Scale To Win with Dominic Monkhouse

Most people overcomplicate leadership. They're looking for the next framework, trying to do technical leadership that just doesn't work. Paul Adamson spent 25 years sailing yachts around the world—including two years circumnavigating with Eddie Jordan on an Oyster 885—and he learned that leadership isn't about theory. It's about making decisions without all the information, leading from the front, and remaining calm when the pressure is on. Then he walked into Oyster Yachts (the manufacturer of those luxury yachts) when it went into administration, won it out of admin by deliberately breaking the rules, and rebuilt it from zero to a £200M order book with 700 employees in four years.In this episode, Paul reveals why great leaders are energy-rich (not uninspiring boring managers), why you can't KPI great leadership, and why the three levers of state management—focus, inner dialogue, and movement—underpin everything in business. He shares his Virgin Atlantic story about blagging a gold card, getting upgraded to upper class by a flight manager who knew when to break the rules, and how copying Richard Branson into an Instagram post led to a phone call that changed everything. He also opens up about being diagnosed with lymphoma two weeks after leaving Oyster, how he applied everything he'd taught for years to his own health challenge, and why that gift led him to help raise £3M for follicular lymphoma research that could unlock cures for pancreatic cancer, leukaemia, and other incurables.What you'll learn:⚡ Why great leaders are energy-rich and how to manage your state (focus, inner dialogue, movement)🎯 The difference between managers (follow rules) and leaders (know when to break them)🚢 How to lead without all the information (lessons from sailing in high-stakes environments)💼 How to rebuild a business from administration to £200M order book (earn trust, two words)🇬🇧 Why UK social conditioning makes it hard to be energy-rich vs American optimism📊 Why you can't KPI great leadership—it's about being a lighthouse, not hitting metrics💪 How to find the gift in every challenge (even lymphoma diagnosis)🎤 Why copying Richard Branson into an Instagram post was the right moveBook recommendations:Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/1846041244Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0091816971Shine: How to Navigate Life's Curveballs - Paul Adamson (forthcoming)About the Guest:Paul Adamson is a leadership and teamwork speaker who spent 25 years as a professional yacht skipper sailing luxury yachts around the world before transitioning into the business world about 15 years ago. His leadership development wasn't theoretical—it was forged at sea where you learn to lead from the front pretty quickly because in high-stakes environments, if you're not leading, you get into issues fast. Leadership at sea means making decisions without perfect information, remaining calm under pressure, and managing your emotional state when lives depend on it.Connect with Paul Adamson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-adamson--------Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseChapters:00:00 Introduction01:03 Transition from yacht skipper to business leadership07:45 Managing leadership styles through challenging transitions15:05 Utilising energy richness and state management19:00 Emphasising focus, inner dialogue and movement23:00 The importance of rule-breaking for leadership success27:00 Virgin Atlantic story – making customers raving fans34:45 Rebuilding Oyster Yachts from administration to success39:20 Strategic mindset: Earning trust to build a business43:00 Achievements and challenges at Oyster Yachts52:00 Transition from Oyster and personal health challenges56:30 Navigating a lymphoma diagnosis with a leadership mindset1:05:30 Paul’s book recommendations and personal insights on leadership

Council estate South London to 30 mergers and acquisitions. No capital, no plan, but always knew wealth was what he wanted. Lee Smith went from DJ to jewellers to law firms to web design and IT—then discovered mergers and acquisitions in 2014 and everything changed. Now he's building two sector groups to £10M in profit, buying businesses at 3-4x multiples and exiting at 7-10x, and he's got some contrarian views that'll make you rethink everything about UK business ownership.In this episode, Lee reveals why buying 100% of a business is almost always the worst deal structure, why you don't need to understand what a business does to own it successfully, and why by the end of this decade the most valuable asset in Britain will be an SME producing profits. He shares his ethical partnership structure that keeps founders and directors aligned, explains how he bought an HVAC company he barely understands and grew it while only being there one day per week, and why he thinks the UK government is waging war on business owners—making it harder to employ people, easier for rogue employees to sue, and creating a clear choice by 2030: own a business with options and spare cash, or be an employee struggling more than ever.What you'll learn:🏢 Why you don't need to understand a business to own it (just need right people in right seats)💰 How to structure deals that keep founders and key directors aligned (20% founder retention + director equity)📊 What to look for when buying: £2M+ revenue, second-tier management in place, profitability doesn't matter🎯 The buy-build-sell playbook: buy at 3-4x EBITDA, build to £10M+ profit, exit at 7-10x⚠️ Why the UK government is anti-business (more taxes, more regulation, easier to sue companies)Book recommendations:Who? - Geoff Smart & Randy Street - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Method-Hiring-Geoff-Smart/dp/0345504194Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/9388423526Die with Zero - Bill Perkins - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Die-Zero-Getting-Your-Money/dp/0358099765The Fourth Turning - William Strauss & Neil Howe - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourth-Turning-American-Prophecy-Rendezvous/dp/0767900464About the Guest:Lee Smith grew up on a council estate in South London with no capital behind him and no plan to wealth—but he always knew wealth was something he wanted to achieve. His career path was unconventional: DJ, jewellers, law firms, then starting his own web design and IT company. In 2014, he discovered mergers and acquisitions, which "completely flipped the switch" in his life. He's now completed 30 M&A transactions and is building two separate sector groups (HVAC/construction and renewable energy) to £10M in profit.His key message to business owners: the UK government is waging war on individuals through cost-of-living, energy costs, and employment regulations. By 2030, there will be a clear choice—either own a business and have options and spare cash, or be an employee struggling even more than now. His ideal scenario: buy more businesses, make all employees shareholders through EMI schemes, so when they exit, everyone gets a payday that gets them onto the wealth ladder.Connect with Lee Smith - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeantonysmith/--------Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseChapters:00:00 Introduction02:03 Views on UK government's impact on business06:58 Why Lee chose to buy into HVAC sector08:44 Structuring deals with existing management in mind12:28 Challenges small businesses face in scaling and compliance14:36 Critique of UK government’s business policies20:02 Advice for first-time business buyers25:11 Offering employee share schemes to improve engagement31:27 Reflection on challenges like contracting with tier one customers35:27 Recommended books that influenced Lee’s outlook37:46 The Fourth Turning's impact on Lee's family planning

