I'm Laura. And I can see what you can't.
Your work is good. The clients come back. But somewhere between what you stand for and what the outside world sees, something got lost — the website says one thing, the pitch says another, and every time you explain what you do it comes out slightly differently.
You can feel the gap. You just haven't had the time or the distance to name it.
That's exactly where I come in. I help founder-led businesses reconnect what they value, what they stand for, and what their audience actually needs — and turn that back into clear direction and momentum.
In other words: I breathe direction back into your business.
How I got here.
Before this I spent over a decade in strategic marketing at Deloitte and EY — running global campaigns, making things move in rooms where nothing moved easily.
What got me through those rooms wasn't a marketing qualification. It was an ability to read situations, people and rooms.
Before the corporate world, I trained in dance and worked as a personal trainer. Dance taught me that the same instruction lands a hundred different ways depending on who's hearing it and that the job is always to find the version that lands for the person in front of you. Sport taught me how to read a group, hold a mood, work the resistance.
Whether it's a boardroom or a studio, the challenge is the same: listen first, translate what you hear, walk people toward something they couldn't quite see on their own.
That's still the work. It just looks like strategy now. Strategy in motion, built around what the founder already stands for, not bolted on from the outside.
How the work happens.
Three moves and everything else follows.
Gather — I start by really listening. Under the skin of why your business exists, who it's for, what's working and what isn't. No tactics yet. Just your business, held up to the light.
Translate — I find the through-line, the one story that connects what you stand for, what the business delivers, and what your audience needs to hear. One clear thread. Running consistently across everything. So the business feels commercially strong, deeply human, and unmistakably yours.
Guide — I make sure the next steps are easy to follow and you're not left holding a strategy that sits in a drawer. The work should move. That's the whole point.
Beyond Connect Studio.
I'm building The Yard — a third space for working, moving and belonging, unfiltered. It's what Connect Studio is to businesses, but for humans tired of editing themselves. Pilots are running now in Horsham.
And I'm writing Gravel Notes — the fortnightly letter from inside both builds. The honest middle of building two things at once, and a life that fits around them.
Outside all of this, I spend my days with my (wild) young family, going on fun adventures, tasting delicious ice creams, and hunting down a really great cup of coffee.
Lx
Your work is good. Let's make sure the world can see it.
If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear from you.
What people are saying.
17six LTD
For years, I struggled with direction in my marketing, unsure what to put on my website or how to move forward. Working with Laura Thompson at Connect Studio completely changed that. Laura took the time to understand my values and helped me identify my core pillars. She gave me a clear, actionable plan, and now I have a structured, refreshed approach. Laura’s insight made me realise things about my business I’d never considered. She provided simple, effective steps, copy for my website and more, that made everything easier. She’s driven, knowledgeable, and wonderful to work with. I’d highly recommend Laura to anyone seeking clarity and a solid marketing direction.
Justin Gardner, Founder
No1 Health Coach
Laura carried out a wonderful holistic business audit for me at a time when I was feeling overwhelmed with my messaging, my erratic posting on socials and how I was spending time on my business. We met and she asked me some detailed questions to drill down into who I was helping, my passions, my client wins and re-appraising where I could find energy and direction instead of wheel-spinning! Following on from this she produced a comprehensive marketing strategy/swot analysis that I often refer back to. I can’t tell you how helpful this tool is as a north star to keep me moving forward and clear on my mission. It’s easy to get lost in the mire sometimes! Laura is a great listener and seeks to understand her clients values and how business weaves into life and vice versa. Her recommendations were entirely bespoke to me. As a business owner herself Laura displays empathy and professionalism and with a friendly approach. I no longer feel like my marketing is a hope and pray strategy.
Steph McCann, Founder
Francis Newall | Video Editor
Laura was fantastic in helping me with the design and content of my new website: able to understand what I needed, whilst also translating that into actionable steps and explaining what was missing, such as certain design faults on my part and giving ideas for additional webpages. All advice which I promptly took! Laura is a fantastic marketing strategist whom I can highly recommend.
FrancisNewall
Bee Focused Photography
Laura is fantastic! She took the time to truly understand my business, asking insightful questions that helped clarify my brand direction. The marketing strategy she provided was thorough, well-researched, and beautifully presented, making it easy to implement. Her competitor research, SWOT analysis, and key messaging framework have been invaluable. She also guided me through website planning, ensuring my site reflected my brand voice and key messages perfectly. Thanks to Laura, I feel more confident and focused in my marketing efforts. Highly recommend!
Danielle Fowler, Founder
SB Counselling
In the process Laura helped me to really reflect on my values and interests and has given me a real direction for my business in focusing on helping parents. Laura obviously really knows what she's doing and is so easy, relatable and warm to work with. Suzie Booth, Counsellor, Psychotherapist, Couples Therapist.
SB Counselling & The Parent Therapist