About Move at Pace

I built it.
Sold it.
Now I help others do the same.

I'm Connor McAuley. Lead Advisor at Move at Pace. I coach creative agency founders on the climb to £1M+, and advise £1.5M+ founders preparing to exit.

  • Multi-million exit value (2020)
  • 13 years building creative agencies
  • 100+ founders coached since
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Connor McAuley, founder of Move at Pace

The story

13 years. Every mistake. Then the exit.

I started my creative agency in Belfast in 2009. Bedroom operation, two clients, no playbook. Over 13 years I built it to 40 staff and £2.2M revenue. Sold in 2020. Fully exited 2022.

In between I made every mistake. Undercharged for years. Over-delivered until margins evaporated. Was the bottleneck on every project, every client conversation, every hire. It took me too long to figure out what actually scales an agency: recurring revenue, owner independence, documented systems, the right people doing the right work.

When the buyer arrived, they wanted to talk about EBITDA, multiples, recurring revenue mix, founder dependency. I'd never thought about my business in that vocabulary. I learned what makes an agency valuable on the way out. Now I help other founders learn it on the way up.

Move at Pace is what came after. Coaching for founders building toward £1M+ run rate. Advisory for £1.5M+ founders preparing to sell. A curated specialist network for the work that calls for it.

Where my coaching goes deepest

Three focus areas. Same in every engagement.

01

Revenue & Profitability

Pricing power, retainer mix, productised services, margin discipline. The financial engine that makes an agency worth running and worth buying.

02

Operational Efficiency

Systems, documentation, delivery cadence, team structure. The operating layer that turns chaos into a business that can be measured, improved, and scaled.

03

Founder Extraction

Leadership layer, delegation, key-person risk. The move that buys you weekends back today and lifts the number when you sell tomorrow.

The specialists

I lead. The right people join when the work calls for it.

Nobody is the expert in everything an agency needs. The curated network steps in for specialist work so you get a team, not one coach trying to be everything.

Specialist

M&A Advisor

Real deal experience for valuation conversations, buyer introductions, due diligence preparation, and deal negotiation when the time comes. Used on Exit Advisory engagements and any SGP client thinking seriously about exit inside 24 months.

Specialist

Agency Accountant

Agency-native financial modelling, management reporting, EBITDA tracking, and cash flow forecasting. Not a generic SME accountant. Knows how creative businesses actually run, what to model, and how a buyer reads the numbers.

Specialist

AI / Automation Consultant

Workflow automation, AI-augmented delivery, internal tooling, and operational gains. The 2026 advantage your competitors haven't applied yet. Used to shave delivery hours, lift margin, and stretch capacity without hiring.

How I work

Four things I'm certain about.

Build the business worth running. Selling becomes a choice.

The same things that make an agency sellable (recurring revenue, founder independence, documented systems) also make it more profitable and easier to lead today. You're building optionality, not an obligation to sell.

Done it. Not studied it.

I built, scaled, and sold a creative agency over 13 years. Frameworks come from what worked and what didn't, not from a textbook. When something I suggest sounds painful, it's usually because it was painful for me too.

Creative agencies aren't generic SMEs.

Scope creep, client dependency, creative talent management, project-based revenue volatility, founder-as-rainmaker. Generic business advice misses what actually drives an agency's results. I work exclusively with creative, digital, and design agencies.

What gets measured gets fixed.

The Agency Health Scorecard exists for this reason. Seven pillars, scored objectively, tracked over time. You can't improve what you can't see. We start every conversation with your scores in front of us.

Founder feedback

Founders who've worked with me.

Direct coaching
"A common concern for every entrepreneur seeking professional advice is 'can this person really understand me and my business?' The answer with Connor is a definite yes. Practical, effective, and he doesn't beat around the bush."
Marcus O'Sullivan

Marcus O'Sullivan

Founder

Sales growth
"Since working with Connor, we've seen a 20% increase in sales. The bigger impact has been on efficiency. We're getting more done with less stress. Practical and direct, all while being good craic."
James Gleeson

James Gleeson

Founder

Systems & automation
"Connor came in with a calm, focused energy and immediately helped me bring structure to the chaos. He streamlined key processes and introduced automation that saves me hours each week. Real growth in revenue."
Jordan McCuaig

Jordan McCuaig

Founder

Start here

Two ways in. Pick one.

The Scorecard takes five minutes and includes the £400 Selling Creative Services course free. The Valuation takes fifteen minutes and gives you a credible number using the same methodology M&A firms use.

Score Your Agency Get Your Valuation

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