Work-life balance is a complete myth for founders and CEOs. The experience myth keeps people pigeonholed. Goals should force your identity change, not the other way around. Eric Partaker—McKinsey consultant turned Skype early team member turned restaurant chain founder turned CEO coach with 1.2M LinkedIn followers—breaks down why everything you've been told about building a successful career and company is backwards.In this episode, Eric shares why he went from world's worst procrastinator (bought books in 2000, didn't read them until 2010) to super producer, why he lost everything when his restaurant chain went up in smoke during COVID, and why that experience made him a better coach. He also unpacks the cultural differences between US optimism, UK scepticism, and Norwegian Janteloven (the law that says "you shall not think you are anything"), and why the Vikings' entrepreneurial spirit somehow disappeared from modern Norway.What you'll learn:⚖️ Why work-life balance is a myth—it's really about work-life satisfaction🎯 Why going for 10X goals forces identity change (not choosing identity first)🌍 How cultural attitudes toward ambition differ: US vs UK vs Norway📈 Why 10X is easier than 10%—and how it fundamentally changes thinking🏅 Why we don't question Olympic athletes chasing gold medals but judge business people💼 Why star performers deliver 800% more output than average in complex rolesBook recommendations:The Now Habit - Neil Fiore - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-Guilt-Free/dp/1585425524The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Lencioni/dp/0787960756Built to Last - Jim Collins & Jerry Porras - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402About the Guest:Eric Partaker is a CEO coach, mentor, and peak performance expert who built a 1.2M+ following on LinkedIn over the last couple of years despite being 50 years old and "not a social media person" three years ago. His career has been a chain of massive pivots: started as a consultant at McKinsey, joined the early team at Skype (back when people actually used Skype before Riverside), helped with the blitz-scaling that led to a $2-3 billion exit to eBay about 21 years ago, then did a complete pivot to build a Mexican restaurant chain called Chilango.He went from being the world's worst procrastinator (so bad he bought books on overcoming procrastination in 2000 and didn't read them until 2010) to a super producer after reading The Now Habit by Neil Fiore. He credits Five Dysfunctions of a Team for helping him optimise leadership teams (particularly around avoidance of conflict and artificial harmony) and Built to Last for optimising company performance. His current mission: helping founders and CEOs stop pursuing the myth of balance, go for 10X goals that force identity change, and just have the courage to do whatever that critical thing is they're avoiding right now.--------Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseChapters:00:00 Introduction01:00 Eric's diverse career journey and background06:02 10x goals and their impact on mindset09:45 Cultural influences on ambition and success12:35 Work-life balance vs. work-life satisfaction18:01 Fascination with achievement and peak performance22:38 Transition from McKinsey to creating a restaurant chain28:03 Reflecting on debt and expansion mistakes33:30 Building leadership teams and hiring strategies38:43 Importance of reallocating resources and hiring stars40:42 Understanding and addressing business constraints42:28 Books that transformed Eric's personal and professional growth

Formal education is becoming irrelevant. The UK is a great place to build a business. These aren't platitudes—they're battle-tested beliefs from someone who spent 20 years in the military, led the UK's COVID testing programme, and is now co-founding Electric Twin with Ben Warner (the PM's former chief data advisor) to build synthetic audiences that let businesses test decisions in seconds rather than weeks.In this episode, Alex Cooper breaks down why the most memorable periods of your life will be the ones where you had zero balance, why you should hire polymaths with agility and hunger rather than certificates in AI, and how his company uses generative AI to simulate human decision-making with startling accuracy. He also shares lessons from scaling from 0 to 17 people, why founder-led sales matters even when you've never done it before, and why he'd rather die at 93 still working every day than retire to garden.What you'll learn:🎓 Why formal education and skills-based qualifications are becoming increasingly irrelevant🇬🇧 Why London is an underrated place to build a tech business (despite the moaning)⚖️ Why balance is bullshit—and why your deathbed memories will be from the unbalanced times🤖 How synthetic audiences let you test business decisions in seconds with real-world accuracy🚀 Why the OODA loop (Observe, Orientate, Decide, Act) gives decisive competitive advantage💼 Why founder-led sales is essential even when you've never done sales beforeBook recommendations:The Box - Marc Levinson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller-Economy/dp/0691170819My War Gone By, I Miss It So - Anthony Lloyd - https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Gone-Miss-Anthony-Loyd/dp/0140298541Bad Blood - John Carreyrou - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Blood-Secrets-Silicon-Startup/dp/1509868054About the Guest:It was during COVID that Alex met his co-founder Ben Warner, who was the Prime Minister's chief advisor for data and digital. They became friends, and a couple of years after the pandemic, Ben suggested they set up a business together. At the time, Ben had been experimenting with early AI models to try to simulate human decision-making, but the models weren't good enough. With the advent of generative AI, it became possible—and Electric Twin was born. The company combines high-quality seed data, builds out synthetic populations of agents, and uses complex processes powered by commercial LLMs (they don't have their own model) to generate results that match real-world responses. They've run 40,000 evaluations to date.Electric Twin now has 17 people and works primarily with enterprise clients like News UK (The Times), helping them make decisions about everything from podcast positioning to content strategy to product launches—all in seconds rather than the weeks traditional market research would take. They brought in a head of sales from MongoDB last year who implemented the MEDIC framework with discipline, focusing on setting up long-term relationships rather than rushing to close deals. The company has raised funding, is targeting the US market, and Alex is adamant about maintaining talent density as they scale from 17 to 50 people through what he calls "quite a difficult phase."Alex is unapologetically elitist—he loves being around super smart people who are the best at their job, which is all he's known for 20 years. He's nearly 50, has no retirement plans, and would rather be like his mentor who came into the House of Lords every day at 93 because "otherwise my brain would rot." He reads voraciously and eclectically (five books on piracy while surfing in Mexico, four books on shipping containers), spends weekends in South Wales mending fences and making cider to physically dislocate from the AI world, and firmly believes the periods of his life he'll remember on his deathbed are the ones where he had no balance whatsoever.Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseChapters:00:00 Introduction01:00 Formal education vs lifelong learning in the AI era04:02 Why balance is overrated and intense focus matters09:00 From army officer to founder of an AI startup13:54 Building human behaviour simulations with synthetic audiences17:17 How generative AI powers accurate real-time decision testing21:12 COVID, consumer behaviour, and why experts often get it wrong28:08 Why London is still a top place to start a business33:18 Lessons from 20 years in the military37:28 Scaling culture from 17 to 50 employees42:15 Learning B2B sales and the power of founder-led GTM47:58 Charisma, fraud, and lessons from Bad Blood and Theranos

