How I Work With Founders

Firstly, I’m not a consultancy. I’m a founder who has been where you are, starting something, trying to scale it, making decisions with incomplete information, and figuring out which problems actually matter. I work with you directly as a sounding board, a challenger, and someone who’ll give you a straight answer when you need one.

What this looks like in practice:

• Regular mentoring sessions to work through strategic decisions and day-to-day challenges

• Honest, independent challenge on your business plan and growth trajectory

• Operational guidance on hiring, scaling, managing cash flow, and building a team

• Help with pricing, positioning, and go-to-market strategy

• Introductions and connections where they’ll genuinely help

• Someone in your corner who has no agenda other than your success.

I work flexibly, whether that’s regular scheduled sessions, ad-hoc calls when you need to talk something through, or a more intensive engagement during a critical growth phase.

For the right businesses, I’m also open to discussing sweat equity arrangements where we both have skin in the game, typically a good fit for UK start-up businesses.

Why Work With Me

You work directly with me, not a team, not a junior associate, not someone who’s read a book about start-ups. Every conversation, every piece of advice, comes from someone who has personally built businesses from nothing and knows what the journey actually feels like.

Real experience, not theory

Five businesses built across multiple sectors, numerous sold. I’ve dealt with hiring, firing, cash flow dramas, partnership disputes, scaling too fast, not scaling fast enough, and everything in between. When I give you advice, it’s because I’ve lived it.

Cross-sector thinking

Most advisors know one industry. I’ve worked across financial services recruitment, e-commerce, digital services and agri-foods. That breadth means I can spot patterns, opportunities, and blind spots that a single-sector perspective misses.

Honest and direct

I’ll tell you what I think, not what you want to hear. If your idea has a problem, I’ll say so. If you’re focusing on the wrong thing, I’ll redirect you. That’s what a good mentor does, especially for early stage start-ups.

No overhead, no bureaucracy

As a one-person advisory practice, you get fast communication, consistent advice, and a relationship built on trust. No handovers, no mixed messaging, no waiting for someone to “get back to you.”

Is This Right for You?

I work best with founders and leadership teams in early-stage or growing businesses who want an experienced, independent perspective. You don’t need someone to run your business, you need someone to help you think more clearly about the decisions in front of you.

This tends to work well when:

• You’re in the first few years and making decisions that will shape everything that follows

• You’ve hit a point where growth has stalled and you can’t see why

• You’re about to hire, raise money, or make a significant strategic commitment and want a second opinion

• You’re a solo founder and don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off who truly understands

• You want practical help, not another strategy deck

The underlying sector doesn't always matter, however, your stage does. If you’re building something and need someone in your corner, we should talk.

I Also Offer

Recruitment Business Review

If you run a recruitment business and want an independent, experienced review of your operations, I offer a dedicated service for that. I’ve built three recruitment businesses from scratch, grown one to £1m+ in annual revenue, and exited. I usually know where the problems are!

Non-Executive Director Positions

For businesses that would benefit from an experienced independent voice at board level, I’m available to serve as a non-executive director or advisory board member. Particularly relevant for businesses in, or adjacent to the recruitment and talent sectors, though not limited to them of course!

Get in Touch

The best things happen from a simple conversation. Whether you’re building a business, navigating a hire, or just want to talk something through, I’m happy to listen!