After 15 years in corporate retail – managing teams, running big budgets, and climbing the ladder – I left a career I was great at… to build something that felt more like me.
That “something” was a successful marketing consultancy, which evolved into a small business cooperative – where I helped founders grow their visibility, reach and revenue.
But even with all that success, something felt… off.
I kept seeing clients not follow through. Not because they didn’t care, but because something deeper was in the way.
So in 2019, I paused everything, retrained in life coaching, NLP and positive psychology – and came back with a whole new approach. In 2025 I distilled everything I know about founders and how they work into The Pattern Method.
Most business problems aren’t strategy problems.
They’re confidence problems. Clarity problems. “What if I mess this up?” problems.
Hi, I’m Sam Burgess
Business Mentor, Life Coach & your go-to when you’re stuck in your own head.
I help founders who feel overloaded and stuck in their own head take control of their business again – without sacrificing their actual life.
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I help founders who feel overloaded and stuck in their own head take control of their business again – without sacrificing their actual life. 〰️
What working with me feels like:
Direct, practical and kind.
I’ll challenge your assumptions, call you out (gently) on what you’re avoiding, and hold space when the doubt creeps in.
This isn’t cheerleading. This is co-creating momentum.
I won’t throw fluff at you. I’ll give you strategy and support – because both are required when the stakes feel personal.
Why clients come back:
Because I don’t do one-size-fits-all.
I see the patterns underneath the stuckness.
And I’m not afraid to go off-script to get you the breakthrough you actually need.
The credentials bit:
13 years in corporate retail (Swarovski, Topshop, Arcadia, Alexon Group) – so I understand business from the inside out.
Built and ran a marketing consultancy & small business cooperative before pivoting into coaching/mentoring full-time.
Over a decade mentoring more than 100 small business owners across industries.
Featured on BBC Breakfast, Channel 5 News, in The Telegraph, METRO, Psychologies, Stylist – because people trust my take.
Fully qualified in Positive Psychology, NLP, Life Coaching, Consumer Psychology (and still learning).
My podcast hit over a million downloads.
And: my clients return. Some stay for years. Some drop in when they’re stuck. Because the support works – and they trust me to tell them the truth.
When I’m not working:
You’ll find me by the sea with my family (partner, toddler son and mini dachshund), hunting sea glass, or shopping the way I live – small, sustainable and secondhand.
Hove is home.
Supporting small businesses isn’t just my job – it’s my way of life.