Market research used to take four weeks and cost $20,000. Steve Phillips built Zappi to turn that into four hours and $2,000—and he started 12 years ago, long before generative AI made this vision sound obvious. Now, with nearly 300 people and $80 million in revenue, he's challenging his organisation to double revenues in five years without adding headcount by pairing every employee with an AI agent to handle the annoying, time-consuming work.In this episode, Steve breaks down why entrepreneurs can actually be lazy (in the right way), why you should never hire yourself, why innovation is a mindset rather than an age, and how going from 40 to 140 people in six months was utterly disastrous but created an amazing culture that propelled the business for years. He also shares why he stepped aside as CEO, how he maintains his role as Chief Innovation Officer, and why the future is already here—we're just not utilising AI to do amazing things in business yet.What you'll learn:💡 Why entrepreneurs can be lazy—and why doing "work" might be the wrong thing🚫 Why you should hire for your weaknesses, not people who are just like you🧠 Why innovation is a mindset at 56, not just for 23-year-olds in garages🤖 How to pair every employee with an AI agent to automate administrative tasks📈 Why going from 40 to 140 people in six months crashed productivity for a year⚙️ How to challenge your organisation to double revenue without increasing headcountPodcast recommendations:A16Z (Andreessen Horowitz) - https://a16z.com/podcasts/Hard Fork - New York Times / Platformer - https://www.nytimes.com/column/hard-forkAll In Podcast - https://www.allinpodcast.co/About the Guest:Steve Phillips is the founder and Chief Innovation Officer (and Chair) at Zappi, a consumer insights platform he started 12 years ago with the founding ambition of turning market research projects that took four weeks and cost $20,000 into four hours and $2,000. Zappi was AI-first from the beginning—using old-fashioned "if that, then this" automation to speed up and democratize consumer insights long before generative AI became mainstream. After merging with a South African technology company early on, Steve scaled Zappi to nearly 300 people and approximately $80 million in revenue, still growing at around 15% annually with growth rates now increasing as they focus more on AI deliverables.The company has raised multiple rounds, brought in a PE firm about three years ago to mostly replace VCs, and subsequently added new senior leaders with different skill sets (like an MIT MBA CEO who thinks very differently than Steve). Zappi had one genuine pivot—moving from automating work for other research companies to building their own IP and data asset. Now they're using AI agents internally for everything from writing quarterly business reviews to creating client proposals, and externally helping clients use their data to generate new product ideas and advertising campaigns. Steve's challenge to the organisation: double revenues in five years without increasing headcount by pairing every employee with an AI agent to eliminate time-consuming administrative tasks.Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

Companies claim they're too busy for AI, and leadership teams are bloated and ineffective. The UK's productivity crisis won't be solved by working harder. These aren't controversial opinions, they're the reality Gerry Tombs is seeing as he helps businesses navigate the AI transformation after scaling ClearVision from a garage startup to £7 million in revenue and 100 people before a successful exit three years ago.In this episode, Gerry breaks down why AI will expose leaders who aren't pulling their weight, why managers will soon oversee hybrid teams of humans and AI agents, and how the millennial generation (29-44) is perfectly positioned to lead in the AI era. He also shares the brutal lessons from scaling ClearVision over 25 years—from staying in hiring too long, to ring-fencing innovation teams, to building enough trust that his leadership team could hold each other accountable rather than relying on him to fire underperformers. And yes, he hit number one in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For—but missed the ceremony due to a migraine.What you'll learn:🤖 Why companies claiming they're "too busy for AI" are actually just terrified⚡ How AI agents will work alongside humans in hybrid teams within two years🎯 Why 50% of senior people could do more with AI—and why the rest will be exposed📊 The delegate-to-elevate framework: giving AI the work you hate so you can do what matters👥 Why leadership teams of 6-7 (including the CEO) are optimal for decision-making🏆 How Tour of Duty hiring creates adult conversations and eliminates surprise resignationsBook recommendations:The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Lencioni/dp/0787960756Raving Fans - Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raving-Fans-Revolutionary-Approach-Customer/dp/0006530958Coaching for Performance - John Whitmore - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coaching-Performance-Principles-Leadership-UPDATED/dp/1473658128Breath - James Nestor - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Breath-New-Science-Lost-Art/dp/0241289130Drive - Daniel H. Pink - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/184767769XRocket Fuel - Gino Wickman & Mark C. Winters - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rocket-Fuel-Visionary-Integrator-Relationship/dp/1941631622Flourish - Martin Seligman - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flourish-Visionary-Understanding-Happiness-Well-being/dp/1857885511The Alliance - Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alliance-Managing-Talent-Networked-Age/dp/1625275773Sign up to receive our weekly Scale To Win newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

