About me​

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I’m Ruth, founder of The Office of Problem Solving.

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Becoming a business owner was never really the plan. Like a lot of people, I seem to have become one by accident.

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What was much more deliberate was the work that eventually led me here.

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For years, I found myself drawn towards the same thing: understanding how the different layers of a business really work together, what could help them work better, and how to make those practical improvements happen.

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I worked across finance, operations and change, took on difficult pieces of work, studied different disciplines and kept looking for the role that brought all of those things together.

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Eventually, I realised I was looking for something that didn’t really exist in the way I imagined it.

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So I created it.

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What shaped the way I work

Spending years inside businesses taught me that the things which eventually need attention are not always dramatic or obvious.

 

More often, they are subtle, layered and develop gradually over time.

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A process that worked when the business was smaller starts to struggle as the business grows. Roles, responsibilities and ownership become less clear. Systems that once helped start creating extra work of their own. Doubt starts to creep into information that used to be trusted. And, with good intentions, people create workarounds and fill gaps to keep things moving.

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Individually, those things can look fairly minor. Together, they can change how the whole business works.

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That's probably why I became so interested in looking beyond what is immediately visible and understanding how the different parts of a business connect.

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My finance background taught me to follow the numbers and the evidence. Operations taught me to look at how work happens in practice. Business analysis, change and project management gave me different ways of understanding what needs to change and how to make it happen.

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But the technical side only matters if I can turn it into something practical and understandable for the people involved.

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Experience & qualifications

My background includes:

• 25+ years across end-to-end financial management

• 10+ years in senior roles across finance, operations, business improvement and change

• Business analysis and process improvement

• Project and change delivery

• Coaching and mentoring individuals and teams

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My practical experience is supported by formal qualifications in:

• APMG Change Management Foundation & Practitioner

• PRINCE2 Project Management Foundation

• CMI Level 3 Diploma in Coaching & Mentoring

• Xero Certified Professional Level 2

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I've also completed formal training in BCS Business Analysis Foundation and PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner.

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Most of what I bring comes from applying that knowledge in real businesses, with real constraints, real people and real consequences.​

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Learning to be a beginner again

Moving from being an experienced employee into self-employment was a reminder that being confident in one part of your life does not mean you have all the answers everywhere else.

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Suddenly I was learning how to build a business, market it, sell and make decisions without the structure that had always existed around my professional work.

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There has been plenty of self-doubt and more than a few moments when I have wondered whether I was taking the right path.

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But learning to be a beginner again has probably been good for me.

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It's reinforced something I already believed from working with businesses and people: progress usually starts with being willing to admit what you don't know, understand where you are now and work from there.

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Beyond the work

My personal development has shaped how I work too.

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Alongside my professional training, I've invested in learning from experienced mentors across business, sales and mindset, including Kim Calvert of Dynamite Lifestyle, Sháá Wasmund MBE, and Doug Dane, formerly Bob Proctor’s International Sales Director.

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Each has influenced how I think about business, people and change, and I continue to build on that through ongoing reflection and learning.

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Outside of work, I’m drawn to quieter, creative things such as writing, yoga and spending time outside in the fresh air.

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I’m also becoming more involved in my local community, including volunteering through my local council’s Believe in Business Charter. It's still early days, but it's something I’d like to develop further.

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Being an active part of a business’s success is incredibly rewarding, but for me, progress has never been just about the business.

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It's about the people inside it too.