Harness & Hone

Harness & Hone is a Digital Consulting Accelerator that has taught dozens of service-based Solopreneurs how to package their core competency into a repeatable, sellable, scalable business.

Unlike other programs, you won't just get advice -- you'll start selling a codified offer in 90 days, shift your business from deliverables to outcomes, and graduate with a level of personal income you've never thought possible.

Founder

1,000 Routes

Join me every week as I explore the stories, learn the lessons, and track the uncommon routes that common Solopreneurs take to get more clients, earn more money, and plant their flag.

Founder & Host

IMPACT

As a creator and member of the marketing leadership team, my main challenge was to create and scale net-new revenue programs to maturity and iterate and improve on existing ones. 

My focus is on creating content programs that truly resonate with our target audience. Guided by qualitative audience and customer research, my aim is to engage them in a way that keeps them coming back for more, whether it's attending events, listening to podcasts, or sharing our content with their peers, we can build a loyal and dedicated following that will support our business for years to come.

Setting the vision and strategy, our challenge was to move internal subject matter experts into leading, well-known thinkers within the sales and marketing category.  

Using a category lens, I guided the creation, refinement, and distribution of IMPACT's category POV and intellectual property. Through our SMEs, we intentionally moved our problem<>solution framing, languaging, and messaging into the marketplace. Primary internal and external channels include podcasts, newsletters, publications, YouTube, and social media.

Responsible for generating Stage 2 pipeline and achieving revenue targets for the Mastery business unit,  as well as all revenue and marketing operations.

Director of Demand

I created the content, campaigns, lead generation strategy, and sales process needed to accelerate the referral and event partner program growth.

I executed joint marketing campaigns for partners (e.g, sponsor booths, courses, promotional videos, speaking engagements, blogs, email, webinars, etc.) in collaboration with our video production team, content manager, and web designer.  Worked with partner teams to develop, plan and execute sales initiatives resulting in 356% revenue growth.

Account Executive, Partnerships & Events

As a HubSpot Certified Trainer, I provided ongoing tool support and training for sales, marketing, and leadership teams for all HubSpot hubs. This includes ongoing 1:1 and 1:many training and workshop sessions. Consistently staying up to date on new features and best practices.

Additionally, I created and executed on inbound sales and marketing strategies for up to 12 clients simultaneously.

HubSpot Enablement Specialist & Inbound Marketing Strategist

Verizon

During my time as a Solutions Specialist, I continually exceeded my monthly sales targets for all mission-critical KPIs including net-new sales, customer renewals, and revenue per transaction.

My core responsibility was to create personalized hardware and software solutions for all customers, B2B and B2C.

Awarded as the #10 salesperson in the New England area. Additionally, I created a peer-to-peer recognition program which was adopted as a standard throughout the region.

Solutions Specialist

Overcome the perception of being a generic, cookie-cutter agency

Most Solopreneurs face the same problems. 

They can’t tell you what they do or how they do it. 

It's taking longer, it's been harder, and most of the time you're picking up clients that aren't a great fit.

You have enough to get by, but you can't say you're successful.

It's kind of a grind.

And if you continue to work the offer you have, **nothing will ever change.**

You know you need a change, but are not sure how to do it **without risking your current customers who are paying the bills.**

Leaving so many talented Solopreneurs questioning why they even started a business in the first place.

The truth is you can’t outwork this problem. With your current offer, more of the same clients will bury you in work, and most won't pay you what you're worth.

Harness & Hone solves that problem. We give you the structured guidance you need to design a service that leverages what you do best, creates tangible value for your clients, and charges for the outcomes you produce.

Nick Bennett

Most solopreneurs frame their offer (and the problem they solve) through a buyer's failure.

"Your pipeline is empty."
"You're struggling to close deals."
"You don't know what to do next."

And they wonder why they only attract desperate buyers with shallow pockets.

I learned this lesson the hard way when I first started helping solopreneurs. 

I tried to hard to articulate a visceral, painful problem.

