Strategy Consultant

Complex problem. Unclear answer?

Independent strategy consulting to make complex business problems understandable and actionable.

Sometimes the problem isn't a lack of ideas. It's knowing which problem actually needs solving. Something Different works with leadership teams facing complex business, brand, customer and marketing challenges to create clarity, make better choices and turn strategy into action.

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Start with the problem

The harder questions

Organisations rarely suffer from a shortage of activity. The harder questions are usually:

What are we actually trying to achieve?
What's getting in the way?
Where should we focus?
What should we stop doing?
And what needs to happen next?

That's where I can help.

How I work

From complexity to clear, practical direction

Get to the Root

Understand what's really happening across the Customer, Category, Culture and Company.

Define the Focus

Turn complexity into a clear problem, direction and set of strategic choices.

Build the Plan

Translate the strategy into priorities, actions and decisions people can actually use.

Steward the Direction

Help maintain alignment as the organisation moves from thinking to doing.

The Better Business Operating Model

Performance is built across the organisation, not department by department

Better businesses aren't built department by department. They're built by an operating system that works across the organisation. The Better Business Operating Model provides a practical way to diagnose where performance is being created, where it is being constrained and where leaders should focus next.

Explore the Better Business Operating Model

When I can help

You might need Something Different when

The business has become complicated, and the direction isn't clear.
Growth has slowed, and you're not sure why.
Leadership needs alignment around what happens next.
Strategy exists, but isn't changing decisions.
Marketing, customer, brand and business priorities aren't connecting.
You need experienced independent thinking without hiring a large consultancy.

Something different?

Experienced, independent thinking

I'm Gareth O'Connor, an independent strategist with more than 20 years' experience working across business, brand, marketing and customer strategy. I work directly with leadership teams, agencies and organisations to get to the root of complex problems and turn them into practical strategic direction.

No predetermined methodology. No army of junior consultants. Just experienced, independent thinking focused on the problem that actually needs solving.