Small businesses rarely lose because the work isn't good. They lose because the brand doesn't make the case: the advantage is real but unstated, the selling points are ones any competitor could also claim, and the audience never quite understands why this one instead of the other three.
This engagement works on both halves: identifying the competitive advantage that's actually defensible, and building the story and presence that communicate it. Then we test it with real people before it goes anywhere near a launch.
And it doesn't stop at the brand. A strong identity that nobody encounters isn't worth much, so the work carries through into growth: the marketing approach that fits your budget, and the promotional events that put the brand in front of the right rooms.
I've done this from both sides. Corporate strategy and business development at PwC, Burberry and Esprit, an MBA from London Business School, and then building two businesses of my own: a fashion brand and a marketing strategy agency. I know what these decisions look like on a small business budget, because I've had to make them on one.
