Scale To Win with Dominic Monkhouse

E372 | Oliver Cummings: left Goldman Sachs for a 4-person startup. built a 60,000 expert network

E371| Hamish Grierson - The Hire We Made 10 Years Too Late

E370 | James Ashford, 8-Figure Founder: The Person You’re Protecting Is Destroying Your Business

In this episode, James shares his challenging beliefs about sales (selling is service, not commission-driven), hiring (fire high performers who are dickheads), business problems (everything is connected—you might think you have a sales problem when it's really a marketing problem), and alignment (you've got to be aligned with your significant other first, or you can't build the life you want). He also reveals his journey from being an "accidental diminisher" of his team to understanding that his need for significance was making him the bottleneck, uses his grandmother's fruitcake recipe as a metaphor for why business owners don't delegate, explains the difference between paying for performance (waiters and tips—doesn't work) vs paying good salary (the restaurant owner who tips upfront gets great service), and shares why Mark Garwood's 10-year journey to a £5M contract that doubled to £10M annually proves that sales without commission works. What you'll learn: 💼 Selling is in the service of others (be willing to say "don't buy from us") 💰 Don't pay sales commission (85% of salespeople don't hit quota anyway—data shows it doesn't work) 🔥 Sack the dickheads, even high performers (they'll poison your culture regardless of numbers) 📊 Everything in business is connected (sales problem might be a marketing or business development problem) 🧠 The accidental diminisher (you're scoring highly on all six ways to diminish your team) 👵 Your grandmother's fruitcake (why business owners won't delegate—need for significance) 🎯 Set the standards, inspect what you expect (granular playbooks + inspection processes) 📞 Mark Garwood's 10-year deal (best salesman he knows, took decade to land £5M contract, doubled to £10M in 2 years) Book recommendations: Multipliers (Accidental Diminishers) - Liz Wiseman - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Multipliers-Best-Leaders-People-Think/dp/0061766879 The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho/dp/0062390007 The Four Agreements - Miguel Ruiz - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Agreements-Practical-Guide-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319 James Ashford is an entrepreneur, consultant, and speaker who failed many times before building a software business that ran without him and sold to Sage for an eight-figure exit within five years of starting. His "Go Proposal" software was designed to solve a specific problem he saw in sales: the proposal sitting in the client's inbox, disappearing, never being reviewed. He built it so proposals could be created, accepted, and paid for during the meeting itself. That business took him through a rigorous exit process and gave him the clarity he needed to step back from being the constant rescuer and bottleneck in his own business. Now he works with business owners and consults on the psychological and operational foundations of sustainable businesses. He's most known for his contrarian beliefs about commission, culture, and what actually drives business growth—which is rarely what people think. Business leaders need the greatest awareness of themselves. Your belief system shapes everything. The psychology underneath is what actually drives business success, not the tactics or strategies. Connect with James Ashford - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesashford/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Scale to Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:14 James Ashford introduces his entrepreneurial journey 02:38 Importance of firing disruptive high performers 04:11 Alignment with significant other crucial for peace 07:54 Balancing love for business with family expectations 10:58 Cultural norms and their influence on business 13:45 Overcoming limiting beliefs in scaling a business 19:10 Questioning the effectiveness of sales commissions 21:09 Rethinking sales strategies and customer trust 25:18 Avoiding accidental diminishment of the team 32:28 Importance of radical truthfulness in high-performance teams 37:45 Building trust through honesty and psychological safety 41:51 Handling resistance to change and truthfulness in business 44:28 Recommendations on business books and personal development

$40M/Tech Founder Reveals the Smart Way to Run & Grow Your Company With AI in 2026 | E369

In this episode, Nikola reveals his contrarian belief that AI can be better than humans at customer service (not instead of humans, they'll do very different work), why he spent two hours on the phone with Vodafone when he got their confirmation email with someone else's name on it (and why that's not really about AI or humans), why they built a "token leaderboard" internally to track which AI tools they're using most, why junior developers will definitely beat senior ones at learning these tools (plasticity just goes down as you age), how AI gives him superpowers as a CEO (a chief of staff reminding him he promised something 4 days ago), and why their business model is "Rolls Royce for large enterprises, BMW for everyone else." He also shares his journey from a Serbian family to the University of Cambridge, how his PhD supervisor convinced him not to do a PowerPoint job at McKinsey, and why he ended up founding a voice AI company instead of working in finance (he wanted to be "a proper monkey" as well as a PowerPoint monkey, in his words). What you'll learn: 🤖 AI can be substantially better at customer service (humans already lost their role long ago in most companies) 📞 The Vodafone example: edge cases, six different humans bouncing you around, why most companies lack taxonomy of failures 💼 Rolls Royce + BMW model (premium high-touch implementation + self-serve platform for SMBs) 🧠 Plasticity matters: junior devs will beat senior ones at learning AI tools (nature's law—ability to learn new things decreases with age) ⚡ AI superpowers for CEOs (chief of staff reminding you of commitments, transcription of meetings, Slack tracking) 🎯 Why Google can't compete (they care about ads and compute use, not customer service—you go down their priority list) 📊 "Token leaderboard" to track which AI tools you're using most 🏢 From consulting motion + tech to becoming a platform business About the Guest: Nikola Mrkšić is CEO and co-founder of Poly AI, a Series D company building voice AI agents for enterprise customer service. The company is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge where Nikola met his co-founders and the whole senior research team. They'd all worked on building really good voice agents for their professional and academic lives. The business started with an idea to prove voice technology can be a good thing in people's lives, not just "that pesky thing that gets you to not speak to a human when you really want to speak to a human." Connect with Nikola Mrkšić - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikola-mrksic/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:17 Series D company background and voice technology focus 02:33 AI surpassing human customer service capabilities 05:18 Personal story of frustration with customer service 08:07 Successful AI implementations in hospitality and finance 10:58 AI handling sensitive customer service cases 13:16 Broad societal changes due to AI integration 15:00 Impact of AI on workplace efficiency and team dynamics 19:30 Young people naturally adapting to AI tools 23:30 Discussion on younger generations and AI fluency 24:46 AI improving individual weaknesses in the workplace 29:10 Transition of Poly.ai to a more platform-based model 33:01 Challenges of scaling B2B SaaS in different markets 36:01 Immigrant perspective in building successful companies 40:08 Nikola's educational journey and serendipitous career path 48:21 Competitive position against major tech companies

