Episode #571 - ScaleUp Club - Dr. Serge Santos on Letting Go, Building Legacy, and Leading with Purpose
Release Date: 02/09/2026
Episode #571 - ScaleUp Club - Dr. Serge Santos on Letting Go, Building Legacy, and Leading with Purpose
ScaleUp Radio
This episode of ScaleUp Radio is part of our Scale-Up Club spotlight series – a special format where we welcome back a previous guest to go deeper in a live Q&A session with our Scale-Up Club members. This time, we shine the spotlight on Dr. Serge Santos, also known as The Business Physicist – and for good reason. Serge brings a rare blend of financial acumen, physics-trained problem solving, and a deep passion for business legacy. From being made redundant in 2013 to raising £700 million and running three growing businesses under his Bedrock Enterprises group, Serge speaks with...
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Episode #570 - ScaleUp Radio Shorts – The Veteran vs The Challenger: Value, Grit & the Art of Scaling
ScaleUp Radio
In this punchy episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts, hosts Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt unpack the sharpest lessons from two remarkably different guests – and the surprising connections between them. On one side: 🧠 Andrew Bloch; seasoned PR expert, co-founder of Frank PR, and now high-level "fixer" and M&A advisor. On the other: 🚀 Claudiu Cogalniceanu; scrappy startup founder of Sentrya, fighting phishing with tech while driving Uber to fund his dream. Despite being at opposite ends of the business spectrum, their journeys share deep truths about scaling, resilience, and self-awareness....
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Episode #569 - Turning Procrastination Into Progress – How Graeme Tennick Is Reimagining Accountancy Through Impact, Habits and Accountability
ScaleUp Radio
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Graeme Tennick, the founder of Tennick Accountants – a firm that’s challenging the traditional view of accountants as compliance providers by driving real strategic impact for clients and the wider community. Graeme shares how his firm has rooted itself in a compelling mission: to make lives better – for their team, their clients, and even the world. And this isn’t just a tagline. From the way they set goals with clients to how they measure internal performance and reward behaviour, it’s clear that purpose drives everything...
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Episode #568 - ScaleUp Club - How to Build a High-Performing Team Culture - with Alina Stancu
ScaleUp Radio
In this special ScaleUp Club VIP session, we’re joined by Alina Stancu, co-founder of The Orange Notebook, for a focused and interactive discussion on what it really takes to build a high-performing team culture, even with a remote team or contractors. Through practical frameworks, lived experience, and powerful case studies, Alina guides us through how culture is either fuelling or silently stalling your business, and what you can do about it. You’ll hear: 🔸 Why most cultural breakdowns stem from missing safety and purpose – and why these two ingredients are non-negotiable. 🔸 How...
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Episode #567 - Rocket Science vs Business Rates - Scaling Lessons from Both Worlds
ScaleUp Radio
In this special edition of ScaleUp Radio Shorts, Kevin Brent and Granger Forson dive into two recent interviews that couldn’t be more different on the surface; but reveal some remarkably similar lessons underneath. On one side, we have Aqeel Shamsul, founder of cutting-edge space biotech startup Frontier Space, turning microgravity into a drug development advantage. On the other, Tom Perry and Ella Chapman from Holloway Bond, redefining the approach to business rates recovery through data-led outreach and customer-first practices. From rocket science to rateable values, this episode is a...
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Episode #566 - Why Doing Things Differently with approaching Business Rates Helped This Young Business Scale Without Losing Control - with Tom Perry & Ella Chapman
ScaleUp Radio
Granger Forson here from and on LinkedIn, and in this episode of ScaleUp Radio I’m joined by Tom Perry and Ella Chapman, founders of Holloway Bond. In just three years, Tom and Ella have quietly built a specialist business that champions companies who are unknowingly overpaying business rates. Rather than chasing every prospect, Holloway Bond flips the model on its head by using data to proactively identify who they can truly help, before ever picking up the phone. What stands out immediately is their integrity. Operating on a no-win-no-fee basis, they only take on...
