Episode #476 - Redefining Education From the Ground Up - with Hayley Peacock
Release Date: 04/30/2025
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...
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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...
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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...
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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_outlineIn this inspiring episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent sits down with Hayley Peacock, a pioneering educator and entrepreneur who is reshaping the way we think about learning, leadership, and scaling purpose-driven businesses.
From a single mother navigating life on benefits to building multi-million pound education ventures, Hayley's story is as powerful as it is practical. She is the founder of Little Barn Owls Nursery Group, with five thriving settings across West Sussex, and the trailblazing Atelia 21 Future School, offering inquiry-based education for children aged 4 to 16. Her approach is grounded in the Reggio Emilia philosophy, viewing children as capable, curious learners who can shape their own educational journeys.
We cover Hayley’s entrepreneurial evolution, her innovative educational methods, and the challenges she’s faced scaling both culture and operations across her organisations.
🔍 In This Episode:
- The bold leap from journalism to education – and buying her first nursery with a loan using her house as security
- How Reggio Emilia and play-based learning can transform outcomes from birth to 16
- The shift from command-and-control leadership to collaborative, culture-driven growth
- Systemising for scale: lessons from expanding from one to five nursery locations
- Building a legacy: her mission to impact a million children's lives
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 Hayley.
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/
Hayley can be found here:
https://hayleypeacockeducation.co.uk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayley-peacock-208b26264/
https://www.facebook.com/LittleBarnOwlsForestFarmSchool/?locale=en_GB
Resources:
What’s The Point Of School? By Guy Claxton - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/what-s-the-point-of-school-rediscovering-the-heart-of-education-guy-claxton/3806777?ean=9781851686032
Reggio Emilia - https://www.reggiochildren.it/en/reggio-emilia-approach/
The CoCo Note app - https://coconote.app/