We’re a boutique B2B marketing consultancy built on one simple idea: that good work starts with the right people.
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At Start, we believe the best work happens when good people come together to solve meaningful challenges.
The Start family is made up of a core senior team working alongside a trusted network of curated creatives – partners, independents and experts on demand – giving you the flexibility of a larger agency with the personal service, agility and accountability of a studio-sized consultancy.
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Everything starts with strong relationships – and people are at the heart of everything we do. We take pride in building long-term partnerships based on trust, collaboration and delivering work that matters.
We recently engaged Start to update our brand and online presence. They took time to understand our needs and us as a charity, were flexible and accommodating when we needed to revise our approach and met a very challenging deadline. ...Their ability to understand and meet the brief first time means we have a much better online presence and that is already making an impact[.]
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I approached Start to support us in addressing a short-term resource gap in our marketing team… I worked directly with Rachel, who understood my brief immediately. Their provision of short-term, dedicated marketing support significantly enhanced project delivery, allowing our internal marketing team to focus on core activities while this strategically significant rebrand project progressed. I would not hesitate to recommend them.
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Start worked on the communication plan for "Leonardo 4 Children Academy 2024-25", financed by the EU under Erasmus+ programme. They provided the Carano 4 Children staff with precious and pragmatic advice on the communication plan, planning and execution. We are very grateful to them for the impact and professional work.
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Rachel is one of those people that just gets it when it comes to freelancing which is why she was perfect to chair the recent freelancer panel talk for GM Creative Industries Exchange…. Rachel dug in deep with brilliant questions and enabled the panellists to share structured, open and honest advance about the nuances of the industry. The audience feedback about how much they got out of it was amazing.
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We commissioned Start to create placemaking content… [the] excellent tone of voice and depth of research provided us with lively and engaging editorial copy that brought the development to life. Rachel was a delight to deal with.
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Rachel is a brilliant marketer and a wonderful person. I have learnt a great deal from working with her and as part of her team and would recommend her very highly to anyone wishing to improve their organisation's marketing and comms. She is guaranteed to deliver.
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Rachel led the Growth Company's Marcomms team during an incredibly busy and challenging period. Throughout, Rachel demonstrated her creativity, resilience and leadership abilities, ensuring that targets were met, but not at the expense of the team's wellbeing. She is an inspiring leader, able to balance the difficult conversations with an empathic and motivating style.
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I worked with Rachel Chesters for a number of years. During that time, I was continually impressed by her attention to detail, professionalism and her passion for all things marketing…. Her industry knowledge, particularly within the B2B professional services, technology and financial sectors, is exceptionally well-grounded. Anyone that chooses to work with Start will be lucky to have them on board.
I have been working closely with Start during my social media and digital marketing apprenticeship at InTec, via The Juice Academy. I have received a great deal of support and guidance from Rachel, which has been extremely helpful, in particular working together to gain the best possible engagement with prospects through social media. I would highly recommend Start for the best marketing support for your company.
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Rachel was appointed as my Head of Marketing, responsible for all aspects of the marketing planning process, including heading up a team and managing our media and marketing budgets. Rachel is a hardworking, knowledgeable and reliable individual…. I would not hesitate to recommend Rachel and her marketing services.
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I was relieved and delighted to work with Rachel on the delivery of a unique financial services proposition [for NatWest and RBS Group]… Rachel gets content strategy, content governance and fights for the customer to be at the heart of her deliverables through good usability, accessibility and conversion. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Rachel for content and marketing delivery and look forward to working with her again.
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I really enjoy working with Start. They’re organised, communicative and genuinely value the people they work with. Start have a brilliant mix of clients and a real knack for building long-term relationships, which makes for consistently interesting and rewarding projects.
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Working closely with Start Communication for the last three years, I have found both Rachel and Vicky to be extremely considerate, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in all things marketing. I’ve never had anything but positive feedback surrounding their work… Start comes highly recommended from me.
Start is a great team to work with as a freelance designer, having received a range of interesting and varied briefs from them. They have provided great support throughout the projects and are always on hand to answer any of my questions. Not only do they understand the value of your work and opinions they are lovely people to work with, and prompt and fair payers too.
