Helping founders and leadership teams develop their businesses

I support small businesses in two ways:

1/ Coaching: I work with leadership teams as a 'sounding board / thinking partner' across their business challenges. Given my passion for the environment, I am increasingly supporting innovators in the climate/sustainability sector.

Some typical challenges my clients experience: 
- Lack of clear ICP & target market 
- Inefficient sales strategyFailing lead gen and marketing traction 
- Lengthy sales cycles 
- Lack of customer/product validation 
- Internal misalignment around BD

2/ Customer Validation: Have you properly researched what customers think of your idea, or are your assumptions guiding much of your strategy? I conduct independent research projects to provide clients with clarity on what their customers really feel about their product or service. This generates invaluable insight that drives product refinement, sales focus and partnership discussions. 

If this resonates, it might be worth an exploratory chat.

Advisor & Coach to SMBs and their leadership teams

Sustainable Ocean Alliance

Advisor to early stage companies which are revolutionising the shift of business and consumer behaviours to protect our oceans.

Mentor / Advisor

Brandfuel Ltd

Established and led Brandfuel's first international office in SF to provide a more global offering for our client base. 

Onboarded a great core team, developed US brand, set up city location, worked tirelessly with existing and new clients to develop a true partnership approach to their challenges. 

Significant learnings you can only have from being on the ground, hustling. Fabulous relationships both from working with the Board, UK team and our people here in SF. Built a client list that loved what we were doing, including Google, Stripe, Niantic, Credit Suisse, Cloudflare, Rivian to name a few.

VP and Commercial Director

Threshold Sports

The opportunity to work at an award-winning sports event company was too good to pass up. Engaging brands with the benefits of mass participation sports challenges, was hugely rewarding. 

Landed some of the company's most significant client wins at the time, onboarding partners across our event portfolio and creating epic bespoke challenges. Included Balfour Beatty, RBS (largest corporate deal), Techogym and Virgin (www.strivechallenge.org, first pan-European project), L'Oreal, SocGen.

Commercial Lead

Strata Creative Communications Ltd

A hugely enjoyable two years at Crown, cut short only because an opportunity came along allowing me to scratch the itch to work in sports. 

Reshaped the BD process & built a small but focused sales team to generate solid new business wins and existing account growth for this award-winning brand engagement agency. New clients included Barclays Wealth, Easyjet, Fiat Jeep and the Ryder Cup 2014.

Left with a heavy heart, as we'd spent two years overhauling the process, gaining the trust of the account teams and generating solid sales momentum which was now really paying off.

Head of Business Development

'Blazing Pedals'​: Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice | Help for Heroes

Took time out for a self-supported 4630km bike ride from London - Gibraltar with my good friend Humph, after my father passed away. Wanted to do something meaningful for the fabulous Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. We raised £15,000+  - their highest ever amount from an individual fundraiser. 
www.followingmyfatherscycletracks.blogspot.co.uk

Joined fellow cycling junkies for a 4 day 'Piste to Plage' ride through the Alps, fundraising for Help for Heroes.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPodgLgISB8

An epic adventure through France, Switzerland and Spain. Needs a book !

Fundraising Cyclist for Phyllis Tuckwell and Help For Heroes

MCM Creative Group

First foray into event agency land. Identifying and developing commercial opportunities within blue chip companies. A useful experience, largely because it highlighted many learnings on what not to do from a sales/BD perspective. Not having a clear value prop, no differentiation, no ideal customer targeting, little emphasis on relationship building for the long term. We chased numbers, not quality need-driven opportunities. The result: we wasted a lot of hard BD graft, competing on wrong briefs in the wrong manner.  Ultimately a hugely beneficial learning exercise.

Business Development Manager

Incognito Artists

6 years with this premium entertainment start-up working with a highly ambitious CEO & Board to capitalise on being the first of its kind (competition was very quick to follow!). First taste of working with a Board, responsibility for meeting ambitious targets, building a small sales, marketing and event team, developing and maintaining a global network of client partners and managing over 75 performers.

6 years of YoY growth, we 3X the company.  Terrific idea. Wonderful team. And a whole lot of fun. 

Offered MD role, but chose to go agency side, to work on larger budgets and opportunities.

Sales & Business Development Manager

Commercial and sales leader, building & leading business development and operations teams.

20+ years in media, event marketing, and sports agencies, focusing on sales, partnerships and media relations. I now bring that experience to innovative SMBs and startups, working alongside senior management driving commercial and operational success.
 
- Established and ran US operation of UK creative agency
- Led BD and account development at several award-winning European creative agencies
- 6 years of YoY growth for entertainment start-up; led international growth into EMEA, USA & UAE
- Stints in San Diego and NYC developing US client bases

Love mountain and road biking, enthusiastic kiter, distinctly average surfer.

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Charlie Vaughan-Griffith's Linkedin Analytics

Charlie Vaughan-Griffith

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Charlie Vaughan-Griffith

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Charlie Vaughan-Griffith's Linkedin Analytics