Episode #455 - Developing An Innovative Business In The Hospitality Industry - with Raluca Epureanu
Release Date: 02/17/2025
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_outline
Episode #485 - Aligning Business With Values, To Create A Winning Marketplace - with Lorraine Allman
ScaleUp Radio
On this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Lorraine Allman, a purpose-driven entrepreneur and the founder of Party Without Plastic – a marketplace for sustainable, plastic-free party supplies that launched in spring 2024 and is already on an exciting growth trajectory. Lorraine brings a wealth of experience to the conversation, having built and scaled multiple ventures. In this insightful and honest discussion, she shares the highs and lows of her journey so far, from funding challenges to transitioning from founder-led to team-based operations, all while keeping a firm eye...
info_outline
Episode #484 - Building Trust and Clarity in Financial Planning - with Matthew Naylor
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we’re joined by Matthew Naylor, the founder of Whitestone Financial Planning, an independent financial advisory firm that’s built around one core value – personal connection. Matthew shares the fascinating journey of launching his own advisory firm just three years ago, following a career that began not in finance, but in law. After realising his passion for working directly with clients and demystifying the world of finance, Matthew stepped into entrepreneurship – and never looked back. We explore how Whitestone stands apart by prioritising genuine...
info_outline
Episode #483 - ScaleUp Presentation - with Tom Hughes from Gemba Docs
ScaleUp Radio
In this ScaleUp Club exclusive Q&A edition of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Tom Hughes, CEO of Gemba Docs, for a practical and eye-opening discussion on Lean Thinking for SMEs. Tom brings decades of experience in operational excellence and process improvement and shares how small businesses can adopt lean principles without over-complicating things. This session breaks down what lean really looks like in a small business context – and it’s not about cutting costs or mimicking manufacturing giants. It’s about reducing struggle, improving value flow, and making work life...
info_outline
Episode #482 - Unlocking Business Growth the Human Way - with Bob Hayward
ScaleUp Radio
Welcome to another episode of ScaleUp Radio with me, Granger Forson. You can find me at or on LinkedIn. This time, I had the true pleasure of talking to Bob Hayward, founder of two incredible ventures: Be More Effective and Key Performance Training. Bob’s entrepreneurial journey is not only seasoned with decades of experience but fuelled by a deep commitment to improving the lives of others. His business Be More Effective is a consultancy designed to unlock human potential through the scientific blend of coaching, training and recruitment, all...
info_outline
Episode #481 - Utilising AI to Help Beat Workplace Stress - with Moksha Menon
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we dive into the fascinating journey of Moksha Menon, the driving force behind &I Technologies Ltd and its flagship product, Moai – an AI-powered stress management app designed specifically for the workplace. What began as a university project evolved over four years into a proactive SaaS solution aimed at revolutionising how organisations approach employee stress. Moksha shares how her team pivoted from a hardware concept to a software-first strategy, learning key lessons about resilience, product-market fit, and the power of community support along the...
info_outline
Episode #480 - Building A Gym Business Where Everyone Finally Feels At Home - with Louise Williams
ScaleUp Radio
I’m Granger Forson and you can find me at or connect with me on LinkedIn. Today on ScaleUp Radio, I’m chatting with Louise Williams, co-owner of Solace Gym in Cheltenham and the warm personality behind the Pink Pear Bear blog. Louise shares her inspiring journey from feeling frustrated by the unrealistic “insta-perfect” images of motherhood to embracing her own ADHD diagnosis and turning her desire to help others into a thriving community-centered gym. She believed wholeheartedly in creating a place where everyone, from teenagers to seniors, could comfortably work out...
info_outline
Episode #479 - Creating Authentic Content & Sustainable Growth - with Andrew Kelly
ScaleUp Radio
On this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we dive into the story of Andrew Kelly, the founder of Eightyfive90, a dynamic digital content production company specialising in photography, videography, and drone services. Andrew shares how he turned a crisis into an opportunity when the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to re-evaluate his business strategy – a move that led to significant growth. With turnover increasing by 48% in the last year, Eightyfive90 has expanded beyond Northern Ireland to work with clients in Southern Ireland and internationally. Beyond the lens of content creation, Andrew is also...
info_outline
Episode #478 - Marketing That Puts Rural Businesses on the Map - with Liz Graney
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Liz Graney, founder of Escape the Village, a marketing business born out of her own career pivot from corporate life. Based in rural Britain, Liz has a passion for helping small, often-overlooked rural businesses overcome unique challenges to thrive in a digital-first world. Founded in October 2023, Escape the Village specialises in marketing support for what Liz describes as “well-kept secrets” – rural businesses that struggle with infrastructure limitations, visibility issues, and digital accessibility. From building websites...
info_outline
Episode #477 - Creating Joyful, Sustainable Business for Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs - with Nikki Butler
ScaleUp Radio
In this enlightening episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Nikki Butler, the dynamic founder behind The Autistic Joyologist. Nikki shares her powerful journey from corporate burnout to creating a thriving, purposeful business that supports neurodivergent entrepreneurs in finding joy, balance and authenticity. Nikki was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of 36, and what followed was a profound transformation. Through her personal experiences and professional insights, she now empowers others through coaching, mentoring and her innovative RADIATE model – a framework for...
info_outlineIn this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we sit down with Raluca Epureanu, the founder of Flairmakers—a pioneering talent-on-demand platform designed specifically for the hospitality industry. Raluca shares her inspiring journey from concept to creation, revealing how Flairmakers is revolutionising the freelance talent landscape by integrating skills training directly into their platform.
Key Highlights:
- Innovative Business Model: Flairmakers connects hospitality businesses with freelance talent for short-term assignments, while also providing integrated training to expand the freelance talent pool.
- Funding Success: After raising an impressive £275,000 in a friends and family round, Flairmakers is now pursuing a pre-seed round with institutional investors to scale their impact.
- Challenges and Lessons Learned: Raluca discusses the delicate balance between product development and fundraising, along with the critical importance of defining a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) without falling into the perfectionism trap.
- Market Opportunity: With the travel and tourism industry representing 7% of global GDP, Flairmakers is tapping into a vast market, addressing the growing demand for skilled freelancers in the post-2020 world.
- Vision and Mission: Raluca’s goal is clear—establish Flairmakers as the global go-to platform for hospitality freelancers, empowering professionals through fair pay and lifelong learning.
Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts.
For now, continue listening for the full story from Raluca.
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:
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/
Raluca can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/flairmakers/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/raluca-epureanu/
Resources:
McKinsey Quarterly - https://www.mckinsey.com/quarterly/overview
The Diary of a CEO podcast - https://stevenbartlett.com/doac/
Cashing Out: How To Sell To Private Equity by Alexis Sikorsky - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/cashing-out-the-business-owner-s-guide-to-selling-to-private-equity-alexis-sikorsky/7660646?ean=9781781338476
Slack - https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/
Fathom - https://fathom.video/