At RTC, we have the privilege of working with some of the most innovative and effective business leaders. Recently, I caught up with Lee Walker, founder of Walker Business Transformation, to talk about his journey from IT operations into lean consulting and the lessons businesses and policymakers can take from his story.

Lee’s journey is a textbook example of how the best businesses emerge from solving a clearly defined problem. The problem? Wasted time, inefficiency, and systems that don’t work for the people they’re meant to serve.

Recognising the opportunity

Before founding his own business, Lee was working in IT operations for Middlesbrough Council. His first experience with lean methods came when a group of consultants introduced the Toyota Production System to help improve services. Lee saw firsthand how these methods could make a real difference.

“I learned these techniques working with my team at the council, and we redesigned the service we were delivering. We saw much higher customer satisfaction, and in a strange way, better profitability, because we were able to redeploy resources into income generation instead of constantly firefighting problems.”

From there, Lee was asked to apply the same principles across other council services, from property management to payroll. He became an internal consultant for a private sector company that had taken over council services, which led him to travel across the UK improving local government and NHS operations.

Turning a skillset into a business

Like many successful entrepreneurs, Lee didn’t just have an idea, he had a proven solution to a problem. After years of refining his approach inside organisations, he realised he could create a business offering lean consulting and training. In 2018, he took the leap and founded Walker Business Transformation.

“Since 2018, we’ve been really busy delivering lean consulting and training to businesses all over the UK. What’s been most interesting is the shift in where we’ve been working. We started with public sector clients but quickly moved into bioscientific research and manufacturing.”

One of the most significant projects Lee worked on was with the Wellcome Sanger Institute during the COVID-19 pandemic. His task? To reduce the time it took to sequence the production genomic data of COVID-19 samples.

“They were processing samples in about 19 days, but the government wanted results in five. We worked together collaboratively and in just a few months, we brought that time down to two and a half days. And we didn’t just speed up the process, we scaled it. We went from processing about 1,000 samples a month to 64,000 a week.”

This is a prime example of what great businesses do by working collaboratively they solve real, urgent problems with tangible results.

Helping businesses unlock their own potential

Walker Business Transformation now works with a range of industries, helping companies tackle inefficiencies and improve profitability. But Lee is clear that his approach isn’t about quick fixes or imposed solutions.

“I prefer to develop the people within the business so they can do it themselves. Most waste in a business isn’t fixed by implementing lots of new things, it’s about how you think about the problems in front of you and tackling them systematically.”

For many companies, the biggest challenge isn’t just inefficiency, it’s recognising where the real problem lies. That’s why Lee spends the first part of any engagement simply learning.

“I’ll spend two days just understanding the business, what makes it tick, what the real problems are. Then we design a program specifically tailored to that client. And for the businesses that take this seriously, we see huge transformations.”

The role of RTC in scaling success

Lee’s partnership with RTC has been instrumental in growing his business. RTC has helped open doors in new industries, such as manufacturing and heavy engineering in Tees Valley.

“My background was public sector and biosciences. RTC introduced me to manufacturing and engineering businesses in Tees Valley that I wouldn’t have been able to access otherwise. That’s been a game changer.”

Beyond making introductions, RTC has also worked with Lee to deliver workshops under their brand, helping even more businesses improve their efficiency and profitability.

What can policymakers and business leaders learn?

Lee’s journey raises an important question - how many people working inside organisations today are developing skills and solving problems that could become viable businesses? And how can we help more of them recognise that potential?

The key takeaway here is that the best business ideas, and the most viable businesses, emerge from solving real problems that people care about. Lee’s work proves that when businesses focus on delivering tangible benefits, success follows.

If you’re a business looking to improve efficiency, boost profitability, or simply stop firefighting day-to-day issues, RTC can connect you with experts like Lee who have a proven track record of driving meaningful change.

And if you’re a policymaker, the challenge is clear, how do we support more people like Lee in recognising the business potential of their skills? How do we create environments where problem-solving and innovation translate into thriving businesses?

Get in touch with RTC today to explore how the insights from Lee and other successful business leaders can help you achieve your goals.