B Corp digital agency founder Lawrence Harmer of Solve

Lawrence Harmer is the founder and managing director of Solve, the digital agency he started in a spare bedroom in north Cornwall in 2014 and now runs from Nansledan in Newquay. It works with Toyota, Lexus, Cornwall Council, the Duchy of Cornwall and Cornwall Air Ambulance, and it is a certified B Corp. He tells Business Matters how a travel blog turned into an agency.

What do you currently do at Solve?

I see myself as a digital alchemist. I spot patterns and formulas naturally, so I lead our strategic direction and shape the formulas behind our clients’ success.

In practice that covers everything from web design and optimised builds through to SEO, AI SEO, paid media, content and PR, plus green hosting and WordPress maintenance for the clients who want us to keep the lights on. Around 90 per cent of our new business comes through referral, which tells you most of what you need to know about how we work.

What was the inspiration behind your business?

I built my first website in 1998, the year Google started. I love exploring the world and sharing it with others. My first proper website was Soulventure. For 14 years it was a log of my travels and adventures, before the word “blog” existed. Over time it grew into a web business, and it took off quickly.

I did not want my soul ventures to become a business, so I set up Solve Web Design. I soon realised we did more than web design, so it became Solve Web Media, and now simply Solve. The name still carries a piece of Soulventure in it.

Along the way I realised I could help people and the planet through business. I did not want to just give to charity or feel helpless about the world’s problems. I could use my skills for good. One of my goals is to show businesses that they can make money while helping people and the planet. I love seeing the positive impact we have.

Solve is a B Corp. What does that mean day to day?

We first certified in 2020 and were reassessed in June 2024 with a score of 145.8, which puts us in the top 1 per cent of UK B Corps and, we are told, makes us the highest-scoring web design agency in the world. B Lab UK reports that there are now more than 2,600 B Corps in this country, so it is a bigger movement than it was when we joined it.

Day to day it is unglamorous. The office runs on renewable energy and so do the servers we host client sites on. We are a living wage employer. We committed to serving at least 75 per cent local and independent clients and we are currently at 99 per cent. We back Surfers Against Sewage and Protect Our Winters UK, which matters when you work 10 minutes from the water.

I would say the commercial case has caught up with the ethical one. Small B Corps grew revenues faster than the national average over the last couple of years, and that is the argument I make to clients who think this is a cost rather than a strategy. The true growth of a business is when it influences growth around it, our team, our clients, our community.

Who do you admire?

I do not have just one role model. I take inspiration from many places: audiobooks, podcasts and the business leaders I meet. Simon Sinek’s Start With Why is a big influence. So are Robert Cialdini’s Influence, with its focus on the psychology of persuasion, and Donald Miller’s Building a StoryBrand. Together they go a long way.

Most of all, I admire my wife. She gives me clarity and helps me find my centre when I drift off track.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently?

Probably, yes. But I believe challenges make you stronger. When I look back at my low points, I learned a lot from them, and that has made me and others stronger.

I left university after a year because the structure did not suit the way I learn. I am dyslexic, and I taught myself instead. At the time that felt like a failure. It was not.

What defines your way of doing business?

I trust my gut feeling above anything else. I take a holistic view and weigh up a wide range of factors, including people and the planet, to set our direction. That comes before money. I have found that when you hold strong values, the universe provides in magical and mysterious ways. So I trust the process, knowing I am doing good.

That shows up internally as much as externally. We were named one of Cornwall’s Best Places to Work in 2025 by Business Cornwall and Best Companies Group, and three quarters of that assessment came straight from employee feedback, which is the part I care about. It is a testament to our team’s dedication to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive.

What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Carve your own path and believe in yourself. That can be hard, and I am only now starting to realise my own superpowers. Listen to others, but do not let them decide your path. Everyone has different opportunities, and what did not work for them might work for you.

Opportunity is everywhere. The world is your lobster. Everything will be OK.