Small business owner smiling at workspace — representing trust and human-first marketing.

Hello — Welcome to Northstar Growth Studio

Most small business owners didn’t get into business to figure out marketing — but that’s exactly where I ended up. Confusing advice, agencies that overpromise, $750 a month "SEO" packages, backlink scams, money wasted on things that don’t work… it’s an expensive guessing game.

I created Northstar Growth Studio to fix that.

I offer simple, honest marketing built by someone who’s actually run real businesses — not someone who has only ever worked in an agency. I've wasted money on the wrong marketing before, learned what actually works, and built a straightforward approach that business owners can finally understand.

No jargon.
No BS.
No “trust the process” excuses.

Just clear direction, practical help, and real results for small and service-based businesses that don’t have time or money to waste.

If you want marketing explained in plain English — and handled by someone who’s genuinely been where you are — you’re in the right place.

My Story

I’m Steven Puckering, the founder of Northstar Growth Studio — and I want to be upfront; I am not your typical marketing person. I am a small business owner who has run, grown and sold multiple businesses. And, like you, I had to figure out how to find customers and get them in the door.

I have over 20 years of leading teams in Banking and Financial Services as well as running businesses in healthcare and in the mechanical trade. Growing my own businesses taught me one thing: most marketing isn’t made for real business owners.

I’ve poured money into agency retainers, boosted posts, SEO promises, and even franchise advertising funds that delivered absolutely nothing. Every time, I was left with less money, quite phones and no answers.

That frustration — and the realisation that countless other business owners feel the same — is why I created Northstar Growth Studio.

I don’t talk in jargon.
I don’t hide behind dashboards.
I don’t push things you don’t need.

I give you the kind of marketing help I wish I had: clear, honest, results-focused support from someone who’s actually run businesses, succeeded, failed, learned, and come out the other side.

If you want a marketing partner who understands the pressure of making payroll, keeping customers happy, and trying to grow without wasting money — that’s exactly what Northstar was built for.