1994–2014

Developing the craft. Building the foundations.

My first 20 years in business were spent in marketing and design agencies across Newcastle, Teesside, Manchester and London.

I think of these years as my professional apprenticeship. I learned my craft working with everyone from local SMEs to global brands - and even had the unusual experience of marketing for the British Government.

My entrepreneurial streak first surfaced in 2005 when I started a small online business on the side.

What began as more than a little experiment quickly grew into something substantial. Selling it was bittersweet, but it taught me something important: sometimes the opportunities that shape us most begin long before we’re ready to call them a career change.

Those two decades gave me the experience, judgement and commercial grounding that still influence the way I work today.

2014–2019

Learning from experience.

In 2014, I took the leap into building a full-service marketing agency - and quickly discovered that doing more doesn’t always mean building something better.

With a small army of freelancers around me, I became what I can now comfortably describe as a busy fool - taking responsibility for everything while feeding everyone else’s mouths long before my own.

It was exhausting. And it was a much-needed wake-up call.

I started noticing a gap in the market: business owners wanted better marketing results, but many had lost control of their own marketing.

They were outsourcing activity without necessarily understanding the strategy behind it. I could see the consequences of chasing tactics without having a clear plan.

That thinking became Marketing Masterplan - initially a practical way of helping business owners understand their marketing, make better decisions and focus on what would actually move their business forward.

It eventually became a coaching framework, a book and a philosophy I still use today: strategy before tactics.

Today

Bringing it all together.

My work has evolved - but the thing I enjoy most hasn’t changed: helping people see possibilities they sometimes struggle to see for themselves.

As a coach, I offer more than advice. I ask questions, challenge assumptions, bring an outside perspective and help turn thinking into practical action.

Over the years, that work has expanded beyond marketing into leadership, personal branding and, increasingly, helping experienced professionals work out how to use everything they’ve accumulated to create what comes next.

Teaching has become an important part of that too. Working with university students, senior leaders and future entrepreneurs keeps me curious - and reminds me that experience is most valuable when it’s shared.

I’m also still a firm believer in the power of relationships. Some of the best opportunities in my career have come through conversations, introductions and connections built over many years.

You rarely build anything meaningful entirely on your own.

Life beyond work.

And then there’s Elvis...

I’ve got a sidekick named Elvis — a Border Terrier with more energy than a start-up company.

When I’m not coaching, teaching, writing or speaking, there’s a good chance we’re somewhere in the Lake District or walking the hills closer to home.

Some of my best thinking happens away from a desk. Although Elvis usually has other priorities.