Metropolitan Business Association

I'm leading the Metropolitan Business Association (MBA), an organisation dedicated to developing an English-speaking business community of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Barcelona and empowering its members to achieve sustainable growth through a network built on respect, collaboration, and mutual success.

President & Co- Founder

Ask Maria Kelly

As Fractional Chief Strategy Officer, I help businesses scale with confidence by providing the strategy, structure, and skills they need to grow smoothly and sustainably.

✅ Business Strategy & Growth Coaching: Partnering with entrepreneurs to develop clear strategies that drive sustainable growth.

✅ Leadership Development: Empowering leaders to enhance team performance and navigate challenges effectively.

✅ Process Optimisation: Streamlining operations to improve efficiency and scalability.

✅ Team Training Workshops: Conducting customised training sessions to build cohesive and high-performing teams.

Founder & Principal Consultant 

North Paddington Food Bank

Implemented and managed the on-boarding and DBS vetting of 400 new volunteers to respond to the high demand of home deliveries for people self isolating or vulnerable in the wake of Covid-19. Tested and integrated a volunteer software program to manage the process going forward.

Senior Volunteer

Sotheby's

Leading the Division’s Auction & Private Sales Business. 
Consolidated the core activity of both divisions ensuring global consistency & synergies within regions and departments. 
Led the Middle East development launching the first Watches Auction in Dubai.

Global Deputy Managing Director Jewellery & Watches Division

Working alongside the Managing Director, created the  Luxury & Lifestyle Division & successfully delivered <$500 million of aggregated auction sales.

Deputy Managing Director Luxury & Lifestyle Division

Business lead for two Global Departments: Jewellery and Watches

International Division Director Jewellery and Watches

Management of the North America regional specialist departments: 
24 Departments split across three divisions: Fine Arts, Decorative Arts and Asian Arts.
Led the integration & partnership with RM Sotheby’s (cars)

Senior Vice President, Head of Regional Specialists

Management of the North America Regional Fine Arts Division
Guest Speaker at the Sotheby's Institute of Art Summer Study Program

Senior Vice President, Division Director

Led all Financial, Operational, HR & Administrative functions in Switzerland. 
•	Compliance Officer Switzerland
•	Deputy Money Laundering Officer Switzerland
Officer Promotions:
•	Senior Director 2012
•	Director 2007
•	Deputy Director 2006

General Manager & Business Director Switzerland

Lead the Swiss Administrative group, the Shipping Department, Security and Risk in Geneva. Oversaw the client experience.

Office Manager

Organised the physical movement of all Works of Art, Jewellery and Watches in and out of Geneva for annual values exceeding $ 300 million. Managed Security, Risk and Building Maintenance.

Shipping Manager

Effectively ran the administration of the Geneva Import & Export Department. Coordinated shipments of consignments and purchases of high end jewellery, watches and works of art for auction.

Shipping Coordinator

Split between the Shipping Department and the Sales Administration Department.
Assisted the Shipping Deputy on all administrative tasks, including Inventory management and SAP and invoice procurement and administered the auctions.

Sales Administrator & Shipping Assistant

CAMAIEU INTERNATIONAL

Camaïeu is a French retail clothing company which manufactures and sells its own collections of women's clothing.

Sales Assistant

EMS Eynard-Fatio  Retirement Home

Gave daily care to elderly "end of life" patients

Health Care Assistant

Fondation Baur, musée des arts d'Extrême-Orient

Museum Assistant

🚀Accelerate Your Leadership Transition in 90 days 💥Growth Strategist for Leaders Who Care 🎯Executive & Corporate Coaching 🎯Career Coaching For Frustrated Professionals Who Want to Get Unstuck

You didn’t start your business to feel stuck, stressed, and overwhelmed. But here you are, you’ve hit a wall. You’re busting your chops, yet things aren’t coming together. Your business is running you instead of the other way around

You had a vision: freedom, growth, & work that truly mattered. But somewhere along the way, things got complicated:

‼️ You’re working hard, but growth isn’t happening fast enough
‼️ Your team should be your biggest asset, not your biggest challenge
‼️ Decisions are piling up, you feel stuck & scaling seems impossible

What I Do

I work with entrepreneurs and business owners hitting a wall in strategy, leadership, or processes. I deliver a clear, practical plan so you can stop second-guessing & start scaling

No vague advice. Just clarity, confidence, and action

How We Make That Happen

✅ 1:1 Business Strategy Coaching – Get unstuck, simplify decisions, & confidently move forward

✅ Fractional Chief Strategy Officer: People | Processes | Leadership – High-level strategic support to optimise your team, streamline operations & strengthen leadership

✅ High-Impact Team Training Days – Hands-on workshops to improve communication, collaboration, & performance

What You Can Expect

✔ No cookie-cutter solutions. Just practical, tailored strategies that work
✔ A clear, actionable plan for your business & you
✔ A trusted partner to help you scale with confidence

Why Trust Me?

