Episode #533 - ScaleUp Club - Sustainability Isn't Just A Moral Imperative, It's A Competitive Advantage for SME's - with Alexandra Smith
Release Date: 10/29/2025
Episode #540 - Curing Cancer, One Person at a Time: The Power of Personalised Vaccines - with Prasun Chakraborty
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we're diving into the groundbreaking world of personalised cancer treatments with Prasun Chakraborty, founder of Genevation – a biotech startup on a mission to revolutionise how we treat and potentially prevent cancer. Unlike the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to oncology, Genevation is using advanced AI and genetic sequencing to create custom mRNA cancer vaccines for individual patients – in just 14 days. Prasun shares the inspiring story behind the business, the massive challenges of scaling deep-tech biotech, and his clear vision of a future...
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Episode #539 - Scaling with Heart vs Head: Lessons from Two Founders
ScaleUp Radio
In this special ScaleUp Radio Shorts episode, Kevin Brent and Granger Forson take a step back to reflect on two contrasting founder journeys shared recently on the podcast: Paul Wray, founder of Breakspeare Clinic, a values-driven physiotherapy business Joe van Gelder, founder of fintech firm Powdr, a fast-scaling tech company Although these two founders operate in completely different industries and approach business from opposite ends of the personality spectrum, their journeys reveal powerful shared lessons about scaling, leadership and founder development. What You’ll Learn in...
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Episode #538 - When Pain Sparks Purpose: How a Physiotherapist Built a Thriving Multi-Site Practice through Learning to Lead Every Step of the Way - with Paul Wray
ScaleUp Radio
Hi, I’m Granger Forson from , or find me on LinkedIn, and in this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I’m joined by Paul Wray, the owner of Breakspeare Clinic, a multi-site physiotherapy and wellness practice based in West Oxfordshire. Paul’s story is one of continuous learning, resilience, and a genuine commitment to helping people move better and live pain-free lives. Starting as a physiotherapist over 30 years ago, he worked within the NHS before joining Breakspeare Clinic, eventually buying the business after a decade of hands-on experience. Today, his...
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Episode #537 - Rebuilding Financial Modelling from the Ground Up – with Joe van Gelder
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Joe van Gelder, CEO and co-founder of Powdr – a SaaS-enabled consultancy that’s revolutionising the way businesses build and use financial models. Joe shares the journey of transforming a traditional consultancy into a product-led business by solving a real-world pain point: fragile, expensive, and ineffective financial modelling tools. With Powdr, he’s helping scaling businesses make better strategic decisions – faster and more affordably – using robust, investor-grade financial models. The conversation follows the typical...
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Episode#536 - The 'Needy Dog' Economy: Why Authenticity Beats Corporate Jargon When You're Scaling Your Service Business– Lessons from Harry, Tom & Louise
ScaleUp Radio
Hosts: Kevin Brent & Granger Forson Produced with the help of AI 🔎 Episode Overview: In this week’s ScaleUp Radio Shorts, Kevin Brent and Granger Forson reflect on powerful insights from three of the most recent guests on ScaleUp Radio: Harry Shearer – Shearer Associates (Recruitment) Tom Locke – Habitat+ Architects (Architecture & Design) Louise Hampton – Attend2Health (Healthcare & Wellness) From recruitment to healthcare to sustainable architecture, these founder journeys might seem worlds apart — but Kevin and Granger tease out the surprising commonalities and...
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Episode #535 - Ahead of the Curve: Building Better Futures through Sustainable Architecture and Learning - with Tom Locke
ScaleUp Radio
Hi, I’m Granger Forson from , or find me on LinkedIn, and in this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I’m joined by Tom Locke, co-founder of Habitat+ Architects, a Gloucestershire-based practice that’s redefining how sustainability meets great design. Tom’s journey is one of courage and curiosity. He and his business partner stepped away from the comfort of employment during COVID to create a business that truly reflected their values. Their goal? To build spaces that not only look beautiful but also work in harmony with the environment and the people...
