In this special episode of ScaleUp Radio, we're bringing you insights from our monthly ScaleUp Club session, where we were joined by Alexandra Smith, co-founder of FuturePlus. Alexandra delivered a powerful session focused on how sustainability is not just a moral imperative – it's a competitive advantage for SMEs.

Drawing from real-world examples and her work with FuturePlus, Alexandra made a compelling case for embedding sustainability as a strategic pillar in business decision-making – on equal footing with finance and operations. From government contracts to talent retention, and from resource efficiency to brand value, sustainability, when done right, drives profit and resilience.

She also tackled one of the hottest topics in business today: the role of AI in sustainability. While AI offers exciting potential, Alexandra was clear that it must be guided by human insight – especially in the SME space, where data is often limited or inconsistent.

During the Q&A session, we explored key distinctions between how microbusinesses and large corporates approach sustainability, and the importance of moving from tick-box compliance to strategic value creation.

What we covered:

• Why sustainability is a profit driver, not a cost
• The importance of establishing a central sustainability baseline
• How FuturePlus simplifies sustainability through its guided SaaS platform
• Why AI can't replace human oversight in setting and interpreting sustainability goals
• Practical steps SMEs can take today – no matter their size or budget

Standout Message: "Sustainability should be the third pillar of every strategic decision – right alongside finance and operations."

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts. You can also nominate a guest for ScaleUp Radio if you know someone with an interesting scaleup story – you can find how in the shownotes.

For now, continue listening for the full story from Alexandra.

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If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:

https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin

You can get in touch with Kevin & Granger here:

[email protected]

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Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!

Drawing on BizSmart's own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.

More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/

Alexandra can be found here

www.future-plus.co.uk

linkedin.com/in/alexandra-smith-ab788779