ABOUT LITTLE VIENNA
Hello! Little Vienna is me, Toby.
It’s strategy practice based in London - as well as the natural home for a spread of projects I work on.
I started life in cognitive science, then spent 15+ years in strategy and creative roles across some of the world's most interesting organisations — on their most challenging problems.
I’ve worked with startups, FTSE100, tech, automotive, FMCG, charity, finance, healthcare, sustainability. You name it, I’ve probably done it - range is strength. I’ve worked on a lot of projects people thought were stuck, or saturated - but I’ve never found one that really was.
Little Vienna is that same work, under my own name.
I love strategy, and what I trade in is strategic unorthodoxy — finding the unexpected angle the challenge is hiding, seeing the same information the way nobody else has. For me, great strategy is fundamentally creative - the aim is to end up somewhere pleasantly unexpected. After all, that’s what good ideas are for.
My work relies on imagination as well as process. Most strategy is based around best-practice and standard ways of working - AI has only made that more so. I see taking a different (more human) path as the way organisations can 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 pieces of work — research, writing, tools, collaborations, 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. As any consultant knows, 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. I also work with organisations outside of the marketing world who need good strategy applied.
Engagements can range from a single working session to consultancy, retainers, projects, and more.
If this resonates, and the obvious answers aren't working for you — I'd love 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 decision making; almost nothing a business can do creates more value
*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
