Advice from Liam O'Leary

Stuck on something? Talk it through with someone who's been there.

Owner-to-owner advice for agency and services business owners.

Liam O'Leary talking through a problem with a colleague at Laser Red

A lot of consultants and coaches haven't run a business. I have, through the bits that worked and the bits that didn't.

If you're running a digital agency or a services business and you've hit a problem you can't see your way round, sometimes the most useful thing is an hour with someone who's been through the same mess and will tell you straight what they'd do.

Who I help

Mostly agency owners. Sometimes other services businesses too.

Most of the people I help run digital agencies or related services businesses, typically anywhere from a one-person operation up to a team of around eight, usually pre-£1m in revenue. The shape of business matters less than the shape of problem. If it's commercial, operational, sales, marketing, hiring, financial, or strategic, I've probably been there.

I'm happy to talk to non-agency owners too, but fair warning: I'll be more useful to you if your business runs on time, projects, services, and clients. Less useful if you're in a sector I haven't worked in.

What I help with

The bumps most owners hit and don't have anyone to talk to about.

Pricing and sales

When to put prices up, how to charge for value, why you're losing pitches and how to close more.

Hiring, team and culture

Who to hire next, how to keep good people, and how to handle the difficult conversations.

Operations and systems

Why everything feels chaotic, what to systemise first, and what to leave alone.

Finance

Reading your own numbers, understanding your real margins, getting cash flow under control.

Strategy, AI and exits

Where to take the business next, where AI fits, and what to think about if you're buying or selling.

How it works

No fixed format. We work it out between us.

People come to me at different stages with different problems and different amounts of time available. So we work out the format between us.

Sometimes that's a coffee. Sometimes a video call. Sometimes something more involved if the problem is bigger and warrants proper time on it. I'll always tell you up front whether I think I can actually help.

Some engagements are paid, some aren't, depending on what we're doing and how much of my time it takes. We'll have that conversation directly and agree a plan.

Nick Whyatt of POP Branding Agency and Liam O'Leary of Laser Red shaking hands

An example

How Nick and I started talking.

I met Nick Whyatt years before we acquired POP. We started talking because he had a few problems in his business he wanted a second opinion on. Some of those conversations were quick. Some were longer. Over time it became clear that his situation called for something bigger than advice, and that's how the POP acquisition came about.

That isn't typical and it isn't the goal. Most advice conversations stay as advice conversations. But it's a good illustration of how these tend to work: relaxed, open, owner to owner. We talked, I helped where I could, and the relationship went where it went.

What I'm not

Where I'm not the right person.

I'm not a coach. I won't help you with mindset, life balance, or your inner game. I'm not a fractional CTO or CMO. I'm not going to write your strategy document for you.

What I am is someone who's run an agency for 25 years and has already solved, or got wrong, most of the things you're stuck on.

Alongside Laser Red I also advise and invest in a small number of businesses, including Deploy.dev.

Get in touch

Tell me what you're stuck on and I'll let you know if I can help.

Email me: liam@laser.red