From a standing start to a £600K order book: taking Madly into the UK
Client: Madly, a creative agency with an integrated 3D studio, based in Lyon and Madrid. madly.agency
My role: Fractional Marketing and Sales Director, UK
The challenge: Enter the UK market from zero
The result: A £600K UK order book in under a year
What I launched: Madly's UK business, from a standing start
Sound familiar?
You are well established in your home market, but the next market does not know you exist.
Your best work is in the portfolio, yet new business still depends on who the founders already know.
Outreach happens when someone has a spare afternoon, which means it hardly happens.
The starting point
Madly creates brand content, architectural visualisation, events, motion design and immersive experiences, with the creative agency and the 3D studio under one roof. Its client list includes brands such as Chanel, Lacoste and Ikea. In the UK it had none of the things that win work: no local network, no recognised brand, no target list and no pipeline. The group was also changing its name from Tak'Tik Studio to Madly, so the UK launch had to land a brand that was itself in transition.
How we worked
Starting with the founders' ambition
Before any outreach, we agreed where Madly could win in the UK: which buyers to approach first, what to lead with, and how to be seen as a premier creative partner rather than one more supplier.
Doing the work together
I built a database of more than 6,000 UK prospects and a weekly outreach rhythm around LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Cognism, Lemlist and Mailchimp, with AI-assisted personalisation. The team then had a steady flow of conversations, and I shaped more than 30 pitches around each prospect's own projects.
Going further
The brief was the UK. I also played a key role in the group's rebrand to Madly, so that the UK launched under one clear market position that the whole group could stand behind.
What changed
£600K UK order book from a standing start, in under a year
1,000+ qualified leads from a 6,000+ prospect base
22% acceptance and 17% response on outreach
30+ tailored pitches in the launch phase
What it means for your business
New markets rarely defeat good businesses on quality. They defeat them on focus and follow-through. Decide where you win, build the list, and make the follow-up relentless.
Is your business ready for a new market? Take the free two-minute Growth Check and see where you score.