ABOUT LITTLE VIENNA
Little Vienna is me, Toby. A one-person strategy practice based in London.
I started life in cognitive science, then spent 15+ years in strategy and creative roles across some of the world's most recognised organisations — on their most interesting and challenging problems.
I’ve worked with startups, FTSE100, tech, automotive, FMCG, charity, finance, healthcare, sustainability. You name it, I’ve probably done it. I’ve worked on a lot of projects people thought were dull, stuck, or saturated - but I’ve never found one that was.
Little Vienna is that same work, under my own name.
What I trade in is strategic unorthodoxy — finding the unexpected angle the brief is hiding, and reading the same data and information the way nobody else has. For me, great strategy is fundamentally creative - the aim is to end up somewhere pleasantly unexpected.
My work relies on imagination as well as process. Most strategy now is best-practice and standard - AI has only made that more so. Taking a different path is the way organisations create value and advantage in a world where average has become democratised.
The other half of Little Vienna is projects. Alongside client work I run a steady stream of self-initiated things — research, writing, tools, experiments. The two feed each other: client work is sharper because the projects happen; projects are grounded because the client work happens. The cross-pollination that comes from them is a significant advantage. Imagination starves on a pure consulting diet.
I work with agencies who need a better read on their challenges, and directly with founders and marketing leaders with tricky or ambiguous problems to solve.
Engagements range from a single working session to consultancy, retainers, projects, and more.
So if this resonates, and the obvious answers aren't working for you — I'd like to hear about it.
[Book 15 minutes with me →]
Work →
Projects →
9.8
Client Satisfaction
Score
100%
Would Work
Together Again
100%
Would
Recommend
MY POINT OF VIEW
Good strategy is the art of better decisions, almost nothing a business can do creates more value
And the best decisions are rarely the obvious ones.
WHAT I DO - TWO TRACKS OF WORK
CLIENT WORK
01 Strategy and creative for agencies and brands
Strategic unorthodoxy — for brands, agencies, and the categories everyone else has stopped looking at. Brand and positioning, campaign and creative strategy, workshops and interventions, research when it earns its place.
Engagements range from a single working session to a two-week sprint to longer projects, including embedded work inside agency teams.
PROJECTS
02 Independent initiatives, products, and partnerships
Alongside client work I run a steady stream of self-initiated things — research, writing, tools, side experiments.
The two feed each other: client work is sharper because the projects happen; projects are grounded because the client work happens. Cross-pollination is the point — strategic imagination starves on a pure consulting diet.
WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
→ Freelance
Embedded in your team or agency for a defined period — bringing senior strategic or creative thinking to a specific project, pitch, or campaign. Fast to start, easy to scope.
Typically weeks to months.
→ Consultancy
Brought in as a senior outside perspective on a more complex challenge or a subject matter expert — working alongside internal teams or leadership to shape direction, challenge assumptions, and build clarity.
Flexible. Typically one to three months.
→ Project
A contained piece of work with clear outputs — a positioning, a strategy, a narrative, a diagnostic. Agreed upfront: scope, timeline, and cost. No surprises.
Typically one to six weeks.
→ Retainer
Ongoing senior thinking available as decisions arise — without the cost or commitment of a full agency relationship. For organisations that benefit from a trusted outside perspective regularly.
Monthly, reviewed as needed.
CLIENTS & COLLABORATORS
AGENCY & CONSULTANCY PARTNERS
AI / TECH / DEV TOOLS
Cowork
