Start-ups & Founder-led Businesses
Strategic marketing support for founder-led businesses ready to grow
Building a business can feel exciting, overwhelming and full of moving parts.
When you’re close to the work — and often wearing multiple hats — it can be hard to step back and see what needs to happen next.
Maybe your offer has evolved. Maybe your marketing feels inconsistent. Maybe growth feels exciting, but chaotic.
That’s where I come in.
I work with start-ups and founder-led businesses to bring clarity to positioning, strengthen marketing and create practical growth plans that feel realistic and achievable.
With 20+ years’ experience across agencies, brands, founder-led businesses and charities — including Maggie's and working with growing purpose-led organisations — I bring strategic thinking, honest advice and practical support to help founders grow with more clarity and confidence.
Karen Tait, Founder & CEO at The Residence Coworking
“Laura translated our ideas into a compelling content strategy that resonated with our audience. Her creative insights and strategic thinking were invaluable.”
The Problem I Solve
Growing a business often creates new challenges
Starting a business usually begins with an idea, a skill or a passion. But turning that into a sustainable, growing business requires a different kind of thinking. At some point, most founders hit a stage where they realise they need more clarity.
Does any of this sound familiar?
• You’re not sure how to explain what makes your business different
• Your offer has evolved, but your messaging hasn’t caught up
• Your marketing feels inconsistent or last-minute
• You’re relying on word of mouth and want a stronger pipeline
• You’re trying to do everything yourself
• You’ve grown quickly, but things feel messy behind the scenes
• You know there are opportunities, but you’re not sure where to focus next
These are all normal parts of growth.
But without clarity, they can slow momentum.
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Bringing clarity to the next stage of growth
I work alongside founders to step back, make sense of where the business is now, and create a clearer path forward.
Sometimes the challenge is positioning.
Sometimes it’s marketing.
Sometimes it’s simply having too many ideas and not enough focus.
Together we work through the things that create clarity and momentum.
That might mean:
• clarifying your positioning and messaging
• strengthening your offer
• identifying the audiences you most want to reach
• building a marketing strategy that supports growth
• creating a practical plan you can actually follow
• making better strategic decisions as the business evolvesNo jargon.
No overcomplicated plans.
Just strategic thinking and practical support that helps move things forward.
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What changes when things become clearer
Before
Your marketing feels reactive
Your messaging feels inconsistent
Your offer feels unclear
Growth feels messy or overwhelming
You’re doing everything yourself
You feel stretched and unfocused
After
Clearer positioning and messaging
Greater confidence in your offer
More focused marketing
Stronger decision-making
A practical growth plan
More space to lead the business
How we can work together
Every founder and every business is different. Some need clarity quickly. Some need ongoing strategic support. Some need regular space to step back and think.
Here’s how I typically work.
Support for founders, wherever you are in your growth journey
1.
Marketing Strategy Sprint
For founders who need clarity fast.
2.
Fractional Marketing Strategist
Ongoing strategic support as your business grows.
3.
Founder Mentoring
Dedicated space to think more clearly.
Marketing Strategy Sprint
For founders who need clarity fast
A focused half-day or full-day workshop designed to help you step back and get clearer on what matters most.
Together we’ll look at:
Your positioning
Your offer
Your messaging
Your audience
Your priorities for growth
You’ll leave with greater clarity, stronger focus and practical next steps.
Best for founders at a turning point or feeling overwhelmed
Half-day and full-day strategy workshops designed to help founders clarify their positioning, sharpen their marketing and focus on what matters next.
Fractional Marketing Strategist
Ongoing strategic support as your business grows
Think of me as your plug-in marketing lead.
A strategic partner to help guide your marketing, shape your growth plans and bring consistency to your activity.
This might include:
Marketing strategy development
Campaign planning
Messaging and content direction
Accountability and momentum
Strategic support for business growth
Ideal if you need senior strategic support without hiring in-house.
Senior strategic marketing support for start-ups that need momentum, clarity and consistency — without the cost of a full-time hire.
Founder Mentoring
Dedicated space to think more clearly
Founder-led businesses can feel lonely. Founder mentoring gives you regular space to reflect, challenge your thinking and make clearer decisions.
We can focus on:
Positioning
Pricing
Business development
Leadership
Growth planning
Confidence in decision-making
Support designed to help you grow the business without losing yourself in it.
Regular strategic mentoring for founders who need space to think, make clearer decisions and navigate growth with more confidence.
Why start-ups and founders work with me
Experienced, practical and grounded in real-world growth
Over the years, I’ve worked with founders, leadership teams and growing organisations from many different angles — agency-side, in-house and as a consultant.
I understand the reality of building something while trying to market it at the same time.
And I know how important it is to create growth that feels sustainable, not chaotic.
Founders work with me because I bring:
20+ years of strategic marketing experience
Practical experience of building and scaling a business
Strategic clarity grounded in action
Honest, practical advice
Accountability and momentum
Collaborative support that grows with you
Who I work best with
I work best with:
Start-ups finding their footing
Founder-led businesses entering a new stage of growth
Purpose-led businesses refining their offer
Founders who want to grow more intentionally
Usually businesses who:
Have grown quickly and need more structure
Feel unclear on positioning
Want stronger marketing foundations
Need support making strategic decisions
Want clarity on what comes next
Whether you need clearer positioning, stronger marketing or strategic support through your next stage of growth, let’s talk about what your business needs next.
Connected to the founder and creative community
I’m well connected across the creative and founder-led business community, particularly in Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridge and London.
Through my work with founders, agencies and initiatives like The Creative Table, I stay close to the conversations, challenges and opportunities shaping growing businesses.
And where it adds value, I’m often able to connect clients with useful collaborators, partners or opportunities.
Connect with founders, creatives and collaborators through honest conversations, shared ideas and meaningful connections.
Audience profiling
Audience research
Marketing channel recommendations
Marketing strategy creation
Website review
Marketing strategy audit
Brand messaging review
Comms team reviews
Marketing project management
Training + workshops
Other things I can help with
From audience insight and brand messaging to strategy, training and project delivery — let’s talk about what support would make the biggest difference right now.
Ready to bring more clarity to your next stage of growth?
If your business has grown and things feel exciting but messy — or if you’re feeling stuck on what comes next — a strategic conversation can help bring clarity.
We’ll look at:
Where your business is now
What’s getting in the way
What might help unlock the next stage of growth