With 25+ years of experience in business strategy, leadership, and operations, I bring real-world expertise, a global perspective, & a results-driven approach

Key Credentials

⏩ Triple-Accredited Professional Coach
⏩ Senior Executive Leader (Sotheby’s, $500M+ in annual sales)
⏩ Co-founder & President, Metropolitan Business Association 
⏩ Member of the Professional Speakers Association Spain
⏩ Officer of 22@ Toastmasters Barcelona Club 

What Clients Say

"Maria’s insight made a tangible, emotional, & financial difference to the company." 
— Zoe Loveday, Managing Director, SSK

"Maria’s intervention was critical in accelerating awareness around opportunities ahead, resulting in significant positive change."
— Bruno Vinciguerra, CEO, Bonhams

Beyond work? You’ll find me

🤝 Speaking at Toastmasters
🌍 Building the Metropolitan Business Association 
🐶 Hanging out with my husband, Yann, & our jack-a-bee, Cookie

📞 If you’re ready to stop spinning & start scaling book a call to talk about how I can support you

Your business should serve you, not consume you. Let’s fix that!

👉 Get my best business tips in your inbox: https://askmariakelly.ck.page

Maria Kelly

This one feels like a "pinch me" moment
I’ve had something under wraps for a while, and today I finally get to share it.

Today is my first day as a Professor at CIEE Barcelona.

I'll be teaching Strategic Management to undergraduate study-abroad students, the kind of course that blends classic strategy thinking with how organisations actually make decisions in the real world.

We'll cover frameworks, yes. We'll talk about AI and how it can be used ethically and responsibly as part of modern coursework (not as a shortcut). But the real focus is on judgment, decision-making, and what happens when context, culture, and people complicate all the neat theories.

I want students to leave this course with more than good notes. I want them to build confidence in their thinking, learn how to challenge ideas constructively, and understand that good decisions rarely come from theory alone.

The group work and the conversations we'll have, that's where the real learning happens and I can't wait to see what they bring into the room.

Feeling grateful, slightly nervous in the best way, and very ready to step into the classroom.

Wish me luck!!

I'm an early adopter at heart, so when Lea 🌈 Turner launched The HoLT I was one of the first to join.

A few years in, I can only say how brilliant this community is.

I've made friends, found suppliers, connected with people to work with, and honestly? It's just been a genuinely great place to be part of.

So I'm pretty proud to announce that today The HoLT Directory launches, and I'm a Founding Member!

Ask Maria Kelly is officially listed inside The HoLT Directory - a completely free, searchable directory designed to make finding brilliant support easy.
It's packed with hundreds of trusted expert small business owners and solopreneurs, covering a full spectrum of services:

Automation pros to architects. Contract lawyers to copywriters. PR to paid ads. SEO to speakers and everything in between.

Easy to use. Free to access.
Just great services, great people, and absolutely NO KNOBS!

If you're a business looking for reliable experts you can actually trust, this is a link you'll want to bookmark.😉

Check it out here: www.the-holt.com/directory

This Christmas, I made my entire family cry.
And here’s how you can too.


➡️ I used ChatGPT to write custom song lyrics for each person, pulling in shared memories, inside jokes, and things I've always wanted to say but never quite found the words for. 

➡️ Then I fed those lyrics into Suno, chose music styles I knew they'd love, and turned them into actual songs. 

➡️ Finally, I designed lyric sheets in Canva, got them printed, and on Christmas Day, I handed them out and pressed play. 

The confusion lasted about ten seconds. Then the tears started. (Mine included.) 😅

This is another example of how you can use AI in your everyday life.

A year ago, I couldn’t have created a song in 15 minutes. The quality and range of styles are impressive. It gave me a way to express something deeply personal that I simply didn't have the skills to create on my own.
I also really had fun creating these songs.

That is the real opportunity with AI: use it to boost your creativity.

Start with an idea, then let it help you deliver it in a way you couldn’t have before and in much less time.

Have you used AI to create gifts???

I don't need a word of the year.
I need a way to stop saying yes to the wrong things.

So I'm using three words as filters instead.

