NICK AYTON.
The field guide

The Slow Bleed

Why your business is losing cash — and it's not a sales problem. The book behind every engagement on this site.

304Pages
16Chapters
16Working tools
100Day recovery plan
Inside

Five moves. Read once, then work the tools.

Part I

See it

The slow bleed, knowing yourself, reading the room, and what it's not.

Part II

Understand it

The 80/20 truth, Cash Conversion Velocity and the Order-to-Cash cycle.

Part III

Remove it

The ERP trap, function blockers, the big shift and transformation myths.

Part IV

Build it

The sales function, the sales operating model and large complex deals.

Part V

Lead it

Metrics that tell the truth, and the one role the CEO cannot delegate.

Beyond the book

The Vault

Every diagnostic and calculator, live and applied to your own numbers. Every copy carries an unlock code. No subscription.

Foreword

It is practical. Direct. Sometimes uncomfortable. But importantly, it is written by someone who has actually had to make these decisions in real environments where cash flow, customers, politics and execution collide.

Ian Wright · CEO & Founder, VirtualNonExecs.com

Where to get it

Hardback, paperback, eBook and audio. Available on Amazon globally, or direct from the publisher at theslowbleed.co.uk — where you'll also find The Vault.

Published by Redline Press · 2026
ISBN 978-1-0666374-1-6 (paperback)

Bulk and workshops

Books for the leadership team.

Bulk copies for boards, leadership offsites and portfolio companies — usually paired with a workshop where the team runs the tools against their own numbers.