For agency owners and leadership teams
An exceptional proposition, built properly, will do more selling for your agency than everything else it publishes.
“I’ve scaled over 40 agencies and been involved in 17 agency acquisitions and exits, and I’ve seen the same pattern every time. The agencies that win are the ones that can say what makes them different.”
Felix Velarde
In one day with Felix, your team writes the proposition that sets your agency apart and agrees the direction that comes with it.
Agencies whose propositions Felix helped create have since been bought by Accenture, Croud and TPXImpact. One went from seven staff to £32M billings in eighteen months after this workshop.
A 30-minute conversation. No obligation.
One day · By video call or in London · Up to 8 people
$20,000
“We make tired brands famous again”
Proposition developed with Felix Velarde, shown on the client’s website.
Propositions that repositioned agencies and won them bigger clients.
Each was created with Felix and put to work by the agency itself. What happened next is under each one.
“High profile, high stakes digital transformation”
Acquired by TPXImpact.
“Strategic digital for determined brands”
Sold to a private equity firm for 8.5× EBITDA.
“The creative agency for entrepreneurs”
From 7 staff to £32M billings in 18 months.
“Branding Future Unicorns”
A clear service, aimed at a particular ambition.
“Precision-engineered brand relevance”
Acquired by Samy.
“Trusted by Visionaries”
Like BBC, Nickelodeon and Viacom.
Agencies that have done this workshop have gone on to win clients including Amazon, Pernod Ricard, Meta, ASICS, Virgin, Microsoft, Google, The Economist, Cunard, HSBC, Oracle, BT, Financial Times, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, United Distillers, Mars, T-Mobile, Tesco and Nike.
What clients say
“In a single day, we made more progress on our proposition than we had in two years. We now have a clear and articulate way to express the complexity of our business, with pride.”
Jim Meadows, Founder, Commit
“I can honestly say it’s the most enjoyable thing I’ve done, work-wise. Enjoyable and challenging and rewarding as an owner as well to see the impact on your business.”
Dave Endersen, Managing Director, White Bear
“We loved working with you to define our value proposition statement. It was a massively valuable exercise.”
Drew Wilkins, Founder, Fish in a Bottle
“It was a great experience. I’ve banged my head against the wall before; but never with such a sudden breakthrough.”
Bill Updegraff, Founder, Grapeseed Media
“I felt that I got quadruple the value. I will forever remember what we did that day as the day that my entrepreneurial ass got busy doing what it needs to do in order to get where I need to be.”
Shane Ketterman, Founder
Is this the conversation your team keeps coming back to?
Your work has moved on. Your explanation hasn’t.
The agency you describe on your website no longer feels like the agency you run.
You can explain the services. The reason to choose you is harder.
You have good work to show, but the pitch still needs a long explanation of what makes you different.
You need a direction the team can own.
You want a proposition that comes from the people doing the work and the clients you want to serve.
Bring that starting point to the call. We’ll discuss whether proposition work is the right next step.
A great proposition isn’t a slogan. It’s the strategic centre of your agency.
Let your proposition be a guiding light.
A proposition built today starts from the work you do and the clients you want next. Positioning, messaging and pricing all follow from it, so they stop being separate arguments.
It shows clients that you are the answer.
The right client can see in seconds why you and not the next agency on their list. The pitch stops needing a long explanation, and clients who want something else rule themselves out early.
Your team owns it.
Your team writes it with Felix, so they leave believing it. A team that believes its proposition uses it in every pitch and client conversation.
Your team. Felix’s expertise. A proposition that is yours.
A concentrated day with Felix, bringing his experience of building and scaling agencies to the question that matters: why should the right client choose you?
Felix leads your team through his unique Proposition Formula, challenging familiar answers and recognising the idea worth pursuing. Together, you create a proposition that your team can believe in and commit to.
What you leave with
A distinctive proposition statement, co-created with Felix and owned by your team.
The conviction to use it, and a shared understanding of what it means for your agency.
What your team does next
Your team develops the supporting copy and evidence, then puts the proposition to work across your website, pitches and client conversations.
“Our new proposition speaks to what is at the heart of Beyond and people recognise themselves in it. Felix takes you deeper into the values of the organisation and into what drives people to find a proposition with purpose.”
