Why good advice can still slow you down

Hi there,

In this month’s issue, a lesson it took me six years to learn about making better decisions in business, and a new podcast episode on how to stay creative in regulated industries.

Let’s get into it!

Lessons from 10 years of building a business (so far)

Three: Driving without a sat nav

It took me six years to realise we’d been driving our business without a sat nav.

When we started Wondrous, we did what most people do and got help.

First, a business consultant helped us to put the right foundations in place.

Then someone to help us think more commercially. Targets, numbers, performance.

Both were valuable at the time.

But something still wasn’t clicking.

We were making progress, but slower than we should have been and not all of the advice felt quite right.

And I think a lot of businesses may get stuck here without realising it.

You’re doing the right things.
You’re investing in support.
BUT the advice is broad, not built for your world.

So you end up circling.

At six years in, everything changed for us.

A peer recommended a book by Spencer Gallagher and Peter Hoole: How to grow your agency to the first £5m and beyond.

It felt like they’d written it specifically about us. Every problem, clearly laid out, with what to do next.

I immediately looked into how I could get more of this advice, and joined their mastermind programme.

From that point, decisions got faster.
We stopped second guessing.
We grew.

It was like switching on a sat nav after years of guessing directions.

You can get somewhere without one.

But it will take longer.

Funnel This new episode: Creative marketing in regulated industries

That idea of getting the right input at the right time doesn’t just apply to running a business. It shows up in marketing too.

One of the biggest blockers I see is marketers assuming they can’t do certain things.

Too risky. Too regulated. Too many constraints.

Which is exactly why I wanted to share this conversation with Toni Gregory, Brand and Content Lead at OpenPayd.

Because her view is the opposite.

Marketing in financial services isn’t about playing it safe. It’s about thinking big first, then working intelligently within the guardrails.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why compliance should be baked in, not bolted on

• Thinking creative first, then refining ideas within constraints

• Building trust through storytelling and proof

• Measuring brand through visibility, consistency and momentum

If you work in fintech or any regulated space, this will likely challenge how you think about what’s possible.

Watch the full conversation ↗️
Find Funnel This on your usual podcast platform.

The right input changes everything. In how you run your business, and in how you approach your marketing.

Next month, I’ll share another lesson from ten years of building Wondrous, along with a new podcast episode with Olivia Minnock of mmob.

Sally.