Episode #446 - From Startup to £8M in 3 Years: The Secret Sauce of Media Planning and Scaling - with Adam Hopkinson
Release Date: 01/15/2025
Episode #468 - The Future of Collectibles Management with Elliot Riley-Walsh from Valart
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I speak with Elliot Riley-Walsh, founder and CEO of Valart, a platform revolutionising how collectors manage their prized assets. Launched in September 2023, Valart provides an agnostic solution for collectors to catalogue, value, and manage their collections—whether it's fine art, classic cars, trading cards, or even Lego! With AI-powered valuation tools, end-of-life planning, and NFT creation for provenance, Elliot and his team are creating a much-needed digital solution for collectors worldwide. What makes Valart’s growth strategy unique? Instead of...
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Episode #467 - From Corporate Life to Culinary Entrepreneurship – Suki Pantal’s Journey with Suki’s Curries and Spices
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we delve into the inspiring entrepreneurial journey of Suki Pantal, the founder of Suki’s Curries and Spices. Suki transitioned from a corporate career to building a thriving food-based business, turning her passion for Indian cuisine into a multi-faceted venture. What started as an Instagram page during the COVID-19 lockdown has since expanded into cookbooks, online cooking classes, food festival demonstrations, and social media content creation. Suki even made a notable appearance on Jamie Oliver’s TV show, The Great Cookbook Challenge, which helped...
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Episode #466 - Kindness as The Default In Cybersecurity - with Steve Mason Nova of Blue Technologies
ScaleUp Radio
I’m Granger Forson and you can find me at or on LinkedIn. On this episode, I talk with Steve Mason, the visionary behind Nova Blue Technologies, a remote-first cybersecurity company that grew from a solo startup during the lockdown to a 14-strong international team. Steve shares how a “kindness is the default” ethos permeates Nova Blue’s culture, creating an atmosphere of trust, flexibility, and empowerment. Fueled by his GCHQ and defense industry background, Steve’s focus on proactively configuring systems – rather than just alerting – sets Nova Blue’s managed...
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Episode #465 - From Military-Grade Security to SME Cyber Protection - with Peter Rucinski
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I sit down with Peter Rucinski, co-founder of Assure Technical, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and how his company has evolved to provide cybersecurity solutions for SMEs. Originally focused on high-value military and infrastructure projects, Assure Technical pivoted in 2016 to serve small and medium-sized enterprises, helping them navigate the increasingly complex world of cybersecurity. Today, they offer services like Cyber Essentials certification, penetration testing, and security audits to businesses that may not have dedicated security expertise...
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Episode #464 - Scaling High-Performance Teams with Psychological Safety and Cognitive Diversity – with Csaba Toth
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we explore the invisible forces that drive team success with Csaba Toth, the founder of ICQ Global. Csaba is an expert in psychological safety, cognitive diversity, and motivational drivers—three key factors that can make or break a scaling business. ICQ Global operates in over 50 countries, with a network of more than 100 licensed partners, and is taught in 60 universities worldwide. The company focuses on measuring and optimising team dynamics to improve collaboration, innovation, and long-term performance. Throughout our conversation, Csaba shares how...
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Episode #463 - Having a Strong ‘Why’ To Ignore Global Impact - with Ukponu Ayogu
ScaleUp Radio
I am Granger Forson, and you can find me at or connect with me on LinkedIn. In this inspiring episode, I talk with the remarkable trailblazer, Ukponu Ayogu, who is dedicated to uplifting immigrant women and mothers through coaching, mentorship, and technology solutions. We discuss her journey of starting a business born out of personal necessity – transforming her own struggle to find fulfilling work in a new country into a powerful resource for others. You’ll hear how her focus on helping women understand their ‘why’ and monetise their passions has fuelled...
