About

You can't read the label from inside the bottle.

That single insight sparked everything we do.

Business owners and leaders build something real. They know their work matters. But they’re too close to see it clearly. They struggle to explain what makes them valuable. Marketing feels broken and they don’t know why.

We’ve spent 20 years being the external observer. The fresh eyes. The pattern recognizer who spots what you can’t see from inside your business.

Why Talked About Marketing Exists

After 8,000 conversations across every sector imaginable, a pattern emerged.

Smart people. Genuine businesses. Quality work. But they’re drowning in strategic fog. Working 60+ hour weeks. Undercharging because they lack external validation. Marketing feels like shouting into emptiness.

The problem isn’t their capability. It’s clarity.

They need someone outside the bottle to read the label. To see what’s genuinely there. To give them firm ground to back themselves.

That’s what we do.

Meet Your Marketing Partners

Steve Davis

Principal, Strategic Clarity Expert, Podcast Host

Steve brings pattern recognition from volume and variety. After 8,000 small business consultations since 2005, he can spot the narrative thread running through your work before you finish the first sentence.

More than 1,000 WordPress websites built. More than 20 years in marketing communications. Multidisciplinary background spanning radio, journalism, theatre, and podcasting.

Steve specialises in:

Strategic Clarity Sessions (message framework development)
Website In A Week (personal delivery, start to finish)
Content strategy and creation across written, photo, and video formats
Workshop delivery and keynote speaking
Podcast production (host of The Adelaide Show and co-host of Talking About Marketing)

Sectors worked with: Tourism, food and beverage, health, professional services, trades, building supplies, arts, IT, mental health, education, local government.

Steve’s theatre training shows in his presentation work. The “gently rolling eyes while smiling” approach that demonstrates problems with affectionate critique, then reveals better paths with delight rather than lecturing.

He’s the external observer who sees patterns you’ve missed.

David Olney

Strategic Partner, Planning Facilitator, Mentoring Specialist

David brings robust frameworks that turn creative overflow into clear direction. After 15 years teaching Complex Problem Solving at the University of Adelaide, he knows how to structure thinking that actually leads somewhere.

Academic rigour without jargon. Complex problem solving made accessible. The steady analytical counterweight to Steve’s pattern-spotting storyteller energy.

David specialises in:

Strategic Planning Sessions (facilitating organizational clarity)
Strategic Mentoring (leadership development and sales reframing)
Complex problem solving frameworks (Ackoff’s methodology)
Asset-based thinking approaches (building from strengths, not deficits)

David had an epiphany while podcasting in 2016: how persuasively you communicate an idea matters more to your audience than how hard you worked to develop it.

That insight shapes everything he does. Clarity matters more than complexity. Communication beats cleverness.

He’s the framework builder who gives creative energy something structured to pour into.

How We Work Together

Steve provides external perspective. Fresh eyes trained by 8,000 conversations. Pattern recognition that spots what you’re too close to see.

David provides strategic structure. Robust frameworks that support rather than constrain. Academic training applied to real-world challenges.

Together: External perspective combined with strategic framework transforms instinctive knowledge into clear, confident language.

We read the label from outside your bottle. We see what’s genuinely there. We help you articulate it clearly. We give you firm ground to back yourself.

How We Deliver

For specialist delivery work, we collaborate with trusted independent professionals who bring deep expertise in their domains.

This model means you get specialist capability when you need it, without paying for permanent overhead when you don’t.

Our Podcast

Every fortnight, Steve and David explore marketing through their own “4 Ps of Podcasting”: Person, Principles, Problems, and Perspicacity.

This is where you hear how we actually think. The interplay between Steve’s expansive storytelling and David’s concise insights. Our shared willingness to challenge assumptions. Our ability to make complex concepts accessible through humor and analogy.

It’s 20-30 minutes of practical marketing principles made accessible for small business owners and leaders. No fluff. No marketing mystique. Just two people who’ve spent decades helping businesses get clear about what they do.

If you want to know whether working with us feels right, start here.

Listen at: Talking About Marketing

Speaking and Workshops

Steve delivers keynote presentations and workshops for conferences, industry groups, and organizations seeking fresh perspective on marketing and communication challenges.

Strategic Planning Sessions

David Olney and Steve Davis facilitate planning sessions for organisations facing complex challenges that require structured thinking and team clarity.

Session formats include:

Full-day intensive planning sessions
Focused half-day workshops
Series of structured planning meetings
Problem classification using Ackoff’s Framework (Puzzles, Problems, and Messes)

David brings 15 years teaching Complex Problem Solving at the University of Adelaide. Steve brings pattern recognition from 8,000 business conversations. Together, they help teams transform collective expertise into actionable strategies.

Enquire about planning sessions: Planning Meetings

Ready To Start?

Book a Strategic Clarity Session

Solo businesses: $1,250 + GST
Growing businesses: $3,500-5,500 + GST
Book Strategic Clarity Session

Start with a 20-Minute Conversation

Not sure what you need? Talk to Steve first. Zero cost. Zero obligation.
Book 20-Minute Call

Explore Government-Subsidised Options

Women In Business: 5 hours for $220
ASBAS Digital Solutions: 3 hours for $99
2 hours of expert coaching for $70 (TiCSA members: $35)
Learn About Government Programs

You can’t read the label from inside the bottle. We can. Let’s talk.