Your business,
our know how.

Real people, real experience.

The story behind
CompellingStory

Hi, I’m Simon Saunders, founder of CompellingStory. 35 years of career dots, finally connected.

I started in graphic design, but client facing roles interested me more, and I quickly got curious about how businesses worked and what made each one stand out.

That curiosity led me to run my own business for 20 successful years, producing event stationery for the Houses of Parliament, BT, Rolls-Royce, Braun UK and Deutsche Bank. Exhibition sales, print and a charity followed.

In 2025, a health scare stopped everything. As I recovered, I remembered the domain I’d registered during Covid, when founder after founder couldn’t say why anyone should choose them, and asked what I was waiting for.

Every founder’s career dots shape their business. Mine shaped CompellingStory.

The Invitation Factory
Founder

How a startup won orders with Rolls Royce and Braun UK.

  • The challenge
    We sold event stationery to individual customers. Every order was a one off, and the time spent winning each one was out of proportion to what it was worth.

    What I found
    Corporate event stationery lacked creativity. Businesses held events year after year, but their invitations rarely reflected who they were.

    What I did
    Ran a direct marketing campaign that told a story. Rather than listing products, it invited each recipient to a viewing of invitations designed in their own corporate brand.

    The outcome
    A business that ran for 20 years, with repeat clients including the Houses of Parliament, BT, Rolls-Royce, Braun UK and Deutsche Bank.

    The insight
    Who you tell your story to matters as much as the story itself.

Enterprise Nation
SME Mentor

Why founders rarely see their business the way their clients do.

  • The challenge
    As a volunteer mentor with Enterprise Nation, I gave one to one support to founders in the early stages of their businesses. They came for help with their sales and marketing messages. They could describe their products, services and prices, but not why anyone should choose them.

    What I found
    Every business had something genuinely different about it. It was just buried under a list of what they offered.

    What I did
    We moved the conversation away from products. Why did you start this? What do your clients say about you? What do you do that others don't bother with?

    The outcome
    Founders left with a clearer reason to be chosen, drawn from their own story rather than invented for them.

    The insight
    This wasn't one founder's problem. It was almost everyone's. It became the foundation of CompellingStory.

Kisharon
Head of Social Enterprise

How a charity took its fundraising story and told it commercially.

  • The challenge
    Kisharon ran four social enterprises: a bike shop, a gift shop, a print shop and a sweet shop. The gift and print shop shared a prime location next to M&S in a wealthy neighbourhood. The bike and sweet shops were tucked away off street, a few miles away.

    What I found
    Walk into the gift and print shop and you'd never know it was a charity raising money for people with severe learning disabilities. The most powerful part of the story was invisible where the most customers were.

    What I did
    Brought the enterprises together in the prime location, displaying children's bikes and selling sweets bagged and packed by the people the charity supported. Told the charity's story with images of those people working within each enterprise, and introduced a loyalty card and newsletter for customers across all four.

    The outcome
    Greater awareness of the charity, with customers from the gift shop's neighbourhood now travelling to the bike shop.

    The insight
    A great story only works if it's told where people can see it.

The 4UK Group
Sales & Marketing Director

From selling services and products to selling ideas and solutions.

  • The challenge
    We were a printer, but our clients were marketing people. They wanted more than print.

    What I found
    They didn't want another supplier. They wanted someone who understood what they were trying to achieve.

    What I did
    Helped reshape the business into The 4UK Group, adding branded merchandise and creative services for print and digital, and telling that bigger story.

    The outcome
    Existing clients began allocating more of their marketing budgets to The 4UK Group, with services cross sold across the group.

    The insight
    When your clients change, your story has to change with them.

“ Every business has a reason to be chosen. What’s yours? ”

Simon Saunders Founder, CompellingStory

Saying what we mean
doing what we say

Real commercial expertise while respecting our social mission.

Simon created new work opportunities and a retail buying group that increased revenue. Professional, entrepreneurial and reliable throughout.

Julia Brown
Director of Operations

Secured leading brands in key positions at the show.

Simon joined to support the sales team and, after an internal reshuffle, became our sole salesperson, responsible for selling exhibition stands worth £500,000.

Mark Gordon
Head of Sales

Black and white photograph of a man wearing glasses sitting at a desk, speaking into a microphone, with a bookshelf in the background.

A trusted, reliable partner over several years.

Simon provided all our event marketing collateral and invitations. He consistently delivered efficient, prompt service with quality results.

Alison Fiander
Marketing Manager

The type of professional every business wants on their team.

I worked directly with Simon in directory sales. It's a tough environment, but his conduct, integrity and work ethic were outstanding.

Alistair Brett
Head of Sales