Here's Why Your Agency Will Never Scale (The Real Problem) | E368

Setting up a business is a major life decision that should not be taken lightly—it is incredibly painful. The ups definitely outweigh the downs, but the downs can be dark. Having a co-founder makes all the difference. Matthew Duhig, CEO and co-founder of FX Digital, started the business at university with his co-founder Tom, to build a website for his sister's bridal shop for free. Fifteen years later, they've grown from £1.5M to approaching £10M revenue, from 20 people to nearly 80, and they've built connected TV applications for major media and sports companies. Along the way, they had one major near-death experience when a single client became 80% of revenue, then in-housed the work down to 60%—leaving Matt and Tom with no personal wealth or assets, living together, staring at the barrel. But they believed in their proposition, backed themselves against the wall, and won 4 of 5-6 bids they needed to win, which launched them into major tech company work and one of their best years ever. In this episode, Matt reveals his four contrarian beliefs about building businesses: (1) Running a business is incredibly painful and decision should not be taken lightly; (2) Vision comes from consumption (reading, listening, watching—not plucking it from air); (3) Don't make promises you can't control (resentment is harder to overcome than anything else in teams); (4) The job of an entrepreneur is to reduce risk (not take risks). He shares why he's an absolute delegator (sometimes great, sometimes backfires), how he managed to get off the tools when billing five days a week, why he stays in touch with 5-10 people at any given time who might be future hires, and how Barcelona became their second office (Jack the QA lead asked if he could relocate and Matt asked him to set up an office instead). What you'll learn: 💼 Why having a co-founder is massive (not dark and lonely on your own) 🚨 What near-death looks like (80% revenue from one client, they in-house the work at 60%) 📚 Vision comes from consumption (read, listen, watch—a year of immersion in industry) 🤝 Don't make promises you can't control (resentment is the hardest thing to overcome) ⚙️ The job of an entrepreneur is to reduce risk (not take them) 🎯 Delegation as core skill (sometimes great, sometimes backfires, but necessary) 📞 Keep a pipeline of 5-10 potential hires always (chat with them, stay in touch) 🌍 Barcelona expansion lesson (talent + cost benefits + less competition than London) Book recommendations: The Intelligent Entrepreneur - Bill Murphy Jr. - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intelligent-Entrepreneur-Bill-Murphy-Jr/dp/0805094296 Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits - Greg Crabtree - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Numbers-Straight-Talk-Profits/dp/1600374514 Simple Numbers 2 - Greg Crabtree - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Numbers-Straight-Talk-Profits/dp/1600374514 About the Guest: Matthew Duhig is CEO and co-founder of FX Digital, a business that builds connected TV applications for media and sports companies. He started the business with co-founder Tom at university when Matthew was 20 years old—Tom was away due to a bike accident in London ("Tom get well soon"), so they're running it together remotely. They grew from £1.5M revenue (7 years ago) to approaching £10M now, with headcount from 20 to nearly 80. The business evolved from web design work for his sister's bridal shop (free work) to building websites for a few years, then in 2015 they stumbled across connected TV—creating applications for TV like you create mobile applications, then launching them onto streaming platforms. That niche and doubling down on it propelled their growth. Connect with Matthew Duhig / FX Digital - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/matthewduhig -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Starting FX Digital and early challenges 07:15 Surviving a critical business downturn 12:59 Personal sacrifices and work-life balance 17:10 Stepping back to foster leadership growth 22:25 Delegation and leadership management strategies 28:34 Benefits of hiring fractional leaders 32:48 Building and automating key business systems 35:03 Establishing a Barcelona office for expansion 37:30 Talent acquisition benefits in Barcelona 39:42 Influential books and educational resources 41:28 Sources of ongoing inspiration and learning

From Broke at 48 to Yo! Sushi Founder, Here's What I Learned | E367

We will soon trust AI more than people with their own agendas. In 50 years, we'll realise 50%+ tax was madness when 20% could have worked. Digital voting will let people vote on issues, not political parties, and we'll have an executive of 40 people (like Singapore) instead of 1,000 MPs arguing endlessly. And Brexit will be remembered as the best thing that happened—because this entrepreneurial little island will reinvent how to govern, and the rest of the world will copy us as they've done throughout history. Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo! Sushi and YoTel, original Dragon on Dragons' Den, performer at Edinburgh Festival, recording artist with the Blockheads, and now published author of "Yo Man," has built businesses across multiple industries starting at age 45—and he's got radical ideas about politics, taxation, and why megalomaniac control at the beginning is the right way to start any business. In this episode from Thailand (where Simon now lives with his Thai wife after being brought up in old Singapore), he reveals how he started YoSushi after a Japanese TV producer said "conveyor belt sushi bar with girls in black PVC miniskirts," flew to Japan when it was expensive and difficult (Japan was the last great mystery of the East 30 years ago), found 2,500 conveyor belt sushi bars nobody in the UK knew about, and opened Poland Street with everything he had in the world—only to have nobody come for the first two weeks. Then the second Saturday, there was a 100-yard queue down the block because they'd done something so completely different. He shares why he was nicknamed "the steamroller," why megalomaniac control is perfect at the beginning but you must let go after three years, how he hired Robin Rowland who closed all the Yo Below bars much to Simon's chagrin (but was absolutely right), and why he's earned roughly 1% of YoTel turnover every quarter for years—which has funded everything since and probably saved him from going broke. Book recommendations: How to Get Rich - Felix Dennis - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Get-Rich-Felix-Dennis/dp/0091927447 Yo Man - Simon Woodroffe - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yo-Man-Simon-Woodroffe/dp/1398616761 About the Guest: Simon Woodroffe is the founder of YoSushi (celebrating 30 years in January) and YoTel (now over 30 hotels worldwide, much bigger business than YoSushi), original Dragon on Dragons' Den (series 1-3), performer at Edinburgh Festival where he did a one-man show, recording artist with the Blockheads, and published author of "Yo Man" (his second book—the first was his autobiography). He's done a few things. He's 77 years old, was brought up in old Singapore, has lived all over the world, and now lives in Thailand with his Thai wife. His home base is Thailand because it's the best place he's found after searching everywhere. Simon started YoSushi at age 45 after a long, hard life that hasn't always been good. He's now a licensor of both YoSushi and YoTel, broadcasting on social media, and trying to give something back to the world to improve it—whether politically or directly helping one person at a time. He always said that when he was knocking on other people's doors, if he was ever the one whose door was knocked on (which is the situation he finds himself in now), he would always try to respond to everybody. And he does. Connect with Simon Woodroffe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yosimonwoodroffe/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:01 Introduction to Simon Woodroffe's journey and achievements 02:37 Simon on world improvements and his life in Thailand 03:47 Predictions on digital voting and government change 06:37 A small executive model for better governance 10:00 Reducing taxes by changing government spending 12:00 Trusting AI over human biases for balanced insights 14:06 Launch of Simon's book, Yo Man, and the ATM story 16:57 Bringing conveyor belt sushi to London 20:05 Transition from steamroller to delegator in business 21:36 Successful expansion under Robin Rowland's leadership 24:10 Involvement in Yotel and its global success 28:59 Importance of theatre and 'ziz' in business branding 30:07 Letting go of control for business growth 31:28 Transition to TV and participation in Dragon's Den 35:14 Enjoying Dragon's Den and investments made 38:08 Overcoming challenges during Yo Sushi's opening weeks 42:29 Creative 'yo' brand extensions and their impacts 45:01 Making tough business decisions swiftly and confidently

