When I launched Big Reputation in 2023, there was no big budget, no external investment, and no one else in the business. Just me, a clear vision, and a belief that great businesses deserve great marketing that’s strategic, consistent, and grounded in commercial thinking.
Two years on, we’re a specialist B2B agency trusted by ambitious brands across construction, manufacturing, tech and professional services.
We’ve grown through strategic thinking, organic marketing and PR alone – no ads, no funnels, no gimmicks. Everything has been built on reputation, relationships, and delivering excellent work, consistently.
So to celebrate our two years, here’s how I grew Big Reputation to the point where we’re already likened to ‘London agencies but without the price tag’ and punching well above our weight to rival much bigger agencies.
Laying the Foundations While Still Winning Business
In those early months, I made a conscious decision to invest time in getting the brand right. Not just the visuals, but the voice, positioning, and feel of Big Reputation. It took six months to build something that felt solid enough to grow from – and that brand work still holds up now.
But while the branding was being developed, the business needed to grow so I could pay my mortgage…
I focused on getting sales in, building relationships, and delivering results. That balance of working on the business while bringing money into it, is where a lot of people struggle. It’s something we got right from the start, and it set the tone for everything that’s followed.
Growing the Business the Way We Grow Our Clients’
We applied the same principles to our own growth that we now use with our clients. A strong brand, a clear offer, smart positioning and consistent visibility in the right places. We weren’t trying to be everywhere – just in front of the right people, saying the right things:
This gave us a platform to build credibility both as a new brand and myself as the founder.
For me, I’m able to share my thoughts, lessons and way of viewing the world. I also use it to connect and engage with people I find interesting and target clients.
For Big Reputation, it enabled the business to grow separately from me and to shine a light on our team and clients too.
Word-of-mouth and networking
When your clients champion you and share their experience, there’s no better feeling. Then networking allowed us to create opportunities because we were in the room with decision makers who got to know us over time.
Strategic PR
This came much later, after about 18 months in, we did start to invest in PR that backed up our positioning. There’s a lot of options and some are very costly, so we chose carefully on picking the opportunities that would really boost our awareness but in places we’d already started to have some traction and the focus was to build credibility – not bring in leads. But, the leads did follow.
Everything is fully costed, planned and done with purpose. Nothing is rushed.
Marketing That’s Built to Last
I’ve never believed in growth hacking and we’ve never used it to grow Big Reputation.
We’re here for long-term results, not short-term spikes or spray-and-pray tactics. I wanted to build proper foundations: know our audience, create the right content for the right channels, and stay consistent even when it’s quiet.
Our focus has always been on strategy that actually supports business growth. That’s meant saying no to shortcuts, and yes to the kind of long-term thinking that gets you seen and remembered by the people who matter.
That approach has helped us grow steadily – and sustainably. It’s also what we deliver for every single client.
A Team That Sets the Standard
In the early days, I did it all: client work, strategy, creative, admin, operations. But as demand increased, it became clear that Big Reputation was becoming bigger than just me and I needed to create a best in class team.
Now we’ve got strong delivery capacity, proper creative support, and internal systems that give us room to scale. The people I’ve brought in aren’t just talented, they care deeply about doing things well. That mindset makes all the difference.
We Walk the Talk
Everything we recommend to clients, we’ve tested on ourselves first – or comes from learnt experiences within their specific industries.
There’s nothing theoretical about how we work which is key to getting ahead commercially. It’s also why I positioned Big Reputation as an ‘agency’, not ‘consultancy’ because we’re active agents in your growth… Not just a consultant who’s read a few editions of HBR and thinks everything fits perfectly into a SOSTAC framework – then leaves you to it after some super expensive advice.
Our own growth is proof that great strategy and clever marketing works, and we keep evolving it in line with what actually gets results in the real world.
Professional Development is a Priority
During our first year, I finally achieved Chartered Marketer status after working towards it for 4 years. As a new and young business owner, I knew I needed something to help us stand out from all the other young founders who didn’t have my commercial experience and level of expertise.
I also love how being Chartered reflects my commitment to staying sharp and delivering strategy that’s rooted in best practice. It needs to be renewed every year after completing a certain amount of CPD too.
We’ve applied that same thinking to the team. Everyone at Big Reputation has a development plan. Whether it’s formal qualifications, creative mentoring or strategic training, we make sure the work stays sharp because the people behind it keep growing.
Relationships Drive Results
We’ve always been clear that we work best with clients who want a long-term partner. They come to us for structure, clarity and consistency – and trust us to take marketing off their desk and drive it forward.
“We have been working with Big Reputation for the past nine months, and the impact they’ve had on our business has been outstanding. From the outset, they took the lead in developing a clear and focused marketing plan, setting a strong strategic direction that aligns perfectly with our goals.”
– Jessica Clewlow, SYTECH
“We trust Big Reputation with all of our marketing needs, and they deliver every single time. The team are approachable, professional and extremely driven. They get our industry, and listen to our ethos as a business – that’s when the magic happens.”
– Gavin & Nicola Brown, Think Timber
“We didn’t really know what we wanted or needed in terms of marketing, but Big Reputation took the time to understand our business and drive its promotion in the direction we needed. We’ve gone from ad-hoc messages to structured, targeted and professional delivery.”
– Simon Robinson, Carter Electrical Services
Looking Ahead
We’re moving into our third year with a strong team, loyal clients, and a clear direction. The focus is on sustainable growth, refining our offer, and deepening our presence in the sectors we know best.
We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We’re here to build strong reputations that support long-term commercial success. And we’re very good at it.
So, if you want strategic marketing that gets taken seriously and actually supports business growth, let’s talk.