The Start Up To Grown Up Podcast

Is stress just your constant companion as a business owner, the thing you’ve stopped noticing because it never really goes away? Do you tell yourself you’re fine, even though your body is sending you signals you’re choosing to ignore? If the pressure of running your firm keeps building and you don’t have a proper way to deal with it, this episode is for you. I share what happened to me when years...

Has AI broken the traffic to your website? Have you watched your reach on LinkedIn collapse despite having thousands of followers? If your marketing has stopped working and you have no idea how to fix it, this episode is for you. It all was getting pretty bleak when it came to our business development. We just couldn’t grow and we had started to make a loss. AI ate up most of informational search...

Are you facing a decision in your business where there's no obvious right answer, and putting it off feels safer than getting it wrong? Does your brain spiral straight to the worst case scenario, leaving you stuck and firefighting rather than thinking clearly? When the pressure is on, do you wish you had a calm, repeatable way to work your way through the tough calls? I share the exact routine I f...

Have you ever stopped to work out what your business would actually be worth if you tried to sell it tomorrow? If the answer is "not much, because it all runs through me", you are not alone. And if reducing your hours feels impossible while the business still depends on you for everything, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned over the last twelve months of deliberately reducing my ow...

Do you dread getting a message from a team member asking for a quick chat? Does a staff member handing in their notice feel like a personal failure, even though you can't quite explain why? If past experiences with your team are affecting the decisions you make today, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned from my own journey with the emotional baggage that builds up when you manage pe...

Do you have a nagging feeling that one of your team members isn't quite performing but you're not sure you have solid enough ground to act on it? Have you ever looked back and realised that a people problem which cost you dearly was visible months before it became a crisis? If managing performance feels like one of the hardest parts of running a growing firm, this episode is for you. I share what...

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a sales tactic that left you feeling cold? Do you wonder whether some of the more aggressive approaches you see competitors using actually work, or whether they’re destroying the very relationships they’re supposed to build? If you’ve ever been tempted to cut corners on your business development because you’re desperate for leads, this episode is for you....

When you started your business, did you assume that doing great work would be enough to bring in clients? Have you been relying on word of mouth and your existing network, only to find that well has run dry? If you know you need to win more work but have no idea where to start, this episode is for you. I share my story of how I went from completely clueless about winning work to becoming an acknow...

Nobody grows up wanting to be in sales. You became an accountant, a lawyer, a consultant. And now, somewhere between delivering great work and growing your firm, someone told you that you need to sell. And the last thing you want to be seen as is the pushy sales person. In this episode, I unpack why that resistance to sales isn’t a character flaw. It’s an identity clash. And more importantly, how...

Has your business development quietly ground to a halt? Do you know you should be out there nurturing your network, but somehow weeks have passed and you haven’t done a thing? And if you’re honest, is it embarrassment or procrastination - rather than a lack of time - that’s keeping you stuck? I share what I’ve learned from my own recent experience of letting an entire month slip by without recordi...

Are you watching everyone on LinkedIn and Substack talk about AI and wondering if you're already falling behind? Have you already bought a tool subscription or two, only to find it hasn't really changed how your firm operates? If the noise around AI is making you feel anxious rather than excited, this episode is for you. I share the advice I gave to several of my clients this week, all of them pro...

Do you cringe inside when someone calls you "the boss"? Have you been running your team more like a group of mates on a shared project than a group of people who need structure and leadership from you? And do you quietly wonder how many of your people problems are actually your problems to own? I share what I've learned that being a good technician is not the same as being a good boss, and that my...

Does it ever feel like you're shouting into the void? You're putting content out, you're showing up, and yet the reputation and the recognition just aren't coming. And if you dare look at social media, there always seems to be someone crushing it with their content. So what are they doing that you're not? I share what I've learned from working with firm owners who have transformed their marketing...

Is there a conversation sitting on your to-do list that's been there for weeks? Do you keep telling yourself it's not the right moment, hoping the problem will somehow resolve itself? If avoiding a difficult conversation is costing you time, team morale and headspace, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned about approaching the conversations you've been putting off - with staff, client...

Have you ever wondered what your firm actually feels like to a potential client reaching out for the first time? Do you assume your enquiry process is working smoothly, when in reality you might be losing people before you've ever had the chance to speak to them? If you've never tested your own sales funnel end to end, from the first Google search to the follow-up email, this episode is for you. I...

Are you still showing up to work every day as the technical expert, even though you now have a team depending on you? Do you find yourself redoing your team's work, holding onto every client relationship, and wondering why the people problems never seem to go away? If you feel like you're failing at the "people bit" of running a growing firm, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned from...

Are you working hard on follow-up but still losing work you thought you were close to winning? Do you sometimes wonder if the real decision was made before you ever got on a call? If your firm is invisible during the months when potential clients are quietly deciding who to shortlist, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned from losing a £50,000 to £100,000 contract that I genuinely tho...

Are you putting in the networking hours but the referrals just aren't coming? Do you have introducers who seem keen to help but somehow never actually send you work? If you're doing everything right and still waiting for referrals that never materialise, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned about why referral relationships so often fail to deliver, and why it's rarely about whether p...

Are you still the person every client comes to, even though you know it's holding your firm back? Do you find yourself saying you'll delegate more, but somehow you're still reviewing every piece of work and answering every client question? If the thought of handing over your longest-standing clients feels genuinely terrifying, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned about finally lettin...

Is your website quietly losing you clients every single week? Do you know you need to do something about your firm's digital presence but can never quite find the time to prioritise it? If you're not sure whether your website is actually working hard for your business or just taking up space on the internet, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned from digging into the real data behind...

Are you leaving tens of thousands of pounds on the table with your existing clients? Do you find yourself exhausted from chasing new business whilst opportunities with current clients slip through your fingers? Are you so busy firefighting that you miss the buying signals right in front of you? I share what I've learned about turning routine client meetings into profitable new work without adding...

Do you keep starting projects that fizzle out after a few weeks? Have you thought about launching a podcast but worry you won't keep it going? Are you one of those business owners who's brilliant at starting things but struggles with the follow-through? I share what I've learned from publishing 53 consecutive weekly podcast episodes in my first year. In this episode, I talk about why 90% of podcas...

Do you start Monday with a clear plan only to reach Friday wondering where the week went? Are you constantly firefighting instead of moving your business forward? Do you know exactly what you should be doing to grow, but somehow those tasks never seem to happen? I share what I've learned about why our weeks disappear into client work and admin, and what actually works to break the cycle. In this e...

Are you sitting there at the end of January wondering where the month went and why nothing's actually changed? Did those optimistic plans to finally delegate more, work fewer hours, and get out of the weeds disappear faster than your New Year's resolutions? If you're back to being the busiest person in your firm, firefighting the same problems you promised yourself would be different in 2026, this...

Do you send proposals that never get a response? Have you had clients go silent after saying "looks good, we'll get back to you"? Are you losing work to competitors even though you know you're technically better? I share the six evidence-based principles that consistently get clients to say yes faster. In this episode, I talk about why most professional services firms lose pitches or new business...