Former Hostage Negotiator Reveals Business Secrets & Negotiation Tactics | E366

Conflict is not a dirty word. You don't need a trigger warning; you need to know the trigger better. Don't rush to solve the problem. And when you're negotiating, remember it's not about you. Scott Walker is a kidnap-for-ransom and extortion negotiator who's spent 20 years with a ringside seat into what makes human beings think, feel, and act—particularly in times of stress, overwhelm, challenge, and conflict. Over 300 cases across every major continent, and touch wood, every single person came back. That's a 100% success rate in an industry where the average is 93% (better than the All Blacks' win rate), and all those lessons apply directly to everyday business and life. In this episode, Scott reveals why 80% of his time on a kidnapping case was spent dealing with the crisis within the crisis (internal politics, egos, competing demands, silo thinking—not the kidnappers), why the conflict call with bad guys is essential (managing expectations when they want £10M but you're offering £250K), and the immediate action drill he learned after threatening grieving parents in his first case. He shares why most leaders spend their time dealing with internal politics rather than customers, why feeling seen-heard-understood is the only thing people want in a negotiation, and why resilience isn't something you hashtag on a mug—it only comes from doing hard things and being uncomfortable. Plus: how he went from Scotland Yard detective inspector avoiding paper cuts to three live kidnaps in his first week in the private sector, and why the All Blacks' motto "don't be a dick" is actually brilliant negotiation advice. What you'll learn: ⚔️ Why conflict is essential (embrace difficult conversations without being belligerent) 🎯 The empathy loop: demonstrate understanding first, it's not about you ⏸️ The immediate action drill: interrupt pattern, ride the 90-second cortisol wave, ask better questions 🧠 Why you don't need trigger warnings (develop skills to handle anything, don't control others) 🚫 Why rushing to solve problems is dangerous (buy time, find the real issue) 👂 How to listen at level five (not for gist or to argue, but for what's really being said) 💡 Why 60% of sales don't close (people think it's too risky for them personally, not the company) 📊 The crisis within the crisis (80% of time spent on internal politics, not the bad guys) Book recommendations: Legacy - James Kerr - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Legacy-All-Blacks-James-Kerr/dp/1472103536 Awaken the Giant Within - Tony Robbins - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Awaken-Giant-Within-Immediate-Emotional/dp/0671791540 How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814 About the Guest: Scott Walker is a kidnap-for-ransom and extortion negotiator who's spent the best part of 20 years having a ringside seat into what makes human beings think, feel, and act—particularly in times of stress, overwhelm, challenge, and conflict. Over 300-plus cases (including piracy and extortion) across every major continent, and touch wood, every single person came back. That's a 100% personal success rate in an industry where the global average over 50 years is 93%—better than the All Blacks' win rate at roughly 90%, and vastly better than most salespeople's 30% close rate. Connect with Scott Walker - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottaw/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to negotiation and life skills 03:09 Personal anecdotes about family and negotiation 14:08 Aligning with clients to uncover real issues 21:11 Developing resilience and managing emotions 25:37 Techniques for emotional control and effective questioning 29:12 Journey from the police to a negotiation career 36:54 Handling difficult workplace conversations 40:25 Book recommendations and learning influence skills 44:44 Final thoughts and closing remarks

How to Spot Leaders Who Will Scale (Look for This, Not Confidence) | E365

Failure is a better business school than an MBA. Most agencies will never scale because their founder is the product. Minority investment beats full acquisition. And self-doubt isn't a weakness to overcome—it's the edge that separates high performers from those who are growing. Luke Tobin, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Unusual Group, has built and sold three companies in three different industries over 20 years (the largest being Digital Ethos with an eight-figure exit in late 2022), and he's learned that the people we look up to the most—the ones who seem to have it all figured out—are often the ones who struggle with doubt the most. The difference? They find a way to move anyway. In this episode, he reveals why imposter syndrome appears when you're stepping outside your comfort zone (which means you're doing something productive), why he's writing a book about doubt after interviewing 30 high performers from ex-SBS commandos to actors, and why doubt is actually the cost of admission to the next level. He also shares hard lessons from scaling to 90 people before his exit, hiring 5-6 people per month without proper vetting, and making the mistake of being the eye of the storm instead of creating mini-storms with good people. What you'll learn: 🧠 Why self-doubt is the cost of admission to the next level (imposter syndrome = you're expanding, not retracting) 📚 Why failure beats an MBA (founders with scars are shrewder, better, wiser) 🎯 Why most agencies never scale (founder is the product, won't delegate, sits at eye of storm) 👥 How to transition from basketball (50 people, you're on court) to football (100 people, you're off field) 💰 Why minority investment beats majority acquisition (founders lose motivation after 60-70% exit) 📊 The hiring mistake: loyalty vs capability (promoting based on tenure, not experience) ✅ Unique hiring practice: pay candidates for full week in business before offer (non-negotiable for mid-tier+) 🏢 Why remote work is dangerous for junior people (no water cooler conversations, no training) Book recommendations: Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/1847941494 The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychology-Money-Timeless-lessons-happiness/dp/0857197681 The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Obstacle-Way-Ancient-Adversity-Advantage/dp/1781251492 About the Guest: Luke Tobin is an entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Unusual Group, a holding company investing in marketing and creative service businesses to help them scale without losing control. He's been building companies for over 20 years with three successful exits in three different industries, each one bigger than the last. The largest was Digital Ethos, a performance marketing agency he sold in late 2022 after scaling to 90 people with an eight-figure exit. He's also a partner in a venture studio in San Diego rolling out consumer goods products, and he has 800,000 followers on social media where he shares success psychology week to week. Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Luke's business background 03:14 Debunking common entrepreneurial myths 09:15 Perceptions shaping our reality and decisions 15:43 Biggest business failures and lessons learned 19:46 Preventing businesses from getting stuck due to founder focus 28:32 Transitioning from founder to CEO roles 30:07 Balancing remote and in-office work environments 35:58 Cultivating leadership and curiosity for business growth 40:19 Recommended books for personal and professional development