The response? Tons of engagement from people who needed a parachute.

I saw similar patterns across a few clients, too.

So we reframed the offer (and problem) around a buyer's success.

Suddenly, the quality of conversations changed completely.

→ From failure indicator: "Your website gets no traffic" 
→ To success indicator: "Your website gets 50K visitors/month, but you're only converting 1% when industry leaders in your space are at 3-5%"

→ From failure indicator: "Nobody knows who you are" 
→ To success indicator: "You have strong brand recognition in your niche, but you're struggling to break into the enterprise segment where deals are 10x larger"

→ From failure indicator: "Your sales team keeps missing quota" 
→ To success indicator: "Your sales team is hitting quota, but you're leaving money on the table because your top performers can't scale their approach to the rest of the team"

→ From failure indicator: "You can't afford to hire more salespeople" 
→ To success indicator: "You're profitable enough to expand your team, but you need a system that ensures new hires ramp as fast as your best rep did"

→ From failure indicator: "Your marketing isn't generating any ROI" 
→ To success indicator: "Your marketing generates consistent ROI, but you're capped at your current spend level and can't scale profitably past $X/month"

→ From failure indicator: "You can't deliver on time" 
→ To success indicator: "You're delivering on time, but manual processes mean you can only handle 20 clients when demand exists for 100+"

The difference is simple, but it makes a massive difference in your marketing effectiveness and pipeline strength.

Failure indicators attract people looking for a parachute. 

Success indicators attract people looking for partners.

When you frame through failure, you're fishing in shallow water. 

You get buyers who need all the help in the world but can't really afford it. 

They're trying to stop the bleeding, not build something better.

When you frame through success, you're fishing where the big fish swim. You get buyers who have already proven they can execute. 

They have the means to invest because they've already seen returns.

One frame brings you clients who haggle over every dollar. 

The other brings you clients who ask, "When can we start?"

Most solopreneurs never realize they're filtering their pipeline with their first sentence.

#plantyourflag

Nick Bennett 🏴‍☠️

Digital offer and content creation for scaling solopreneurs | Co-Founder @ Duo

Most solopreneurs never ask themselves, "What am I building toward?"

They just work to the end of the week, wake up on Monday, and do it again.

Getting through the week is the "plan."

And you feel like you're living the same day, over and over and over again.

One day, they wake up and realize they overlooked one of the most important questions in business.

But if it's so important, why do most solopreneurs skip it entirely?

Because casting a vision feels indulgent, impractical, too "woo-woo," or too overwhelming. 

You've got clients to serve, content to create, and revenue to generate. 

You don't have time to sit around pondering your ideal life when there are deadlines to hit.

Plus, the conventional business wisdom is clear: focus on the metrics. 

Revenue, growth, and scale matter most. Vision is something you figure out later, once you've "made it."

Except that's exactly backwards.

Success doesn't magically cure your limiting beliefs. 

It exposes them.

And it usually leads to a point where you wonder, "Is this what I actually want?"

It's easy to put off vision work because it's confronting and challenging. 

But if you want to escape Groundhog Day, chart a course beyond the end of the week.

#plantyourflag

Most solopreneurs get stuck in the Recognition Gap because they haven’t made a clear decision about what they want to be known for. 

They rely on word of mouth, custom-scope every project, and try to grow a business without ever getting anchored to the one thing they do best.

In our experience, this happens because we’re scared. 

Scared of prospects thinking we can’t do more than advertised. 

Scared of losing hard-won skills to atrophy. 

Scared of being seen as unable or unwilling to solve versatile problems.

The result is a business that evaporates the moment referrals slow down.

Worst of all, most referrals come in ice cold without context for who you are, how you think, or what problem you solve.

(Not ideal when you're trying to standardize what you do.)

But they do bring in money, which is why too many solopreneurs miss the Recognition Gap signs:

→ You can’t articulate what problem you solve (or who it’s for) in a clear and consistent way

→ Most of your work comes from referrals, and the few cold inbounds seem like miracles

→ You dread when a client leaves because you realize there’s no process to backfill clients

If nobody beyond your bubble knows what you do—or how you think—you don’t have a sustainable business.

