ScaleUp Radio

Welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences.

I'm Kevin Brent and in today's episode I'm joined by Diane Mentzer, an expert in the CEO–COO dynamic and how leadership teams can unlock the next stage of growth.

If you've ever felt like your business has hit a ceiling; where growth slows, complexity increases, and everything still seems to depend on you; then this episode is for you.

Diane shares practical insights on when to bring in a COO, how to make that relationship work, and why letting go of execution is often the key to unlocking scale.

One of the standout ideas from this conversation is simple but powerful: hiring a COO without truly empowering them isn't delegation; it's just expensive frustration.

Diane has provided a toolkit for managing the COO-CEO relationship – you can download it using the link in the shownotes

If you're tired of ending the week busy but no further forward, Smart90 might be for you. It's a simple 90-day execution rhythm with an AI alignment check that keeps your daily focus tied to what actually matters. Try it free at Smart90.co.uk

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts - and why not give us a follow. 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 discussion with Diane.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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 here:

[email protected]

Kevin's Book Is Here!

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/

Diane can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-integrates/

[email protected]

Toolkit - www.dianeintegrates.com/toolkit

Resources:

Just Listen by Mark Goulston - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/just-listen-discover-the-secret-to-getting-through-to-absolutely-anyone-m-d-goulston-mark/5800738?ean=9780814436479&next=t

Own The Room by Jake Stahl - https://www.waterstones.com/book/own-the-room/jake-stahl/9781968318253

90.IO - https://app.ninety.io/login?redirectUrl=%2F

Rocket Fuel app - https://rocketfuel.inc/

Mem.ai - https://get.mem.ai/

What can we learn from our latest 90 days of ScaleUp journeys?

In this special ScaleUp Radio Shorts episode, Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt step back and reflect on the standout lessons from an incredible line-up of founders, CEOs, and investors interviewed in Q1 2026.

From simplifying strategy to navigating resilience, embracing AI disruption, and building high-performing teams, this episode distils three months of conversations into a powerful, practical masterclass for scaling businesses.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure what to prioritise next, this episode will help you refocus on what actually drives growth.

🔑 Key Themes & Insights

1. Simplicity Scales. Complexity Kills Progress.

A recurring theme across multiple guests was the danger of overcomplicating business.

• Doing more does not equal progress
• Clarity beats activity
• 90-day planning creates focus and momentum

As highlighted in the discussion, many founders confuse busyness with effectiveness. The real shift comes from simplifying strategy and focusing on what truly moves the needle.

2. The Execution Gap: Why Most Plans Stall

Even with the right strategy, execution often fails.

Key blockers:

• Procrastination
• Information overload
• Lack of clarity on outcomes

A simple but powerful approach emerged:

• Define what success looks like (personally and in business)
• Take one meaningful action immediately

3. Resilience is Non-Negotiable

The reality of scaling is far tougher than most expect.

Standout lessons:

• Persistence in B2B sales can take months or even years
• Setbacks are inevitable
• The ability to keep going is a competitive advantage

From extreme operational challenges to relentless sales cycles, resilience repeatedly showed up as a defining trait of successful founders.

4. People Drive Performance (But Are Often Ignored)

Despite being critical to growth, people metrics are rarely tracked.

Insights:

• Culture and engagement directly impact profitability
• Scaling requires intentional team design
• Hiring vs outsourcing is a key strategic decision

Businesses that align people, purpose, and profit outperform those that don't.

5. Technology is Reshaping Entire Industries

Several guests highlighted how digital transformation and AI are disrupting traditional models.

Key takeaways:

• Markets with friction create opportunity
• AI is changing how customers find and choose businesses
• "Information gain" is now critical for visibility

If your business isn't evolving with technology, it risks becoming invisible.

6. Know Your Edge or Get Lost in the Noise

A strong, defensible position in the market is essential.

• A weak or unclear USP is a major growth blocker
• Deep customer understanding beats broad targeting
• Predictability and cash flow matter to investors

💡 Standout Message

"If you aren't saying something genuinely new, you're invisible."

