Business Growth Secrets

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What actually makes a great CEO, and does it change when you go from leading 10,000 people to leading five? Jeannette Linfoot spent 25 years climbing from graduate trainee to CEO of Saga's travel division and Managing Director of Emerging Markets at TUI, before leaving the boardroom to found Brave Bold Brilliant and host the Rise Up Academy podcast. She breaks down the leadership lessons, hard calls and mindset shifts from both sides of the desk.

She explains:

- Why she spent years telling herself "I'm not entrepreneurial" - and why that inner voice was rubbish

- Why a leader needs to be like a helicopter: hovering above the business, knowing exactly when to land

- Why letting go of the tasks you hate is the easiest way to start delegating

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro

0:00:48 Who Is Jeannette Linfoot?

00:01:39 Growing Up In Manchester And Studying Economics

00:02:33 Graduating Into A Recession And Getting Rejected By Everyone

00:03:08 Landing A Graduate Role At Thomson Holidays

00:03:56 Becoming CEO Of Saga's Travel Division

00:05:03 Working Her Way Up To The Top

00:06:07 Why Travel Is A Brutally Low-Margin Industry

00:08:25 The Turning Point To Leave Corporate Life

00:10:28 Proving She Could Succeed Outside The Boardroom

00:11:11 What Makes A Great CEO

00:13:02 Leading From Having Started At The Bottom

00:14:04 "Mowing The Lawn": Making The Hard Cost-Cutting Calls

00:16:41 How Her Economics Degree Shaped Her Business Thinking

00:18:15 Why Business Is Personal

00:20:01 From Corporate Advisor To Accidental Entrepreneur

00:20:59 When Covid Wiped Out Her Income Overnight

00:22:05 How Brave Bold Brilliant Got Its Name

00:23:17 What Podcasting Has Done For Her Business

00:26:50 Jeannette's Leadership Philosophy

00:27:36 The Helicopter Theory Of Leadership

00:29:37 Leading 10,000 People vs Leading A Team Of Five

00:30:23 The Reality Of Losing The Corporate Brand Behind You

00:33:19 Silencing The "I'm Not Entrepreneurial" Inner Gremlin

00:33:57 Why Entrepreneurship Isn't For Everyone

00:37:27 How To Let Go And Start Delegating

00:39:20 The Hourly Rate Test For What You Should Stop Doing

00:40:02 Leading A Perfectionist Who Won't Let Go

00:42:16 Managing A High Performer With Toxic Habits

00:44:56 The Three Phases Of Business Growth

00:46:35 The Nine-Box Talent Matrix

00:47:55 Building A Succession Plan For Every Role

00:48:37 Three Pieces Of Advice For New Leaders

00:52:23 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Strategy

00:53:31 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Branding

00:54:14 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Marketing

00:54:35 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Sales

00:55:25 Quick Fire: Best Tip For Operations

00:56:30 Who She'd Choose To Run Brave Bold Brilliant

00:57:57 Where To Find Jeannette Linfoot

Jeannette Linfoot:

LinkedIn: Jeannette Linfoot

Brave Bold Brilliant: Brave Bold Brilliant

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Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on how to SCALE your Business past £1 Million: Business Icons

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: Business Scale Up Day

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

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Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Cold calling isn't dead - you're just doing it wrong. Zac and Jack, founders of the sales agency We Have A Meeting, break down the exact process they use to turn a cold list into paying clients, why every business owner is secretly avoiding the one call that would fix their pipeline, and how to reactivate leads everyone else has given up on!

Zac and Jack are the co-founders of We Have A Meeting, a UK B2B sales agency and podcast that grew from a one-man hustle during the pandemic into a team of 20 generating thousands of leads a month for their clients.