➡️ Stability 

2026 needs to give me financial security and predictability. A business should support you, not keep you up at night wondering if you can pay next month's bills. I want to stay self-employed AND sleep well. I want to believe that both are possible.

➡️ Commercial 

My time, energy, and expertise have to translate into actual paid work. I'm prioritising revenue over visibility for its own sake. You know what I mean... that exposure that looks great on paper but doesn't lead anywhere concrete? I'm letting that go. If it doesn't help me earn, it's not getting my yes.

➡️ Focus 

I'm stopping the habit of spreading myself thin. This year is about a small number of activities with a clear path to income. Everything else can wait (or disappear entirely, and that's ok too).

Now every idea, opportunity, collaboration, or shiny new project runs through one simple test:

❓ Does this support stability? 
❓ Is this genuinely commercial? 
❓ Does this deserve my focus right now?

If the answer is no to any of them, it waits.

I’ve always taken pride in being available and supportive. Saying yes has felt generous and right, but I need to get my head around the fact that prioritising myself and my business is not selfish, it’s necessary.

If this is going to work long term, I have to be as intentional with my own needs as I’ve been with everyone else’s.

So if you’re a business owner feeling stuck with growth and want a clear, honest conversation about how to move forward, reach out. 
That’s exactly the work I’m prioritising.😉

Unpopular opinion: The question isn't whether students should use AI.
They already do!

The real question is whether we're brave enough to help them use it well.

At CIEE Barcelona, professors set their own AI policy. I chose to allow it, and here's why: my job isn't to police what they do. It's to prepare them for the real world.

So I encourage my students to use AI as a learning tool to:

✅ Explore ideas they're curious about
✅ Clarify concepts that feel confusing
✅ Practise applying what they learn in real scenarios

I even recommend specific tools I believe genuinely help.

Because we all learn differently. Some of us need to read it, others need to hear it, some need visuals or quizzes to make it click. Giving students the option to learn through the format that actually works for them means they're more likely to do the work.

And if Footloose has thought us anything, banning something students are already doing just encourages them to do it in secret. 

Now, I still expect them to write their own work and disclose when they've used AI. In class, we apply the learning together, individually and in groups. Because what I've learned from my own experience is that memorising content for an exam you'll forget the next day isn't learning.

What I care about is whether they understand the concepts and can use them in real situations. That's how learning actually sticks. 

AI can help them get there, or it can be misused. My role is to teach the difference.

These students are stepping into a world where AI will be everywhere. Ignoring that reality doesn't prepare them, guiding them does. Leadership in education now means adapting how we teach, not clinging to outdated controls.

If we want people who can think on their feet, make decisions, and apply knowledge in real life, then our teaching has to reflect the world they're entering.

If you're teaching, training, or leading people right now, this conversation matters. What's your take on the use of AI in school?

Stop rebuilding slides from scratch!

There's a faster, cleaner way to do this now, and I'm genuinely excited to share it.

I discovered Gamma at the end of last year and thought it was brilliant. But what changed this year is a new beta feature they just launched called Remix.
 
Why? It solves one of the biggest problems with AI-created slides: Consistency.

Here's my situation: I create a slide deck for each of my Strategic Management course at CIEE Barcelona, each class covers a different topic, but the structure and visual identity need to stay the same.

A problem you may have noticed, is that when you ask AI to recreate slides (or anything) from scratch, it doesn't behave consistently. Layouts will shift and colours change. 

You may have seen these videos going around on socials of people entering the same prompt to create a picture over and over, and the picture morphing into something completely different. 

Remix fixes that:

➡️ I start with one solid slide deck in Gamma

➡️ I prompt Remix to keep the same layout and colour structure

➡️ Then I paste in the new slide outline for the next class and seconds later, the new deck is ready

➡️ From there, I only tweak content or add a slide if needed.

And tadaa! I have a consistent slide deck for my next class.

If you create slides regularly, this is genuinely worth trying.
You'll thank me later!😉

Feeling the January pressure?
Yep, me too.

I took a proper break over Christmas with no work just rest. But coming back was harder than I expected.

Everyone’s already sprinting: New goals. New routines. Same crap.

There’s this unspoken rule that you have to “start the year strong", be everywhere, do everything, plan your next six figures before the first week’s out.

But what if you didn’t?

This week’s newsletter is about saying no to the hype, yes to your own pace and how I’m using three simple words to guide every decision in 2026.

Because you know what? January isn’t the main event; it’s just the warm-up.