🎯 The One Key Thing

The one key thing is this: scaling successfully isn't about doing more; it's about focusing on fewer things that truly matter and executing them consistently.

🔄 Why This Episode Matters

This Q1 review is more than a recap. It's a blueprint.

It brings together:

• Strategy clarity
• Execution discipline
• Founder mindset
• Real-world scaling lessons

If you recognise any of these challenges in your own business, this is your signal to pause, simplify, and refocus.

📣 Explore More

If any of these stories resonate, go back and listen to the full interviews on ScaleUp Radio.

⚙️ Smart90

If you're tired of ending the week busy but no further forward, Smart90 might be for you. It's a simple 90-day execution rhythm with an AI alignment check that keeps your daily focus tied to what actually matters. 👉 Try it free at Smart90.co.uk

🎧 Listen & Subscribe

Make sure you don't miss future episodes of ScaleUp Radio by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts.

Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences.

I'm Kevin Brent and in today's episode I'm joined by Hannah Lanel, founder of The Fore; a business on a mission to disrupt the diet and fitness industry by focusing on long-term, sustainable wellbeing rather than quick fixes.

In this conversation, we explore three key areas. First, Hannah shares how The Fore works as a holistic wellness platform and how the business model is evolving as it scales. Second, we dig into the real challenges of scaling up; from surviving co-founder exits to navigating controversial decisions during lockdown. And third, we finish with some quickfire questions to uncover Hannah's personal insights on leadership and growth.

One standout message from this episode is simple but powerful: "Eat what you love, do what you love; and make it sustainable."

If you're tired of ending the week busy but no further forward, Smart90 might be for you. It's a simple 90-day execution rhythm with an AI alignment check that keeps your daily focus tied to what actually matters. Try it free at Smart90.co.uk

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts; and why not give us a follow.

For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Hannah.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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 here:

[email protected]

Kevin's Book Is Here!

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/

Hannah can be found here:

https://www.instagram.com/hannahlanel/

https://www.instagram.com/thefore_london/

https://www.the-fore.co.uk/

Resources:

Simon Sinek - https://simonsinek.com/

Building A Story Brand by Donald Miller - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/building-a-storybrand-clarify-your-message-so-customers-will-listen-donald-miller/4099240?ean=9781400201839&next=t

The One Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-1-page-marketing-plan-get-new-customers-make-more-money-and-stand-out-from-the-crowd-allan-dib/4613623?ean=9781989025017&next=t

How I Built This podcast - https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/

IdeasFest - https://ideas-fest.com/

Quickbooks - https://quickbooks.intuit.com/

Canva - https://www.canva.com/

Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences.

I'm Kevin Brent and in today's episode we are doing something slightly different.

This episode was recorded live during one of our ScaleUp Club sessions, where we bring together founders and leadership teams to explore the real challenges of scaling a business.

The session included our regular AI Pulse update, a live Q&A discussion, and a returning guest to the podcast, Victor Carpio, founder of Inventor SmartCare and creator of the Dental Wand.

Victor shared how a sudden 10x surge in demand after appearing on Dragon's Den forced the business to rethink its operational foundations, and how they are now expanding across Europe with a far more focused strategy.

One standout message from the conversation was this:

Focus is the ultimate scaling tool.

Victor talked about filtering every opportunity and partnership against clear strategic priorities so the business avoids distraction while scaling.

You will also hear how AI is acting as a human multiplier for small teams, including a system producing content for eleven channels in just two hours per week.

And our ScaleUp Club theme this month is The Checklist Advantage; how simple checklists can free up leadership bandwidth for higher value work.

If you're tired of ending the week busy but no further forward, Smart90 might be for you. It's a simple 90-day execution rhythm with an AI alignment check that keeps your daily focus tied to what actually matters. Try it free at Smart90.co.uk.

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts and why not give us a follow.

For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Victor.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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 here:

[email protected]

Kevin's Book Is Here!

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/

Victor can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/victor-carpio-404914125/

[email protected]

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts, Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt dive into two seemingly contrasting, but ultimately aligned, scaling philosophies from recent guests Jeremy Middleton and John Hibbs.