Most People Overcomplicate Leadership (Here's What Actually Works) | E364

Most people overcomplicate leadership. They're looking for the next framework, trying to do technical leadership that just doesn't work. Paul Adamson spent 25 years sailing yachts around the world—including two years circumnavigating with Eddie Jordan on an Oyster 885—and he learned that leadership isn't about theory. It's about making decisions without all the information, leading from the front, and remaining calm when the pressure is on. Then he walked into Oyster Yachts (the manufacturer of those luxury yachts) when it went into administration, won it out of admin by deliberately breaking the rules, and rebuilt it from zero to a £200M order book with 700 employees in four years. In this episode, Paul reveals why great leaders are energy-rich (not uninspiring boring managers), why you can't KPI great leadership, and why the three levers of state management—focus, inner dialogue, and movement—underpin everything in business. He shares his Virgin Atlantic story about blagging a gold card, getting upgraded to upper class by a flight manager who knew when to break the rules, and how copying Richard Branson into an Instagram post led to a phone call that changed everything. He also opens up about being diagnosed with lymphoma two weeks after leaving Oyster, how he applied everything he'd taught for years to his own health challenge, and why that gift led him to help raise £3M for follicular lymphoma research that could unlock cures for pancreatic cancer, leukaemia, and other incurables. What you'll learn: ⚡ Why great leaders are energy-rich and how to manage your state (focus, inner dialogue, movement) 🎯 The difference between managers (follow rules) and leaders (know when to break them) 🚢 How to lead without all the information (lessons from sailing in high-stakes environments) 💼 How to rebuild a business from administration to £200M order book (earn trust, two words) 🇬🇧 Why UK social conditioning makes it hard to be energy-rich vs American optimism 📊 Why you can't KPI great leadership—it's about being a lighthouse, not hitting metrics 💪 How to find the gift in every challenge (even lymphoma diagnosis) 🎤 Why copying Richard Branson into an Instagram post was the right move Book recommendations: Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/1846041244 Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0091816971 Shine: How to Navigate Life's Curveballs - Paul Adamson (forthcoming) About the Guest: Paul Adamson is a leadership and teamwork speaker who spent 25 years as a professional yacht skipper sailing luxury yachts around the world before transitioning into the business world about 15 years ago. His leadership development wasn't theoretical—it was forged at sea where you learn to lead from the front pretty quickly because in high-stakes environments, if you're not leading, you get into issues fast. Leadership at sea means making decisions without perfect information, remaining calm under pressure, and managing your emotional state when lives depend on it. Connect with Paul Adamson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-adamson -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Transition from yacht skipper to business leadership 07:45 Managing leadership styles through challenging transitions 15:05 Utilising energy richness and state management 19:00 Emphasising focus, inner dialogue and movement 23:00 The importance of rule-breaking for leadership success 27:00 Virgin Atlantic story – making customers raving fans 34:45 Rebuilding Oyster Yachts from administration to success 39:20 Strategic mindset: Earning trust to build a business 43:00 Achievements and challenges at Oyster Yachts 52:00 Transition from Oyster and personal health challenges 56:30 Navigating a lymphoma diagnosis with a leadership mindset 1:05:30 Paul’s book recommendations and personal insights on leadership

The 80/20 Deal Structure: Why I Never Buy Businesses Outright | E363

Council estate South London to 30 mergers and acquisitions. No capital, no plan, but always knew wealth was what he wanted. Lee Smith went from DJ to jewellers to law firms to web design and IT—then discovered mergers and acquisitions in 2014 and everything changed. Now he's building two sector groups to £10M in profit, buying businesses at 3-4x multiples and exiting at 7-10x, and he's got some contrarian views that'll make you rethink everything about UK business ownership. In this episode, Lee reveals why buying 100% of a business is almost always the worst deal structure, why you don't need to understand what a business does to own it successfully, and why by the end of this decade the most valuable asset in Britain will be an SME producing profits. He shares his ethical partnership structure that keeps founders and directors aligned, explains how he bought an HVAC company he barely understands and grew it while only being there one day per week, and why he thinks the UK government is waging war on business owners—making it harder to employ people, easier for rogue employees to sue, and creating a clear choice by 2030: own a business with options and spare cash, or be an employee struggling more than ever. What you'll learn: 🏢 Why you don't need to understand a business to own it (just need right people in right seats) 💰 How to structure deals that keep founders and key directors aligned (20% founder retention + director equity) 📊 What to look for when buying: £2M+ revenue, second-tier management in place, profitability doesn't matter 🎯 The buy-build-sell playbook: buy at 3-4x EBITDA, build to £10M+ profit, exit at 7-10x ⚠️ Why the UK government is anti-business (more taxes, more regulation, easier to sue companies) Book recommendations: Who? - Geoff Smart & Randy Street - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Method-Hiring-Geoff-Smart/dp/0345504194 Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/9388423526 Die with Zero - Bill Perkins - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Die-Zero-Getting-Your-Money/dp/0358099765 The Fourth Turning - William Strauss & Neil Howe - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourth-Turning-American-Prophecy-Rendezvous/dp/0767900464 About the Guest: Lee Smith grew up on a council estate in South London with no capital behind him and no plan to wealth—but he always knew wealth was something he wanted to achieve. His career path was unconventional: DJ, jewellers, law firms, then starting his own web design and IT company. In 2014, he discovered mergers and acquisitions, which "completely flipped the switch" in his life. He's now completed 30 M&A transactions and is building two separate sector groups (HVAC/construction and renewable energy) to £10M in profit. His key message to business owners: the UK government is waging war on individuals through cost-of-living, energy costs, and employment regulations. By 2030, there will be a clear choice—either own a business and have options and spare cash, or be an employee struggling even more than now. His ideal scenario: buy more businesses, make all employees shareholders through EMI schemes, so when they exit, everyone gets a payday that gets them onto the wealth ladder. Connect with Lee Smith - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeantonysmith/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:03 Views on UK government's impact on business 06:58 Why Lee chose to buy into HVAC sector 08:44 Structuring deals with existing management in mind 12:28 Challenges small businesses face in scaling and compliance 14:36 Critique of UK government’s business policies 20:02 Advice for first-time business buyers 25:11 Offering employee share schemes to improve engagement 31:27 Reflection on challenges like contracting with tier one customers 35:27 Recommended books that influenced Lee’s outlook 37:46 The Fourth Turning's impact on Lee's family planning

Think Big, Get Big: The Goal-Setting Strategy That Changes Everything | E362

Work-life balance is a complete myth for founders and CEOs. The experience myth keeps people pigeonholed. Goals should force your identity change, not the other way around. Eric Partaker—McKinsey consultant turned Skype early team member turned restaurant chain founder turned CEO coach with 1.2M LinkedIn followers—breaks down why everything you've been told about building a successful career and company is backwards. In this episode, Eric shares why he went from world's worst procrastinator (bought books in 2000, didn't read them until 2010) to super producer, why he lost everything when his restaurant chain went up in smoke during COVID, and why that experience made him a better coach. He also unpacks the cultural differences between US optimism, UK scepticism, and Norwegian Janteloven (the law that says "you shall not think you are anything"), and why the Vikings' entrepreneurial spirit somehow disappeared from modern Norway. What you'll learn: ⚖️ Why work-life balance is a myth—it's really about work-life satisfaction 🎯 Why going for 10X goals forces identity change (not choosing identity first) 🌍 How cultural attitudes toward ambition differ: US vs UK vs Norway 📈 Why 10X is easier than 10%—and how it fundamentally changes thinking 🏅 Why we don't question Olympic athletes chasing gold medals but judge business people 💼 Why star performers deliver 800% more output than average in complex roles Book recommendations: The Now Habit - Neil Fiore - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-Guilt-Free/dp/1585425524 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Lencioni/dp/0787960756 Built to Last - Jim Collins & Jerry Porras - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402 About the Guest: Eric Partaker is a CEO coach, mentor, and peak performance expert who built a 1.2M+ following on LinkedIn over the last couple of years despite being 50 years old and "not a social media person" three years ago. His career has been a chain of massive pivots: started as a consultant at McKinsey, joined the early team at Skype (back when people actually used Skype before Riverside), helped with the blitz-scaling that led to a $2-3 billion exit to eBay about 21 years ago, then did a complete pivot to build a Mexican restaurant chain called Chilango. He went from being the world's worst procrastinator (so bad he bought books on overcoming procrastination in 2000 and didn't read them until 2010) to a super producer after reading The Now Habit by Neil Fiore. He credits Five Dysfunctions of a Team for helping him optimise leadership teams (particularly around avoidance of conflict and artificial harmony) and Built to Last for optimising company performance. His current mission: helping founders and CEOs stop pursuing the myth of balance, go for 10X goals that force identity change, and just have the courage to do whatever that critical thing is they're avoiding right now. -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Eric's diverse career journey and background 06:02 10x goals and their impact on mindset 09:45 Cultural influences on ambition and success 12:35 Work-life balance vs. work-life satisfaction 18:01 Fascination with achievement and peak performance 22:38 Transition from McKinsey to creating a restaurant chain 28:03 Reflecting on debt and expansion mistakes 33:30 Building leadership teams and hiring strategies 38:43 Importance of reallocating resources and hiring stars 40:42 Understanding and addressing business constraints 42:28 Books that transformed Eric's personal and professional growth

