Build a business that works for you, not because of you
You built your consultancy, agency or advisory business on expertise, and expertise is hard to sell: buyers can't judge it in advance, and the people who have it usually hate selling it. I help owners of firms between £500K and £10M turnover solve that problem permanently: a systematic, repeatable way of winning and keeping clients that becomes yours, not a dependency on me.
Brilliant at the work. Never taught to win it.
Most owners of expertise-led firms grew their business on referrals, reputation and relationships. It works, until it doesn't: the feast-and-famine cycle, the quiet months you can't explain, the growth that stalls at the edge of your personal network.
The problem isn't you, and it isn't your market. You lack a systematic approach to revenue generation, because nobody who builds a business on expertise was ever taught one. That's fixable, and fixing it is the only thing I do.
Who this is for
I work with owners and directors of consultancies, agencies and specialist advisory businesses: firms that sell expertise, with turnover between £500K and £10M.
You're in the right place if
-
You run a technical or specialist consultancy, a creative agency, or an advisory business, and you're excellent at the work itself
-
Your growth has come mainly from referrals and reputation, and you can feel the ceiling on that
-
You have three to five hours a week to work on the business, not thirty, and you need an approach that respects that
-
You're sceptical of marketing fluff and want something evidence-based, practical and honest
This probably isn't right if
-
You need revenue in the next eight weeks; building capability takes months, and I'll tell you so on our first call
-
You want someone to do the marketing for you; agencies do that, and the capability leaves when they do
-
You're looking for guarantees of results; nobody honest can offer those
How it works
It starts with a conversation, not a sales call: 45 to 60 minutes about your business, at the end of which we each decide whether this is right. If we work together, we agree what success looks like before we start, then move through three broad phases. At the midpoint we formally review progress against measures you chose; if it isn't working, we change the approach or we stop.
Understand
We get underneath what's actually happening in how your business wins work, using my SMARTer system to find where your biggest constraint sits, and start at the point of greatest return.
Test
You make changes in the real world, with real prospects and clients, at a pace your diary can sustain. The actions are always yours: chosen, not assigned.
Make it stick
We consolidate what works into routines, tools and habits your business runs on, so the capability stays when I go.
Why me
Plenty of people can advise you on winning business. Very few have spent thirty years doing it, built their own firms, and trained properly in developing people. That combination is what you're getting.
Commercial practice
Thirty years in frontline commercial roles, winning business for companies like Oracle, Infor and Lawson. I've carried a number, not just theorised about one.
Founder experience
Three businesses of my own, so I know what it feels like when the pipeline is personal.
Trained to develop people
An ILM Level 5 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring, approved mentor status on the government-backed Help to Grow programme, and EMCC accreditation in progress.
My promise
I won't promise you revenue; nobody honest can. What I promise is my full commercial experience applied to your situation, a proven framework, honest measurement against goals you set yourself, and an engagement designed to make itself unnecessary. And before any of that: a first conversation with no sales pitch, no pressure, and something useful to take away whether or not we go further.
What clients say
Managing Director – IT Services
"Each of our sessions have been powered with top class, practical approach to the discussions. The striking and exciting thing for me is the higher level of knowledge that I am usually left with after every sessions. I find the sessions invaluable for me personally and I am applying the new knowledge learnt to my business."
Program & Events Associate
"I have really enjoyed my sessions with Simon, could not chose a better mentor for what I was trying to achieve through the help to grow programme."
Sales Lead Generation - Marketing Strategy Specialist
"Simon's help with improving my sales processes has been invaluable, because it's been backed by decades of his own real world experience. His approach with dealing with one particular difficult customer has also been very useful. My investment has already paid for itself many times over."
LinkedIn Trainer
"I went to one of Simon's introductory workshops, and found it a really helpful reminder of the steps we all need to take as business owners to be effective in order to grow our business. I would recommend the course to any business owner.. "
Common questions
Sensible owners have questions before they book a call with someone like me. Here are straight answers to the most common ones.
Are you a coach, a mentor or a consultant?
A mentor who uses coaching methodology. Sometimes I'll sharpen your thinking with questions, because you know your business better than I ever will; sometimes I'll tell you plainly what I'd do, because I've been where you're trying to go. I'll always be clear which you're getting.
How much time will it take?
Three to five hours a week, including our sessions. Everything is designed around that ceiling, because I've never met an owner at your stage who had more.
Can you guarantee results?
No, and I'd be careful of anyone who says yes. What I guarantee is my side: full commercial experience, a proven framework, honest measurement against goals you set, and a formal midpoint review where we change course or stop if it isn't working.
What happens on the first call?
Forty-five minutes to an hour over Zoom. You talk about your business, I listen properly and ask questions, and then we each decide. No pitch, no pressure, and you'll leave with something useful either way.