Most people think AI is overhyped. Nick Holzherr thinks it's drastically undervalued. After selling Whisk to Samsung and scaling it from zero to 120 people across eight time zones, he's now building Gitlaw—an AI agent that creates and reviews legal documents for free, making legal services accessible to small businesses that have been priced out of the market.In this episode, Nick breaks down why fully remote distributed teams are the most effective way to scale fast, why async should be the default operating system for high-performing companies, and how he's doing the work of 50 people with a team of 15 by putting AI agents to work on everything from code to design to user feedback. He also shares why he promotes from within rather than parachuting in external managers, and how relationships built during one intense week together sustain distributed teams for the entire year.What you'll learn:🌍 Why hiring globally in a 3-4 hour time zone beats limiting yourself to local talent🤖 How AI is undervalued—and why most businesses are only scratching the surface⚡ Why async work should be your default operating system, not just a productivity hack👥 How one intense week together physically sustains remote team relationships for a year💼 Why legal services are fundamentally unfair—and how AI can level the playing field🚀 How to do the work of 50 people with 15 by orchestrating AI agents effectivelyWho should listen:✔️ Founder-CEOs scaling distributed or remote teams and navigating hiring challenges✔️ Tech leaders implementing AI and trying to understand its true potential beyond hype✔️ Anyone building products where top 5% talent makes the difference between success and failure✔️ Leaders interested in async-first cultures and alternatives to office-based workBook recommendations:Poor Charlie's Almanac - Charles T. Munger - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Poor-Charlies-Almanack-Expanded-3rd/dp/1578645018Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/1847924522How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814Podcast recommendation:Lenny's Podcast - Lenny Rachitsky - https://www.lennyspodcast.com/About the Guest:Nick Holzherr is the founder of Gitlaw, an AI agent platform that helps small businesses create and review legal documents for free—democratizing access to legal services that have historically been too expensive or too slow for SMEs. Before Gitlaw, he founded Whisk, a recipe and food tech company he scaled from zero to 120 people distributed across eight time zones (minus eight to plus eight GMT) before selling it to Samsung in 2019, where he stayed for seven years.He's a strong believer that AI's value is massively undervalued despite stock market hype, that async work should be the default for high-performing companies, and that legal documents will become 100 times cheaper and 10 times faster within one to two years. Nick has built his recent companies entirely as fully remote distributed teams, having learned that trying to hire top 5% specialized talent locally is nearly impossible unless you're paying Google or Facebook rates. Instead, he hires the best people globally within a 3-4 hour time zone, brings everyone together physically once a year for an intense week of relationship-building, and orchestrates AI agents to amplify what his lean team can accomplish.GitLaw:https://git.law/?utm_source=Interview&utm_medium=Podcasts&utm_campaign=Curious_LeadershipSign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseChapters:00:00 Introduction01:04 Nick’s background in startups, investment, and launching GitLaw03:05 Why AI will make legal work cheaper and faster07:09 The case for async work as an operating system10:01 Async culture as the foundation for AI integration12:46 Tools and rituals for managing high-output remote teams19:46 Why most companies underestimate AI’s real capabilities23:00 Using AI to 10x output without bloating team size25:58 Making legal services more accessible through GitLaw27:22 Leveraging different AI models for specific tasks29:45 Risk of AI bias, hallucination, and misplaced trust32:11 Timeless books that shaped Nick’s thinking and leadership35:33 Promoting from within vs parachuting external leaders37:26 How shared history and company culture drive better leadership

From global finance to eco-cleaning, regenerative farming, and rethinking entire systems — Mark Jankovich doesn’t do incremental change.He believes we’re living through a full-scale reset — and entrepreneurs have a responsibility to lead it.In this episode, Mark shares why climate change isn’t a mass participation problem, why consumers shouldn’t be asked to make hard choices at all, and why some products — from bleach to diesel engines — should simply disappear.You’ll hear how Delphis Eco was born from a moment of clarity on a family holiday, what he’s learned from two decades of being ahead of the curve, and why broken systems like farming, education, and climate must be fixed together — not in isolation.This is a provocative, systems-level conversation about leadership, responsibility, and designing a future where doing the right thing is the default.What you’ll learn:🌍 Why climate change messaging fails — and why it’s not a problem for the masses to solve⚙️ How removing bad choices entirely is more effective than asking people to “do better”🧴 Why bleach, virgin plastic, and outdated products should stop being sold🚗 The myths around EVs, infrastructure, and resistance to change🏢 How to build a sustainable business by letting systems and machines do the work🌱 Why soil health, education, and climate are deeply interconnected📈 What it’s really like to build a business 20 years ahead of the trendWho should listen:• Founders and CEOs building businesses with sustainability at their core• Leaders frustrated by slow progress on climate and systemic change• Entrepreneurs interested in policy, regulation, and government advisory• Anyone curious about regenerative agriculture, food systems, and land use• Builders who believe the next wave of innovation will be structural, not cosmeticChapters00:00 Introduction02:00 Mark’s worldview on cataclysmic change and entrepreneurial optimism05:02 Systems change starts with cutting off harmful choices10:03 Lessons from Dubai and the supermarket’s slow death15:20 The origin story of Delphis Eco and quitting finance17:37 Surviving 20 brutal years to finally see traction19:07 Shifting from B2B to retail and staying lean23:42 Letting tech run the business and outsourcing smartly25:46 Hiring for attitude and losing good people as you grow30:42 Rewilding unprofitable farmland for soil and social good34:07 How farming, education and nature can solve each other39:12 Book and podcast recs that shaped Mark’s thinking40:52 The power of paradigm shifts and the coming waveBook & media recommendations:• Harmony — HRH The Prince of Wales: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007413639• Green Swans — John Elkington: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1785786431• The Ministry for the Future — Kim Stanley Robinson: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0356508841• Future Noughts (podcast) — John Richardson: https://www.comedy.co.uk/podcasts/future_noughts/About the Guest:Mark Jankovich is the founder and CEO of Delphis Eco, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of eco-friendly cleaning products.A former City finance executive, Mark now builds systems that challenge the hidden environmental damage of everyday industries.He also works with the UK Treasury and leads projects in regenerative agriculture — connecting corporates, small farms, education reform and nature recovery.📩 Sign up to the Scale To Win newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com🔗 Follow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