Why Hiring for Skills Is Dead (Look for This Instead) | Alex Cooper | E361

Formal education is becoming irrelevant. The UK is a great place to build a business. These aren't platitudes—they're battle-tested beliefs from someone who spent 20 years in the military, led the UK's COVID testing programme, and is now co-founding Electric Twin with Ben Warner (the PM's former chief data advisor) to build synthetic audiences that let businesses test decisions in seconds rather than weeks. In this episode, Alex Cooper breaks down why the most memorable periods of your life will be the ones where you had zero balance, why you should hire polymaths with agility and hunger rather than certificates in AI, and how his company uses generative AI to simulate human decision-making with startling accuracy. He also shares lessons from scaling from 0 to 17 people, why founder-led sales matters even when you've never done it before, and why he'd rather die at 93 still working every day than retire to garden. What you'll learn: 🎓 Why formal education and skills-based qualifications are becoming increasingly irrelevant 🇬🇧 Why London is an underrated place to build a tech business (despite the moaning) ⚖️ Why balance is bullshit—and why your deathbed memories will be from the unbalanced times 🤖 How synthetic audiences let you test business decisions in seconds with real-world accuracy 🚀 Why the OODA loop (Observe, Orientate, Decide, Act) gives decisive competitive advantage 💼 Why founder-led sales is essential even when you've never done sales before Book recommendations: The Box - Marc Levinson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller-Economy/dp/0691170819 My War Gone By, I Miss It So - Anthony Lloyd - https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Gone-Miss-Anthony-Loyd/dp/0140298541 Bad Blood - John Carreyrou - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Blood-Secrets-Silicon-Startup/dp/1509868054 About the Guest: It was during COVID that Alex met his co-founder Ben Warner, who was the Prime Minister's chief advisor for data and digital. They became friends, and a couple of years after the pandemic, Ben suggested they set up a business together. At the time, Ben had been experimenting with early AI models to try to simulate human decision-making, but the models weren't good enough. With the advent of generative AI, it became possible—and Electric Twin was born. The company combines high-quality seed data, builds out synthetic populations of agents, and uses complex processes powered by commercial LLMs (they don't have their own model) to generate results that match real-world responses. They've run 40,000 evaluations to date. Electric Twin now has 17 people and works primarily with enterprise clients like News UK (The Times), helping them make decisions about everything from podcast positioning to content strategy to product launches—all in seconds rather than the weeks traditional market research would take. They brought in a head of sales from MongoDB last year who implemented the MEDIC framework with discipline, focusing on setting up long-term relationships rather than rushing to close deals. The company has raised funding, is targeting the US market, and Alex is adamant about maintaining talent density as they scale from 17 to 50 people through what he calls "quite a difficult phase." Alex is unapologetically elitist—he loves being around super smart people who are the best at their job, which is all he's known for 20 years. He's nearly 50, has no retirement plans, and would rather be like his mentor who came into the House of Lords every day at 93 because "otherwise my brain would rot." He reads voraciously and eclectically (five books on piracy while surfing in Mexico, four books on shipping containers), spends weekends in South Wales mending fences and making cider to physically dislocate from the AI world, and firmly believes the periods of his life he'll remember on his deathbed are the ones where he had no balance whatsoever. Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Formal education vs lifelong learning in the AI era 04:02 Why balance is overrated and intense focus matters 09:00 From army officer to founder of an AI startup 13:54 Building human behaviour simulations with synthetic audiences 17:17 How generative AI powers accurate real-time decision testing 21:12 COVID, consumer behaviour, and why experts often get it wrong 28:08 Why London is still a top place to start a business 33:18 Lessons from 20 years in the military 37:28 Scaling culture from 17 to 50 employees 42:15 Learning B2B sales and the power of founder-led GTM 47:58 Charisma, fraud, and lessons from Bad Blood and Theranos

Founder Bottlenecks, Leadership Lessons, & Scaling Without Chaos | E360

Market research used to take four weeks and cost $20,000. Steve Phillips built Zappi to turn that into four hours and $2,000—and he started 12 years ago, long before generative AI made this vision sound obvious. Now, with nearly 300 people and $80 million in revenue, he's challenging his organisation to double revenues in five years without adding headcount by pairing every employee with an AI agent to handle the annoying, time-consuming work. In this episode, Steve breaks down why entrepreneurs can actually be lazy (in the right way), why you should never hire yourself, why innovation is a mindset rather than an age, and how going from 40 to 140 people in six months was utterly disastrous but created an amazing culture that propelled the business for years. He also shares why he stepped aside as CEO, how he maintains his role as Chief Innovation Officer, and why the future is already here—we're just not utilising AI to do amazing things in business yet. What you'll learn: 💡 Why entrepreneurs can be lazy—and why doing "work" might be the wrong thing 🚫 Why you should hire for your weaknesses, not people who are just like you 🧠 Why innovation is a mindset at 56, not just for 23-year-olds in garages 🤖 How to pair every employee with an AI agent to automate administrative tasks 📈 Why going from 40 to 140 people in six months crashed productivity for a year ⚙️ How to challenge your organisation to double revenue without increasing headcount Podcast recommendations: A16Z (Andreessen Horowitz) - https://a16z.com/podcasts/ Hard Fork - New York Times / Platformer - https://www.nytimes.com/column/hard-fork All In Podcast - https://www.allinpodcast.co/ About the Guest: Steve Phillips is the founder and Chief Innovation Officer (and Chair) at Zappi, a consumer insights platform he started 12 years ago with the founding ambition of turning market research projects that took four weeks and cost $20,000 into four hours and $2,000. Zappi was AI-first from the beginning—using old-fashioned "if that, then this" automation to speed up and democratize consumer insights long before generative AI became mainstream. After merging with a South African technology company early on, Steve scaled Zappi to nearly 300 people and approximately $80 million in revenue, still growing at around 15% annually with growth rates now increasing as they focus more on AI deliverables. The company has raised multiple rounds, brought in a PE firm about three years ago to mostly replace VCs, and subsequently added new senior leaders with different skill sets (like an MIT MBA CEO who thinks very differently than Steve). Zappi had one genuine pivot—moving from automating work for other research companies to building their own IP and data asset. Now they're using AI agents internally for everything from writing quarterly business reviews to creating client proposals, and externally helping clients use their data to generate new product ideas and advertising campaigns. Steve's challenge to the organisation: double revenues in five years without increasing headcount by pairing every employee with an AI agent to eliminate time-consuming administrative tasks. Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

Why Leadership Teams Fail To Change (And How To Fix It) | E359

Companies claim they're too busy for AI, and leadership teams are bloated and ineffective. The UK's productivity crisis won't be solved by working harder. These aren't controversial opinions, they're the reality Gerry Tombs is seeing as he helps businesses navigate the AI transformation after scaling ClearVision from a garage startup to £7 million in revenue and 100 people before a successful exit three years ago. In this episode, Gerry breaks down why AI will expose leaders who aren't pulling their weight, why managers will soon oversee hybrid teams of humans and AI agents, and how the millennial generation (29-44) is perfectly positioned to lead in the AI era. He also shares the brutal lessons from scaling ClearVision over 25 years—from staying in hiring too long, to ring-fencing innovation teams, to building enough trust that his leadership team could hold each other accountable rather than relying on him to fire underperformers. And yes, he hit number one in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For—but missed the ceremony due to a migraine. What you'll learn: 🤖 Why companies claiming they're "too busy for AI" are actually just terrified ⚡ How AI agents will work alongside humans in hybrid teams within two years 🎯 Why 50% of senior people could do more with AI—and why the rest will be exposed 📊 The delegate-to-elevate framework: giving AI the work you hate so you can do what matters 👥 Why leadership teams of 6-7 (including the CEO) are optimal for decision-making 🏆 How Tour of Duty hiring creates adult conversations and eliminates surprise resignations Book recommendations: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Lencioni/dp/0787960756 Raving Fans - Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0006530958 Coaching for Performance - John Whitmore - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coaching-Performance-Principles-Leadership-UPDATED/dp/1473658128 Breath - James Nestor - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breath-New-Science-Lost-Art/dp/0241289130 Drive - Daniel H. Pink - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/184767769X Rocket Fuel - Gino Wickman & Mark C. Winters - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rocket-Fuel-Visionary-Integrator-Relationship/dp/1941631622 Flourish - Martin Seligman - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flourish-Visionary-Understanding-Happiness-Well-being/dp/1857885511 The Alliance - Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alliance-Managing-Talent-Networked-Age/dp/1625275773 Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

You’re Not Behind: My System For Leveraging AI In 2026 | E358

Most people think AI is overhyped. Nick Holzherr thinks it's drastically undervalued. After selling Whisk to Samsung and scaling it from zero to 120 people across eight time zones, he's now building Gitlaw—an AI agent that creates and reviews legal documents for free, making legal services accessible to small businesses that have been priced out of the market. In this episode, Nick breaks down why fully remote distributed teams are the most effective way to scale fast, why async should be the default operating system for high-performing companies, and how he's doing the work of 50 people with a team of 15 by putting AI agents to work on everything from code to design to user feedback. He also shares why he promotes from within rather than parachuting in external managers, and how relationships built during one intense week together sustain distributed teams for the entire year. What you'll learn: 🌍 Why hiring globally in a 3-4 hour time zone beats limiting yourself to local talent 🤖 How AI is undervalued—and why most businesses are only scratching the surface ⚡ Why async work should be your default operating system, not just a productivity hack 👥 How one intense week together physically sustains remote team relationships for a year 💼 Why legal services are fundamentally unfair—and how AI can level the playing field 🚀 How to do the work of 50 people with 15 by orchestrating AI agents effectively Who should listen: ✔️ Founder-CEOs scaling distributed or remote teams and navigating hiring challenges ✔️ Tech leaders implementing AI and trying to understand its true potential beyond hype ✔️ Anyone building products where top 5% talent makes the difference between success and failure ✔️ Leaders interested in async-first cultures and alternatives to office-based work Book recommendations: Poor Charlie's Almanac - Charles T. Munger - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poor-Charlies-Almanack-Expanded-3rd/dp/1578645018 Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/1847924522 How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814 Podcast recommendation: Lenny's Podcast - Lenny Rachitsky - https://www.lennyspodcast.com/ About the Guest: Nick Holzherr is the founder of Gitlaw, an AI agent platform that helps small businesses create and review legal documents for free—democratizing access to legal services that have historically been too expensive or too slow for SMEs. Before Gitlaw, he founded Whisk, a recipe and food tech company he scaled from zero to 120 people distributed across eight time zones (minus eight to plus eight GMT) before selling it to Samsung in 2019, where he stayed for seven years. He's a strong believer that AI's value is massively undervalued despite stock market hype, that async work should be the default for high-performing companies, and that legal documents will become 100 times cheaper and 10 times faster within one to two years. Nick has built his recent companies entirely as fully remote distributed teams, having learned that trying to hire top 5% specialized talent locally is nearly impossible unless you're paying Google or Facebook rates. Instead, he hires the best people globally within a 3-4 hour time zone, brings everyone together physically once a year for an intense week of relationship-building, and orchestrates AI agents to amplify what his lean team can accomplish. GitLaw: https://git.law/?utm_source=Interview&utm_medium=Podcasts&utm_campaign=Curious_Leadership Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:04 Nick’s background in startups, investment, and launching GitLaw 03:05 Why AI will make legal work cheaper and faster 07:09 The case for async work as an operating system 10:01 Async culture as the foundation for AI integration 12:46 Tools and rituals for managing high-output remote teams 19:46 Why most companies underestimate AI’s real capabilities 23:00 Using AI to 10x output without bloating team size 25:58 Making legal services more accessible through GitLaw 27:22 Leveraging different AI models for specific tasks 29:45 Risk of AI bias, hallucination, and misplaced trust 32:11 Timeless books that shaped Nick’s thinking and leadership 35:33 Promoting from within vs parachuting external leaders 37:26 How shared history and company culture drive better leadership

If You're A Founder, You Can't Ignore This Shift In 2026 | E357

From global finance to eco-cleaning, regenerative farming, and rethinking entire systems — Mark Jankovich doesn’t do incremental change. He believes we’re living through a full-scale reset — and entrepreneurs have a responsibility to lead it. In this episode, Mark shares why climate change isn’t a mass participation problem, why consumers shouldn’t be asked to make hard choices at all, and why some products — from bleach to diesel engines — should simply disappear. You’ll hear how Delphis Eco was born from a moment of clarity on a family holiday, what he’s learned from two decades of being ahead of the curve, and why broken systems like farming, education, and climate must be fixed together — not in isolation. This is a provocative, systems-level conversation about leadership, responsibility, and designing a future where doing the right thing is the default. What you’ll learn: 🌍 Why climate change messaging fails — and why it’s not a problem for the masses to solve ⚙️ How removing bad choices entirely is more effective than asking people to “do better” 🧴 Why bleach, virgin plastic, and outdated products should stop being sold 🚗 The myths around EVs, infrastructure, and resistance to change 🏢 How to build a sustainable business by letting systems and machines do the work 🌱 Why soil health, education, and climate are deeply interconnected 📈 What it’s really like to build a business 20 years ahead of the trend Who should listen: • Founders and CEOs building businesses with sustainability at their core • Leaders frustrated by slow progress on climate and systemic change • Entrepreneurs interested in policy, regulation, and government advisory • Anyone curious about regenerative agriculture, food systems, and land use • Builders who believe the next wave of innovation will be structural, not cosmetic Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:00 Mark’s worldview on cataclysmic change and entrepreneurial optimism 05:02 Systems change starts with cutting off harmful choices 10:03 Lessons from Dubai and the supermarket’s slow death 15:20 The origin story of Delphis Eco and quitting finance 17:37 Surviving 20 brutal years to finally see traction 19:07 Shifting from B2B to retail and staying lean 23:42 Letting tech run the business and outsourcing smartly 25:46 Hiring for attitude and losing good people as you grow 30:42 Rewilding unprofitable farmland for soil and social good 34:07 How farming, education and nature can solve each other 39:12 Book and podcast recs that shaped Mark’s thinking 40:52 The power of paradigm shifts and the coming wave Book & media recommendations: • Harmony — HRH The Prince of Wales: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007413639 • Green Swans — John Elkington: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785786431 • The Ministry for the Future — Kim Stanley Robinson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0356508841 • Future Noughts (podcast) — John Richardson: https://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/future_noughts/ About the Guest: Mark Jankovich is the founder and CEO of Delphis Eco, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of eco-friendly cleaning products. A former City finance executive, Mark now builds systems that challenge the hidden environmental damage of everyday industries. He also works with the UK Treasury and leads projects in regenerative agriculture — connecting corporates, small farms, education reform and nature recovery. 📩 Sign up to the Scale To Win newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com 🔗 Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

$100M Exit at 37: What They Don't Tell You About Selling Your Business | E356

From a council estate in Oxford to a £100 million exit by age 37. Andrew Hulbert's journey isn't a polished Silicon Valley success story—it's raw, real, and packed with hard-won lessons about what actually matters when you're building something from nothing. In this episode, Andrew breaks down the decade-long grind of scaling Pareto from his bedroom to a 500-person, £50 million turnover business serving the world's biggest tech companies. He shares why balance is bollocks when you're building, why bright yellow McLarens don't buy happiness, why you should retire early if you can, and how a council estate upbringing gave him the hunger and community mindset that fueled everything. This is a masterclass in bootstrapping, knowing when to go all-in, and actually achieving the goal you set out to hit. What you'll learn: 💷 Why money doesn't buy happiness—but time does, and how an exit gives you that back 🎯 The truth about balance: why it's bollocks when you're scaling (and when it matters again) 🚀 How to build a £50M business with no funding, no backers, and no marketing budget ⚡ Why you don't need expensive marketing to make a massive splash in your market 👔 Why corporate life doesn't work for everyone—and why that's perfectly fine 🏆 How changing your peer group at 16 completely altered the trajectory of Andrew's life Who should listen: Bootstrapped founder-CEOs grinding through the early stages of scale Anyone in corporate wondering if they should take the leap into entrepreneurship Leaders thinking about exits, life after the business, and what actually matters Entrepreneurs from non-traditional backgrounds looking for proof it's possible Book recommendations: The E-Myth Revisited - Michael E. Gerber - https://www.amazon.co.uk/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280 The Escape Manifesto - Escape the City - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Manifesto-Freedom-Meaningful-Living/dp/1783521430 Beer Mat Entrepreneur - Mike Southon & Chris West - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beermat-Entrepreneur-Turn-Good-Great/dp/0273708074 About the Guest: Andrew Hulbert is the founder of Pareto, a business he started from his bedroom at age 27 with nothing but a laptop and an idea. Over the next decade, he scaled Pareto to £50 million in annual turnover and 500 staff, serving some of the world's biggest tech companies before orchestrating a £100 million exit. Andrew finished working at 37 and has spent the last two years decompressing on a farm in Oxfordshire, reconnecting with his wife, kids, and the life he built outside the business. He's known for his unfiltered honesty about the realities of entrepreneurship, his belief that balance is a myth when you're scaling, and his conviction that money buys time—not happiness. He's also refreshingly candid about buying (and quickly selling) a bright yellow McLaren that made him feel like a "bus wanker" from The Inbetweeners. Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 From council estate to $100M exit in 10 years 03:56 Five things he believes that most people don’t 07:34 What time wealth really looks like now 12:14 Balance is bollocks and why he went all-in 15:00 Zero marketing budget but still won the industry 18:09 Donuts, logos and the power of experiential sales 21:04 Founder should never stop selling big opportunities 24:58 Social media success doesn’t equal real success 27:17 Parents as hidden entrepreneurs and early hustle lessons 29:12 How he built a loyal leadership team from scratch 35:54 Networking done right and the secret power of downtime 38:27 Three book recs for first-time founders 42:23 Escaping the trap and how his path diverged

From 75% to World's Best: The Legacy System Behind 125 Years of Dominance | E355

As 2025 draws to a close, we're replaying some of the show's standout conversations from this year. This episode with James Kerr remains one of the most thought-provoking discussions. Whether you're hearing it for the first time or revisiting the insights, there's plenty here to fuel your leadership thinking as we head into the new year. James Kerr is a writer, coach, and consultant who specialises in leadership, culture and mindset in high-performing teams. His global bestseller, 'Legacy' has been described by The Daily Telegraph as “the modern version of Vince Lombardi’s guides to coaching”, saying that "for those searching for genuine keys to team culture, it is manna from heaven". James has worked with Tier One Special Forces, the English Premier League, international cricket, Formula One, America’s Cup, Major League Baseball, and Olympic pathways. He has guest lectured at Westpoint Military Academy, Sandhurst and Eton College and written for the BBC, Independent, Times and Guardian. His corporate clients have included Google, Spotify, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Co, Adidas, and Arc'teryx. In this frank discussion, Dominic explores the synergy between individual leadership and collective vision, and the critical role of cultural evolution in maintaining relevance and potency. James shares how the iconic “Sweeping the Shed” mantra, revolutionised team culture at the All Blacks, and how these principles can be applied beyond the rugby field into business and everyday life. Discover The Role of Values in Sustainable Success: By embracing values such as humility, responsibility, and respect, the All Blacks created a foundation for long-term success, demonstrating that values-driven cultures outperform talent-driven ones. The Power of Rituals and Symbols: The enduring significance of the Haka demonstrates how rituals and symbols can reinforce identity, unity, and purpose within a team. Leadership Across Domains: The principles of leadership and cultural excellence are universal and can be applied across diverse fields, demonstrated by James’ work in sports, military, and business. Neuroscience and Leadership: The interplay between neuroscience and performance underpins how understanding the brain's responses to fear and confidence can inspire leaders to strike a balance between challenges and support, fostering growth and accountability. Connect with James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kerr-09a70bb Connect with Dominic - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Book recommendations: Viktor Frankl - Man's Search For Meaning - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/347571/mans-search-for-meaning-by-viktor-e-frankl/9781846046384 Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/56314/thinking-fast-and-slow-by-kahneman-daniel/9780141033570 Daniel Coyle - The Culture Code - https://danielcoyle.com/the-culture-code/ Jim Collins - Good To Great - https://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/good-to-great.html#articletop James' book Legacy is out now - https://danielcoyle.com/the-culture-code/ Dominic’s book Mind Your F**king Business is out now - https://www.monkhouseandcompany.com/mind-your-fking-business/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

Stop Wasting Time: My 3-Step Framework To Master AI In 2026 | E354

Most service businesses drown in the chaos between what customers ask for and what they actually need. Kit Cox has spent over a decade building Enate to solve exactly that, an orchestration platform that helps B2B service providers cut through vagueness, assemble data, and deliver consistently exceptional service powered by both AI and human workforce. In this episode, Kit breaks down the three stages of service delivery, why culture trumps everything else as a founder, and how radical honesty, not "fake it till you make it" builds the customer relationships that actually last. He also shares why the best hires might have learned their most valuable skills in drama class, and why lawyers and IT departments as we know them might not survive the next decade. What you'll learn: 🎯 The three critical stages of service delivery and where AI actually makes the difference 💡 Why culture is the single most important thing a founder can build 🤝 How brutal honesty creates stronger customer relationships than polished salesmanship 🧠 The "thousand types of clever" needed to build a company (and why education only tests two of them) ⚡ How to systematise hiring so you're finding values and attitude, not just skills 🔍 Why "what are you most proud of?" reveals more about a candidate than any competency question Who should listen: Founder-CEOs scaling B2B service or SaaS businesses, particularly those in the 50-100+ employee range CTOs and COOs managing complex service delivery operations Leaders implementing AI and automation in service environments Anyone trying to move from bespoke chaos to scalable, repeatable customer success Podcast recommendations: 13 Minutes to the Moon - BBC World Service - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2 Mindscape - Sean Carroll - https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/ About the Guest: Kit Cox is the founder and CTO of Enate, an orchestration platform helping B2B service providers deliver exceptional services powered by AI and human teams. A manufacturing engineer by training and software engineer by passion, Kit has spent over a decade building Enate through three distinct phases, from bespoke services to a focused product for BPO providers, and now to a full-scale platform supporting service delivery in the age of generative AI. Under his leadership, Enate has grown to approximately 100 people across the UK and India, achieving 40% year-on-year growth and reaching profitability in 2023. The company secured investment from Scottish Equity Partners in 2023 and now serves some of the world's largest service providers with a laser-focused account-based approach targeting just 100 key companies. Kit is known for his commitment to culture-first leadership, his belief that successful customer relationships require radical honesty, and his conviction that it takes "a thousand different types of clever" to build a successful company, most of which aren't tested in traditional education. He champions curiosity as a hiring requirement and structures his company to act as one unified team across geographies, with India serving as a profit centre rather than just a cost-reduction play. Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:42 The three lives of the business and early AI pivot 05:12 Five contrarian truths Kit believes about business and tech 07:56 Enate’s scale, global team breakdown and revenue growth 12:10 Why culture is a founder’s most vital responsibility 14:02 How values are taught, lived and kept alive at Enate 19:15 Brutal honesty as the foundation of long-term clients 22:05 How honesty leads to transformation and customer trust 26:16 Drama skills, sales success and the many types of clever 30:00 Hiring for values over credentials and traditional education 33:58 Why lawyers and IT departments are headed for extinction 37:44 The shift from IT-managed apps to integrated business tech 39:16 Scaling via customer success and embedded partnerships 42:36 Sales strategy, ABM focus and long buying cycles 44:46 Hiring systems, culture fit, and essential interview questions 49:04 Where Kit learns: podcasts, YouTube and curiosity sources

Scaling a startup when every customer is high-risk | Shelley Copsey | E353

Some industries are easy to disrupt. Infrastructure isn’t one of them. But by focusing on adoption over features, clarity over complexity, and tempo over comfort, Shelley Copsey has built FYLD into a company reshaping how frontline operations work. In this episode, she breaks down the real levers of transformation: making work visible, removing friction, earning trust in high-risk environments, and rebuilding leadership as the company scales. Her insights go far beyond infrastructure - they’re a blueprint for any CEO trying to grow a company inside a resistant or complex market. What you’ll learn: 🔍 The root causes of productivity breakdowns in scaling organisations 🎯 How to build products teams genuinely adopt and rely on ⚠️ Common failure points in organisational transformation — and how to overcome them ⚡ Practical strategies for maintaining operational tempo as your company grows 🧩 How to evolve leadership roles to match the organisation’s next stage 🛰️ Why organisational visibility unlocks high-quality, high-speed decisions Who should listen: Founder–CEOs and execs scaling teams, product, and operations Leaders driving change in complex or fast-growing organisations Investors and operators focused on AI-enabled execution and productivity Book recommendations: Any Human Heart - William Boyd Amp It Up - Frank Slootman Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman About the Guest: Shelley Copsey is the co-founder and CEO of FYLD, an AI-powered fieldwork platform transforming operations for major infrastructure and utilities companies. She leads the company’s rapid scale-up across multiple regions, helping organisations deliver safer, more efficient, data-driven fieldwork. With 25+ years across infrastructure, emerging tech, and organisational transformation, Shelley has founded, grown, and led multiple enterprise SaaS ventures. Her experience includes building GeoSLAM into a global geospatial leader (acquired by Faro), serving on the founding board of Coviu through its pandemic hypergrowth, and contributing to several CSIRO spinouts, including Emesent and PaidRight. A Chartered Accountant with senior roles at CSIRO’s Data61, PwC, and KPMG, she has completed executive education at MIT and Stanford focused on AI and innovation. Her work has been recognised by EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Sifted 100, Tech Nation Future Fifty, and Startups.co.uk’s Hottest UK AI Companies. Shelley is known for her leadership in AI adoption, scaling SaaS in complex industries, and delivering technology with real operational impact. Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:02:04 - AI, Skill Shortages, and Industry Fallacies 00:04:25 - Worker Productivity and Motivation 00:06:34 - Shelley’s Move to the UK and Founding Story 00:08:24 - FYLD’s Growth Journey and Market Traction 00:09:25 - AI’s Societal Impact and Future of Work 00:11:45 - How FYLD’s Technology Works 00:13:55 - ROI: Productivity vs. Safety 00:15:28 - Adoption vs. Innovation in Construction 00:17:35 - Productivity Decline and Safety Regulations 00:20:22 - Scaling and CEO Time Management 00:22:08 - Leadership Team Evolution 00:23:58 - Board Composition and Support 00:28:05 - Systems and Scaling: CRM and Sales Process 00:31:30 - Go-to-Market Strategy and Enterprise Sales 00:33:58 - Hiring A-Players and Culture Fit 00:36:29 - Handling Toxic Hires and Fast Exits 00:36:52 - Book Recommendations 00:39:45 - Maintaining Culture During Growth 00:41:05 - Founder’s Role in Induction and Culture 00:42:17 - Work-Life Balance and Passion