Getting to Know… The 24 Hour Business Plan
Guy Wieynk, Co-Founder of the 24HR Business Plan in the United Kingdom, speaks with LBB about their latest and greatest projects and their commitment to helping new businesses grow.
The 24 Hour Business Plan was founded in Australia and has delivered strategic planning workshops to over 200 businesses across 20 verticals globally. Over 80% of companies that complete the process achieve growth, with an average growth rate of 25% in the following financial year.
The UK operation, co-founded by Guy Wieynk and Nick Constantinou, brings this validated methodology to British businesses alongside the new High-Performing Teams Plan module.
The 24 Hour Business Plan founder Guy Wieynk spoke with LBB to discuss launching the Australian-born company in the UK, the six decades of advertising industry experience they bring as well as the British and Irish Lions tour that started it all.
LBB> Tell us a bit about 24HRBP – when did you form and why?
Guy> The business was originally founded in Australia in 2021 by Andrew Baxter, former CEO of Publicis and Ogilvy in Australia, who had spent years watching huge consultancies charging for bloated overheads, overcomplicated processes and far more people on the books than necessary, and knew there was a better option.
Established business leaders and entrepreneurs alike needed a more efficient route to transform their ideas into actionable business plans. In March this year we came together to launch a UK arm of the business as we know there are innumerable opportunities to make a difference in this market, just as Andrew and his team have been doing in the Southern Hemisphere.
Our experience is very specific to the UK market, with six decades combined experience of the advertising industry, including running global businesses, so we understand not only exactly where Andrew is coming from in his 24HR Business Plan mission but, crucially, how to implement it successfully.
So often there is no tangible plan inside a business – at least nothing that the teams can see, access and work towards – which is holding companies back. Our team of consultants, all of whom have had considerable experience at the helm of businesses across a range of industries, help executives create tailored high-performance business plans in just 24 hours.
We deliver accelerated methods for producing a complete, actionable business plan via intensive workshops, focusing on strategic development and clear, concise goals that can be executed in just 12 months.
As well as the 24 Hour Business Plan we also offer focused marketing plans, high performing teams plans, and have plans to launch mentorship, marketing and coaching modules. All in 24 hours.
LBB> What’s the story behind your name?
Guy> The name very much does what it says! Just like how we exist to create clear, comprehensible and uncomplicated business plans for our clients in 24 hours of workshop time, so we practice what we preach. A straightforward name that tells you exactly what we do: create 24 Hour Business Plans.
LBB> Tell us about up to three campaigns that epitomise what you do as a company.
Guy> Naturally it’s hard to talk about specific clients as we’re bound by confidentiality but we have delivered over 200 plans to date, covering 14 countries, and of those 85% have seen growth in the first year, to the tune of 24% on average.
LBB> Give us a fun fact about your company.
Guy> Most people come back from the Lions tour with a sunburn and a match programme. Guy came back with a business partnership. One coffee with founder Andrew 'Billy' Baxter in Australia and the seed of 24HR Business Plan UK was planted.
LBB> What are your strongest opinions about your industry?
Guy> It still seems incredible to me how few businesses have a plan for growth. Research shows it’s just 20% yet we operate in a world that is being disrupted weekly by everything from advances in technology to the impact of events on the global stage. We know that having a business plan increases your chances of growth by 48% so it baffles me that so many leaders ignore this critical area.
But I get it. Everyone is time poor, there’s always something more immediate to address – something that has to be figured out today – and planning for the future is something that’s very easy to kick down the road. Which is partly why we’ve devised a way to tackle that in just 24 hours.
If you can set aside that time to not only focus on the future but to be guided through it by an external expert, you’ll be in the best possible shape to successfully come through any challenges you face down the line.
LBB> What are you proudest of as a company?
Guy> Three things make me genuinely proud.
First, people assume we're much bigger than we are for a brand a few months old, and that's everything.
Second, our talent model: world-class senior advisors at one end, ambitious entry-level consultants at the other. Both valued: No middle, no fluff.
And third is the pipeline. A few weeks since launch and it's already full. That tells you everything you need to know about the product market fit. We're not guessing anymore. The market has answered.
LBB> What are some upcoming projects our readers should keep an eye on?
Guy> First, we're not an agency. We're operators who've run businesses, and that distinction matters. What's coming is more of the same, done better.
Watch for new senior advisors joining the UK team. We're deliberately selective. Every person we bring in has to have genuinely run something at scale. No theorists. No passengers.
We're also expanding the sectors we work across. The methodology works everywhere we've taken it. 20 verticals and counting. The UK market is wider than people think.
And keep an eye on how we evolve the product itself. The 24 Hour Business Plan started as an intensive workshop series. What it's becoming is something more powerful. A methodology with legs well beyond the room it's delivered in.
The next few months will make that clear.
LBB> Where can we check out 24HRBP online?
Guy> You can find out everything here – 24hourbusinessplan.com.au – including how to contact the UK team who would be very happy to chat through how we can help your business.
This article fist appeared in Little Black Book (LBB).
