In many cases the gap is obvious. The business itself is strong, but the way it shows up online still looks small, local or slightly dated.
For established SMEs stepping into the next tier
Stance and Story works with businesses that are ready for bigger opportunities but don’t yet look or sound like it. We help them present themselves with the clarity and confidence that the next level demands.
Founder-led. Independent. Limited capacity.
THE REALITY
You’re not small anymore but you’re not being seen at the level you’re aiming for
You’ve built something solid.
Turnover is strong. The team is capable. Clients trust you. But as you move into bigger contracts, new sectors or national accounts, something feels slightly out of sync.
The website undersells you. The messaging feels dated. Competitors look more established. Larger buyers don’t quite “get” you. You sense you’re capable of more than you’re winning.
This isn’t about hype or rebranding for the sake of it. It’s about closing the gap between who you are and how you’re perceived.
That's what we do.
At a certain stage of growth, perception becomes the
THE METHOD
What Stance and Story does
We help established SMEs look and sound ready for the next tier.
STANCE
How your business positions itself in the market - what you lead with, what you really look like to customers and how you compare.
STORY
How you explain your value – clearly, confidently and without noise. The words that you use to land a confident first impression.
When both are aligned, you compete differently.
You look ready.
You sound credible.
You attract the right level of opportunity.
You stop looking and sounding like a "local" firm and start looking like the ambitious UK SME you've become.
How it works
01 Analyse
First we look at the business you’ve built and the opportunities you’re now aiming for. That means reviewing how the company currently presents itself - your website, messaging, proposals and overall presence - and comparing that with firms already operating at the level you want to reach.
02 Spot the perception gap
At this stage of growth, perception is shaped by every touchpoint - brand, imagery, tone of voice, sales materials, proposals and even the way the business describes itself. All signal what level the company operates at.
Often the capability of the business has moved on, but those signals haven’t. The company is ready to compete for serious work, yet parts of its presence still feel small, local or slightly improvised.
Buyers pick up on these cues immediately - long before they’ve read the detail.
03 Fix it
The final step is defining how the business should present itself going forward. What you lead with, how you describe your value and how the company should appear across its key touchpoints.
The aim is simple: when someone encounters your business - whether on your website, a proposal or LinkedIn - it should look and feel like the level you’re aiming to compete at.
ABOUT
Matt Smith - Founder
Stance and Story is led by Matt Smith, who has spent much of his career helping organisations present themselves clearly and credibly when the stakes are high.
Before launching Stance and Story, Matt built Holler, a corporate video production company, from the ground up into a seven-figure business working with global brands including Dell, Oracle and Vinci, as well as major defence organisations such as NATO and the Royal Navy. He personally advised Spotify on their media launches in the USA, Australia and NZ.
Although Holler began as a small SME, it consistently wins work with organisations far larger than itself. That comes down to careful positioning - ensuring the business looks, sounds and operates at the level it is aiming to compete.
Earlier in his career, Matt spent 20 years in national television and radio at the BBC and Sky News, working at the sharp end of broadcast journalism where clarity, judgement and credibility were everything.
Today he works directly with leadership teams to help ensure the businesses they’ve built are positioned for the opportunities ahead.
Matt works with a small number of SME leadership teams each year.
“Matt is a fantastic storyteller with the vision and clarity to create something simple but still be powerful and engaging. He is able to to understand business goals and establish the image needed to attract the targeted audience.”
“Matt took our thoughts and solution from a technical perspective to one that connected with clients. It enabled us to have a dialogue with potential clients in a way that we had not before.”
THE FIT
Who this is for
Best suited to SMEs that are:
- £3m–£50m turnover
- Selling B2B services or specialist products
- Founder-led or MD-led
- Growing and aiming higher
- Serious about competing at a bigger level
Not for start-ups.
Not for lifestyle businesses.
Not for companies looking for social media help.
THE RESULT
What changes
Our clients usually notice:
- Bigger clients take them more seriously
- Conversations move up a level
- Messaging becomes simpler and stronger
- The business feels more aligned internally
- Proposals land with more authority
- It becomes easier to win the work you’re already capable of delivering.
GET IN TOUCH
Let’s start the conversation
If your business is stepping into bigger opportunities and you want an experienced outside perspective, please get in touch.
We’ll have a straightforward conversation about where you are, where you’re heading and whether there’s a clear gap to address.