On the surface, one is a data-driven investor focused on predictable growth and cash flow. The other is a people-first founder measuring culture, wellbeing, and connection.

But the real insight?

👉 You cannot scale what you do not measure.

This episode unpacks why both financial discipline and people metrics are essential if you want to build a resilient, scalable business.

What You'll Learn

📈 Predictability Drives Scalable Growth

• Proven business models beat risky innovation when scaling
• Repeatability is the foundation of sustainable expansion
• You don't need to win everyone, just your target market

💰 Cash Flow is King (and Needs Managing Properly)

• Many founders underestimate the importance of a Finance Director
• Revenue alone is meaningless without clear financial visibility
• Poor data leads to poor decisions, and often hidden losses

👥 People Metrics Are the Missing KPI

• Only 4% of businesses track people-related metrics in their top KPIs
• Culture, engagement, and psychological safety are leading indicators
• Disengaged teams cost far more than most realise

🔁 Alignment is the Real Growth Lever

• Successful businesses align founders, teams, and investors
• Motivation, retention, and shared purpose drive long-term success
• Both guests highlight that people, not product, are the differentiator

Standout Moment

"You cannot scale what you do not measure."

The One Key Thing…

👉 The one key thing is this: scaling successfully requires balancing financial discipline with people insight, ignore either, and growth will eventually stall.

Why This Matters for ScaleUps

Too many businesses lean too far in one direction:

• All numbers, no culture → burnout and churn
• All culture, no numbers → no profit and no sustainability

The real opportunity lies in integrating both.

Referenced Guests & Episodes

• Jeremy Middleton – Investor and Co-founder of HomeServe
• John Hibbs – CEO & Co-founder of Coefficient

(Be sure to listen to their full episodes for deeper insights.)

About Smart90

If you're tired of ending the week busy but no further forward, Smart90 might be for you.

It's a simple 90-day execution rhythm with an AI alignment check that keeps your daily focus tied to what actually matters.

👉 Try it free at Smart90.co.uk

Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences.

I'm Kevin Brent and in today's episode I'm joined by John Hibbs, founder of Coefficient, a platform designed to help leaders measure the human side of their business — things like culture, psychological safety and engagement.

In this conversation John explains why so many businesses track revenue and profit but struggle to measure the people factors that actually drive those results. Through anonymous staff surveys and intelligent analysis, Coefficient helps leaders surface the data behind culture so they can act on it.

Our discussion follows the usual ScaleUp Radio structure. First we explore John's business, his model and where Coefficient is on its scaleup journey. Second we dive into the challenges of scaling businesses and John's perspective on the ScaleUp Challenges Report. And third we finish with a few quickfire questions.

One standout message from this episode is simple but powerful: ""If you believe people are the biggest challenge in business, then measuring people should be a leadership priority."

John also shares his philosophy of "The Monergy Flow" — where profit is reinvested into people, creating a positive cycle of happier staff, families and communities.

If you're tired of ending the week busy but no further forward, Smart90 might be for you. It's a simple 90-day execution rhythm with an AI alignment check that keeps your daily focus tied to what actually matters. Try it free at Smart90.co.uk

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts and why not give us a follow.

For now, continue listening for the full discussion with John.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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 here:

[email protected]

Kevin's Book Is Here!

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/

John can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hibbs-coefficient/

Resources:

Article on Monergy Flow - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/john-hibbs-coefficient_in-almost-every-organization-ive-worked-activity-7366126031436480512-dFE4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA8oKXoBUnKwlYzREAmibfWMBm02qwtKAtg

American Icon by Bryce Mulally - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/american-icon-alan-mulally-and-the-fight-to-save-ford-motor-company-bryce-g-hoffman/2062710?ean=9780307886064&next=t

Start With Why by Simon Sinek - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/start-with-why-15th-anniversary-edition-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action-simon-sinek/7820616?ean=9781405977593&next=t

Briskine (Chrome plugin) - https://www.briskine.com/

Thunderbird - https://www.thunderbird.net/en-GB/

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist Jeremy Middleton.

