ScaleUp Stories

How AI is fundamentally changing the way businesses operate. From customer service to content creation to data analysis, AI is becoming the employee that never sleeps, never takes vacation, and scales infinitely. In this episode, Daisy shares how she's integrated AI into her businesses to 10x productivity and reduce costs by 60%. We explore the shift from hiring humans to deploying AI. The competi...

"The First Million: What Successful Founders Do Differently" Episode: 45 (Part 1 of 2) Title: The First Million (Part 1: The Habits of Successful Founders) Host: alex Guest: Daisy (continued from Episodes 43-44) Runtime: ~50 minutes (Part 1 of 2) Format: Deep exploration of habits and psychology of seven-figure founders Topics: Daily habits, mental models, compounding success, founder psychology,...

"The First Million: What Successful Founders Do Differently" The First Million (Part 1: The Habits of Successful Founders) Host: Sakil Guest: Daisy (continued from Episodes 43-44) Runtime: ~50 minutes (Part 1 of 2) Format: Deep exploration of habits and psychology of seven-figure founders Topics: Daily habits, mental models, compounding success, founder psychology, accountability systems

You want a real, earned first million — not luck or a lucky break. In this episode Sakil and Daisy break the journey into two parts: the daily habits that compound (talk to customers, ship fast, track the right numbers, protect focus, sell daily) and the practical decisions that create leverage (when to say yes, when to say no, when to hire, when to pivot). Short, actionable checklist: talk to one...

The $0 Startup Blueprint: 12 Tactical Strategies for Success . In this episode of Scaleup Stories, host Sakil and guest Daisy dive into the practical execution strategies for launching and scaling a startup with zero budget. They discuss 12 specific tactics, from building in public to leveraging no-code tools, and how to acquire customers and grow effectively. With actionable insights and real-lif...

In this episode of Scaleup Stories, host Sakil and guest Daisy delve into practical tactics for effectively executing a $0 startup. They discuss 12 actionable strategies ranging from building in public and leveraging community platforms to creative customer acquisition methods and bootstrapping techniques. Listeners will gain insights on how to grow their startup with minimal spending while maximi...

The $0 Startup Blueprint: Scaleup Stories Ep. 44 This two-part episode features serial entrepreneur Daisy, who reveals how to build a profitable startup without any initial funding. Learn the mindset and tactics for launching with zero dollars, including free tools,

"Start Before You're Ready: Why Waiting Kills Business Growth" Episode 43 (Part 2) of Scaleup Stories features host Sakil and guest Daisy sharing actionable strategies for launching a startup before you're fully prepared. The episode covers a 7-step launch framework, finding early

"Start Before You're Ready: Why Waiting Kills Business Growth"  Daisy — Serial entrepreneur, startup advisor, studied 500+ failed and successful startups. Started 12 businesses (6 succeeded, 6 failed). Discovered that timing of launch correlates with success more than readiness. Reveals that most founders wait 2-3 years too long. By then, market has moved, momentum is lost, competition has launche...

If you’ve been sitting on an idea, this episode exposes a common trap: waiting for “ready.” Daisy, a serial entrepreneur who’s studied 500+ startups and founded 12 businesses, argues timing often matters more than perfection. Waiting two to three years to polish an idea lets markets change, competitors move, and momentum disappear. Starting sooner isn’t about rushing — it’s about testing, learning...

"Your Personal Brand Is Your Real Resume" Your Personal Brand Is Your Real Resume — Career strategist, personal brand architect, founder of $8M personal branding company. Built her own personal brand from zero followers to 500K+. Studied how personal brands impact career trajectory, income, and opportunities. Reveals that traditional resumes are increasingly irrelevant. Your actual resume is your...

 Episode 42 trailer — "YOUR PERSONAL BRAND IS YOUR REAL RESUME"

elcome back. If you're still with us, you're in the extended segment — the deep dive. This is where we go further and slower. We're picking up right where we left off and I want to start by zooming out geographically, because so far we've been talking a lot about the US context, and the picture looks really different in different parts of the world.

