About Quentin Hunter | The Unusual Path to Business Growth

Here is what I noticed early in my career.

Two businesses. Same market. Similar products. One grows steadily. The other stays stuck no matter how hard the owner works.

As a Chartered Management Accountant at GlaxoSmithKline, I saw this pattern constantly. The numbers would tell me what was happening. But they never told me why.

Why did some marketing campaigns print money while others burned it? Why did some businesses scale while identical ones struggled? The spreadsheets had no answers.

That question would not leave me alone. So I went looking for answers.

Over the years, I have worn many hats. Director. Investor. Strategist. Consultant.

Working on campaigns for globally recognised brands like BT, IBM, Visa, Marks & Spencer, and Weight Watchers taught me what the finance world missed: people do not buy with logic. They buy with emotion, then justify it afterwards.

Thirteen years at Cadogan Tate, where I was Head of Marketing, taught me what works when you have real budgets, real targets, and a board expecting results.

Director and investor roles in property development, Lloyd's insurance, leisure, and infrastructure projects taught me what happens when decisions have real consequences. Acquisitions. Scaling operations. Exits. Each one sharpened my understanding of what actually drives growth.

My portfolio spans industries and company sizes. Family-run enterprises to global corporations. That breadth gives you a panoramic view of what drives success and what holds it back.

Slowly, the patterns started to emerge. The businesses that grew had scale processes in place. The ones that struggled were almost always missing the same pieces.

That is when I discovered the 12 Growth Accelerators framework.

It was developed from scaling thousands of businesses, and it captured exactly what I had been seeing for years. A systematic way to identify what is missing and fix it in the right order.

But here is what made the real difference. As both a Chartered Management Accountant and a qualified marketer, I had developed a dual perspective on business. I could see all three sides of the picture.

Accountancy gives me the numbers and the discipline. Rigorous financial analysis that spots where the money is leaking before anyone else notices.

Marketing gives me the growth levers and customer insight. Visionary strategies that unlock organic expansion and transformative opportunities.

AI gives me the ability to help businesses scale without scaling their costs. As a certified AI consultant and MindStudio partner, I build custom AI agents that automate the repetitive work and multiply what is already working. As technology continues to reshape industries, adaptability is the cornerstone of success.

Most advisers have one of these skills. That rare combination is my unfair advantage. And it becomes yours when we work together.

I keep learning. DigitalMarketer certifications. A recent Non-Executive Director qualification. The day you stop being curious is the day you stop being useful to the people you serve.

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But business is not my whole identity. And honestly, that makes me better at what I do.

Skiing is a lifelong passion. I qualified as an instructor because I love it, and because teaching someone to navigate challenging terrain is deeply satisfying.

There is something about skiing that reflects my professional ethos. Precision when it matters. Adaptability when conditions change. Guiding others to achieve their best. You cannot ski the slope for someone. You can only show them the line, help them trust themselves, and be there when they need support. That is exactly how I approach every client I work with.

As a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, I have cultivated a global outlook. Years exploring places off the beaten track. Scuba diving. Wildlife in Africa. Diverse cultures and markets that broaden your perspective on what is possible. Travel reminds you how big the world is and how small most business problems really are.

Quentin Hunter - Adventures around the world

At the heart of everything are my two extraordinary daughters. They inspire me daily to pursue balance, perspective, and purpose. They remind me that business success means nothing if it costs you the things that actually matter.

I also believe success is worth very little if you keep it to yourself.

I am a Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, an institution with a 600-year legacy in the communications and content industries. Recently appointed as a Trustee of their Foundation, I help direct funds toward young people from disadvantaged backgrounds seeking careers in media and publishing.

Quentin Hunter at a Stationers' Company formal event

I help as a leader at Cubs. It is about far more than badges and campfires. It is teaching children life skills, building a sense of community, fostering respect for one another, and showing them what teamwork really looks like. Most importantly, it gives young people opportunities they might not otherwise have. Watching a child discover they are capable of something they never imagined is one of the most rewarding things I do.

I also mentor a young entrepreneur building a social enterprise to steer young people away from knife crime. Proof that business can be a force for genuine good.

My story is not really about titles or roles. It is about transformation.

It is about helping businesses thrive, scale, and leave lasting legacies through strategic growth, innovative marketing, and well-executed exits.

If your business is stuck and you cannot figure out why, I have probably seen the pattern before. If you are growing but it feels harder than it should, there is likely something missing that we can fix. If you want to scale without sacrificing your life, that is exactly what I help people do.

The question is not whether growth is possible. It is whether you have the right accelerators in place to make it happen.

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What I have learned along the way

Systems matter more than effort

Working harder without the right systems just makes you tired. The businesses that grow tend to be the ones with proper infrastructure in place.

Theory is not the same as practice

What sounds clever in a meeting room does not always work in the real world. I try to focus on what actually moves the needle.

There is more to life than business

A bigger business that takes over your life is not much of a prize. The goal is freedom, not just growth.

I kept seeing the same problem. Businesses stuck for reasons nobody could explain.

What I have learned along the way

Systems matter more than effort

Theory is not the same as practice

There is more to life than business

Find out where your business stands.