Ed Forteau

Leader of the Genuine Connections Revolution | Helping Service Providers, Entrepreneurs, and Sales Professionals Build Authentic Relationships | Author of "No More Cringe” | Changing the Way We do Business on LinkedIn

I’m Ed Forteau, Business Growth Strategist, Community Builder, and Creator of The Strategic Ally Method.

I help relationship-driven entrepreneurs attract high-value clients…without chasing, cold pitching, or playing the content hamster wheel game.

If you’re great at what you do, but feel like sales turns you into someone you’re not, you're not broken.

You’ve just been sold the wrong playbook.

Most of my clients come to me feeling stuck.

They’re burned out from outreach that goes nowhere.

They hate the pressure to perform on social media.

And they’re tired of trying to be “everywhere” just to get noticed.

What I teach flips the script:

✅ Start warm, low-pressure conversations that naturally lead to business

✅ Tap into the trust you’ve already earned to unlock hidden opportunities

✅ Show up as a Strategic Ally, not another sales person or content clone

✅ Build “quiet authority” without shouting for attention

✅ Use simple, human systems that work even when you’re not online

Here’s a story I hear all the time:

A client spent months tweaking cold email campaigns.

They saw early wins…until everything stopped working.

Low replies. Spam folder black holes. Endless fixing.

They tried my method. DMed just ten warm messages to mutual connections of people they knew.
Two booked calls. One became a client.

Then came momentum.

They told me, “This just feels…different. Lighter.”

I said, “It’s less work than trying to save a sinking ship.”

That’s the shift:

From pushing and persuading to connecting and converting.

From guessing what strangers want to showing up where you’re already trusted.

You don’t need to become someone else to grow your business.

You just need a better way.

That’s why I created The Genuine Connection Alliance. It’s a private community for relationship-first entrepreneurs.

Inside, you’ll learn my frameworks, build a powerful support system, and attract clients through trust, not tactics.

It’s where my best clients come from, because they experience the method before they ever hire me.

If you believe business can be built through conversations, connection, and real value, let’s talk.

Or better yet, let’s start a conversation that leads to something real.

💬 DM me the word “Alliance” and I’ll send you the Genuine Connection Alliance overview doc. It might be the missing piece you’ve been looking for.

EMAIL DELIVERABILITY EXPERT - Get More Of Your Emails Delivered, Seen, Opened, Read, and Clicked

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑:
• Any business that uses email to communicate with prospects, clients, or customers that have experienced their emails going to spam, or not getting delivered
• Any business that wants their email accounts set up properly to ensure high deliverability
Why? Nothing has a greater/more immediate impact on your bottom line than fixing email deliverability issues

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐃𝐎:
• Fix any types of email deliverability problems so more of your emails are delivered, seen, opened, and clicked
• Setup your email infrastructure so your emails land in your recipient's primary inbox
• Setup email reporting and monitoring to catch problems early, to avoid lost revenue
• Provide advice on the right email marketing platform to use to meet your objectives

▶ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐖𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐗:
We provide the peace of mind that you are receiving the maximum ROI from emails, because all forms of your emails are delivered. This includes:
• Cold Emails
• Subscription Emails
• Support Ticket Emails
• Proposal Emails
• Contracts via Email
• Invoice/billing Emails
• Transactional Emails
• Marketing Emails
• Contact Us Forms

▶ 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:
• Email Deliverability Audit - Identifies the source of 90% of email deliverability issues
• DMARC Reporting/Monitoring - Monitors the health of your email accounts and pinpoints the issues that happen infrequently
• Domain Reputation Recovery - Our proprietary method of improving the reputation of a damaged domain in under 30 days
• Email Infrastructure Setup - Ensures maximum email deliverability and protects your domain reputation
• Email Deliverability Repair - Our team has a combined 28+ years in fixing email deliverability issues

▶ 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒:
• 95%+ email deliverability rate
• An immediate increase in email open and click-through rates
• On average, a 200-400% increase in email-related revenue

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐘:
• See our LinkedIn Service Reviews

Liberating Leaders 

Founder 

SpeakTo

SpeakTo specialise in strategic engagement and leadership consultancy.   Helping our clients engage their staff, or communities to create conditions for growth and innovation, meeting the challenges of a complex and uncertain future.  Our work has been inspired by the insights gained through our groundbreaking grass roots regeneration model, that has fuelled our belief in the importance of proper engagement in galvanizing and fulfilling potential.

