Episode #495 - The Startup That Refused to Follow the Rules by an Accountant Reinventing Event Finances One Festival at a Time - with Chris Carter
ScaleUp Radio
Hi, I’m Granger Forson – you can find me at or on LinkedIn. In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I’m joined by Chris Carter, founder of EventWise and long-time accountant behind In The Loop. Chris shares an incredible five-year journey of building a startup in one of the most volatile industries – live events – all while raising a young family, getting married, and self-funding the entire venture. His software, EventWise, was born out of necessity during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it's proving even more vital today. EventWise helps event organisers replace clunky,...
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Episode #494 - ScaleUp Club Exclusive: Building Habits and Processes - with Craig Hellen of Bexmedia
ScaleUp Radio
In this exclusive ScaleUp Club edition of ScaleUp Radio, we’re joined by Craig Hellen, founder of Bexmedia, a video and motion graphics agency with nearly two decades of experience. This intimate discussion explores how Craig has implemented processes and built habits that help a small, creative team stay aligned, accountable, and productive – all while preserving a strong company culture. What You’ll Learn: How building consistent internal systems (like naming conventions and structured meetings) can improve clarity and alignment across the business. Why clearly communicating the...
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Episode #493 - Smart Growth with Smart Lockers – with Ryan Slaney
ScaleUp Radio
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 Ryan Slaney, Founder and Managing Director of iLockerz – a business that’s leading the way in smart locker solutions for a wide range of industries. Our conversation today is structured in three parts: First, we take a look at iLockerz as a business, including its smart...
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Episode #492 - Turning Passion into Luxury - with Karen Yates
ScaleUp Radio
Hi there, and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our scaleup journeys a little bit easier by learning from others' experiences. I’m Kevin Brent, and in today's episode, I’m joined by Karen Yates, founder of Taylor Yates, a luxury handbag and accessories brand based in the UK. Our conversation today is structured in three parts: We start by discussing the business itself, its model, and where it is on the scaleup journey. We then explore Karen’s perspectives on the challenges of...
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Episode #491 - Brand Like a Jedi, Lead Like a Human and Why Purpose-Driven Companies Attract Loyal Teams and Clients - with Darrell Irwin
ScaleUp Radio
Hi, I’m Granger Forson – find me at or connect on LinkedIn – and in this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I talk with Darrell Irwin, the visionary founder behind Cre8ion, Digital, and Humans. Darrell’s story isn’t just about scaling multiple businesses – it’s about scaling with meaning. From walking away from a lucrative agency deal over ethical misalignment to founding Cre8ion, a brand marketing agency rooted in purpose, Darrell shows us what it looks like when personal values shape business success. We explore how he built a tight-knit team through a...
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Episode #490 - Reignite Your Creativity and Build a Beautiful Business from Fabric and Focus - with Alice Garrett
ScaleUp Radio
Hi, I’m Granger Forson – you can find me at or connect with me on LinkedIn. In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I’m joined by the inspiring Alice Garrett, founder of Alice Caroline, a business built around the joyful art of quilting, Liberty Fabrics, and empowering creativity. What began as a desire to make Liberty Fabric more accessible to fellow enthusiasts has grown into a thriving enterprise with 34 staff, global reach, and over 700 fabrics curated for quilters, makers, and creatives. Alice’s story is not just about fabric – it’s about passion, purpose, and...
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Episode #489 - Empowering Women Through Craft, with Resilience and Perseverance - with Sheila Ako
ScaleUp Radio
In this inspiring episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Sheila Ako Glavee, the founder of Skilled Hands Organisation, a remarkable social enterprise dedicated to empowering women and children through craft workshops. From humble beginnings in Ghana to establishing a recognised organisation in the UK, Sheila shares her journey of resilience, innovation, and community impact. Sheila recounts how her entrepreneurial path evolved — from publishing a lifestyle magazine in Ghana to creating social enterprises that uplift vulnerable communities. Skilled Hands started with a focus on...
