Grow faster
Sharpen the proposition, strengthen the pipeline and put time and investment where they'll make the biggest difference.
SUM Partners
Alone is overrated. Building together changes everything.
Growth partners for independent agency founders.Start with a chat →
More together
Built for independent agency founders.
Running an agency is brilliant. And relentless.
Pitching, delivering, leading teams and keeping clients happy, all while trying to grow a more valuable business.
We’ve built, grown and sold our own agencies. We’ve got plenty right and plenty wrong, and spent years working alongside other independent agency founders as they’ve built theirs.
SUM brings it all together, putting collective experience and the right people in your corner to help you build an agency that works better, commercially and personally.
What we help you do.
Improve margin
Better pricing, smarter resourcing and a clearer view of where the money is really being made.
Build value
Build a stronger, more resilient agency that's worth more — whether you ever sell it or not.
Make better decisions, faster
An experienced partner to think things through with, from the everyday calls to the bigger ones.
Build beyond the founder
Strengthen the team, leadership and ways of working so less depends on you.
Be ready for what's next
Growth. Investment. Acquisition. Exit. Or simply the next version of the agency.
No magic formula. Just the right people, collective experience and better decisions to help you move faster.
SUM WAYS TO WORK
Built around what you need.
From people around you to a whole growth team around the business. The level of involvement depends on what you need.
01
People around you
Sum Club
A network when you need one.
Peer network, founder sessions, CFO clinic, insight and socials.
02
Someone in your corner
Founder Advisory
An experienced operator in your corner.
Four hours a month with a dedicated lead advisor, plus access to the wider SUM advisory group when you need it.
03
Someone working alongside you
Growth Partner
Define the destination. Then build the road.
1.5 days a month with a dedicated lead advisor who will work alongside you and your team, drawing on the wider SUM advisory group and specialist partners as needed.
04
A team around the business
The Growth Department
A brilliant growth team, without the headcount.
Strategy, content, pipeline, PR, inbound and outbound. Built around what you need to grow.
Who SUM is for
SUM works best when…
You're an independent, founder-led agency.
You're somewhere around £500k–£5m revenue.
SOMETHING NEEDS ATTENTION.
Growing too fast. Growing too slowly. Gross margin under pressure. A senior person leaving. Too much depends on the founder. Too little capacity, or too much. Preparing for exit. Or simply knowing the agency needs to work differently.
Our work
What happens when it works.
See our work →01 / CASE STUDY PLACEHOLDER
Client story 01
+X% margin
Commercial outcome to confirm
02 / CASE STUDY PLACEHOLDER
Client story 02
£X pipeline
Commercial outcome to confirm
03 / CASE STUDY PLACEHOLDER
Client story 03
X% growth
Commercial outcome to confirm
SUM people
Operators, not observers.
Experienced agency founders and builders who work alongside you and your team.
Meet SUM →Celia Forshew
Operating experience to confirm
Joe Brailsford
Operating experience to confirm
Tosh Ohta
Operating experience to confirm
Rebecca Ridge
Operating experience to confirm
Alex Miller
Operating experience to confirm
Peter Walker
Operating experience to confirm
A USEFUL FIRST CONVERSATION
Start with a chat.
A short, structured look at where your agency is now, where you're trying to get to and what's getting in the way.
You'll leave with a clearer view of the priorities — whether or not you work with us.
Start with a chat →