The conversation covers Nick's journey as a founder, his experience in starting a business, managing cash flow, raising funds, and working with a co-founder. It also delves into the impact of his tech fin business and the importance of belief, risk-taking, and resilience in entrepreneurship.

Takeaways

• Belief
• Risk-taking

Chapters

• 00:00 Risk-Taking and Advice for Younger Self

n this episode of the DB Lab podcast, I sit down with Terry O’Regan, a global biotech leader whose career has spanned corporate leadership, industry influence, and breakthrough startup innovation.

Terry was formerly General Manager of Biogen, a leading biotech company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, and also served as Chairman of the industry group. He later moved to the United States, where he led Biogen’s neurology business, a division worth around $7 billion and representing nearly half of the company’s global turnover at the time.

After leading at scale, Terry moved into the startup world, becoming CEO and President of companies focused on autism, epilepsy, and more recently, blood test innovation.

This conversation explores leadership, decision making, navigating complexity, and the importance of putting the real problem on the table. Terry brings a rare mix of global corporate experience and entrepreneurial insight, making this a powerful conversation for anyone interested in leadership, growth, values, conflict, and meaningful innovation.

Unlock the secrets to entrepreneurial success with Carel De Jager, founder of Silver Sixpence. Discover how mastering human strengths and leveraging AI can set you apart. Carel shares his journey from engineering to blockchain innovation, revealing insights on team dynamics, capital strategies, and the future of AI in business.
Key takeaways:
Avoid common startup pitfalls
Harness AI without losing your edge
Build trust and authentic leadership
Perfect for entrepreneurs and leaders ready to thrive in the AI era. Hit play and transform your approach today!

The conversation with Bruce Naidoo covers his background, the unique aspects of his business, the importance of building long-term relationships, transitioning from transactional to relational business approaches, the challenges of scaling a business beyond personal involvement, the transition to a general manager, and reflections on past decisions. Key takeaways include the emphasis on building long-term relationships and the transition from a transactional to a relational business approach.

Takeaways

• Building long-term relationships
• Transitioning from transactional to relational business approach

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 06:30 Building Long-Term Relationships
• 12:38 Scaling a Business Beyond Personal Involvement
• 25:00 Transitioning to a General Manager

A fabulous conversation with Pierre Becker, Founder of SKEG. In it, we discuss the journey from founder-owned and run to an SME. How he scaled the business over the years and what lessons he can pass on to others on the journey

This episode is a conversation with Steve Mortlock, one of the founders of Sinani Energy, and it explores the real journey of moving a business from founder energy into structured scale.

Like many founder led companies, Sinani began with a small group of driven founders carrying the vision, making the decisions, and pushing the business forward through sheer commitment and belief. But as the company grew, the next stage of growth required something different. Structure had to emerge. Leadership layers had to form. Governance had to mature. And the business had to learn how to grow beyond the founders themselves.

In this conversation we explore how Steve and the Sinani team have been navigating that shift. From a national footprint to an international one. From a tight founder group to a structured SME. And from building projects to developing energy assets in new markets including the Middle East.

Throughout the journey we also reflect on the Apple Tree paradigm that has shaped much of the coaching work we have done together. The idea that healthy things grow, and that great leaders eventually move from building the tree themselves to creating the orchard where many trees can grow.

This is not a story told from the end of the journey. It is a conversation from the middle of it. We talk about identity, leadership, trust, structure, and the tension founders face when the very instincts that built the business must evolve in order for it to scale.

If you are a founder navigating the shift from doing everything yourself to building a company that can grow beyond you, there will be something in this conversation for you.

Welcome to the first episode of the Scaling Leadership series.

This is a series of conversations with founders and leaders who are navigating the real journey of growing a business and growing themselves along the way. Because, as any founder discovers, scaling a company eventually means scaling your leadership.

For this first conversation, I’m joined by someone who has played a meaningful role in my own journey. Mike Ivey is a friend, a mentor, and the founder of Cafelife, a company that works with organisations around culture transformation and facilitation.

Mike has spent many years helping leaders create the kind of environments where people can do their best work. In this conversation we explore the tension many leaders feel as their organisations grow. How do you scale your leadership without losing what makes you authentic? How do you build culture intentionally as the business expands?

It’s a thoughtful and honest conversation, and I’m really glad to start this series with someone who has shaped so much of my own thinking.

Let’s dive in.