WANT THE FULL READ?
Check it out here tomorrow morning:  https://lnkd.in/daTCiBhm

Chris James

Social sales secrets for coaches + freelancers. My DM game is appalling 😬

FREE LinkedIn training in my featured section ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Founder

We help small business owners win more clients using organic content.

⬇️ Check out our client results below ⬇️

Here's how I'm dodging tax from now on...

My accountant called me a menace last week 🤣

I sent her the receipt for some Nike Air Max 1s with C2C on 'em.

(Technically, they're a business expense)

And now, I want more...

By the end of the year, I want a whole display case of C2C x Nike collabs in my office.

I honestly never thought I'd see the day where I could buy trainers whenever I wanted.

The industry wants you burnt out and beige.
But I've gone for black, grey + yellow:

Custom trainers, structured freedom + a business that funds your lifestyle instead of consuming it.

If you're brave enough... what's something questionable you've put through your books?

Drop it in the comments...

------------

📌 PS: If you want to build a business that buys you custom Nikes (and gives you your evenings back)... the doors to C2C are open now.

Because if your business doesn’t fund your lifestyle and your shoe addiction… what’s the point?

5 coaches / consultants are gonna get started building their dream business (in school hours only). 

We officially kick off on 2nd Feb, but you can get access to everything instantly. 

DM me if you're in, or hit the link on my profile → Chris James

📌 Ex-Loser | C2C doors open until Friday @ 6pm

My daughter thinks I’m famous because I talk to a camera + eat snacks in my big chair with the purple lights on 🤣 

Same, Ivy. Same.

What do your kids think you do all day?

No alternative text description for this image

‘Consistent £10k months in 14 days’

Wait… what?

That’s not even possible 🤣

If you’re gonna talk about numbers…

Plz make sure they actually add up.

K. Thx. Bye

📌 PS → On 26th January I’m gonna help you make your LinkedIn profile magnetic, your content convert + your systems support growth.

I’ll put some clothes on too, promise

If you know you’re not making the most of LinkedIn, here’s the link: https://lnkd.in/eJNh7HdS

A post you write on the toilet at 6am is always gonna outperform one you’ve put thought, care + value into.

Don’t worry, no selfie today….

I wrote this on the toilet.

Tell me what your best performing post of the last year was about (and whether you wrote it on the toilet).

I need it for my algorithm report.

Confession time: I f-cking ❤️ spreadsheets.

I’ve been tracking EVERYTHING like a proper psychopath.

Since 1st of Jan I’ve dropped nearly a stone, eaten much cleaner + I’m stronger than ever.

Sleep is still a bit of a struggle, but hey ho...

Being awake is too exciting 🤣

Here’s what I put in my sheet every morning:

→ Calories
→ Protein
→ Carbs
→ Fibre
→ Fat
→ Sugar
→ Steps
→ Cals Burnt
→ Type
→ Sleep (hrs)
→ REM
→ Deep
→ Time In Bed
→ Weight (St)
→ BMI
→ Body Fat %
→ Body Energy
→ Brain Energy

Over the top? Maybe
Does it take ages? No - 5 mins every morning.

And it means I can focus in on the 1/2 things I need to.

We’ve started applying the same obsessive tracking in C2C.
Client wins, conversion rates, best performing posts…

And I can confidently tell you our clients generated over $100,000 in January alone.

The best business owners I know are secretly data obsessed.

They just don't talk about it because spreadsheets aren't sexy.

-------------

My client Sandie's made $123,000 in 11 months 🤯
That didn’t happen by accident.

On Wednesday we’re going live to talk about it.

Here’s the link →
https://lnkd.in/ekwwPmFm

-------------

📌 PS → If you want results like Sandie… 

and a calendar that actually lets you live…

The doors to C2C are open.

But this time… we’re only taking 5 people.

And they close at 6PM Friday, so you don’t have long.

We kick off next Monday, but you’ll get access to everything immediately.

Let’s tighten your offer, content + lead gen so you can work less + earn more.

DM me CLIENTS, or visit my profile → Chris James

For the love of all things holy, don’t fall for this trap.

You know the one:

‘Build it, and they will come’

No. They won’t 🤣

I’ve seen it too many times.

Someone spends months perfecting their course, recording hours of content, tweaking the colors, obsessing over the details…

Then finally the big launch day arrives!

And what happens?

F-k all.

The deafening sound of tumbleweed.
(I’m talking about me here too)

Lemme keep it 100 witcha:

Nobody cares about your masterpiece if it doesn’t solve their problems. The market doesn’t give a sh*t about your brilliant ideas unless you’ve done the work to validate them first.

You don’t need to build the course.

You need to build DEMAND.