Jess Tyrrell, Managing Director, Beyond
Hello, I’m Felix Velarde.
Alpha Century were seven people when we built their proposition together: “The creative agency for entrepreneurs.” Eighteen months later they were billing £32M.
I started one of the world’s first web design agencies in 1994 and have been a founder and CEO for more than three decades. One of my agencies became the digital arm of Lowe. I wrote Scale at Speed, I founded 2Y3X, which scales professional services businesses across the UK, Europe and the United States, and I lecture on entrepreneurship at Hult International Business School.
I’ve been building propositions for over 25 years and running this workshop with agencies for over a decade, and I lead every one myself. If your agency has moved on and the way you describe it hasn’t, book a call.
A clear proposition. A defined piece of work.
One-day proposition workshop with Felix Velarde
$20,000
By video call or at your London venue, with up to 8 people from your team.
A day of close collaboration with Felix to create your proposition statement. Your team develops the supporting material and handles the rollout.
On the first call, we’ll discuss your starting point, who should take part, the delivery arrangements and suitable dates. You’ll receive the agreed scope and terms before committing.
The guarantee
If your team does not have a clear, agreed proposition at the end of the workshop, you receive a full refund within 30 days. The workshop may extend into a second session by agreement. If you use any version of the ideas developed in the workshop within a year, the fee becomes payable.
Book a 30-minute call with FelixA 30-minute conversation. No obligation.
Need to discuss it with your team? Share the workshop brief.
Before you book
These are the questions agency owners ask on the first call.
Will a proposition really make a difference to the agency?
More than most things you’ll do this year. The proposition ends up shaping who you hire, which clients you go after, what you turn down and how the agency is valued when you come to sell it. It goes on your website, and it also becomes the test you put every other decision through.
Why does it matter whether our proposition is different?
Clients choose the agency that looks most relevant to their problem, and most agencies make that hard by sounding like each other. They avoid saying what they’re best at in case it puts someone off, and end up pitching constantly and negotiating on price. A proposition that says what you’re best at brings in the clients who want it. It also puts off the ones who don’t, and those were the pitches you’d have lost or regretted winning.
How long should a proposition last?
Three to five years, if it’s built properly. Most don’t last that long because they started from a hunch or a trend. The ones that last are clear, different and relevant to the clients you want. Brands are built by repetition, and a proposition you change every year is never repeated enough for anyone to remember it.
What happens on the day?
Felix takes your team through the Proposition Formula: values, ingredients, audience, territory and then the proposition itself. He challenges the familiar answers as you go. There is usually a stretch where the room feels stuck, which is normal, and it is often where the idea worth pursuing comes from. Substantiation and deployment, the evidence and the rollout, are your team’s work afterwards.
Do we need an existing proposition?
You can bring the wording you currently use, even if you are unhappy with it. You do not need to polish it before the call.
Who should take part?
Up to 8 people from your team. We will agree the right group with you before booking: people who understand the agency, its clients and the work it delivers, together with the people who can commit to the resulting direction.
Will we have to change what the agency does?
The proposition must fit your agency. Felix may challenge assumptions about the clients and work you want to pursue. We will discuss your starting point on the call.
How does the guarantee work?
If your team does not have a clear, agreed proposition at the end of the workshop, you receive a full refund within 30 days. The workshop may extend into a second session by agreement. If you use any version of the ideas developed in the workshop within a year, the fee becomes payable.
Does the workshop include our website copy or a rebrand?
The workshop delivers the proposition statement. Your team develops the supporting copy, proof and rollout afterwards. Website writing and brand design are separate work.
How is it delivered?
Over one day, by video call or at your London venue. We agree the schedule with you before booking. Any extension into a second session is by agreement.
Let’s talk about your agency’s proposition.
Bring your current wording, the problem you want to solve, or simply the sense that your agency has moved on. We’ll discuss whether the workshop is the right next step.
Book a 30-minute call with FelixA 30-minute conversation. No obligation.
Prefer to ask a question first? Email [email protected].
The forthcoming book
The Proposition Formula by Felix Velarde and Michael Nutley. The thinking behind the work.