Brand-led commercial growth.
Fractional marketing lead, strategic advisor & digital specialist.
Marketing that gets your food, drink, hospitality or FMCG business chosen, and chosen again. Across direct-to-consumer, retail and wholesale, for independent businesses, start-ups and challenger brands.
Why I do this: I started out helping small independent businesses that needed marketing but couldn’t afford it. Now I’m freelance again, with years in-house behind me and the same purpose.
More about me →
Sound familiar?
- You’re busy every week, but couldn’t say what’s actually working.
- You’re reading this at 11pm, because there’s no other time to think about marketing.
- You’ve got the customer data. Nobody’s had time to look at it.
- Your brand made sense when you started. Now you’d struggle to say why someone should choose you.
- Your stockists stock you, but their staff couldn’t tell a customer why.
- A listing, a launch or an investor meeting is coming, and there’s no plan to show them.
If two or more ring true, it’s time someone owned your marketing.
Your marketing, owned.
Someone owns your marketing, and it isn’t you.
You get your time back, and you can leave it with someone who’s done it before.
Everything works towards a business goal.
No more hoping some of it works. A plan that delivers, done properly and measured on its success.
Led by your customers and your numbers.
Real customer insight and your own data, so you know the business is going in the direction it needs to.
It all links up.
Pull one lever and something else moves.
I see how it ricochets through your business and your customer’s experience, and plan for it, so your brand, product, price and where you sell all work together. When something goes sideways, I work out what to do about it.
Think of me as the conductor of your marketing orchestra. That job comes off your plate and goes to someone who’s done it before.
What I offer
Most businesses need a mix. These labels are just a guide, and we’ll shape the work around your goals.
Don’t know where to start with marketing, or whether what you’re already doing is working?
I slot in as your fractional brand and marketing lead. I’ve always had to balance the big-picture thinking with rolling up my sleeves and actually making things happen. I set the direction, build the plan and lead the work, with your team, freelancers I trust, or a fractional team I build for you.
- More affordable and flexible than a full-time hire
- Mentoring for your junior marketers
- Marketing ops in order, so a small team works more efficiently
Sometimes you need a second opinion from someone who has done it.
I’ll look at what you’ve got, tell you what I’d do and why, and hand over a plan you can run with or without me.
- A two-hour strategy session, with a written plan within 48 hours
- A full marketing audit, with the quick wins first
- Training, mentoring and marketing ops
This is the hands-on part. Shopify, Klaviyo, Recharge and more.
I map the journey your customer is actually on, then build websites that convert and email flows that run without you.
- Every build chosen for what the business needs commercially
- Retention, loyalty, referral and subscriptions
- Paid and organic social, run by me or a specialist I look after
- Specialists I trust where the brief needs them
Everything is shaped around your business. We start with a free 30-minute call, I find out what you need, then I come back with an accurate quote.
Book a callWhat I’ve done
BrewserI grew a beer subscription
Growing the subscriber base. Fixing the website, the process and the reasons people were leaving, then building the email and loyalty that kept them.
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SellarI brought a tech company into real life
Clarifying a tech company’s positioning, then taking it into real life to learn from customers and build relationships.
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Moonwake Beer Co.I was the first hire at a brewery
Two brewers, a building site and no beer yet. Building the brand and the customer base from nothing, and getting it into the taproom, the shelf and the trade.
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Cityglen Pub Co.I ran marketing for a pub group
Four London pubs, just refurbished and moving from wet-led to premium gastro. One shared marketing plan across all four, and each one kept its own identity and community.
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“Getting someone with Sarah’s experience and insight to look at the bigger picture for us has been so valuable.”
Before you get in touch
All questionsIt’s just me. Do I need a team first?
No. Plenty of my work is just me and a founder. I’ll work with you directly, and if a team would help, I’ll build a fractional one that slots in, or tell you what to hire for first, help you hire, and stay on while they settle in.
We don’t have a strategy, a plan or a budget. Is that OK?
That’s perfect. I’ll work with you to answer your questions, and guide you in the direction the business needs to go. Then we put together a plan that works, and carry it out.
How much does it cost?
Everything is shaped around your business. We start with a free 30-minute call, I find out what you need, then I come back with an accurate quote.
Start with a chat.
Tell me what’s going on in the business and we’ll work out what would help.