From a council estate in Oxford to a £100 million exit by age 37. Andrew Hulbert's journey isn't a polished Silicon Valley success story—it's raw, real, and packed with hard-won lessons about what actually matters when you're building something from nothing.In this episode, Andrew breaks down the decade-long grind of scaling Pareto from his bedroom to a 500-person, £50 million turnover business serving the world's biggest tech companies. He shares why balance is bollocks when you're building, why bright yellow McLarens don't buy happiness, why you should retire early if you can, and how a council estate upbringing gave him the hunger and community mindset that fueled everything. This is a masterclass in bootstrapping, knowing when to go all-in, and actually achieving the goal you set out to hit.What you'll learn:💷 Why money doesn't buy happiness—but time does, and how an exit gives you that back🎯 The truth about balance: why it's bollocks when you're scaling (and when it matters again)🚀 How to build a £50M business with no funding, no backers, and no marketing budget⚡ Why you don't need expensive marketing to make a massive splash in your market👔 Why corporate life doesn't work for everyone—and why that's perfectly fine🏆 How changing your peer group at 16 completely altered the trajectory of Andrew's lifeWho should listen:Bootstrapped founder-CEOs grinding through the early stages of scaleAnyone in corporate wondering if they should take the leap into entrepreneurshipLeaders thinking about exits, life after the business, and what actually mattersEntrepreneurs from non-traditional backgrounds looking for proof it's possibleBook recommendations:The E-Myth Revisited - Michael E. Gerber - https://www.amazon.co.uk/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280The Escape Manifesto - Escape the City - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escape-Manifesto-Freedom-Meaningful-Living/dp/1783521430Beer Mat Entrepreneur - Mike Southon & Chris West - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beermat-Entrepreneur-Turn-Good-Great/dp/0273708074About the Guest:Andrew Hulbert is the founder of Pareto, a business he started from his bedroom at age 27 with nothing but a laptop and an idea. Over the next decade, he scaled Pareto to £50 million in annual turnover and 500 staff, serving some of the world's biggest tech companies before orchestrating a £100 million exit.Andrew finished working at 37 and has spent the last two years decompressing on a farm in Oxfordshire, reconnecting with his wife, kids, and the life he built outside the business. He's known for his unfiltered honesty about the realities of entrepreneurship, his belief that balance is a myth when you're scaling, and his conviction that money buys time—not happiness. He's also refreshingly candid about buying (and quickly selling) a bright yellow McLaren that made him feel like a "bus wanker" from The Inbetweeners.Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseChapters:00:00 Introduction01:00 From council estate to $100M exit in 10 years03:56 Five things he believes that most people don’t07:34 What time wealth really looks like now12:14 Balance is bollocks and why he went all-in15:00 Zero marketing budget but still won the industry18:09 Donuts, logos and the power of experiential sales21:04 Founder should never stop selling big opportunities24:58 Social media success doesn’t equal real success27:17 Parents as hidden entrepreneurs and early hustle lessons29:12 How he built a loyal leadership team from scratch35:54 Networking done right and the secret power of downtime38:27 Three book recs for first-time founders42:23 Escaping the trap and how his path diverged

As 2025 draws to a close, we're replaying some of the show's standout conversations from this year. This episode with James Kerr remains one of the most thought-provoking discussions. Whether you're hearing it for the first time or revisiting the insights, there's plenty here to fuel your leadership thinking as we head into the new year.James Kerr is a writer, coach, and consultant who specialises in leadership, culture and mindset in high-performing teams. His global bestseller, 'Legacy' has been described by The Daily Telegraph as “the modern version of Vince Lombardi’s guides to coaching”, saying that "for those searching for genuine keys to team culture, it is manna from heaven".James has worked with Tier One Special Forces, the English Premier League, international cricket, Formula One, America’s Cup, Major League Baseball, and Olympic pathways. He has guest lectured at Westpoint Military Academy, Sandhurst and Eton College and written for the BBC, Independent, Times and Guardian. His corporate clients have included Google, Spotify, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Co, Adidas, and Arc'teryx.In this frank discussion, Dominic explores the synergy between individual leadership and collective vision, and the critical role of cultural evolution in maintaining relevance and potency. James shares how the iconic “Sweeping the Shed” mantra, revolutionised team culture at the All Blacks, and how these principles can be applied beyond the rugby field into business and everyday life.DiscoverThe Role of Values in Sustainable Success: By embracing values such as humility, responsibility, and respect, the All Blacks created a foundation for long-term success, demonstrating that values-driven cultures outperform talent-driven ones.The Power of Rituals and Symbols: The enduring significance of the Haka demonstrates how rituals and symbols can reinforce identity, unity, and purpose within a team.Leadership Across Domains: The principles of leadership and cultural excellence are universal and can be applied across diverse fields, demonstrated by James’ work in sports, military, and business.Neuroscience and Leadership: The interplay between neuroscience and performance underpins how understanding the brain's responses to fear and confidence can inspire leaders to strike a balance between challenges and support, fostering growth and accountability.Connect with James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-kerr-09a70bbConnect with Dominic - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseBook recommendations:Viktor Frankl - Man's Search For Meaning - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/347571/mans-search-for-meaning-by-viktor-e-frankl/9781846046384Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/56314/thinking-fast-and-slow-by-kahneman-daniel/9780141033570Daniel Coyle - The Culture Code - https://danielcoyle.com/the-culture-code/Jim Collins - Good To Great - https://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/good-to-great.html#articletopJames' book Legacy is out now - https://danielcoyle.com/the-culture-code/Dominic’s book Mind Your F**king Business is out now - https://www.monkhouseandcompany.com/mind-your-fking-business/--------Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

