Operations and legal support · UK, Egypt, Europe and the Gulf

A business that keeps running when you step away.

Right now, if everything goes through you, it can't. A good doctor examines you before prescribing anything, and we work the same way. It starts with a free check-up on how your business really runs, then a written report you keep.

For owner-run businesses of 1 to 80 people, turning over up to £10m. Opening, growing or changing hands.

Book a free check-up What it costs
60 to 90 minutesIn person in the UK or Egypt, or by videoTrading since 2023
A busy street of independent shops in Brighton
What we aim forA business that runs when you're not in the room.
35 → 7 daysSupplier onboarding for a food exporter
14 days → under 48 hrsClient purchases for a villa portfolio
+18%Export volume in a year, with no extra admin staff

From client work, below. Owners we set up save 12 to 30 hours a week, depending on the work.

Signs it's time

Tick anything that sounds familiar.

If nothing fits, tell us what's taking your time instead.

Book a free check-up

Who you'll meet

A note before we meet.

Before we suggest anything, we sit down with you and look at how your business actually runs: what works, what keeps getting stuck, and what it costs you.

I'm British-Egyptian. I know how businesses are run in the UK and the pace of doing business in Egypt. Our team handles the operations and the legal side together, so the paperwork matches how you work.

If we can help, we'll tell you how and what it would cost. If we can't, you still keep the report.

Ilyas El-HawaryFounder, Trade-Hand

How we work

It starts with a check-up.

  1. FreeCheck-upWe find what's working and what it's costing you.
  2. Step 2Care planWhat we'd change, the fixed price and the timeline, including how the business grows from there.
  3. Step 3The workWe make the changes with your team.
  4. Step 4Aftercare30 days' support, then monthly if you want it.

What you leave the check-up with.

  1. You tell us how things run

    How work comes in, who decides what, which tools you use, and what already works well. Nothing to prepare.

  2. We find what it's costing you

    Time, money and customers lost to delays. Often it's a few simple things, and we'll say so.

  3. You get a written report

    What's working, what it costs, what you can fix yourself straight away, and what we'd fix first. Yours to keep.

It's free because neither of us knows yet whether we can help, and the check-up is how we find out.

Check-up reportExample

What's working

  • Loyal customers who come back and recommend you.
  • A capable team who know the work well.

What it's costing you

  1. Enquiries arrive by phone, WhatsApp and email, and nobody owns them.Sales lost every month.
  2. The owner approves almost every payment and decision.Hours of the owner's week.
  3. Key supplier agreements are verbal or out of date.Disputes take weeks to settle.

Fix these yourself this week, at no cost

  • Name one person to answer every enquiry within the day.
  • Set a spending limit your manager can approve without you.
  • List your five biggest suppliers and check which have a written agreement.

What we'd fix first

One place for every enquiry and booking, with one person responsible. Then written agreements with your key suppliers.

An illustration. Every real report is written for the business we meet.

What it costs

Start with what it's costing you now.

What is it costing you now?

£62,400a year. That's £1,200 every week.
Change the figures to match yours. Nothing is saved. If you book, your figures are added to your booking so we can talk them through.

Projects start from £1,350.

That's about a week of what this is costing you.

After your check-up, you get a fixed price in writing within 48 hours.

Monthly support starts from £900. It's like having an operations manager and a legal adviser on call, without hiring either.

You pay in stages, and the final payment is due only when everything is live. Your consultant will tell you about any discounts you may qualify for.

Book a free check-up

Where Egyptian legal paperwork is complex or particularly sensitive, a senior lawyer's review is included in the price. Websites, marketing materials and staff training can be part of the work.

Results

What changed for them.

Cranes and stacked containers at a port at dusk

Food exporter, Egypt to the UK

Paperwork was tracked across spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups. We brought it into one system with checks built in.

"Our supplier onboarding used to take 35 days. Now it takes 7. Containers spend far less time waiting at the port, and our export volume grew 18% in a year without hiring anyone extra in admin."
Managing Director, food exporter, Egypt
A white villa with a pool and terrace

Luxury villa portfolio, Spain and the Gulf

Guest checks, payments and service agreements meant long email chains. We replaced them with one intake process.

"We used to check every client purchase by hand. Now it's automated, and clients get confirmation in under 48 hours instead of 14 days. We stopped losing bookings in peak season because of paperwork."
Chief Operating Officer, luxury villa portfolio, Spain and the Gulf
The Nile and Cairo skyline at sunset

Holiday rentals, Egypt and Europe

Bookings came through other platforms with no clear terms. We set up direct booking, guest messaging, booking terms and supplier agreements. Booking conversion rose by double digits within six months.

"Trade-Hand bridged the legal frameworks and the day-to-day running, and gave us a clear roadmap with the systems to match. It saved us months of delays."
Head of Department, international services group

Shared with permission. Some details, including locations, have been changed to protect our clients' privacy.

We work with hospitality, health and beauty, holiday lets, exporters and service businesses. We've also built the back office of an international law firm, an English and Arabic tutoring centre that now runs without its founder, and set-ups for restaurants, cafes and events venues.

Our promises

No surprises.

Free to start

The check-up and written report cost nothing.

A fixed price in writing

Nothing starts until you've agreed it.

Private

We never name clients, and we're happy to sign an NDA.

One point of contact

The person you meet at the check-up stays with you to handover.

Questions

What owners usually ask first.

I've never worked with a consultant.

You don't need to have. You know your business better than anyone; our job is to ask good questions and explain what we find in plain language. The check-up is free, so you see how we work before you decide anything.

Will you take over, or change everything?

No. We start by finding what already works, and that stays as it is. Every change is agreed with you first, and we set it up alongside your team so they understand it and can run it without us.

What if it costs more than you said, or doesn't work?

The price is fixed and in writing before anything starts, so it won't creep up. You pay in stages as the work is done, and the final payment only when everything is live. After handover we support you for 30 days to adjust anything that isn't working.

Why not just hire someone?

You can, and for some businesses that's right. An operations manager in the UK earns around £41,000 a year before tax, pension and recruitment costs, and usually covers operations only. We cover operations and legal together, and you can stop any time.

I'm too busy for this.

We do the heavy lifting: mapping how things run, writing it down, setting it up and training your team. From you we need the check-up, a short weekly catch-up, and access to the people who know each area. We agree the exact time before we start.

Will my information stay private?

Yes. We never name clients, we're happy to sign an NDA before the check-up, and your information is handled under UK data protection law.

Do you understand how business works in Egypt?

Yes. Our founder is British-Egyptian and works across both. Complex or sensitive Egyptian legal paperwork is reviewed by a senior lawyer, included in the price. We meet in person in Egypt, and calls are in English.

How long will it take?

You get the timeline with the price. If anything changes on your side, we tell you straight away what it means.

What happens when you leave?

Everything is written down and handed over: step-by-step instructions, logins, contracts, and who is responsible for what. You get 30 days' support, and you can keep us on monthly if you want, with no long contract.

Book your check-up

Pick a time for your free check-up.

60 to 90 minutes, in person or by video. Calls are in English, and there's nothing to prepare.

Pick a time →Opens our booking calendar in your time zone. Anything you ticked comes with you.
Not ready to pick a time? Leave your details instead.

We reply within one working day to agree a time. See our privacy notice.

hello@trade-hand.com Trade-Hand on LinkedIn Working in Brighton and Sussex, across the UK, Egypt and the Gulf
Book a free check-up