Before we talk.
A few things are probably
running through your head…
Honestly? Whatever makes an agency easier to grow.
Calling anything as “360 full service” makes me die a little inside... but, if we’re being honest, that’s probably the closest answer.
I love the strategic thinking. I love the detective work. I love helping founders make difficult commercial decisions. I also genuinely enjoy rolling my sleeves up. Writing outreach. Refining positioning. Planning campaigns. Even making the occasional cold call.
Long story short, I’m not precious about where I add value. If it helps move the business forward, I’m interested.
Because over the years I’ve naturally gravitated towards them.
Partly because decisions happen faster. Partly because there’s usually less theatre. Mostly because I enjoy working directly with the people who’ve poured years of their life into building something.
The wins feel different when it’s your business.
I’ve worked with plenty of larger networks too, but after waiting three plus months for someone to approve a prospecting email address more times than I’d care to remember, I realised where I do my best work.
There isn’t a fixed playbook.
Some clients need clarity and direction. Others need someone to build momentum. Others simply want another experienced pair of eyes around the commercial table.
We’ll usually start by understanding where growth is getting stuck, agree what “better” looks like, then focus on the handful of things most likely to move the needle.
No unnecessary frameworks. No hundred-page strategy decks gathering dust.
Just useful work.
It depends.
Not because I’m trying to be mysterious, but because every agency arrives in a different place.
Some need an experienced sounding board. Others want someone deeply embedded in the commercial side of the business. Most sit somewhere in between.
I’d much rather understand the challenge first than squeeze everyone into the same package.
If we’re a good fit, I’ll always be transparent about what I’d recommend, why I’d recommend it, and exactly what it’ll cost before we do anything together.
I wish I could give a definitive answer here, but honestly, it varies.
I’ve unearthed brilliant opportunities from the first email I’ve sent for a new client.
I’ve also seen months of steady work suddenly transform into a real purple patch.
Growth, alas, isn’t always as linear as we’d like.
What I would expect is that, every week, we're clear on what we're focusing on, why it matters, and how we'll know whether it's working.
Put another way, at all times we should have utter confidence that we’re making better commercial decisions, long before every result appears on a spreadsheet.
Yes.
One of the joys of running Betterly is that the person you meet is the person you work with.
No account handovers, no disappearing behind layers of delivery, just senior embedded commercial support.
Usually two or three at any one time.
Deliberately.
I’d rather become genuinely useful to a handful of agencies, than spread myself too thinly across dozens.
All. The. Time.
Growth isn’t a science. Markets move. Buyers change. Channels evolve. Ideas that worked brilliantly two years ago sometimes stop working altogether.
Part of my job is paying attention to those shifts.
The other part is having honest conversations when something isn’t helping.
Thankfully, it’s possible to challenge an idea without challenging the person who had it.
Because nobody sensible can promise outcomes they don’t fully control.
What I can promise is thoughtful strategy, consistent execution, honest conversations and a relentless focus on improving the conditions that make growth more likely.
That’s a much more interesting promise anyway.
Absolutely.
Used well, AI removes friction, accelerates thinking and gets rid of a lot of repetitive work.
Used badly, it fills LinkedIn with beige sludge.
My rule is simple: support, not slop.
If it helps us think better, great.
If it replaces thinking altogether, I’m probably not interested.
I’d be surprised if they didn’t.
Businesses evolve. Markets move. Clients disappear. New opportunities appear from nowhere.
I’d simply want to understand why we’re changing direction before we do it.
There’s a difference between responding to evidence and chasing shiny things.
Mostly, yes.
Video calls work brilliantly for a lot of the day-to-day.
That said, I’m a big believer in meeting properly at the beginning of a relationship and at important milestones.
Some conversations deserve a whiteboard and a decent coffee.
Yes.
Most of my experience is in the UK and Ireland, but I’ve worked with agencies across Europe, North America and the Middle East too.
The commercial principles travel surprisingly well, and I’m well used to adapting to local market nuance.
And if you happen to run an agency from a desert island, that's probably the most interesting enquiry I'll get all year.
Still got a question?
If I haven’t answered it here, just ask.
Let’s talk →