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Start and copywriting partner Mike Fryer have supported Manchester Metropolitan University’s case study programme since 2024… A recent story highlighting a partnership between the University andNorthern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA), received the following feedback: “Such an engaging piece”, “ An excellent article” and “What a fabulous write up of our engagement.”
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GM Business Growth Hub worked with Rachel and the Start team as part of our initiative to elevate our support to freelancers across Greater Manchester’s creative sector. By volunteering her time, knowledge and expertise, Rachel… guided businesses through the steps it takes to grow and flourish within the sector.
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Start was invaluable in developing our marketing and communications strategy and supporting us through our recent rebrand… We would not have been able to achieve the standard of finished result without the guidance and access to resource that Start provided.
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We’ve worked with Start for a number of years now, and in that time they've become invaluable to us. They really understand who we are, what we stand for and what we need to achieve – all with the sensitivity needed when working in the charity sector.… Their support has helped us reach the right audiences in the right way, while staying true to our values and mission
We recently engaged Start to lead the copywriting for a large project within the financial services and recruitment market. We’re really grateful to the Start team for their hard work and have been really happy with every aspect of the team’s delivery. They added a lot of value early on…. It’s fair to say they’ve restored our faith in copywriters. We’d love to work with the Start team again in the future.
GC Insight commissioned Start for two major projects… and on both occasions we were delighted with the results… Rachel and the team were a pleasure to deal with and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Start to anyone needing professional, trusted and high-quality marketing and comms expertise.
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Start is a boutique B2B marketing consultancy providing both strategic advice and hands-on delivery. Our services include marketing strategy, fractional marketing leadership, communications, PR, copywriting, campaign management, brand development, graphic design, digital marketing, websites, SEO, GEO, paid search, paid social, videography, photography, events and business development.
Whether you need a one-off project or ongoing retained support, we build the right team around your organisation, giving you access to specialist expertise whenever you need it.
We work across a wide range of B2B, public sector and purpose-led organisations, with particular expertise in financial services, technology, professional services (including legal, accounting and HR), public sector, infrastructure and placemaking, charities and VCSEs, manufacturing, supply chain, higher education and healthcare.
While every organisation is different, many of the marketing challenges they face are surprisingly similar and our experience across multiple sectors allows us to bring fresh thinking to every project.
Start combines the flexibility of a studio-sized consultancy with access to a trusted network of carefully selected specialists – what we call our curated creatives.
Clients work directly with our experienced core team while benefiting from experts on demand, whether that's PR, digital, design, content, photography, videography or another specialist discipline.
We're also committed to doing business responsibly, as a Cyber Essentials accredited business, Living Wage Employer, FSB member and with a leadership team recognised by the CIM, CIPR, IDM and DMA.
Doing good work starts with doing the right thing. Alongside supporting ambitious businesses, we're passionate about working with charities, non-profits and organisations creating positive social impact.
We're a long-standing partner of the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity, with our Founder and Managing Director also serving as a Trustee. We're proud supporters of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, committed to fair employment practices through our Living Wage Foundation accreditation – principles we extend to every single freelancer and independent we work with. We regularly host paid interns and T-Level placement students on a full-time basis, as well as offering free mentoring and workshops to businesses that need them. We only work with organisations that share our values around impact, integrity and collaboration. We also hold our Low Carbon Skills: Journey to Net Zero accreditation.
Every organisation is different, which is why we don't believe in one-size-fits-all marketing support. Some clients need a fractional marketing director or strategic consultant, while others benefit from retained marketing services or support on a specific campaign or project.
At Start, we tailor our approach to your goals, combining strategic thinking with practical delivery and building the right team around your organisation as your needs evolve.
No. While we're proudly based in Greater Manchester and regularly work across Manchester, Cheshire and the wider North West, we also have clients based in London, the South East, elsewhere across the UK and internationally.
Our team works flexibly, both remotely and in person, supporting organisations wherever they are – and we’re always happy to travel to where our clients are.
Whether you're looking for a Manchester marketing consultancy, national or international marketing support, we're ready and able to work with you, however that looks.
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