Agency Coaching & Mentoring
Running your own agency should be rewarding, but it’s rarely easy. Many founders start with dreams of better work-life balance, more control, and increased earnings—only to find themselves missing one or all three. As an experienced agency coach and mentor, I help founders change that reality.
My approach combines coaching and mentoring in a comprehensive support system tailored to each agency I work with. This integrated approach offers distinct advantages over traditional business coaching:
The Coaching Element
Asking the right questions to drive progress
I use proven coaching techniques to help you find clarity in your goals, develop realistic plans, and maintain accountability as you implement them. The coaching relationship helps you become more effective at leading your company by:
- Guiding strategic planning and priority-setting
- Creating frameworks for decision-making
- Developing leadership skills and team management
- Establishing measurable targets and accountability systems
The Mentoring Element
Drawing on 25+ years of agency experience
Having built, grown and sold my own digital agency, I offer practical wisdom and battle-tested solutions. The mentoring relationship provides immediate value through:
- Actionable advice for common agency challenges
- Lessons learned from both successes and failures
- Quick solutions to tactical problems
- Access to my network and resources when needed
“Mat’s realistic and empathetic approach, backed by his experience in building and selling a successful agency, helps you see challenges, opportunities, and steps for sustainable growth. His energy, enthusiasm, and practical insights are invaluable. Serving as a coach, mentor, brainstormer, non-exec director, whip-cracker and therapist, Mat provides guidance and space to navigate challenges and ideas, keeping you grounded and focused on the things that matter..”
-Neil Hallmark, Outliers
How We Work Together
Our partnership begins with two Foundation Sessions to understand your current situation, challenges, and goals. These sessions identify the gaps between where your business is now and where you want it to be.
We then establish a regular rhythm of scheduled calls—typically monthly or fortnightly—complemented by ongoing support via email and Slack. Each session focuses on your most pressing priorities while maintaining alignment with your long-term vision.
How an Agency Specific Coach/Mentor is Different
Many agency founders come to me after working with general business coaches. While such coaches offer valuable perspectives, they rarely understand the unique challenges of agency businesses:
- Client acquisition and retention in service businesses
- Resource allocation and utilisation challenges
- Pricing models and profitability in creative work
- Managing scope creep and client expectations
- Agency-specific growth and scaling strategies
My focused experience in digital agencies means we can address these specific challenges alongside broader business principles.
“Mat is smart, kind and has serious agency experience. His innate ability to distil complex situations into actionable steps has significantly improved our sales processes. Regular check-ins keep us supported and accountable in equal measure. It’s nice having someone in our corner that speaks the same language.”
-Polly Buckland, The Typeface Group
What it costs
I believe in transparent, straightforward pricing with no minimum commitments. We simply work on a rolling monthly basis for as long as you find it beneficial.
With Twice-Monthly Calls
Scheduled calls of up to 90 minutes every two weeks, plus incidental support as needed between calls.
Ideal for periods of more rapid growth or where faster change is needed.
£525 per month
With Monthly Calls
Scheduled calls of up to 90 minutes in a regular monthly slot, plus incidental support between calls.
Ideal where goals are more strategic and longer term and momentum/accountability are less of an issue.
£350 per month
Is this right for you?
This approach works best for founders of digital agencies with 2-12 team members who are:
- Looking to improve profitability or work-life balance
- Facing growth challenges or strategic decisions
- Seeking accountability and outside perspective
- Ready to invest time in working on their business, not just in it
Next steps
Let’s have a conversation to see if we’re a good fit. I maintain a small client roster to ensure I can provide meaningful support to each agency I work with.
“Mat is extremely knowledgeable and made our sessions feel like we were collaborating and not just being told what to do. I would recommend other agency leaders to consult with Mat should they be needing some guidance, support or just to sound things out with someone with industry expertise.”
– Collette Masso del Llano, Context Marketing Consultancy
Occasionally asked questions
I won’t over-exaggerate and claim that any of these questions are frequent, but here are some hopefully-helpful answers to additional questions you might have. If I’ve missed something, just ask.
Do you offer scaled group sessions? Not at this time and I don’t have immediate plans to do so.
How does it work if there are two or more leaders? For agencies with two co-founders I will usually offer the same service but with both leaders on each call. Unless additional one on one support is needed, no additional charge applies. Where there are three or more leaders wanting to be part of the process I will tailor an approach specific to that organisation.
Do you offer one-off sessions / pay by the hour coaching? No. My approach is based on trying to truly understand the leaders and agencies I work with rather than providing the same answers to all. For this reason I don’t think I can be as effective as a “drop-in solution” and do not take on such work.
Are you able to offer more hands-on support? I’m happy to get more hands on with particular initiatives, when availability allows. This will typically be operational initiatives or marketing work.
What types of agency do you work with? The range is broad and growing, covering many specialisms under the umbrella of digital agencies: Development, Product, SEO, Branding, Communications, Paid Media, Content, Creative, Full Service Marketing and a number of amazing niche offerings.
Why is the monthly option not half the price of the fortnightly one? Because I spend a lot of time thinking about each company I work with, researching and often doing other tasks to help, my capacity is very much set by the number of clients I work with rather than the number of calls I schedule.
What is your availability? I occasionally have availability for immediate start, but more usually maintain a short wait-list. If you are considering us working together I advise booking a call with me to assess fit and we can discuss possible windows then.