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Episode #488 - Scaling a Business with Stories, Strategy, and Heart - with Ben Lowndes
ScaleUp Radio
Hi, I’m Granger Forson — you can find me at or connect with me on LinkedIn. Welcome to another inspiring episode of ScaleUp Radio! In this episode, I’m joined by Ben Lowndes, founder of Distinctive Communications, a fast-growing, purpose-led PR and communications consultancy based in the South West. Ben shares his unique journey — leaving a successful career without a set plan, building a business grounded in trust, flexibility, and impact. We explore how Distinctive Communications stands out in a noisy world by telling powerful, human-cantered...
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Episode #487 - Building a Brand with Trust, Numbers and a Fractional FD Model with lessons from Tectona’s Journey - with Mark Nicholls
ScaleUp Radio
Hi, I’m Granger Forson – you can find me at or connect with me on LinkedIn. In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I sit down with Mark Nicholls, the founder of Tectona Partnership – a business that provides part-time Finance Director services to companies navigating financial complexity. Mark’s story is one of perseverance, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of what it takes to build trust and a brand in a competitive market. Starting with just two people in 2012, Tectona has grown into a team of 17 highly qualified FDs, supporting businesses under £20m...
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Episode #486 - Balancing Growth, Culture, and Family in ISO Quality Services - with Jennifer Appleton
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent sits down with Jennifer Appleton, the dynamic Director behind ISO Quality Services, a Worcester-based business that's been helping companies achieve ISO certifications for over two decades. Jennifer shares the story of how this family business has scaled from a local consultancy to a global service provider, supporting clients in over 28 countries. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 🔹 The Business Model: ISO Quality Services thrives on a hybrid revenue model combining upfront implementation fees with a recurring client maintenance...
info_outlineOn this episode of ScaleUp Radio we, once again, bring you a compilation of some great business advice that we’ve heard throughout 2021.
There’s no getting away from the fact that it’s been another challenging year for so many, and we’ve heard some great insights and advice along the way that have helped many of us, and will continue to help us as we face the new year.
We’ve been lucky enough to have a real range of conversations in the past year - from accountants, lawyers, marketers and IT support right through to restaurant owners, franchisees, funeral directors and gin makers.
With all of this diversity it’s been really interesting to see how much common ground there is. At the end of the day the key challenges to building and scaling up a business are not unique to any particular industry or sector. Sure, there are differences, but the key things remain the same. All of our guests have provided some great lessons that they have learned along the way, that can be of real benefit to all of us.
No matter the size of your business - large or small - make sure that you celebrate the wins that you have achieved this year. Small and medium businesses are the backbone of any successful economy and you don’t need me to tell you that it can be hard at times.
But hold onto the reasons that you started out in the first place. You set out to achieve something, and we have all achieved something special; something to be proud of.
Hold onto that star that guides you and drives and work out how you are going to get that little bit closer to it next year.
The links to all of the episodes that these pieces of advice are from are below, so you can spend time getting to know each business owner better.
This is the last episode of ScaleUp Radio for this year. I want to thank you for your continued support for ScaleUp Radio. We are now being listened to in 59 countries across the globe, with more of you listening and downloading now than ever before.
We’ll be back with a new episode on Monday, 10th January. In the meantime, enjoy this excerpts of advice from our episodes in 2021.
Links to episodes featured in this compilation:
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Eddie_Perks_2.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Caroline_Butcher_2.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Faith_Guest.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Ben_King.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Greg_Baldwin.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Hollie_Whittles.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Steve_Harris.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Helen_Jones.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Darren_Wilkins.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Paul_McCafferty.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Daniel_Walton.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Kerry_Perkins.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Aasia_Baig.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Celia_Felgate.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Oliver_Percival.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Tom_Field.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Ian_Jarvis.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Peter_Chatterly.mp3
https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scaleupradio/Duncan_Gilroy.mp3
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