I’m launching my new PR advisory business, Rich Leigh & Company today.
If the name rings a bell, that’s because it’s where this all started.
I founded Rich Leigh & Company Ltd in 2014, when I’d just turned 27. Initially, I was doing a lot of personal PR alongside brand work - it made sense to be named something personable.
But, as the agency grew, and I wasn’t always the person working on client accounts, I rebranded it, and it became better known as Radioactive PR.
More than a decade, a seven-figure business and an agency sale later, I’ve come full circle, and I’m starting again. It IS just me this time; older, wiser and with 20 years of experience to share with a select few.
Check out the various incredibly kind things people have said about me on the homepage, here - including a testimonial from recent advisory client Ben Smith at PRmoment (also at the bottom of this blog).
There’s also a list of various accolades, and a fun trip down memory lane in terms of things I’ve done in and around the PR industry. Some of you will have been part of those things!
I’ve got that same knot-in-my-stomach feeling potential advisory clients will know well. It’s been 18 months since selling Radioactive PR, and I’m excited to get stuck into what I do best. Building businesses while never once forgetting about the people that make up that company.
Where does this lead? What happens when I press the button on this?
WELL.
What is Rich Leigh & Company?
My main focus is helping founders and leaders of small to medium-sized PR agencies, in the UK and around the world.
The fact is: clients choose agencies that are top of mind AND good at what they do.
Being brilliant helps. But clients can’t so much as shortlist your agency if you’re invisible to them.
From an unlikely start, I built a name in an industry I’ve always felt lucky to be part of. Across my career, I’ve worked with hundreds of clients, including household-name brands and exceptional entrepreneurs. And that didn’t happen by accident. We built something we were proud to shout about, and clients were proud to work with.
An agency people couldn’t ignore.
The offer
I want to help you build an agency people can’t ignore. Conscious, deliberate profile-building that feels right for you, and results in new business.
And I care just as much about what happens inside the business. Your P&L. Your culture. Your hiring practice. Wherever I can make the biggest difference.
I’ve always said - and previous employees can attest to this being something I hammered home every single day:
A happy team does great work. Great work makes clients happy. Which keeps them staying and paying.
It sounds simple, but building a company around it takes work. A company clients want to work with, and people want to work for.
And if selling is part of your plan, even years down the line, I can help you build towards that. You might never want to sell, but being in a position where you could is a good place to be.
That might mean:
Ongoing guidance to a founder or leadership team.
A non-exec role.
Creative counsel when you need another brain in the build-up to and/or in the room for pitches.
I help brands build and improve their in-house PR and comms functions, with or without agency support. I also help industry suppliers understand what PR buyers actually want and need, drawing on my experience from the agency side.
If you think we’d get on, and I could help with your business, let’s talk.
Some of you might know that, in the year and a half since exiting, I’ve been keeping myself busy with a weekly podcast called Project Possible. That continues too. I’m still asking nosy questions of extraordinary people, like the actor Brian Cox, Paralympic legend Ellie Simmonds, entrepreneur Levi Roots and gut health expert Professor Tim Spector.
Find out more about that and check out the 100+ conversations I’ve had by clicking this here button.
Don’t just take my word for it.
“As a busy founder, I didn't need somebody who added to my workload. I needed somebody with experience, who understood my business and could halve a headache or two. That's what Rich gave me.”
Ben Smith, founder, PRmoment
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“I wasn't looking for an advisor, but when I saw Rich's shout-out on LinkedIn that he had some capacity, we had a chat. Over a few conversations I worked out what I needed. As a busy founder, I didn't need somebody who added to my workload. I needed somebody with experience, who understood my business and could halve a headache or two. That's what Rich gave me.
“I can give him a problem, knowing he’ll do the digging, come back with a clear plan, follow through and sort it. And it's worked a treat. He's helped me get stuff done that, in reality, was very unlikely to get to the top of my to-do list otherwise. Recommended!”
Ben Smith, founder, PRmoment