They explain:

· Why "I don't want to bug them" is the excuse that's killing your pipeline

· The pattern interrupt opener that gets a cold prospect talking instead of hanging up

· The framework for uncovering a real problem before you ever try to close

Chapters:

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:27 How Jack And Zac Started We Have A Meeting

00:02:04 Going Into Business With Your Best Friend

00:05:30 Why They Started The Podcast

00:07:15 The Early Days: Being The Hunter And The Delivery

00:09:04 Building A Team Of 20 (The No D***head Policy)

00:11:01 Why Business Owners Fear Selling

00:12:04 Making Peace With Rejection

00:13:06 Buy, Borrow Or Earn: Where To Find Leads

00:16:04 Strategy Vs Execution: Stop Hiding Behind Research

00:18:29 How To Work A List Of 50 Cold Prospects

00:19:47 The Pattern Interrupt Opener

00:22:01 Live Cold Call Role Play

00:23:57 Why Chasing The Sale Too Hard Backfires

00:25:20 The PMS Framework Explained

00:26:41 Uncovering Whether There's A Real Problem

00:27:52 The Best Questions For Uncovering Problems

00:29:48 Why Getting Someone To Tell Their Story Matters

00:30:55 Uncovering The Real Cost (The Effect)

00:33:28 What To Do When You're Scared To Follow Up

00:35:11 The "Close The File" Email

00:37:23 How To Structure A Simple Sales Pipeline

00:41:46 Reactivating Cold And Dead Leads

00:45:06 The Direct Mail Trick That Made £300k A Letter

00:46:03 Creative Reactivation Campaigns

00:48:04 It's A Lead Maximization Problem, Not A Marketing Problem

00:52:15 Three Tips To Sell More: Zac's Turn

00:53:59 Three Tips To Sell More: Jack's Turn

00:58:41 Where To Find We Have A Meeting

We Have a Meeting:

Agency: https://bit.ly/4bBDh82

Podcast: https://bit.ly/3TMPl04

LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3TOyMkk

Even More Value:

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Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on how to SCALE your Business past £1 Million: https://bit.ly/4wgG4M7

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: https://bit.ly/4fhx57G

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

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Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Why does it take getting knocked down to really learn how to get back up? Frank Bruno shares the resilience, discipline, and mindset that carried him from a troubled childhood to becoming Britain's WBC Heavyweight Champion, and how he fought his way back from the toughest setback of his life: his very public battle with mental health.

Frank Bruno is a former professional boxer, WBC World Heavyweight Champion, and one of Britain's most celebrated sporting icons. Famous for his fights against Mike Tyson and Tim Witherspoon, his instantly recognisable laugh, and his openness about being sectioned multiple times, Frank now runs the Frank Bruno Foundation, supporting others through mental health struggles.

He shares:

1. Why his toughest defeats taught him more than his wins ever could
2. Why discipline, hunger and self-belief mattered more than natural talent
3. Why he had to hit rock bottom before he could rebuild himself, and how gratitude and routine keep him grounded today

Chapters

· 00:00:00 Intro

· 00:01:44 Frank's Troubled Childhood And Finding Boxing

· 00:04:56 His First Professional Fight At The Royal Albert Hall

· 00:09:12 The Fighters He Idolised: Ali, Frazier And Foreman

· 00:10:10 The Tim Witherspoon Fight And Learning From A Setback

· 00:12:15 Stepping Into The Ring With Mike Tyson

· 00:13:46 The Hardest Punchers He Ever Faced

· 00:15:02 Ads

· 00:15:47 Winning The WBC World Title

· 00:17:43 Opening Up About His Mental Health Struggles

· 00:19:11 Being Sectioned And Finding His Way Back

· 00:20:02 How Meditation And Gratitude Help Him Cope

· 00:21:20 Staying Fit And Training Today

· 00:21:59 Meeting Princess Diana

· 00:22:39 Meeting Whitney Houston

· 00:23:36 The Story Behind His Signature Laugh

· 00:24:17 Meeting Nelson Mandela

· 00:24:58 The Principles Behind His Success

· 00:26:19 Switching Between The Boxing Ring And Everyday Life

· 00:27:15 Staying True To Himself Despite Being Let Down By Friends

· 00:28:20 The Frank Bruno Foundation And Supporting Mental Health

· 00:29:55 Closing

Even More Value:

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on how to SCALE your Business past £1 Million: Business Icons

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: Business Scale Up Day

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Coaching

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Sara Davies built a multi-million-pound business selling handmade envelopes, survived six years of imposter syndrome in the Dragon's Den chair, and still says the biggest bottleneck to growth was never cash, it was her own bandwidth. In this episode she breaks down the simple, repeatable model that took Crafter's Companion from a university side hustle to a £30 million turnover business.