Being good at what you do is required; it isn’t enough to hedge against risk.

If your only marketing channel is “people who already know me," your business is one slow season away from chaos. 

That's incredibly stressful. 

And it's why you can be at $20K, $30K, even $50K+ months and still feel like your business could evaporate overnight.

It’s deceiving because you’re busy, making good money, and are excellent at your work. Until one day you look up and…

Panic.

#plantyourflag

Tony Dowling

Managing Director

CONVRG | HubSpot Adoption Specialists

At CNVRG, we help scaling and enterprise businesses turn CRM into the engine of their commercial strategy — not just a tool their teams log into.

We specialise in management-led CRM adoption that aligns people, processes, and platforms. Our structured consultancy approach bridges the gap between leadership’s vision and real-world execution by integrating strategy directly into the system your business runs on.

Most CRM and digital transformation projects fail because they’re led from the bottom-up. We fix that.

With our proven SIMPLIFI framework and Management Control System (MCS), we work from the top-down to drive adoption, create alignment, and deliver measurable results.

Who we work with:
• Enterprise & mid-sized B2B companies
• Manufacturers modernising sales & marketing
• Leadership teams serious about growth, data, and efficiency

What we do:
• CRM Strategy & Onboarding
• CRM Adoption & Process Design
• Leadership Workshops & Change Management
• Sales & Marketing System Integration
• Ongoing RevOps Support

From Strategy to Implementation — Combining People, Processes, and CRM.

Learn more at www.cnvrg.agency

Director

DISCsimple

Being an Associate with DISCsimple (an Authorised Partner with Everything DiSC®, part of the Wiley group of companies) helps me deliver assessments, coach individuals, and guide organizations on how to apply DISC insights in practical ways, as part of my work with Convrg Agency

Here’s what I typically do:

1. Assessment & Interpretation

Administer DISC personality assessments.

Explain what the results mean for an individual’s natural style, motivators, and stress behaviours.

Translate the model into plain language (so people actually use it, not just file it away).

2. Coaching Individuals

Help people recognise their communication and working style.

Identify strengths and blind spots.

Show how to flex behaviour when working with other styles.

Often applied in sales training, leadership coaching, and personal development.

3. Team Development

Run workshops for teams to understand each other’s styles.

Reduce friction by showing why conflicts arise and how to prevent them.

Build better collaboration, productivity, and trust.

4. Organisational Application

Support recruitment and onboarding by aligning roles with behavioural strengths.

Train managers to adapt their leadership style to different team members.

Align DISC insights with wider change programs (like HubSpot adoption or sales transformations).

5. Specialist Areas

Sales: Teaching sellers how to spot buyer styles and adapt pitches.

Customer Service: Training reps to communicate more effectively.

Change Management: Helping leaders manage resistance to change.

In short: a certified DISC practitioner is like a translator of human behaviour—turning abstract psychology into practical strategies for communication, teamwork, and performance.

Associate with DISCsimple

Profoundly

Profoundly Certified Pro

HubSHAC - Small HubSpot Agency Collective

Founder Member

Careers Wales

Chairing Performance and Impact Committee meetings, I play a key role in driving progress by influencing key decision making. Simultaneously, I administer oversight and executive support whilst attending Board meetings, Impact Committee meetings (performance management) and direct meetings with SMT offering direction and/or mentorship.

Selection of Highlights:

 Lead digital transformation of processes, competencies, activities and models by leveraging changes and opportunities from digital technologies. 
 Ensured Board was GDPR compliant by deadline, eliminating potential penalties and fines.

Board Member

TeamRock

Leading the charge in increasing the visibility of Team Rock, I transitioned their Heritage Magazine and radio brands into an online subscription business by co-ordinating and executing a digital transformation. During this period of change, I managed all teams, averaging 100 people in total, from editorial, marketing, commercial development and data to customer service. 

