Cut the complexities: How Founders scale smarter with simplicity | business.connected скачать в хорошем качестве

Cut the complexities: How Founders scale smarter with simplicity | business.connected

This is business.connected, the show for small business founders from Vodafone. For more: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/business/s... EPISODE SIX How do you build and scale a business without draining your cash, breaking your team, or turning yourself into a bottleneck? In this episode, three founders unpack what “scaling smarter” actually looks like, from systems and cash flow, to hiring, community, and the mindset shift that growth demands. Amy Golding is the CEO of Steven Bartlett’s Private Office, where she oversees investment strategy to drive sustainable growth across the entire portfolio. Peter Wood is the founder of The Graduate Guide, a community-first organisation helping ambitious early talent find their way into the startup world. Martha Keith is the founder of Martha Brook, a lifestyle brand grown from Martha’s own home into a flourishing business, specialising in personalised stationery. In this episode, they discuss: Why scaling sustainably beats “growth at all costs” The systems you need earlier than you think (finance, HR, operating rhythm) How to protect focus as you grow choosing what not to do, as much as what you do The myth that more revenue automatically means more profit Hiring during scale, and the consequences of hiring the wrong people The leadership transition from doing everything yourself to letting go Automation and tools that remove time-sinks to stop you from burning out Community vs audience, and why two-way interaction is the real growth moat Testing growth opportunities on a smaller scale before you commit The emotional side of scaling: identity, pressure, and staying grounded as things get bigger Timestamps: 00:00 – Introductions and what “scaling smarter” actually means 03:51 – Early pivots: when you think something will scale and it doesn’t 06:00 – Doing less to grow: focus, priorities, and cutting what’s not working 07:24 – Finding what’s holding you back: data, feedback, and brutal honesty 09:22 – Working on the business: stepping back and choosing the real “fires” 12:52 – “Borrowing scale”: access to information, confidence, and asking better questions 14:00 – The unsexy stuff that unlocks scale: finance, HR, and process discipline 16:52 – Automation and streamlining: building capacity before demand hits 17:52 – Scaling with tools: removing admin and operational drag (practical tech) 18:42 – Retention before acquisition: don’t neglect the customers you already have 20:22 – Myth-busting: why more revenue doesn’t automatically mean more profit 22:50 – Community vs audience: why “scale your network” beats chasing numbers 24:03 – Sustainable growth: moving away from “growth at all costs” 25:29 – Headcount isn’t a strategy: hiring only when it’s truly the answer 28:52 – The jump from 1 to 100: the emotional and operational weight of people 33:08 – Can the market handle your ambition? defining the real opportunity 35:14 – Competing with big brands: story, USP, and founder-led advantage 38:08 – Staying agile as you grow: adapting fast and staying differentiated 41:16 – The advice that matters: outsource, let go, mindset, and resilience 45:00 – Final reflections: life changes, sustainable scaling, and key takeaways