Welcome, welcome, welcome back to Scaleup Stories — the podcast where we dig deep into the stories, the strategies, the stumbles, and the straight-up breakthroughs of entrepreneurs and innovators who are building something real in a world that never stops changing. I'm your host Sakil, and as always I'm joined by my brilliant co-host Marnie. Marnie, how are you doing today?

Episode: 39 Title: How Algorithms Control Consumer Behavior Host: Sakil Guest: Elodie — AI researcher, behavioral economist, founder of an algorithm auditing firm that studies how recommendation systems manipulate human behavior. Built tools to detect algorithmic bias and manipulation. Studied 10,000+ consumers across 50+ platforms. Reveals that algorithms don't just recommend—they control. They p...

Episode: 38 Title: The New Rich Work From Anywhere Host: Sakil Guest: Isabelle — Location-independent entrepreneur, built three 8-figure businesses from 25+ countries, author of "The Anywhere Economy," studied 500+ digital nomads and location-independent professionals. Reveals that "working from anywhere" is not just a lifestyle trend—it's the economic structure of the future. The ability to earn...

Episode: 37 Title: Why Most Businesses Die Quietly Host: Sakil Guest: Phoebe — Serial entrepreneur who has killed 7 companies, studied 300+ failed businesses, and now helps founders avoid the death traps. Built a $50M company that nearly died, then was saved. Her research reveals that most businesses die predictably and preventably

Episode: 36 Title: Digital Leverage: The New Superpower Host: Sakil Guest: Freya — Founder of three companies valued at $1B+, leverage researcher, and author of "The Leverage Thesis." Built her career understanding how to multiply impact through digital tools and systems. Studies how founders who understand digital leverage scale 10-100x faster than those who don't. Her framework has been applied...

Episode: 35 Title: Small Teams Will Defeat Big Corporations Host: Sakil Guest: Maeve — Strategy advisor, founder of a company that disrupted a $100B industry with a team of 12 people, and researcher who studied how small teams consistently outcompete large corporations.

Episode: 34 Title: The Creator Economy Is Replacing Traditional Jobs Host: Sakil Guest: Nancy — Economist, creator economy researcher, and founder of a platform enabling creators to monetize their work. Studied the shift from employment to creation across 50+ countries.

Episode: 33 Title: Why Smart People Stay Broke Host: Sakil Guest: Zara — Behavioral scientist, founder of a $15M ARR company, and advisor to high-IQ founders who struggle with wealth building. Her research reveals that intelligence actually hinders wealth accumulation because smart people overthink problems that have simple solutions, and they're too creative to stick with boring winning strategie...

Episode: 32 Title: The Attention War Has Already Started Host: Sakil Guest: Sophie — Founder and strategy advisor who specializes in attention capture and retention. Built a $30M ARR platform by winning the attention war. Now studies how attention economics are reshaping every industry and what founders need to do to survive the next decade.

Episode: 31 Title: How Modern Founders Buy Back Time Host: Sakil Guest: Arabella — Founder and advisor who specializes in time architecture for founders. Built a $20M ARR company while working 25 hours per week by systematically buying back time through outsourcing, automation, and delegation.

Episode: 30 Title: The 4-Hour CEO Framework Host: Sakil Guest: Esme — Founder and CEO of three companies ranging from $10M to $100M ARR. Developed and refined the "4-Hour CEO Framework" — a systematic approach to running a business while working only 4 hours per day. Built her companies to scale while maintaining a sustainable, sane founder lifestyle.

Episode: 29 Title: Why AI Employees Never Sleep Host: Sakil Guest: Harper — AI implementation specialist, founder of an AI-native company with zero traditional employees, and advisor to 100+ companies on replacing human labor with AI systems. Built a $5M ARR company with just herself and AI tools.