Jeremy is best known as one of the early backers of HomeServe, a business that grew from a struggling plumbing service into a FTSE-100 company before its eventual acquisition.

Today he leads Middleton Enterprises, investing in profitable founder-led businesses and helping them scale from around £500k profit to £5m and beyond.

This episode explores the real lessons behind scaling successfully: pivoting business models, building predictable revenue, hiring the right people and making smart funding decisions.

As always, our discussion breaks down into three parts.

First, we explore Jeremy's journey with HomeServe and the lessons from building and scaling the business.

Second, we dig into the real challenges founders face when scaling including hiring the right people, building predictable revenue and why one of the most important early hires is a strong Finance Director.

And third, we finish with some quickfire questions to wrap things up.

One standout message from the discussion is this: a small share of a big business is far better than a big share of a small one.

If you're tired of ending the week busy but no further forward, Smart90 might be for you. It's a simple 90-day execution rhythm with an AI alignment check that keeps your daily focus tied to what actually matters. Try it free at Smart90.co.uk.

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts and why not give us a follow.

For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Jeremy.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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 here:

[email protected]

Kevin's Book Is Here!

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/

Jeremy can be found here:

https://middletonenterprises.com/

Resources:

What's Your Dream by Simon Squibb - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/what-s-your-dream-the-workbook-simon-squibb/6813f9e8fe08fb8b?ean=9780241798140&next=t

Be Useful: 7 Rules For Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/be-useful-seven-tools-for-life-arnold-schwarzenegger/236bd6af36cfed17?ean=9781529146554&next=t

In this special ScaleUp Radio Shorts episode, Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt distil some of the most powerful insights from three recent interviews with founders working at the cutting edge of marketing, AI, and business growth.

Featuring lessons from Andreas Voniatis, Benjie Hughes, and Serge Nguele, the discussion explores what really drives successful scaleups and where many businesses go wrong when trying to grow.

While each founder operates in a different space, a common theme runs through all three conversations: clarity of strategy beats blind activity every time.

From diagnosing marketing problems properly, to understanding the future of AI search, to building systems that allow founders to step back from the day-to-day, this episode is packed with practical insights for anyone navigating the scaleup journey.

This episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts is produced with the aid of AI to help capture and share the key insights from our founder conversations.

In this episode we explore

1. Why marketing without strategy wastes money

Serge Nguele, founder of Your PPC Doctor, brings a medical mindset to digital marketing.

His core philosophy is simple but powerful:

"We can't prescribe what we didn't diagnose."

Too many businesses assume the answer to poor results is simply spending more on advertising. But without diagnosing the underlying strategy, messaging, and positioning, more budget just amplifies the problem.

Serge focuses first on understanding the full marketing picture before recommending any spend.

2. The power of a clear and focused message

Benjie Hughes, founder of Hopeless Marketing, believes many businesses fail to scale because they try to say too many things at once.

He describes the difference as being:

"An ice pick versus a snowshoe."

The ice pick breaks through the noise with a sharp message about one thing that matters.

The snowshoe spreads the message across too many ideas and fails to create traction.

For scaleups especially, clarity becomes essential because the founder can no longer be the only person explaining the business.

The team needs a simple, repeatable story.

3. Why AI search will change how customers find you

Andreas Voniatis, founder of Artios, has been building machine learning models since before the recent AI boom.

His view is that traditional SEO is rapidly changing.

Instead of competing for the classic "ten blue links", businesses now need to create content with genuine "information gain".

In other words, AI systems reward insights that bring new thinking or original data, not recycled content.

As Andreas puts it, asking AI to generate content that another AI will rank is like asking it to "drink its own sweat."

Businesses that win in this new world will be those producing genuine insights.

4. The personal realities of the founder journey

Beyond the tactics and technology, the episode also explores the personal challenges founders face.

Serge shared how trying to wear every hat in the business pushed him close to burnout. His recovery involved asking for help, building healthier routines, and embracing a mindset he calls the Three Nos:

• No excuses
• No complaint
• No self-pity

It's a reminder that founder wellbeing and business performance are closely linked.

