

You can bring me in for a defined project, a specific challenge or ongoing support as your business grows.

You bring the ambition. I'll help you work out the smartest way to turn it into a commercially successful product.