Episode #463 - Having a Strong ‘Why’ To Ignore Global Impact - with Ukponu Ayogu
Release Date: 03/17/2025
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...
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Episode #458 - Scaling with Strategy – A Financial Masterclass - with Ian Morgan
ScaleUp Radio
On this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we bring you a special session from ScaleUp Club, where we had the privilege of speaking with Ian Morgan, founder of MBS Accountants. Ian shares invaluable financial strategies that can help business owners scale sustainably, improve profitability, and avoid common financial pitfalls. In this conversation, Ian introduces his approach to business growth using the "3 Rs" – Retention, Repeat orders, and Re-engagement – as key drivers of marketing success and cash flow stability. He also dives deep into pricing strategy, warning against the hidden dangers of...
info_outlineI am Granger Forson, and you can find me at www.bizsmart-gloucestershire.co.uk 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 incredible success stories.
From creating streamlined tech stacks that automate processes for work-life balance, to launching the Rising Phoenix Network, Ukponu is on a mission to bring robust support to thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs. She shows us the importance of proving a business model before seeking outside funding, and how email marketing can truly change the game.
If you’re ready to learn from someone who has mentored hundreds of women already, this is the conversation for you. Tune in and discover how to realign your motivation, build a supportive community, and set the foundation for a thriving business future! ✨
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 Passion, Persistence, and Global Empowerment with Ukponu.
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/
Ukponu can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ukponuayogu/
Resources:
Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/think-and-grow-rich-the-original-classic-hill/2073500?ean=9781906465599
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-lean-startup-how-constant-innovation-creates-radically-successful-businesses-eric-ries/1171537?ean=9780670921607
Dare To Lead by Brene Brown - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/dare-to-lead-brave-work-tough-conversations-whole-hearts-brene-brown/406737?ean=9781785042140
The Female Start Up Club podcast - https://www.femalestartupclub.com/pages/podcast
Unfinished Business podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/6y2bgkjQwaNqAVusotUFMo
Mindset Manifestation podcast - https://mikaylajai.com/podcast/
Structured app - https://structured.app/
Apple Podcast app - https://www.apple.com/uk/apple-podcasts/
Digest app - https://www.producthunt.com/products/digest-app