Most service businesses drown in the chaos between what customers ask for and what they actually need. Kit Cox has spent over a decade building Enate to solve exactly that, an orchestration platform that helps B2B service providers cut through vagueness, assemble data, and deliver consistently exceptional service powered by both AI and human workforce.In this episode, Kit breaks down the three stages of service delivery, why culture trumps everything else as a founder, and how radical honesty, not "fake it till you make it" builds the customer relationships that actually last. He also shares why the best hires might have learned their most valuable skills in drama class, and why lawyers and IT departments as we know them might not survive the next decade.What you'll learn:🎯 The three critical stages of service delivery and where AI actually makes the difference💡 Why culture is the single most important thing a founder can build🤝 How brutal honesty creates stronger customer relationships than polished salesmanship🧠 The "thousand types of clever" needed to build a company (and why education only tests two of them)⚡ How to systematise hiring so you're finding values and attitude, not just skills🔍 Why "what are you most proud of?" reveals more about a candidate than any competency questionWho should listen:Founder-CEOs scaling B2B service or SaaS businesses, particularly those in the 50-100+ employee rangeCTOs and COOs managing complex service delivery operationsLeaders implementing AI and automation in service environmentsAnyone trying to move from bespoke chaos to scalable, repeatable customer successPodcast recommendations:13 Minutes to the Moon - BBC World Service - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2Mindscape - Sean Carroll - https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/About the Guest:Kit Cox is the founder and CTO of Enate, an orchestration platform helping B2B service providers deliver exceptional services powered by AI and human teams. A manufacturing engineer by training and software engineer by passion, Kit has spent over a decade building Enate through three distinct phases, from bespoke services to a focused product for BPO providers, and now to a full-scale platform supporting service delivery in the age of generative AI.Under his leadership, Enate has grown to approximately 100 people across the UK and India, achieving 40% year-on-year growth and reaching profitability in 2023. The company secured investment from Scottish Equity Partners in 2023 and now serves some of the world's largest service providers with a laser-focused account-based approach targeting just 100 key companies.Kit is known for his commitment to culture-first leadership, his belief that successful customer relationships require radical honesty, and his conviction that it takes "a thousand different types of clever" to build a successful company, most of which aren't tested in traditional education. He champions curiosity as a hiring requirement and structures his company to act as one unified team across geographies, with India serving as a profit centre rather than just a cost-reduction play.Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter:https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn:https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouseChapters:00:00 Introduction01:42 The three lives of the business and early AI pivot 05:12 Five contrarian truths Kit believes about business and tech 07:56 Enate’s scale, global team breakdown and revenue growth 12:10 Why culture is a founder’s most vital responsibility 14:02 How values are taught, lived and kept alive at Enate 19:15 Brutal honesty as the foundation of long-term clients 22:05 How honesty leads to transformation and customer trust 26:16 Drama skills, sales success and the many types of clever 30:00 Hiring for values over credentials and traditional education 33:58 Why lawyers and IT departments are headed for extinction 37:44 The shift from IT-managed apps to integrated business tech 39:16 Scaling via customer success and embedded partnerships 42:36 Sales strategy, ABM focus and long buying cycles 44:46 Hiring systems, culture fit, and essential interview questions 49:04 Where Kit learns: podcasts, YouTube and curiosity sources