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Episode #565 - Unlocking Drug Discovery in Space - with Aqeel Shamsul of Frontier Space
ScaleUp Radio
What if the future of drug discovery isn’t on Earth? In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Aqeel Shamsul, the visionary CEO and co-founder of Frontier Space, a UK-based space biotech company developing shoebox-sized biolabs to unlock the power of microgravity for pharmaceutical R&D. Spun out of Aqeel’s PhD at Cranfield University, Frontier Space is on a mission to make in-space research and biomanufacturing accessible, affordable, and impactful, and they’ve already achieved what few startups can: bootstrapping two space missions and securing over £1.3M in...
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Episode #564 - From water tech to rewards apps - what scaling really takes
ScaleUp Radio
In this ScaleUp Radio Shorts episode, Kevin Brent and Granger Forson compare the fascinating journeys of two recent guests: Samantha Mant, founder of Halcyan Water, and Sarah O’Neill, founder of The Cotswold Collective. While their businesses couldn’t be more different, one focused on water sustainability and the other on community-driven rewards, what unites both founders is their deep sense of mission and their ability to scale with authenticity. The conversation dives into: Why they started: One sparked by environmental impact, the other from a need for community. Marketing with heart...
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Episode #563 - Turning Isolation into Growing A Collective That Transforms Local Shopping Into Shared Purpose - with Sarah O'Neill
ScaleUp Radio
Find me, Granger Forson, at or on LinkedIn. Sarah O’Neill’s journey began with a simple, heartfelt need: to feel part of a community again. What started as a personal response to the isolation of lockdowns grew into Cotswold Collective, a thriving rewards-based membership platform dedicated to supporting local businesses and bringing people together. Her background in marketing and events became the spark that helped transform a difficult season of life into something meaningful for thousands of others. In our conversation, Sarah shares the early days of the...
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Episode #562 - Making Water Behave, Saving Energy And Scaling A Mission That Matters - with Samantha Mant
ScaleUp Radio
Welcome to another inspiring episode with me, Granger Forson find me at or on as I sit down with Samantha Mant, CEO and Founder of Halcyan Water, a business transforming the way homes and companies manage hard water and energy efficiency. Samantha’s journey began in the world of beautiful bathroom design, where she repeatedly saw installations deteriorate in just months. Instead of accepting that frustration, she experimented. She searched globally, discovered a technology that could turn badly behaved hard water into nicely behaved hard water, and...
info_outlineThis episode of ScaleUp Radio is part of our Scale-Up Club spotlight series – a special format where we welcome back a previous guest to go deeper in a live Q&A session with our Scale-Up Club members.
This time, we shine the spotlight on Dr. Serge Santos, also known as The Business Physicist – and for good reason. Serge brings a rare blend of financial acumen, physics-trained problem solving, and a deep passion for business legacy.
From being made redundant in 2013 to raising £700 million and running three growing businesses under his Bedrock Enterprises group, Serge speaks with refreshing honesty about the real challenges of scaling – and the mindset shifts required to succeed.
This engaging Q&A covers wide-ranging questions from the audience, including:
- How Serge transitioned from founder to multi-business leader
- His approach to building empowered leadership teams
- Why culture is the bedrock – and how to enforce a “no dickhead policy”
- Letting go of control, and why founders often become their own bottleneck
- Balancing long-term investment with short-term performance
- His thought process for setting strategic direction across multiple businesses
- And why legacy matters more than ego
Expect practical advice, candid reflections, and a healthy dose of inspiration.
The standout message?
“You can’t build legacy if the business is still about you. Step back, empower others, and invest in a culture that can thrive without you.”
The one key thing you’ll take away?
If you want to scale, you have to learn to let go – and build a team and culture that doesn't rely on you.
Quick heads-up, we’re looking for a handful of founders to test our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite app.
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You can get access by emailing: kevin@biz-smart.co.uk
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For now, continue listening for the full Q&A session with Serge.
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Serge can be found here: