Scale Room with Olya Grovel

Bailey Darling built GIA to be the ultimate Go-To-Market co-pilot for consultancies and boutique agencies, boasting an incredible 1-in-3 closing rate once an ideal prospect gets on a sales call. The conversion strategy works. So why does Olya tell him his top-of-funnel is hitting a ceiling? In this live Scale Room session , she breaks down why trying to sell a complex, multi-feature platform upfro...

Adrian runs Akka , a platform opening access to private market investing through influencer-led distribution. The strategy works. So why does Olya tell him it's a trap? In this live Scale Room session, she breaks down why creator marketing isn't a sustainable acquisition channel—it's a launch event with a built-in lifespan. From there, the discussion dives into one of the hardest probl...

Hector Hughes thought he was building his dream career. Instead, he found himself overwhelmed, disconnected, and increasingly dissatisfied with the life he had created. Everything changed after a 10-day silent retreat in the Himalayas where his phone was taken away and he spent ten days alone with his thoughts. One week later, he quit his job. Soon after, he launched Unplugged, a startup helping p...

The Scale Room Ep. 2 — Foti Panagiotakopoulos on AI, Mentorship, Burnout & Building Human-Centered Companies In this deeply personal and unexpectedly emotional episode of The Scale Room , Olya sits down with Foti Panagiotakopoulos, founder of GrowthMentor for a raw conversation about entrepreneurship, AI disruption, mentorship, founder psychology, burnout, and the human need for connection. Wh...

Frank Sondors scaled Salesforge to €3M ARR in year one and now he's making a bet most founders haven't even considered: generative engine optimization. He comes to The Scale Room with a question that's about to matter for every B2B company — how do you win when your buyers stop Googling and start asking ChatGPT instead? Olya digs into his GEO playbook, his Wikipedia hack, why mentions are the new...

Most decisions that change our lives don’t look dramatic from the outside. They happen quietly in our thoughts, our beliefs, and the stories we tell ourselves. In this episode of Decision Factory , Maria shares the most pivotal decision she ever made and it had nothing to do with her career, business, or external success. It was the moment she chose to change her perspective. We talk about: Feelin...

Everyone tells founders the same story: Raise money. Move fast. Figure it out later. Adam Fard chose a different path. In this episode of Decision Factory , Olya Grovel sits down with Adam Fard , founder of UX Pilot , to unpack why he turned down a VC term sheet at a $30M valuation and how bootstrapping gave him something far more valuable than capital: clarity and control . Adam shares how UX Pil...

We don’t have an AI problem. We have a decision-making problem . In this episode of Decision Factory , Olya sits down with AI-driven marketer and podcaster Danchez to unpack what it actually takes to think clearly in a world flooded with tools, trends, and “one-click solutions.” Dan shares how he filters signal from noise when new AI products drop daily, why most tools are just well-disguised proc...

We’ve been sold a lie about what it takes to build something meaningful. That working harder is always the answer. That extreme hustle is a badge of honor. That betting the house is courage — not laziness. In this episode, former VC turned operator Kiran Mehta dismantles some of the most dangerous myths in startup culture and replaces them with something far more uncomfortable: clear thinking . We...

After losing her son, nearly losing her daughter, and hitting rock bottom with her mental health, Gabs Hayes decided to stop chasing “success” and start chasing peace. In this powerful conversation, host Olya Grovel sits down with Gabs — an entrepreneurial mom, business strategist, and self-proclaimed “stay-at-home mom who runs a business” — to unpack what it really means to build a life that feel...

Most founders and creators are chasing the wrong metric. They’re optimizing for followers, impressions, and vanity engagement — then wondering why they can’t convert attention into actual revenue. In this episode of Decision Factory , Jon Brosio breaks down the mindset shift that took him from restaurant shifts and dead-end freelance work to running a multi-six-figure solo business. The turning po...

What does it actually take to scale a service business without burning out or micromanaging every task? In this episode of Decision Factory , Olya sits down with Milan Savov , founder of SmartClick , to unpack how he went from solo developer to CEO — and built an SEO agency that thrives on systems, not hustle. Milan breaks down what most founders get wrong about SEO, how to delegate without losing...

Everyone says starting a podcast is easy. They’re right — it’s easy to start . It’s brutally hard to sustain . In this episode, Ana Xavier , founder of The Podcast Space , breaks down what it actually takes to build a show that grows your brand and your business. From why most creators quit before episode 50, to how founders can turn a podcast into a lead engine, Ana shares hard-earned lessons on...

After a three-month pause, host Olya Grovel returns with a raw five-minute reflection on how the show evolved—from Business Savages , a pilot celebrating the wild side of entrepreneurship, to Decision Factory , a space for decoding how high-stakes decisions really get made. In this short solo episode, Olya opens up about: Hitting her own “ugly phase” and what it taught her about direction and burn...

Why are marketers always the first to go in a startup shakeup? In this raw and revealing conversation, marketing advisor Oren Greenberg breaks down the harsh realities behind why growth leaders get scapegoated—and what’s actually broken under the hood of most early-stage companies. With 20+ years in digital marketing and experience advising both scale-ups and global brands like Canon and BT, Oren...

What does it really take to scale a B2B SaaS startup from 0 to $5M ARR—and keep your team aligned, your users happy, and your ego in check? In this episode of The Ugly Phase, I sit down with Vuk, CMO of HeyReach, to unpack the tactical and leadership decisions that drove HeyReach’s breakout LinkedIn-led growth. From chaotic early-stage pivots to building a decentralized marketing org, Vuk shares a...

What if your next business breakthrough isn’t another funnel, ad, or hustle tactic—but showing up more clearly on LinkedIn? In this episode, I sit down with Fatima Khan—LinkedIn coach and top UK creator—to break down the truth behind personal branding, visibility, and growth on LinkedIn. From launching with zero audience to ranking in the top 5 UK creators, Fatima shares how she scaled her brand (...

If your startup feels stuck, chaotic, or like it's silently crumbling from within, the solution might not be another strategy session—it might be psychological safety. In this episode of The Ugly Phase , I’m joined by Cynthia de Jager, expert in psychological safety and intercultural collaboration, to unpack the invisible forces quietly shaping (or breaking) your team’s culture, productivity,...

If you’re feeling burned out by performative marketing, endless “hacks,” and business advice that sounds more like gaslighting than guidance — you’re not alone. And you’re not broken. You’re just tired of bullshit. In this episode of The Ugly Phase, Olya Grovel sits down with Louis Grenier — contrarian marketer, founder of Stand the F*ck Out, and author of the same brutally honest book — to talk a...

If you’ve ever felt like you’re trying to build a team or culture that’s constantly letting you down—or if you’re a founder stuck hiring people who "look good on paper" but crumble under pressure—this episode is for you. In this episode of The Ugly Phase, I sit down with Nader Safinya, founder of Blackribbit and expert in employer and customer brand alignment, to unpack one of the hardest truths a...

If you’re burned out from trying to force your business to work—even when you're doing all the “right” things—this episode is your permission slip to stop pushing and start aligning. In this episode of The Ugly Phase , I sit down with Elisa Canali , a 7-figure entrepreneur, spiritual business coach, and human design expert, to talk about what really shifts when you stop building from pressure and...

What if everything you’ve been told about success is actually holding you back? In this episode of The Ugly Phase , I sit down with Nicole Gueorguieva , a holistic well-being and productivity coach, to talk about breaking free from hustle culture , redefining success, and building a career that doesn’t come at the cost of your mental health. Nicole’s journey—from corporate climbing to startup burn...

What if the career, routine, and comfort zone you thought defined you were actually holding you back? In this episode of The Ugly Phase (Business Savages), I sit down with Jarrod Evanyshyn, aka The Next Day Nomad, to discuss reinvention, resilience, and creating a freedom-based life. Jarrod walked away from the film industry, faced constant rejection, and realized he needed more control over his f...

What happens when the career you thought defined you gets taken away? Do you shrink back—or do you reinvent yourself? In this episode of Business Savages, I sit down with J2—artist, speaker, coach, and videographer—who turned his biggest loss into his greatest opportunity. After getting fired from a job people would kill to have, J2 found himself at a crossroads. Instead of letting it break him, h...

In this episode of Business Savages , I sit down with Niamh Donnelly, co-founder of Akara Robotics, to talk about her journey as a woman in mechanical engineering and robotics—two of the most male-dominated industries out there. From being one of only two women in her college class to pioneering robotic disinfection technology for hospitals, Niamh shares the challenges, wins, and lessons she’s lea...