What I've Learned
A few things I keep finding to be true:
Sales is harder than founders expect. The bit they assume will come naturally, getting the right people to buy is usually where the business stalls. Not because the product is wrong, but because the structure underneath isn't built yet.
Structure beats heroics. Most growth problems aren't effort problems. Founders work harder than anyone. The work needs to be more repeatable, not more strenuous.
The same playbook doesn't work at every stage. What gets a business to £100k is what stalls it at £500k. Recognising the shift, and making it deliberately is most of what good commercial leadership is.
It's about people, always. Why customers stay. Why salespeople burn out. Why brilliant products fail to land. Every commercial question is a people question first.
How I got here
I studied Sociology at Lancaster, then Marketing at Michigan State - fascinated by why people behave the way they do, and how that shapes whether they buy, return, or recommend. That curiosity has shaped everything I've done since.
I spent the early part of my career growing The Skinny, an independent listings magazine that went from two cities to six, becoming the UK's third-largest in its category. We raised capital, expanded the digital portfolio, and built revenue year on year through the 2008 recession. It taught me what businesses actually need to survive when the market gets hard: structure, not heroics.
Since then, my work has spanned tech innovation, scaling SMEs, and the female founder ecosystem.
As Head of Innovation at the Scotland 5G Centre I delivered three flagship 5G Innovation Hubs; I've designed GTM strategies and provided sales system set up and training for a range of Scottish organisations, from Appointedd, Biscuit Tin and PURE Spa & Beauty.
I've been a judge on Scottish EDGE and supported businesses with their applications.I have also been a mentor and public speaker at a wide range of organisation from Ignite, Elevator, Lancaster and Edinburgh Universities, Festival of Female Entrepreneurs, and Enterprise Nation.
I work with founders on digital transformation, CRM builds, AI workflow automation, and the practical application of new tools to commercial operations. Technology should serve the business, not the other way around.
More recently, I founded Female Founders Circle Málaga, a 280+ founder community on the Costa del Sol and supported the launch of the only female-focused tech incubator and venture studio in Malaga, with Inception Woman Lab.
Why founders work with me
Practical, not theoretical. I've sat in the founder's seat, built the systems, made the hires, raised the money, and navigated challenges. I bring what I've learned in real businesses, not what I read in a book.
Structured, not corporate. The work is rigorous; the conversations aren't formal. If you want jargon and slide decks, I'm not your person.
Commercially focused. Brand and culture matter. But my job is to help you make better commercial decisions and see them through. That's where I add the most value.
Why I do this
I've been working since I was fifteen. Over 25 years of jobs, businesses, teams, deals, and learning what works.
I naturally enjoy helping people understand their business, their customers, and creating streamlined logistics. I've always been more interested in people than in business theory.
Why do customers come back?
Why do good salespeople burn out?
Why do brilliant products fail to land?
And what I've learned, over and over, is that most leaders underestimate how hard sales actually is when there's no structure underneath it. Closing deals, winning repeat clients, and attracting the right people to your company, all of that takes more time and energy than people expect.
Integrating the right CRM or AI-enabled tool can transform bottlenecks and a business to drive efficiencies in sales, at scale and create inward momentum for continued growth.
I help founders make revenue generation as simple as possible so they can get back to the parts of the business they enjoy and achieve their long-term goals.
What I do
I work with SME founders and leadership teams who've built the early years on talent and instinct, and now need a more structured way to grow.
Most of my work falls into three areas:
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Sharpening commercial strategy and where to focus
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Building repeatable sales systems that don't rely on the founder
(automation & AI integrations) -
Helping leadership teams make the harder decisions that come with scale
If that's where you are, how I work and growth stages go into more detail.
Helping Ambitious People Reach Their Goals
