Behind a great business
there’s a founder’s story.

The founder’s jounrey.

Connecting the
career dots

Every business starts with a founder, shaped by their experience, knowledge and passion.

In 2005, Steve Jobs told Stanford students about connecting the dots. For him, a calligraphy course later inspired the Mac’s beautiful typography.

Career dots are what set every founder apart. Simon’s inspired CompellingStory. What have yours inspired?

Here are Simon’s career dots.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 Invitation Factory
Founder

How a small studio won
Rolls-Royce and
Braun UK.

Enterprise Nation
SME Mentor

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

Kisharon
Head of Social Enterprise

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

The 4UK Group
Sales & Marketing Director

From selling services and products to selling ideas and solutions.

“ Every business is as unique
as its founder's story ”

Simon Saunders | Founder, CompellingStory

Real commercial expertise while respecting our social mission

Some kind words…

Secured leading brands in key positions at the show.

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

Julia Brown
Director of Operations

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

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 Gorden
Head of Sales

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

Alison Fiander
Marketing Manager

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

A trusted, reliable partner over several years.

The type of professional every business wants on their team.