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Episode #462 - From the Military To A Multi-Site Company - A “Zip” through Sean Taylor’s Business Journey
ScaleUp Radio
Hi there, and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90 and inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System. We aim 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 Sean Taylor, the founder of Zip World—one of the UK’s most exciting adventure tourism businesses. In this episode, we’ll cover three key areas: Sean’s entrepreneurial journey—how Zip World grew from a single tree-top adventure in 2007 to a multi-site operation...
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Episode #461 - Scaling a Plant-Based Protein Brand with West African Superfoods - with Chibuikem Osuchukwu
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 that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences. I’m Kevin Brent, and in today's episode, I’m joined by Chibuikem Osuchukwu, also known as Chibs, the founder of GuDee—a plant-based protein brand harnessing the power of West African superfoods. Chibs’ journey is a fascinating one. He started his career in aerospace engineering but made the bold move into entrepreneurship, driven by a passion for...
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Episode #460 - Building a Mission-Driven Food Brand – Rhian Caffull’s Journey with VegLife
ScaleUp Radio
On this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we’re joined by Rhian Caffull, the founder of VegLife, a fast-growing plant-based food brand making waves with its signature plant-based scotch eggs. What started as a small idea has now grown into a business that has sold over 70,000 units, with a strong focus on sustainability, education, and community impact. Rhian’s entrepreneurial journey began unexpectedly when she was made redundant from her job as an expedition leader during the pandemic. She turned this challenge into an opportunity, creating a plant-based alternative to the classic scotch...
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Episode #459 - Scaling, Selling, and Coaching – Dan Burner’s Entrepreneurial Journey
ScaleUp Radio
On this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we’re joined by Dan Burner, a successful entrepreneur who built and sold a multi-million-pound home care agency, scaling it from a spare bedroom operation to a business with over 1,000 staff and 1,500 clients. Today, Dan is using his experience to coach SMEs on business growth and scaling strategies. Dan shares his hard-earned lessons on what it takes to grow and exit a business successfully, from investing ahead of growth and implementing strong systems to the emotional and strategic challenges of selling a company. Now, as a business coach, he works with a...
info_outlineHi there, I’m Granger Forson. You can find me at [www.bizsmart-gloucestershire.co.uk](http://www.bizsmart-gloucestershire.co.uk) or connect with me on LinkedIn. In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I speak with Adam Hopkinson, founder of PASHN Media Agency.
PASHN Media, founded in 2022, is a dynamic media planning and buying agency that connects brands with their ideal customers. Adam and his team specialize in the fashion, entertainment, and leisure sectors, catering to clients with advertising budgets of £1-1.5M per year. Within three years, Adam has grown PASHN to an impressive £8M in revenue with a team of 12 – all while maintaining profitability and a clear focus on innovation and client impact.
Adam shares how he built PASHN “cold,” relying on industry relationships, creative marketing, and a strong emphasis on empowering his team. From finding versatile “open water swimmers” to shaping roles as the business grows, Adam emphasizes a culture of adaptability and collaboration, ensuring the team is aligned and motivated to excel.
We also discuss the importance of financial discipline in scaling a business, with Adam highlighting the value of early financial planning and clear communication with clients. He offers invaluable insights into the challenges of startup life, including navigating difficult client relationships and maintaining a steady cash flow.
This episode is packed with actionable advice, whether you’re scaling your business or dreaming of building your own venture. Adam’s story is a masterclass in leveraging experience, staying flexible, and turning a vision into reality.
To ensure you don’t miss any inspirational future episodes, do subscribe to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts.
So, let’s now dive into the inspiring journey of growth, finding the right team, and vision with Adam Hopkinson.
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 Granger here:
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/
Adam can be found here:
https://www.instagram.com/h0pkin50n
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahopkinson1/
07944 380323
Resources:
Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/ogilvy-on-advertising-david-ogilvy/3564717?ean=9781802794960
Let’s Do The Right Thing podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/67NZfyiPQ5D3i1kNQzH089?si=4ef73f6b455a40cd
Rydoo app - https://www.rydoo.com/mobile-expense-app/
Microsoft Suite - https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/microsoft-office