Most consultants hand you a strategy and walk away. I don't. I build the strategy and stay to implement it — embedded in your team, accountable for the outcomes.
I've worked with more than 375 companies across scores of Australian industries. I have a clear point of view: a strategy that nobody implements is worth nothing. So I don't just build it — I stay and help you execute it.
I work embedded within your team — culturally undivided from you and your people. I take direct responsibility for results. I discover your market's unmet needs, uncover the hidden weaknesses of your competitors, and identify your company's true strengths. From those three ingredients, I build a breakthrough strategy — and then I roll up my sleeves.
I’m a Mental Health First Aider, and I’m aware of the cultural importance of blending well with your team and delivering safety as we work.
"I take direct responsibility for building a stronger strategy and successfully implementing it with you. I work as a team member — embedded, and culturally undivided from you and your team."
Every touchpoint in the journey between your company and your customer can be improved. Together, these become a suite of performance levers we can move for faster, more sustainable growth.
Not ready for a full engagement? The Hotseat is the fastest form of consulting I offer. In two hours, you receive focused, expert input on the specific marketing or strategy challenges you want a second opinion on. You complete a short briefing questionnaire ahead of time — and we dive straight in. A good way to test the thinking before committing to more.
Book a HotseatMost businesses look like everyone else — and most attempts to fix that start in a boardroom and end in a brochure. USP Derivation is different. It’s a structured, intelligence-gathering process that derives a defensible, evidenced market position your competitors can’t easily copy. The process has been building competitive advantage for Australian businesses for over two decades.
Learn More at uspderivation.com"Stephen has helped feed our five-year growth plan with the marketing assets, activities and infrastructure it needed. And the plan was met — we doubled in size. At the core, Stephen helped the company identify its hidden resources and to leverage them. The company is well placed to continue our growth trajectory."
"Crimsafe sales lifted by 30% month-after-month since the first of the new Strategy and Action ads debuted. I thoroughly recommend his services."
"Strategy and Action are helping Henkel improve advertising of Loctite. They conceived new strategy and continually help in copywriting and design. The ads are far superior in delivery of the brief and we are very confident in the sustainable results from these ads."
"We worked together under Strategy and Action to offer a comprehensive advantage to businesses that applied our Company-Customer Alignment program. I can attest to his thorough professionalism."
"In the first year of Strategy and Action's appointment, beyond our control our business lost a significant piece of business to the value of $1m. Their persistence to ensure we stuck to our strategic plan resulted in a recovery of our $1m loss via tactics to increase the value of our existing customers and mechanisms to attract new business."
"Our long-term sales goal was approximately $3m. But it wasn't until Strategy and Action built our strategic plan that we saw our actual long-term goal was approximately $30m. Their Action in Progress management consultancy kept us focused, motivated and on task. If you want growth for your business, simply ensure Strategy and Action is a part of your team."
Whether you have a clear brief or just a goal, reach out. Tell me what you're trying to achieve — I'll tell you honestly whether and how I can help you get there faster.