→ Speak to your audience.
→ Find out what they actually want.
→ Pre-sell it, then create it alongside them.

This isn’t just better for them. It’s smarter for you. Because now you’re solving real problems for real people - not the imaginary ones you cooked up in the shower last Thursday.

📌 → If LinkedIn feels more like a ghost town than a goldmine, the LinkedIn Blueprint is for you.

We’ll cut the bs, show you how to get attention, talk about your offer + SELL IT.

Hit my Featured Section to grab your spot before time runs out.

I’m 39 (for a few more weeks)... 

And I speak to founders in their 40s + 50s every day... 

And they all believe the same 3 BS lies: 

1. I should’ve started sooner 
2. I don’t want to look desperate 
3. I don’t want to feel like a beginner again

But while you’re over there hesitating, someone with less experience but more confidence is taking up space that should be yours. 

You’ve already done the hard part. Don’t stop now. 

I’ve made a video that’ll help you break through your biggest limiting "content" beliefs in the next 30 days. 

DM me the word IDENTITY + I’ll send it straight over (no opt-in)

There's one content hack I suggest all our clients use.

It's the easiest thing ever...

Reposting. 

What’s the point in spending hours writing content if you’re never gonna use it again? 

And if you don’t have a system to store, track, plan + repurpose your content, you’re missing a trick. 

Want my High Performance LinkedIn Planner for FREE? 

Comment PLANNER below (or DM me) and I’ll send you the link.

Last month I got 10 client testimonials in 10 minutes.

No joke... 

Here's the full breakdown (and the exact script) ⬇️

Only a short one from me today... But I want to talk client testimonials (and how to collect 'em FAST) Whenever I've been asked to give one, I always 

Open article: Clients will film testimonials in SECONDS if you do this 🍿 by Chris James • 1 min read

Clients will film testimonials in SECONDS if you do this 🍿

“It’s like an addictive Netflix series for building a business”

A client said this to me about the C2C course material the other day + I laughed. 

Because I’m pretty sure it’s taken as long as some Netflix productions to create. 

We’re on Season 6 now + there’s no sign of it being decommissioned. 

What’s the best comparison anyone’s ever made of you/your business?

Let’s all share something BRUTAL today...

Share your screen time for the last 7 days. 

Let’s see what’s everyone’s been up to 🤣 

Here’s mine…

Disgusting

Stick yours in the comments

I could cry at the number of hours I’ve wasted doing this. 

No, not that! I used to overthink my LinkedIn profile. 

Change my headline every day. 
Fiddle with my banner in Canva for 14 hours straight. 
And don’t even get me started on the About section 🤣

I’ve created a free guide to optimising your LinkedIn profile in 10 minutes. 

So you can leave it alone and do some real work. 

Comment or DM PROFILE because I haven’t put it in my featured section yet.

Ever notice this that the harder you chase... 

The harder it gets...?

Been there.

I built a 7-figure biz and still felt stuck.

Until I learned this:

Ever feel like the harder you push in business, the less it works? Desperate for attention, but stay invisible. Great call with a client, then they gh

Open article: I built a 7-figure biz… then learned how to let go by Chris James • 1 min read

I built a 7-figure biz… then learned how to let go

Imagine making almost as much in 3 months as you did in the prior 9.

That’s what we helped Sandie do… 

When she joined C2C, she was scared to take time off + was actually losing sleep worrying about money

After a few weeks, something clicked (it always does 🤣)

Her results are crazy:

📈 $77K in revenue Jan-Sept
📈 +$46K in Sept-Dec

Join us in this live to see how she: 

✨ Stopped the feast‑or‑famine cycle
✨ Gained clarity on pricing & value
✨ Reclaimed time with her family
✨ Got stability she’d never had

See you there.

B2B Copywriter: $124k on LinkedIn with no ads...

Promised myself I wouldn’t get my haircut until I’d sorted my new video setup. 

Promised myself I wouldn’t sort the video setup until I’d got the C2C 6.0 product 80% of the way there. 

Yesterday was that day. 

No longer looking unkept ✂️ 

Been doing MINIMAL marketing/content for the last 2 months.  Time to turn it up a notch. 

————-

Two things are happening tomorrow. 

1 - Doors open to C2C again, but only for 5 people

2 - Im running the LinkedIn Blueprint LIVE.  Come and ask my anything, and get lifetime access & updates to the whole course.  

Hit the profile if you wanna grab a spot in either > Chris James

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Chris James

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The Battle

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Chris James

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Maria Kelly's LinkedIn Performance

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