FAQ
Good decisions usually start with better questions.
If you’re considering working with me, you may want to understand how I work, what kinds of situations I get involved in and whether I might be the right fit. I’ve answered some of the questions that tend to come up below.
What kind of problems do you help with?
Usually the ones that are difficult to put neatly into a box.
A business may have grown but become harder to explain. Its offer may have become fragmented. The positioning may no longer reflect where the organisation is heading. A founder or leadership team may be facing several opportunities without a clear basis for deciding which ones to pursue.
Sometimes the issue is brand. Sometimes it is positioning, proposition, direction or communication. Often, several things are connected.
My role is to understand what is really happening before deciding what needs to change.
Is this brand strategy or business strategy?
Both can be involved, but I don’t begin by deciding which service you need.
My background is rooted in brand strategy, but experience has taught me to look at the business as a whole. Direction, offer, positioning, leadership, communication and brand rarely operate independently of one another.
The work starts with the situation rather than a predetermined solution.
Who do you typically work with?
I work with founder-led and privately owned businesses, leadership teams, larger organisations and individuals navigating growth, change or repositioning.
The common denominator is usually not size or sector. It is a point at which something important needs greater clarity, stronger direction or better alignment.
Do I need to know exactly what the problem is before we speak?
No.
In fact, one of the most useful parts of the work can be determining what the real problem is.
You may know that something isn’t working, that the business has become harder to explain or that an important decision needs to be made without necessarily knowing why.
That is enough to begin a conversation.
What does working together actually look like?
It depends on the situation.
Some engagements begin with a focused piece of strategic work around a particular question. Others develop into broader strategy, positioning or advisory support.
I work directly with the people making the decisions, bringing an external perspective, asking questions, challenging assumptions and helping turn complexity into a direction that can actually be acted upon.
The scope should follow the problem, rather than the other way around.
Can we start with something focused?
Yes.
Not every situation requires a large strategy project.
Sometimes the right starting point is a defined question, decision or period of focused diagnosis. That gives us an opportunity to understand the situation properly and determine whether anything further is actually required.
If it isn’t, I will say so.
Do you work with individuals as well as businesses?
Yes.
I work with founders, senior professionals and independent experts whose experience, value or ambitions are not being understood as clearly as they should be.
The principles are remarkably similar. Understand where you are going, determine what you should become known for and make sure the way you position and communicate yourself supports that direction.
Where do you work?
I am based in the UK and work with clients across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.
Much of the work can be conducted remotely, although some engagements benefit from working together in person.
Not every situation fits neatly into an FAQ. If there is something you would like to ask before deciding whether a conversation makes sense, send me a note.
Not sure where to start? You don’t need to know exactly what you need. That is often the right place to begin.