What sort of problems can you help me solve? Who would work with you?

Clients typically come to me when they have one of the following problems to solve: growth has stalled or become unpredictable; marketing spend is increasing but returns are unclear; teams are running activity without a clear strategic anchor; or acquisition is working but retention isn’t.

What sort of business do you typically work with?

Scale-stage businesses with revenues of £5m–£50m, typically product-led companies — apps, marketplaces, subscriptions — investing in acquisition but unsure what’s actually driving value. Businesses where marketing feels fragmented, metrics don’t connect to commercial outcomes, or retention is underperforming relative to acquisition.

Is Monos right for every business?

I’m happy to have an initial conversation, but I may not be the right fit for early-stage startups without product-market fit, businesses looking for campaign execution or agency support, or companies without access to meaningful customer data. If you’re unsure, the best thing to do is get in touch — I’d rather have an honest conversation early than waste your time.

Why hire a consultant rather than a senior marketing hire?

A senior hire is the right answer for many businesses — and if that’s what you need, I’ll tell you. But a consultant makes sense when the challenge is diagnostic, time-bound, or requires a perspective that’s genuinely independent. You get senior experience without the overhead, the ramp-up time, or the organisational dynamics that can sometimes slow down an internal hire’s ability to be direct. Many clients use an engagement to build the strategy and brief — and then hire full time at a later date.

You’ve spent a lot of your career at Amazon. Doesn’t that mean you’re used to working with large budgets and resources most businesses couldn’t dream of?

It’s a fair assumption — but it’s the wrong one. Frugality is a founding principle at Amazon. You’re expected to spend money as if it were your own, justify every pound, and find ways to do more with less. Resource isn’t given — it’s earned, and only when you can prove the case for it. Combined with a culture that starts with the customer and takes a long-term view of every decision, it’s probably the most rigorous commercial training ground I can imagine. The discipline I brought away from that experience is directly relevant to a growing business — possibly more so than anywhere else I’ve worked. Doing more with less is not a constraint I’m unfamiliar with. And that’s why understanding how, where and why you use your resources is so important for any business.

How do you use AI in your work?

AI is a great tool — it adds significant capability to an individual and the ability to sift information quickly. But what AI doesn’t have is 25 years of experience, resilience, and the ability to spot when things aren’t right. I use AI to interrogate data, look for patterns, sense-check and investigate. I don’t use AI to give me the final answer.

Can you point to specific results you’ve delivered?

My background is 25 years inside large organisations, not a consulting firm with published case studies. What I can offer is a detailed account of the work I’ve done, the problems I’ve worked on, and the thinking behind the decisions I’ve been part of. Confidentiality is something I take seriously, so I won’t share specifics without prior permission. My experience speaks for itself — the companies I’ve worked for, the scale I’ve worked at, and the problems I’ve been trusted to solve.

How do I know your approach will work for my business?

You don’t — and I won’t pretend otherwise. That’s why every engagement starts with a proper conversation, not a proposal. If I don’t think there’s a genuine fit, I’ll say so. The businesses I work with best tend to share a few things: a clear ambition, access to data, and a leadership team willing to question what they’re currently doing. If those conditions aren’t in place, the most honest thing I can do is tell you that.

How do I know if our engagement is working?

At the beginning of every engagement we’ll agree milestones and outputs for our work, which will act as a guide to sense-check progress. The exact measures will depend on the nature of the project.

What does a first conversation with you actually look like?

We talk about what problem you’re trying to solve and what your goals are — it might be ten minutes, it could be an hour or longer. By the end of it we should both have a good sense of whether we could and should work together. There’s no preparation needed on your part — just come with the problem or goal.

What’s your model of engagement?

Engagements are structured around what the problem actually requires. It all begins with a discussion, but a project fee, monthly retainer or fractional relationship are all possible.

How long does an engagement typically last — and how do I know when we’re done?

It depends entirely on the problem. Some engagements are tightly scoped — a strategy review or a go-to-market plan might take six to eight weeks. Others, where the value is in ongoing strategic input, run as a retainer or fractional relationship over a longer period. I’m deliberate about scoping clearly at the start, so you know what you’re getting and when it ends. The goal is always to leave you with something you can act on — not a dependency on me.

Do you work alone, or do you bring in other people?

Generally I work on my own, but I have a network of skilled professionals across a number of fields that can be brought into a project.

What will you need from us?

It varies by engagement, but as a rule: access to the right people, honesty about where things stand, and a willingness to engage with what the data is telling you. I’m not high-maintenance — but the work only delivers if there’s genuine commitment on both sides. The initial conversation will give us both a clearer sense of what’s involved.

How quickly can you typically start an engagement?

I take on a small number of clients at any one time, so availability varies. If this is a key decision point for you, I’d encourage you to get in touch and ask — so you can have an accurate answer.

Do you work with businesses outside the UK?

Yes — I can work with organisations outside the UK and have experience working across Europe and beyond.

How do you handle confidentiality?

Everything discussed between us — whether in an initial conversation or throughout an engagement — is treated as strictly confidential. I don’t share client information, reference clients by name without permission, or discuss one client’s business with another.

If you have any further questions that I haven’t addressed here, please get in touch.