When Sophie and Simon, the founders of Inkie, approached Looking Glass Solutions, they were on the brink of a major transformation. Sophie, stepping into the role of CEO, and Simon, as CTO, were preparing to transition their freelance marketing business into a scalable app-based platform.
While exciting, the process brought challenges—balancing their differing working styles, tackling operational inefficiencies, and ensuring their growth aligned with their ethical values and family priorities.
At Looking Glass Solutions, we thrive on helping businesses navigate precisely this kind of complexity. Working with Inkie has been an inspiring journey of collaboration and strategic planning.
The Initial Challenges
For Sophie and Simon, the challenges were twofold:
- Managing the operational shift from a freelance business to a tech-based platform required clarity and structure.
- Aligning their creative and technical approaches created added pressure.
The tension between Sophie’s need for a clear plan and Simon’s more open-ended, tech-focused approach was causing stress. As they prepared to grow Inkie into something much larger, they knew they needed external expertise to bring everything together.
Our Approach
The collaboration started with a series of strategy sessions, during which we delved into Inkie’s operations, goals, and ethos. Sophie and Simon provided invaluable insights into their vision, and together, we identified key areas for immediate and long-term focus.
One of the first priorities was creating an action plan that worked for both Sophie and Simon. By recognising their different working styles, we were able to design a strategy that not only reduced stress but also laid the foundation for future growth.
The Results
Working with Sophie and Simon has been a rewarding partnership. Through our sessions, we’ve:
- Developed a structured action plan that aligns Sophie and Simon’s approaches, fostering better collaboration.
- Addressed operational inefficiencies to free up time and focus on strategic growth.
- Created a roadmap for integrating Inkie’s Business School into the tech platform as an interactive course, ensuring it’s ready to provide value to users in an innovative and scalable way.
Sophie is now confidently stepping into her role as CEO, with Simon driving the tech side as CTO. The operational clarity we’ve achieved has set Inkie on a strong path for sustainable growth.
Looking Ahead
The journey with Inkie is far from over. We’re thrilled to have another strategy session scheduled and are looking forward to stepping into a more integral role as their fractional Commercial Director this year. Everything runs smoother when there’s a clear plan in place—and, as Sophie puts it, “everything runs smoother when Alice is involved.”
Reflections from Sophie
“The best part of working with Looking Glass Solutions was the balance they brought to what felt like chaos. They understood my need to build a business that aligns with my ethics and family life while helping me tackle operational challenges with confidence. Alice’s ability to bridge the gap between creative and technical approaches made all the difference—not just for the business, but for my peace of mind at home!”