The Founder Reset

Three days away from your agency. One strategic plan you'll actually follow

BenchPress 2026, the UK's most-read agency benchmark report, found that 35% of agency founders feel anxious about their business at least once a week. Only 1 in 8 say their energy is 'great'. That's not just a personal struggle or wellbeing issue. It's a profit problem.

The business looks successful from the outside. But inside, the cycle of clients, team management, cash flow and constant decisions leaves almost no time to lift your head. Strategic thinking happens in stolen moments on a train, during a walk, or late at night. The ideas and solutions are there but they disappear the moment you land back in the chaos.

The Founder Reset is a 3-day residential retreat for a small group of agency founders, designed to give you the space, the structure, and the right people to think clearly and plan properly, so you return to your business with renewed energy, a 90-day action plan, and 1 year goals you'll actually follow through on

Three days of structured thinking and peer conversation, so you leave with a 90-day action plan and 1-year goals you'll actually follow through on.

The Founder Reset is facilitated by Neil Adams and Debbie Adams.

Neil spent 25 years running, growing, and ultimately exiting a multi-million pound agency. He knows what it feels like to be the person everything depends on, and what it takes to change that.

Debbie is a former Head of People at a leading agency, a qualified business coach and a Leadership & Management trainer at Leeds Beckett University Business School, where she works with leaders from multi-national corporates and SMEs. She brings a rigorous, human-centred approach to the personal and organisational side of founder growth.

Between us, we've lived the three things almost every agency founder struggles with but rarely talks about...

The first was stepping back from day-to-day delivery into a genuine strategic role.

The second was finding time for longer-term planning that actually led somewhere.

The third was protecting your own energy as a founder, something nobody in our world ever seemed to discuss.

The Founder Reset is built around all three. Not as separate challenges, but as connected parts of the same problem.: how to build a business that works, avoiding burnout, and enjoying the journey.

01 / Time to reflect

This is not a conference
It’s not a typical workshop

It's a small, carefully curated retreat for agency founders, capped at 14 people, with every attendee personally reviewed before a place is confirmed.

That matters, because the quality of the conversations is as valuable as the sessions themselves. You'll share the room with founders who understand the reality of running an agency, people willing to be honest about what's working, what isn't, and what they're genuinely trying to figure out. We want the connections you make here to outlast the three days.

The retreat takes place in a four-star countryside spa hotel: a calm, restorative environment away from email, decisions and the pull of the inbox.

03 / Time to plan for growth

Once you have clarity on where you want to go, we build the plan to get there.

The BenchPress data is clear: agency founders who plan deliberately grow faster and more profitably. Three days gives you the space to do that properly.

Together, you'll define a clear strategic direction and a practical roadmap for the next phase of growth, not a document that gets filed away, but something you'll use the moment you return.

You'll leave with:

A vision for the business that fits around you and your life goals.
Clear 1-year goals for the next phase of growth
A focused 90-day action plan to create immediate momentum
Defined strategic priorities for the next chapter
A framework to make sure the plan turns into progress, not good intentions

The sessions are structured, but the best thinking often comes from the founders around the table, not just the front of the room.

02 / Time to recharge

We start with you, before we talk about the business.

BenchPress 2026 found that only 13% of agency owners rate their current energy as 'great'. Before we build the business plan, we work on that

You need clarity on what you actually want from the next chapter. What fulfilment looks like in your work. How your role needs to evolve. Whether the business you're building supports the life you want to live or whether it's quietly working against it.

This is the part most founders never make time for. We've built in structured space to explore it properly.

We'll work through:

What energy and enjoyment look like for you right now
How your role in the business needs to change
How to design a business that supports your ambitions, not just the other way round
How to protect your wellbeing as the person the whole thing depends on

The aim is to make sure the next chapter is one you're genuinely building towards, not just escaping from.

Apply for your place

Get the Prospectus

Next Business Retreat

The Founder Reset - 3rd to 5th November 2026

We're now registering interest for the inaugural Founder Reset in November 2026, timed deliberately so you go into 2027 with a clear strategic plan, defined priorities and the energy to make it happen.

Investment is £1495 ex VAT, all-inclusive.

November

2026

- A pre-retreat online meet-up with your fellow founders, so you arrive already knowing the people in the room.
- Premium single room lodging with high-quality amenities.
- All meals (local & seasonal)
- Spa access and unstructured time for reflection, walks and recharging
- Supplies for all activities
- A completed 90-day action plan and 1-year strategic goals to take home.
- A 90-day accountability check-in with Neil, to review progress, troubleshoot blockers and keep the plan on track.
Day 1
Arrival and welcome - settle in and meet and meet the founders you connected with online
Opening session: Where are you now?
An honest stock-take of the business, your role and what's getting in the way.
Optional late afternoon: countryside walk or spa time.
Evening: Private dining with the group, relaxed, no agenda.
Day 2
Morning: Founder focus- what you want from the next chapter, how your role needs to evolve, and how to protect your energy as the person the whole business depends on.

Workshop: Defining your vision, and 1-year direction with the group.

Late afternoon: Time to recharge, walk, spa or quiet thinking time.

Evening: Dinner and open founder conversations.
Day 3
Morning: Translating strategy into a clear 90-day action plan.

Session: The frameworks to make the plan stick when real life kicks back in.

Closing lunch before departures.
Apply for a place
Book a call in with Neil who will run through the details, and assess if it’s a good fit for you and you are a good fit for the group.

If accepted, you will be required to pay a £350 deposit.
Confirm your place
Once confirmed, you'll receive a Welcome Pack with everything you need: detailed schedule, what to bring, and how to prepare to get the most from the three days.
Book your travel
We recommend booking travel as soon as you have a palce confirmed.
Pre-retreat meet-up
A short online session with your fellow founders a few weeks before the retreat, so you arrive with familiar faces.
Show up ready
Come with one specific challenge you'd like the group's input on. Leave with clarity, a plan, and people who understand exactly what you're building.
Full details will be sent to you prior to the event so you can fully prepare.