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Episode #534 - From Clinic to Community Hub: The Scaling Up of Attend2Health - with Louise Hampton
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, we dive into the inspiring journey of Louise Hampton, founder of Attend2Health, a thriving multidisciplinary health clinic based in Buntingford. Starting in 2007 with just three rented treatment rooms, Louise has scaled her business into a nine-room, fully owned clinic with a community studio – all housed in a former Barclays Bank. Louise shares the bold decisions, financial risks, and long-term planning that made this transformation possible. We explore how Louise navigated rising costs, developed new revenue streams like Pilates classes, and maintained a...
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Episode #533 - ScaleUp Club - Sustainability Isn't Just A Moral Imperative, It's A Competitive Advantage for SME's - with Alexandra Smith
ScaleUp Radio
In this special episode of ScaleUp Radio, we're bringing you insights from our monthly ScaleUp Club session, where we were joined by Alexandra Smith, co-founder of FuturePlus. Alexandra delivered a powerful session focused on how sustainability is not just a moral imperative – it’s a competitive advantage for SMEs. Drawing from real-world examples and her work with FuturePlus, Alexandra made a compelling case for embedding sustainability as a strategic pillar in business decision-making – on equal footing with finance and operations. From government contracts to talent retention, and...
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Episode #532 - How a Family Duo Redefined Recruitment with Heart, Honesty and Local Spirit - with Harry Shearer
ScaleUp Radio
I’m Granger Forson, and you can find me at or on . In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, I’m joined by Harry Shearer, co-founder of Shearer Associates, a Gloucestershire-based finance recruitment firm that’s built its success on relationships, trust, and a strong local ethos. Harry shares how he and his mum, Claire, turned a simple “why not give it a go?” conversation in their garden into a thriving recruitment business serving Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Their approach is refreshingly personal in a world increasingly driven by KPIs...
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Episode #531 - Getting Creative In The Financial Space To Create A Successful Team - with Helen Bower
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Helen Bower, founder of Adder Bookkeeping, a practice she built from a solo venture to a thriving 8-person business over the course of two decades. Recently, Helen sold the business to Fresh Financials Group and now works part-time, having achieved her goal of a better work-life balance. Helen’s journey is a fantastic case study in growing a service-based business with purpose, resilience, and a bit of creativity. What began as a way to balance work and family life gradually evolved into a scalable, systemised business with a strong...
info_outlineIn this special episode of ScaleUp Radio, we're bringing you insights from our monthly ScaleUp Club session, where we were joined by Alexandra Smith, co-founder of FuturePlus. Alexandra delivered a powerful session focused on how sustainability is not just a moral imperative – it’s a competitive advantage for SMEs.
Drawing from real-world examples and her work with FuturePlus, Alexandra made a compelling case for embedding sustainability as a strategic pillar in business decision-making – on equal footing with finance and operations. From government contracts to talent retention, and from resource efficiency to brand value, sustainability, when done right, drives profit and resilience.
She also tackled one of the hottest topics in business today: the role of AI in sustainability. While AI offers exciting potential, Alexandra was clear that it must be guided by human insight – especially in the SME space, where data is often limited or inconsistent.
During the Q&A session, we explored key distinctions between how microbusinesses and large corporates approach sustainability, and the importance of moving from tick-box compliance to strategic value creation.
What we covered:
- Why sustainability is a profit driver, not a cost
- The importance of establishing a central sustainability baseline
- How FuturePlus simplifies sustainability through its guided SaaS platform
- Why AI can’t replace human oversight in setting and interpreting sustainability goals
- Practical steps SMEs can take today – no matter their size or budget
Standout Message:
“Sustainability should be the third pillar of every strategic decision – right alongside finance and operations.”
Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts. You can also nominate a guest for ScaleUp Radio if you know someone with an interesting scaleup story – you can find how in the shownotes.
For now, continue listening for the full story from Alexandra.
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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/
Alexandra can be found here