Shaping a Clearer Growth Strategy at Total Guide
Total Guide to Ltd, led by Founder and Managing Director Liz Hutchings, is a digital media and marketing platform connecting local audiences with businesses across multiple UK locations. With an established presence and growing reach, the business continues to evolve its offering to support both consumers and advertisers.
The Challenge
As the business continued to expand, Liz was balancing the demands of day-to-day operations with the need to define a clearer long-term growth strategy.
At a point where the business was growing quickly, Liz recognised the importance of stepping back to work more on the business rather than just in it. She was also keen to connect with other business owners facing similar challenges, to gain fresh perspective and build accountability into her approach.
At the time, Liz was juggling multiple areas of the business—from sales and marketing to team management—which often felt reactive. There was a need for greater clarity around the overall growth strategy, stronger internal structure, and a more sustainable approach to scaling rather than simply responding to opportunities as they arose.
The Support
Liz joined the Evolve Growth Forum, a structured programme funded by Business Growth Dorset, as part of Scale Up Growth programme, designed to bring business leaders together to explore real-world growth challenges and share practical approaches to scaling and development.
The programme combined interactive workshops, peer-to-peer discussion and facilitated sessions, covering topics such as growth strategy, leadership alongside the use of AI and automation in business.
A key part of the experience was the opportunity to learn alongside other business leaders, sharing perspectives, challenging ideas and gaining insight from those facing similar growth challenges.
This collaborative, discussion-led approach enabled Liz to step away from the day-to-day pressures of running the business and focus on developing new perspectives and approaches to growth.
The Impact
Taking part in the programme gave Liz dedicated time to step back from day-to-day operations and focus on the bigger picture of the business.
The sessions introduced practical frameworks that could be applied immediately, helping to shape a clearer and more structured approach to growth planning. The programme also provided valuable validation of decisions already being considered, giving Liz the confidence to move forward and make changes more decisively.
One of the most significant benefits was the opportunity to connect with other business owners, sharing challenges, ideas and solutions in a supportive environment, which reinforced the value of collaborative learning.
Following the programme, Liz is continuing to focus on building a more scalable business model, empowering her team to take greater ownership and reducing reliance on a founder-led approach. The business is also preparing to launch a new territory, Total Guide to Cotswolds, alongside expanding its support for clients through Google and AI search audits.
Testimonial
“It was incredibly valuable to take time away from the day-to-day running of the business and focus on strategic thinking. The sessions were interactive and collaborative, which made a real difference - this wasn’t just listening, it was about sharing ideas and learning from others.”
“The programme prompted fresh thinking and gave me new approaches that I’ve been able to take back into the business and apply with the team.”
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