Some industries are easy to disrupt. Infrastructure isn’t one of them. But by focusing on adoption over features, clarity over complexity, and tempo over comfort, Shelley Copsey has built FYLD into a company reshaping how frontline operations work.In this episode, she breaks down the real levers of transformation: making work visible, removing friction, earning trust in high-risk environments, and rebuilding leadership as the company scales. Her insights go far beyond infrastructure - they’re a blueprint for any CEO trying to grow a company inside a resistant or complex market.What you’ll learn:🔍 The root causes of productivity breakdowns in scaling organisations🎯 How to build products teams genuinely adopt and rely on⚠️ Common failure points in organisational transformation — and how to overcome them⚡ Practical strategies for maintaining operational tempo as your company grows🧩 How to evolve leadership roles to match the organisation’s next stage🛰️ Why organisational visibility unlocks high-quality, high-speed decisionsWho should listen:Founder–CEOs and execs scaling teams, product, and operationsLeaders driving change in complex or fast-growing organisationsInvestors and operators focused on AI-enabled execution and productivityBook recommendations:Any Human Heart - William BoydAmp It Up - Frank SlootmanFour Thousand Weeks - Oliver BurkemanAbout the Guest:Shelley Copsey is the co-founder and CEO of FYLD, an AI-powered fieldwork platform transforming operations for major infrastructure and utilities companies. She leads the company’s rapid scale-up across multiple regions, helping organisations deliver safer, more efficient, data-driven fieldwork.With 25+ years across infrastructure, emerging tech, and organisational transformation, Shelley has founded, grown, and led multiple enterprise SaaS ventures. Her experience includes building GeoSLAM into a global geospatial leader (acquired by Faro), serving on the founding board of Coviu through its pandemic hypergrowth, and contributing to several CSIRO spinouts, including Emesent and PaidRight.A Chartered Accountant with senior roles at CSIRO’s Data61, PwC, and KPMG, she has completed executive education at MIT and Stanford focused on AI and innovation. Her work has been recognised by EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Sifted 100, Tech Nation Future Fifty, and Startups.co.uk’s Hottest UK AI Companies.Shelley is known for her leadership in AI adoption, scaling SaaS in complex industries, and delivering technology with real operational impact.Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters:00:02:04 - AI, Skill Shortages, and Industry Fallacies00:04:25 - Worker Productivity and Motivation00:06:34 - Shelley’s Move to the UK and Founding Story00:08:24 - FYLD’s Growth Journey and Market Traction00:09:25 - AI’s Societal Impact and Future of Work00:11:45 - How FYLD’s Technology Works00:13:55 - ROI: Productivity vs. Safety00:15:28 - Adoption vs. Innovation in Construction00:17:35 - Productivity Decline and Safety Regulations00:20:22 - Scaling and CEO Time Management00:22:08 - Leadership Team Evolution00:23:58 - Board Composition and Support00:28:05 - Systems and Scaling: CRM and Sales Process00:31:30 - Go-to-Market Strategy and Enterprise Sales00:33:58 - Hiring A-Players and Culture Fit00:36:29 - Handling Toxic Hires and Fast Exits00:36:52 - Book Recommendations00:39:45 - Maintaining Culture During Growth00:41:05 - Founder’s Role in Induction and Culture00:42:17 - Work-Life Balance and Passion

Most enterprise AI projects crash long before take-off. Hype, bad data, cultural resistance, and “enterprise chaos” stop even the biggest organisations from getting value.In this episode, Dominic speaks with Steve Salvin, founder & CEO of Aiimi, a data and AI company helping large organisations connect the messy, disconnected worlds of data, content, conversations, and operational history - and finally extract the insights buried inside.Steve explains why most companies are still on “the first rung of the ladder,” why linking LLMs to enterprise data often backfires, and why the real breakthroughs come from agentic systems doing work humans can’t (or won’t). He also breaks down how to drive adoption inside your own teams, build a culture that celebrates experimentation and failure, and reinvent your leadership style as your company scales.If you want to replace AI hype with genuine enterprise value - start here.What you’ll learn:💡 Why most organisations' data is too messy for GenAI to be useful💡 The real difference between adaptive intelligence and token-prediction tools💡 Why culture, not technology, derails adoption💡 Power tools, champions, and performance management💡 When to stop doing the work and start running the business💡 The questions that reveal whether a candidate will raise the barWho should listen:Founder-CEOs scaling from 30–150 people, CTOs/COOs trying to make AI stick, data/AI leaders, transformation teams, and operators frustrated that their organisation is “doing AI” without getting any value from it.Book recommendations:Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway - Susan JeffersFierce Conversations - Susan ScottHope Is Not A Strategy - Rick PageAbout the Guest:Steve Salvin is the founder and CEO of Aiimi, a leading British AI company which he has bootstrapped since its launch in 2013. Their tech helps teams find, make sense of and retain control over their data, and is used by various FTSE100 companies as well as the likes of the FCA, PwC, and the UK government. Having worked in tech since the 80s, Steve is a serial entrepreneur and is passionate about building AI that empowers users and gives them more control.Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters00:01:44 - Aiimi's Founding Vision00:02:52 - Disconnected Corporate Data00:04:07 - Unlocking Value from Corporate Conversations00:06:20 - AI Hype vs. Reality in Enterprises00:08:45 - AI: Then and Now00:11:36 - Practical AI Use Cases in Enterprises00:13:35 - Extracting Knowledge from Calls and Messages00:15:24 - AI’s Impact on Jobs and Productivity00:17:25 - AI Adoption: Leadership & Cultural Change00:20:01 - Engineering Teams & AI Power Tools00:23:09 - Curiosity as a Leadership Requirement00:24:34 - Celebrating Failure00:27:26 - Agile, Experimentation, and Failing Fast00:28:09 - Steve’s CEO Evolution & Leadership Lessons00:32:02 - Book Recommendations