Sara Davies is an award-winning entrepreneur, Dragon's Den investor, and founder of Crafter's Companion, the crafting brand she launched from her student bedroom and grew into a multi-million-pound company. She's spent over 20 years selling live on shopping television, backed some of the Den's biggest hits, and competed on Strictly Come Dancing.

She explains:

1. Why the real limit on growth is never cash, it's how much of you there is to go around
2. The three traits, passion, vision and drive, that decide whether she invests in thirty seconds
3. Why hiring someone smarter than you is the single hire that changes everything

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:10 Sara's 20 Years In Business
• 00:02:37 Growing Up In A Family Shop
• 00:04:22 Starting Crafter's Companion At University
• 00:05:12 Spotting The Gap Nobody Else Saw
• 00:07:18 Pitching QVC And Selling Live On TV
• 00:11:05 The Buyer Who Doubted Her
• 00:13:04 Selling Out And Scaling Production
• 00:16:08 Learning To Sell In The Family Shop
• 00:17:22 The Body Language Rule That Changed Her Pitching
• 00:19:14 Why Setting The Tone Matters
• 00:22:04 Taking The Leap At 21
• 00:23:36 The Limits Of Hiring Friends And Family
• 00:24:56 The Hire That Changed Everything
• 00:28:47 Managing Ego As A Leader
• 00:30:11 Doubling Down On Your Strengths
• 00:31:23 The Website Lesson: Delegate, Don't DIY
• 00:33:07 Cash Sales And Working Capital
• 00:34:16 How Maternity Leave Forced Her To Let Go
• 00:36:04 How Dragon's Den Happened
• 00:39:06 Imposter Syndrome In The Den
• 00:47:06 Reframing Imposter Syndrome
• 00:50:04 Passion, Vision, Drive: What She Looks For
• 00:51:12 Why She Invests In People, Not Products
• 00:54:08 Her Favourite Investment Story
• 00:56:32 Mentoring Beyond The Cameras
• 00:59:22 Advice For Fearful First-Time Founders
• 01:01:36 Should You Quit Your Job To Start Up?
• 01:02:29 Surround Yourself With The Right People
• 01:04:22 Balancing Guilt, Family And Ambition
• 01:05:41 Her Husband's Secret To Supporting Her Success
• 01:08:45 Advice For Scaling Past The Early Stage
• 01:10:27 Creating An Environment For Others To Succeed
• 01:11:51 Building A Business Around Values
• 01:12:54 The Danger Of Being The Only Energy Source
• 01:13:42 Ten Years Of Coaching
• 01:16:32 Why Consistency In Coaching Matters
• 01:17:58 Accountability And What Gets Measured Gets Done
• 01:26:17 Audience Q&A: Traits Of Extraordinary Leaders
• 01:28:00 Mental Fitness And Energy Management

Even More Value:

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: https://bit.ly/4prr8bL

Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on how to SCALE your Business past £1 Million: https://bit.ly/3S7fTIS

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: https://bit.ly/3Qq2ACO

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Coaching

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

What's the one skill that works on gangs, soldiers, hostage situations - and your team back at the office? Ross Kemp breaks down the debrief technique he picked up in Afghanistan, why "two ears, one mouth" is the real secret to great leadership, and the negotiation advice from a billionaire mentor that changed how he does business.

Ross Kemp is a BAFTA-winning actor, journalist and documentary maker, best known for playing Grant Mitchell in EastEnders and for his hard-hitting series Ross Kemp on Gangs, Ross Kemp: Extreme World and Ross Kemp: Afghanistan. Over three decades he's reported from gang-controlled streets in Compton, cartel territory in Colombia and the frontline in Afghanistan, building teams and making high-stakes calls in some of the most hostile environments on earth.