5. Building a business that can scale beyond the founder

Benjie also shared a powerful lesson from a previous business he scaled to 250 events per year.

His approach centred on what he calls the Trifecta of Scalability:

• Teachable
• Valuable
• Repeatable

By systemising how the business delivered value, he was able to empower others to deliver the experience while stepping away from daily operations.

This is the classic shift many founders must make: from doing the work to building the system that does the work.

Key takeaway

The one key thing: Scaling a business requires clarity. Whether it's marketing strategy, your core message, or the systems behind delivery, growth happens when founders move from activity to intentional design.

Standout quote

"We can't prescribe what we didn't diagnose."

Smart90 Lite – Help Us Test It

Quick heads-up — we're looking for a handful of founders to test our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite app.

It's built to help you stay accountable and actually deliver on your goals in just a few minutes a day.

It's free while we're in testing, and your feedback will directly shape the final version.

You can request access by emailing:

[email protected]

Listen to ScaleUp Radio

If these insights resonate, make sure you check out the full interviews with Andreas Voniatis, Benjie Hughes and Serge Nguele.

And don't miss future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can also nominate a guest if you know someone with a great scaleup story.

What happens when a former medical student applies diagnostic thinking to marketing?

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Serge Nguile, founder of Your PPC Doctor, a PPC and digital strategy agency built around one powerful idea: diagnose before you prescribe.

Serge shares his fascinating journey from medical studies in Ukraine to becoming a PPC Director, and ultimately launching his own agency after redundancy. He also opens up about founder burnout, mindset shifts, and why purpose now sits at the heart of his business model.

As always, our discussion is structured in three parts. First, we unpack the business, the model and where it sits on its ScaleUp journey. Second, we explore Serge's views on the challenges of scaling, including his own experience of burnout. And third, we close with some quickfire questions.

Quick heads-up — we're looking for a handful of founders to test our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite app. It's designed to help you stay accountable and actually deliver on your goals in just a few minutes a day. It's free during testing and your feedback will shape the final version. Just email [email protected] to get access.

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts and why not give us a follow.

For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Serge.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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 here:

[email protected]

Kevin's Book Is Here!

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/

Serge can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/serge-nguele/

https://www.yourppcdoctor.com/

Resources:

Search Engine Journal - https://www.searchenginejournal.com/

Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/think-like-a-monk-the-secret-of-how-to-harness-the-power-of-positivity-and-be-happy-now-jay-shetty/7738991?ean=9780008746018&next=t

Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/think-and-grow-rich-the-original-classic-hill/2073500?ean=9781906465599&next=t

ChatGPT - https://chatgpt.com/

Google Gemini - https://gemini.google.com/

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent sits down with Andreas Voniatis, founder of Artios.io, to explore what might be the biggest shift in search since Google began.

Traditional SEO as we know it is fading. AI search is changing how content is discovered, prioritised, and rewarded. And Andreas saw it coming early.

In fact, Artios built its own Large Language Model back in 2019; years before ChatGPT entered the mainstream.

This conversation dives into:

• Why traditional SEO is becoming a back-office function
• Why most AI content strategies are fundamentally flawed
• What "information gain" really means; and why it's now critical
• How Andreas bootstrapped deep-tech R&D without external investors
• The founder mindset shifts that helped him scale without burning out

As always, we break the discussion into three parts. First, the business, the model and where Artios.io is on its ScaleUp journey. Second, Andreas' views on scaling challenges and the future of AI search. And third, a few quickfire questions to close.

Quick heads-up; we're looking for a handful of founders to test our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite app. It's designed to help you stay accountable and actually deliver on your goals in just a few minutes a day. It's free while we're in testing, and your feedback will shape the final version. Just email [email protected] to get access.

Make sure you don't miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts - and why not give us a follow.

For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Andreas.

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

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 here:

[email protected]

Kevin's Book Is Here!

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/

Andreas can be found here:

http://artios.io/guaranteed-winning

Resources:

The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-story-of-philosophy-will-durant/201405a61e221106?ean=9780486848556&next=t