Advisory for exceptional agencies

I’m currently running a waiting list for advisory engagements. If you’d like to register your interest, get in touch.

Alex Price

My story

I dropped out of university to build an award winning digital agency specialising in working with enterprise B2B tech/SaaS clients.

I bootstrapped the business from just me as a clueless 20 year old to a team of 35 and multi-million £ annual revenues, working with clients like Amazon, before selling to a US headquartered strategic buyer aged 29.

I joined the leadership team of the acquirer, a ~150 person global marketing & comms agency, which went on to acquire another 2 agencies, giving me visibility of buy and sell side M&A from both sides of the table along with how to (and how not to!) approach post acquisition integration.

I’m a passionate entrepreneur and operator that loves nothing more than working with other talented agency founders/directors who share in my belief that great execution matters most.

What I do

After selling my agency, spending some time working for the acquirer and then taking some time off, I had a number of agencies reach out to me asking if I could work with them on a formal advisory basis.

My focus is on implementing strong processes and measurement frameworks needed to drive growth, improve profitability and free up founders/directors to love their day to day whilst ensuring accountability structures are in place. I’m particularly passionate about proposition, positioning and marketing for agencies.

I begin with a full but prompt audit of all key functions, outputting in a prioritised programme of change and agreement on how we’ll measure success. I then run formalised monthly board meetings for the agencies I work with, driving accountability whilst working closely alongside directors and senior team members on the key initiatives needed to drive change. I’m always available to my clients as a sounding board, supporting day to day challenges as and when they arise.

I always have one eye on the end goal - whether that’s building a leadership team and stepping back or eventually looking to sell the business.

Where I focus

Why?

My work with agency clients spans a number of areas, including:

  • I lead boards for my clients, putting in place formalised processes and accountability to drive performance.

    I plan and run monthly board meetings, working closely with founders/directors and their leadership teams.

  • How an agency positions itself in the market and the value proposition it offers its clients is my passion subject. I could talk about it all day.

    Nothing makes me sadder than a great agency doing great work, but it all going to waste because their value proposition is so vague and diluted nobody wants to work with them.

    My agency won Amazon as a client after they converted inbound through our website enquiry form - so I know just how effective powerful positioning can be.

  • In a close second place behind positioning as my passion subject is agency marketing in general.

    Most agencies are unbelievably bad at their own marketing.

    When I started my agency, I had no network, no experience, no case studies and no clients. So I had no choice but to build a really effective inbound marketing machine, and it powered the majority of our growth right up until acquisition.

  • It took me years to crack stepping back from new business, but eventually I managed it.

    By breaking down the new business process and thinking about it in stages, eventually I managed to bring in the right people and step back from running new business myself.

  • Moving from a bookkeeper doing basic finance for us each month to working with a part time finance director completely shifted my view of finance.

    I realised that, invested in correctly and with the right team, processes and reports, finance can be really strategic and value add, not just an administrative function.

  • Agencies are people businesses, and I’m fascinated by people. I spent years designing my business and leadership team to allow me to step back from most day to day running of the agency.

    There’s no better feeling as an agency owner than having the right people in the right seats with clear processes and KPIs.

  • Scaling an agency is like trying to defy gravity. I believe passionately that execution is everything in business - it’s only really well run businesses that prosper.

    Strong operations and processes are at the core of growing and profitable agencies.

I do advisory work because I love it - I enjoy working with passionate founders, solving challenges and seeing businesses prosper. It energises me and keeps my brain cogs turning!

I’m fortunate to be free and enjoying life, travelling a lot, reconnecting with lots of people and exploring new ideas. I do advisory work on a part time basis to suit my schedule. I have no intention of growing a big advisory practice or getting super busy.

I only work with a maximum of 5 agencies at any one time.

I’m currently running a waiting list for advisory engagements. If you’d like to register your interest, get in touch.