Founder & Director

The Crouch End Project

The Crouch End Project is one of the UK’s first high street brands. This unique business-led model empowers local firms to operate in new and creative ways, developing a collaborative approach to community engagement and regeneration.

By creating a platform in which businesses, organisations and people could participate, the Crouch End Project was able to increase footfall, customer loyalty and spending on the high street, while developing a culture of collaboration. Elements included introducing an identity, launching the Crouch End loyalty card and website, and events, such as Crouch End Fashion Week and Christmas late night shopping.

The Crouch End Project attracted the attention of the media and other town centres, such as Sidcup, Barnet and Ivybridge. This led to the creation of a business model which can be adapted to reflect the needs and priorities of local communities and businesses. 
The Crouch End Project remains a trusted platform and is now run locally and overseen by the SpeakTo team.

Founder

The Communications Practice (marketing consultancy)

Responsibilities included: management, strategic development, loyalty and direct marketing, communications planning, client liaison and cross-agency coordination. Launch of First Choice retail chain, regional and national launches.

Clients included: BBC, FirstChoice, TravelChoice and Express newspapers.

Director

Katz Media International (merged with Scott Lynds)

Responsibilities included: new business development, strategic planning, sponsorship and promotions.

Specific role as Sales and Marketing Director for Live TV - Launch of new concept TV channel.

Clients included: Cable TV brands, radio and international clients such as BA.

Mills & Allen

Responsible for sales and marketing to national brands and the media industry, and managing the sales team.

Group Head of Sales

The Publishing Consulancy

1994 - Launch Director - Chic Magazine
Worked with Editor, Joyce Hopkirk to launch ‘Chic’, a new woman’s title.

Developed new revenue and sponsorship for Taste magazine.

New Business Development Manager

Broadcast Marketing Services

Managing a sales team of ten, representing up to 30 radio stations in UK, including Chiltern Radio and Choice FM.

Sales and marketing Controller

Maureen Cooper Associates (fashion PR)

Junior Account Handler

Me:  Founder of Liberating Leaders, Author of The Scavenger Mindset, Coach, Mentor and Social innovator.  Best known for working with leaders, emerging and experienced, personally and professionally, to feel optimistic, energised and gain a greater sense of possibility by working better with what they already have. 

Liberating Leaders challenges our expectations of leadership and in doing so identifies the habits that are holding back progress and stifling innovation.  Using a new route map,  ReThink Leadership, will identify small step actions that can reframe the way you work and reimagine what might be possible. 

Work with me to identify your barriers, potential, and ambitions to produce a Liberating Leadership strategy and a new routemap for your success.  Learn how to work better with what you've already got ..
Watch my introductory video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4hpHzf5LsE

However under resourced, however stuck you may feel,  everything you need will be within reach, with a change in perspective.  I will help you discover that.  By focussing on what matters most, and where you have most control  we can reduce overwhelm and stress, and by re envisaging your team create a sense of community that can bring new ideas and fresh thinking to your stubborn and wicked problems. 

I have worked with leaders in public, voluntary and private sectors and always find unexpected talent, insights and leadership qualities in every community, organisation and company

Talk to me if you are experiencing ;
•	Feelings of overwhelm, lacking resource, or feeling abit stuck 
•	Challenges in connecting and motivating  teams and stakeholders
•	Need inspiration and renewed sense of possibility. 

Lets Talk; Message me on Linkedin. Email me at clare@liberating-leaders.com 

Specialities:  How to address Complex problems. Creative thinking. Leadership Coaching and Mentoring, discovering hidden potential. Bringing a new perspective to Stubborn problems . Building community. Leading in Uncertain times. Cultivating high-performance working environments from existing teams. Leadership in all it's guises. 

 I am also a mother of two extraordinary daughters, and through them, have growing interest in how to help young people feel confident in uncertain times, and find success on their own terms.  

Outside of work: Friends, family, children, dogs, cats, garden, the odd bit of cooking, old house requiring much care, occasional festival, travel, always thinking, imagining, up for debate and learning.

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The Battle

Ed Forteau

Clare Richmond

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