I was a driving force in growing the platform’s competitiveness by supporting the development of customised products using the company’s own IP. I also integrated other suppliers into our systems. In this position, I reported directly to the CEO. 

Selected Highlight:

 Assumed ownership of full profit and loss (P&L) responsibility, with a turnover of several million pounds, monitoring income after expenses.

Local World Media

Acting as project lead, I built a brand new hyper local website network on a unique proprietary platform designed to drive democratic engagement and develop a comprehensive local news picture for users. At the same time, I managed a major transformational change within the wider network group by centring the newspaper’s focus on 24/7 web first news reporting. In this position, I reported directly to the CEO.

South Wales Evening Post

Working on behalf of Heritage Media Brands, I spearheaded a digital transformation of the online media brands focused on ICT, systems and processes. Within two years, I transformed the business into a modern, newly connected office and transitioned the newspapers onto a 24 hour web first strategy. As a direct result of my efforts, I led the team in achieving and maintaining a total revenue at a Top 3 level within the Group. 
 
Selection of Highlights:

 Generated a +50% rise in digital revenue and a 400% increase in website audience year on year (YOY). 
 Decreased print decline to record levels and reduced circulation decline by half.

GUARDIAN MEDIA GROUP PLC

Leadership of the radio station, Wales biggest commercial station and the number one station in terms of listening and revenue in the group. 
We achieved many accolades at Real Radio Wales including Investors in People Gold status, Green Dragon, several station of the year awards and the final station of the era awards awarded at the final GMG Radio conference.

Real Radio Wales Managing Director

GMG Radio

I led Real Radio Wales sales team as one of the most successful sales teams in the UK. Responsible for overachievement of revenues targets in 36 monthly targets on the trot! 
The highest £ / hr radio station in the group.

Real Radio Wales Sales Director

Sales Turnaround for Consultative sellers | FCIM | HubSpot Platinum Partner | HubSpot Certified Trainer | South Wales HUG Leader | Tony@realinbound.co.uk | 07812 582213

Most HubSpot implementations don’t fail because the tech is bad.
They fail because the sales team never actually uses it.

I’ve run B2B sales teams. I’ve implemented HubSpot dozens of times. I know exactly where adoption breaks down — and I’ve built a process that fixes it.

I help B2B organizations (50+ people) turn HubSpot into something your sales team actually wants to use — and your leadership team can trust.

✅ Clean setup, without clutter
✅ Sales enablement with real behavior change
✅ Measurable adoption — guaranteed

If your team is logging in out of obligation (or not at all), we should talk.

Message me or visit www.convrg.agency to book a 15-minute HubSpot usage checkup.

Real Inbound is a fast-growing specialist HubSpot Solutions Agency. We offer Onboarding, Implementation and consultancy for all HubSpot Hubs, including Marketing, Sales, Customer Service and CMS. We can help you get more from your marketing software and teach you how to turn your business into a Marketing Machine! We also build marketing focussed websites and offer enterprise-level sales consulting. 

Real Inbound turns brochure-type websites into powerful marketing websites and helps non-technical Outbound focussed businesses transition into digital Inbound businesses. 

We also work with sales teams to maximise their performance via high-impact sales strategy, training and optimising their tech stack. We are fully accredited by HubSpot.

If you are a Sales Director using HubSpot, you need to know this

The thing that takes your HubSpot from good to great, takes your sales effort from effective to powerful, and takes your adoption of the tool from okay to excellent, is feedback loops. 

Put really simply, if you can run your sales team in HubSpot, then you've unlocked 'god mode' on the platform. 

Use the goals tool, the forecasting tool, the sales workspace, and the sales performance workspace to absolutely accelerate from good to great. 

It will also create a load of time, capability, and capacity for you personally. 

If you want to learn more about becoming an insanely successful sales manager in HubSpot, hit me up!

I teach The Creative Led Sell | HubSpot Partner

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The Battle

Nick Bennett

Tony Dowling

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The Battle

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Tony Dowling

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Engagements

Likes

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