He explains: ◼ Why "TRIM" - the debrief ritual he learned from Royal Marines Commandos - stops resentment building in any team ◼ How reading body language and behaviour keeps you safe when the stakes are life or death ◼ Why the best negotiators aim for the middle ground, not to "take someone to the cleaners"

Chapters

· 00:00:00 Intro

· 00:01:04 Growing Up in Essex & Getting Into Acting

· 00:03:05 Landing the Role of Grant Mitchell in EastEnders

· 00:04:13 Leaving EastEnders for a Career in Documentaries

· 00:05:16 Meeting a Gang Member Shot 23 Times

· 00:09:08 Filming Ross Kemp on Gangs

· 00:10:49 The Most Dangerous Moments in Afghanistan

· 00:13:36 Reading Body Language to Stay Alive

· 00:14:52 What Is TRIM (Trauma Risk Management)?

· 00:18:20 Exit Strategies and Preparing for the Worst

· 00:19:04 Why Listening Is the Most Important Skill

· 00:20:35 Why Ross Never Judges the People He Interviews

· 00:21:00 The Horrors He Witnessed in the DRC

· 00:23:08 Ads

· 00:24:12 How Ross Copes With What He's Seen

· 00:25:45 Using Honesty as a Negotiating Tool

· 00:26:43 Building His Own Production Company

· 00:27:42 Lessons in Leadership and Managing People

· 00:29:05 Finding the Courage to Keep Going

· 00:30:14 What Ross Has Learned About Human Nature

· 00:35:22 The Craziest Things He's Witnessed

· 00:39:48 His Next Documentary: Online Exploitation and Yemen

· 00:43:22 Advice for Business Owners

· 00:44:19 Negotiation Lessons From Billionaire Lord Waheed Ali

· 00:47:19 Outro

Even More Value:

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on how to SCALE your Business past £1 Million: Business Icons

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: Business Icons Scale Up Day

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Coaching

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

What's the one thing about your business that can't be copied? Jo Malone CBE built two global fragrance empires from a council estate upbringing and a tiny Chelsea kitchen, and in this episode she reveals the single strategy behind both. She coaches Adam live on stage, extracts a story and turns it into a fragrance in real time, and breaks down the framework she's used to build billion-dollar brands.

Jo Malone CBE is the founder of two global beauty brands, Jo Malone London and Jo Loves, a pioneer of scent storytelling who started out as a skincare therapist with "not a penny to rub together," and the creator of the world's first fragrance paintbrush.

· She explains: Why every great brand needs a "Five Eyes" compass: inspiration, innovation, ignition, integrity and instinct

· Why storytelling, not the product itself, is the thing competitors can never copy

· Why the second business is harder than the first, and how she turned a £2 million loss into a brand again

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:45 Take Us Back To The Beginning
• 00:02:07 A Childhood Built On Survival
• 00:02:43 The Artist, The Magician And The Poker Player
• 00:05:44 Starting From Scratch In A Chelsea Apartment
• 00:07:01 The Order That Changed Everything
• 00:08:20 Naming Products After The Ingredients
• 00:09:02 Creating The "Wow Moment"
• 00:11:18 Building Feeling Into A Brand
• 00:11:45 The Five Eyes Compass: Inspiration & Innovation
• 00:13:06 Why Ignition Matters
• 00:13:48 Integrity As A Non-Negotiable
• 00:14:55 Trusting Your Instinct And Gut
• 00:16:22 Why Dyslexia Is A Superpower
• 00:17:10 How Hard Times Build Business Muscle
• 00:18:02 The Second Brand: Where It Went Wrong
• 00:18:42 Losing £2 Million On Jo Loves
• 00:19:30 The Selfridges Launch That Dived
• 00:20:16 Refusing To Quit
• 00:21:43 "I Sold My Business, I Didn't Sell Me"
• 00:23:22 What Makes A Brand World Class
• 00:24:10 Lessons From Chanel And Nike
• 00:25:36 Turning Your Customer Into The Artist
• 00:28:20 Creativity Needs Discipline
• 00:29:02 The Dubai Project & 1001 Arabian Nights
• 00:30:08 Creating A Fragrance From A Story, Live
• 00:33:00 The 1% Business Opportunity
• 00:34:21 Your Hidden Bank Account Of Creativity
• 00:35:01 Inventing The World's First Fragrance Paintbrush
• 00:36:35 When The Whole Team Said "It Won't Catch On"
• 00:39:03 Knowing It Was Going To Be Global
• 00:40:40 Why We Forget To Celebrate Success
• 00:41:34 Growing As A Founder
• 00:42:17 The High Court Battle Over Her Own Name
• 00:44:47 Why She's Fighting For Education
• 00:48:02 Outro

Even More Value:

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on how to SCALE your Business past £1 Million: Business Icons

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: Business Scale Up Day

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Coaching

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Why is being completely yourself the most powerful business strategy? TV icon Davina McCall shares how 30 years in the public eye, a failed chat show, a brain tumor, cancer, and addiction all became the making of her - and why your biggest disasters might be your greatest business asset!

Davina McCall is one of Britain's most beloved television presenters, best known for hosting Big Brother, The Million Pound Drop, and Long Lost Family. A bestselling author, fitness pioneer, and now podcaster with Begin Again, she has built a remarkable personal brand rooted in authenticity, resilience, and relentless self-reinvention.

They explain:

· Why a no is just a yes that hasn't happened yet - and how she harassed her way into MTV

· Why your biggest failures and disasters are more valuable than any qualification

· Why not knowing your own voice will cost you more than any bad business decision

Chapters

· 00:00:00 Intro

· 00:01:30 Davina Walks In & Her Anthem Song

· 00:02:06 Finding Strength Through a Brain Tumor & Cancer

· 00:03:57 What People Misunderstand About Davina

· 00:05:04 Why Authenticity Is Her Biggest Business Message

· 00:06:46 What Davina Is Walking Towards Now

· 00:08:44 What Shaped Davina: The Early Years

· 00:09:14 Why Your Calamity CV Beats Your Academic CV

· 00:10:30 The Mum Who Couldn't Be Proud - And Why That Made Davina Famous

· 00:12:15 Walk Towards the Problem, Not Away From It

· 00:13:32 The Failed Chat Show That Changed Everything

· 00:15:42 Why Not Having A Voice Nearly Ended Her Career

· 00:17:07 What She Learned About Speaking Her Truth

· 00:18:57 How Being Out Of Alignment Kills Your Performance

· 00:20:08 Davina's Rules of Reinvention

· 00:21:06 The Workout DVD Her Agent Told Her Not To Do

· 00:23:02 Why Sharing Your Failures Earns More Respect

· 00:24:06 Trusting Your Inner Voice Over Everyone Else's Opinion

· 00:26:10 Growing Up Between Two Worlds - Stability vs Wild Child

· 00:27:34 Heroin, Cocaine & The Half-Nun Who Saved Her

· 00:31:14 Losing Her Sister & What That Changed

· 00:34:09 Menopause, Books & Loving Life At Nearly 60

· 00:35:10 The Moment She Decided To Become Famous

· 00:36:06 A No Is A Yes That Hasn't Happened Yet

· 00:37:22 How She Went From Model Agent To MTV Presenter

· 00:41:42 Be As Annoying As A Mosquito - Anita Roddick's Advice

· 00:43:36 Manifesting: Planting The Seed & Walking Towards It

· 00:50:35 Is It Terror Or Just Excitement? Reframing Fear

· 00:52:14 Big Brother: Behind The Scenes Stories

· 00:55:20 Fight Night - The Moment That Changed TV Forever

· 01:01:18 Interviewing Jade Goody & The Hardest Moments

· 01:03:37 Street Mate, God's Gift & Her Favorite Shows

· 01:07:46 Embrace The Downs - They Will Teach You Something

Even More Value:

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on the models and frameworks that GROW your Business: Business Icons

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: Business Scale Up Day

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Coaching

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

How does a Windrush child from Jamaica - who ended up in prison with a 9-year sentence - walk into Dragon's Den and land one of the most successful deals in the show's history? Levi Roots sits down with Adam Stott to share the extraordinary story behind Reggae Reggae Sauce, and the brand-building philosophy that made millions of people not just buy his sauce - but believe in him.

Levi Roots is the entrepreneur, musician, and cultural icon behind Reggae Reggae Sauce, one of the UK's most recognisable food brands. After a famous appearance on BBC's Dragon's Den, he secured investment from Peter Jones and went on to build a licensing empire distributed across the UK, Ireland, and beyond.

They explain:

· Why people invest in people - not products - and how to make yourself the brand

· Why your passion is your biggest business asset, especially when things get hard

· Why the best thing Levi ever did was outsource the sauce and own the story

Chapters

· 00:00:00 Intro

· 00:00:42 Why Peter Jones Invested in Levi, Not the Sauce

· 00:03:18 The Windrush Story: Where It All Began

· 00:07:41 Coming to the UK and Finding His Identity

· 00:09:42 Following the Wrong Crowd and How Music Saved Him

· 00:11:50 Notting Hill Carnival and the Queue That Changed Everything

· 00:14:35 Selling Sauce Door-to-Door and the Dart That Hit Dragon's Den

· 00:16:36 How a BBC Producer Spotted Him in the Shires

· 00:17:51 His Mum, Psalm 23, and "You'll Come Back a Dragon Slayer"

· 00:19:23 The Sweat, the Prayer, and Peter Jones Swooping In

· 00:22:50 18 Years with Peter Jones: What He Really Learned

· 00:24:48 Outsourcing the Sauce and Licensing the Brand

· 00:25:37 Walking Into Sainsbury's Before the Sauce Was Even Made

· 00:28:38 Meeting Nelson Mandela Fresh Out of Prison

· 00:30:09 Shakespeare in a Prison Cell: "Take the Current When It Serves"

· 00:35:28 What Personal Brand Really Means - and Why It Sells

· 00:38:12 The Impact of the Brand: Schools, Prisons, and Young Lives

Even More Value:

Download your FREE Start, Grow, Scale Roadmap in under 30 seconds: ROADMAP

Hear from Adam and some of the country's biggest entrepreneurs on how to SCALE your Business past £1 Million: Business Icons

Learn how to build a 7 Figure SCALE plan that runs WITHOUT you: Business Scale Up Day

Follow Adam Stott's Socials:

LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Coaching

In this special episode, Adam turns the tables and shares his own story - recorded as a guest on the Tom Talks podcast, hosted by Tom, who lost his brother Liam to suicide in 2015 and built his show around stories of overcoming adversity.

It's one of the most personal and in-depth interviews Adam has done. He opens up about the moments that shaped him: going from an affluent childhood and private school to living in the back of a transport café after his dad lost everything; leaving school with a single GCSE and a "U" in everything else; and how being written off academically lit a fire that drove him to build businesses generating over £100 million in sales and earn three consecutive London Stock Exchange recognitions.

Along the way, Adam gets practical - breaking down the four stages of business (startup, growth, scale, exit), why people fail by applying "scale strategies" too early, and how relationship capital and simply having more conversations changed everything. He also reflects candidly on the £1 million it cost him to close a business at 31, the relief that came with closure, and why self-belief - and sometimes the right words from the right person - matter most when you're at rock bottom.

A raw, honest conversation about resilience, mindset, and the belief that life happens for you, not to you.

In this episode:

• Why early adversity became the source of Adam's drive
• Finding your strengths when school says you're "no good"
• The four stages of business and the strategy mistakes that stall growth
• Relationship capital: why business is "mathematical, not magical"
• What it really feels like to lose £1M - and bounce back
• Advice for anyone facing exams, setbacks, or starting over

If you get value from this episode, please leave a five-star review and share it - it's the best way to help us reach and support more business owners.

Three business owners walked onto the stage, not knowing what their real problem was. None of them left that way.

In this live hot seat session, Adam works with a business owner who thought she had no time - and finds 124 days hiding in plain sight across her side businesses. An accountant who thought her landing page wasn't converting - and uncovers a pricing structure that could take her from £120K to £600K without a single extra hour of work. A consultant running two funnels at once - whose webinar was already working brilliantly, just with completely the wrong offer on the end of it. And two founders who had built a £400K business that runs entirely without them - but had no idea what to do next.

Three different businesses. Three completely different problems. All diagnosed and solved live on stage in under 15 minutes each.