Can optimism really scale a company?In this episode, Dominic chats to Dan Williams, CEO of Orean Personal Care, to explore what it really takes to lead through chaos - from doubling revenue in tough markets to leading with vulnerability, optimism, and Ironman-level discipline.Under Dan’s leadership, Orean has grown from £3M to £30M turnover, becoming one of the UK’s fastest-growing contract manufacturers in the beauty industry — all while achieving B Corp certification and building a culture rooted in learning and care.What you’ll learn:💪 How training for an Ironman reshaped Dan’s mindset as a CEO💡 The power of optimism when leading through adversity❤️ Why vulnerability builds trust faster than authority ever could🏭 How Orean scaled without losing its culture or values📈 What it takes to grow sustainably - from £3M to £30MIf you’re a founder or CEO navigating the messy middle of growth — trying to scale your team, your systems, and your mindset — this is a masterclass in how to stay human while building something extraordinary.Book recommendations:Unbeatable Mind - Mark DivineThe Obstacle is the Way - Ryan HolidayStart With Why - Simon SinekMan's Search for Meaning - Viktor E FranklAbout the guest:Dan Williams is the CEO of Orean Personal Care, a UK-based contract manufacturer producing premium skincare, haircare, and wellness products for some of the world’s most innovative beauty brands.Under his leadership, Orean has grown tenfold in revenue and achieved B Corp certification, balancing profit with purpose.A lifelong endurance athlete, Dan brings his Ironman mindset into business — combining optimism, resilience, and relentless learning to build a company culture defined by progress, not perfection.Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters:00:01:00 - Dan Williams: Background and Personal Life00:01:32 - Business Growth Journey00:03:39 - The Importance of Optimism00:04:53 - Vulnerability as a Strength in Leadership00:06:44 - Challenges of Turnarounds and Maintaining Energy00:08:24 - The Role of Sports in Personal Development00:10:42 - Achieving Goals Through Determination00:12:05 - The Impact of Belief and Support00:13:22 - Leadership and Management Styles00:16:03 - Promoting from Within vs. Hiring Externally00:18:05 - Succession Planning and Employee Development00:21:06 - Overview of Orean's Business Model00:23:34 - Curiosity and Understanding Customer Needs00:27:14 - Establishing a Five-Year Vision00:30:02 - Building a Strategy for Growth00:32:29 - Evolving Leadership Team Dynamics00:33:09 - Time Management and Work-Life Balance35:00.00 - Navigating Challenges in Leadership37:19.00 - Balancing Passion and Time Management as a CEO42:13.00 - Finding Balance Between Passion and Life43:19.00 - Effective Hiring Strategies and Lessons Learned45:23.00 - Mastering the Art of Interviewing49:02.00 - Book Recommendations

AI hype is everywhere - but most of it is just noise. This episode cuts through it.Dominic digs into what real artificial intelligence actually looks like with Daniel Hulme, Chief AI Officer at WPP and founder of Satalia and Conscium.They explore why most so-called “AI projects” are really just automation in disguise, how to spot where genuine adaptive intelligence can unlock value, and what’s coming next - from synthetic audiences that test creative before launch, to the race toward conscious machines.What you’ll learn:Why most “AI” isn’t intelligent - and how to tell the differenceWhere companies are misinvesting in generative toolsHow WPP uses AI to transform creativity and decision-makingWhy adaptive systems (not shiny models) are the real future of businessHow Daniel thinks about consciousness, empathy, and what humanity looks like in an AI-powered worldBook recommendations:Behave - Robert SapolskySurviving AI - Calum ChaceGenesis - Craig Mundie & Eric Schmidt About the Guest:Dr. Daniel Hulme is one of the UK’s leading voices in applied AI, ethics, and technology.He’s Chief AI Officer at WPP, where he leads strategy and deployment of AI across 100,000 people, and Founder & CEO of Satalia, the AI company he started from his PhD and later sold to WPP for a reported $100 million.Daniel recently co-founded Conscium, an AI safety company that tests and verifies AI agents - and is exploring whether machines could soon become conscious.He holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from UCL, where he’s also Entrepreneur in Residence, and was named by AI Magazine as one of the Top 10 Chief AI Officers globally.Who should listen:CMOs/CEOs/COOs, data/AI leaders, product & strategy teams, and founders deciding where to place AI bets (and what not to build in-house).Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse

Fundraising playbooks often skip the messy middle. This one doesn’t.In this panel episode, three founder–CEOs who actually closed rounds in the last year unpack how fundraising in the UK really works - from brutal pre‑seed rejections to Series A droughts, and everything in between.They break down the tactics that moved term sheets, the traps that wasted weeks, and how to run a tight process: negotiating with leverage, surviving due diligence, and choosing investors you’ll still want to text when the wheels wobble.We get into ARR “magic numbers”, family offices, co‑leads, board control, and why capital = time - so if you’re going to raise, spend it to move faster.What You’ll Learn -Running a process: staged “sexy → deep” data rooms, deadlines, partner‑first intros, FOMO at events like SaaStock.Numbers that matter: why $5m and $10m ARR are real gates for many funds; how fund size dictates your exit math.Investor fit: difference between US vs EU/UK funds, VCTs, growth equity, family offices - and what each expects from you.Negotiation & leverage: controlling access, not sending the deck without a meeting, co‑lead trade‑offs, when to push back.Due diligence without burnout: what to prepare, what to outsource, and why you still need extra hands even if you’re “organised”.People and pace: raising to move faster (recruiters, senior hires), opening in the US, and hiring outside London. About the Guests -Jo Saxby- Co‑Founder, SpruceSoftware for heat‑pump installers; accelerating decarbonisation of buildings. Latest raise £3m+; ARR moved from hundreds of £k to ~£1m run‑rate by Christmas. Pre‑empted round, sequencing, and pitching smarter.Paul Archer - CEO & Founder, DuelEnterprise brand‑advocacy platform powering growth via passionate fans for top fashion/beauty/retail brands. Recently raised $16m; ~$4m ARR at raise, targeting $10m ARR near term. Co‑lead lessons, NYC expansion, beachhead strategy.John Readman - Founder & CEO, ASK BOSCO®AI marketing & e‑commerce analytics. Raised £4.1m from a VCT; ~£3m ARR. Four‑day week with full pay/benefits; board structuring before the round; due‑diligence war stories and wins.Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter:  https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:  https://link.cohostpodcasting.com/52495078-fc00-41b8-a42e-9371bb2fa3e0?d=sZwdKMGh4

Aytekin Tank - founder & CEO of Jotform, host of the AI Agents Podcast, and bestselling author of Automate Your Busywork - shares how he grew Jotform from a developer’s pain point into a 700‑person automation company serving 35M+ users. He explains why Jotform chose to replace itself with AI before someone else did, how users steered them from “AI that fills forms” to AI customer‑service agents, and why AI is the fourth tech revolution after PC, internet, and mobile. His north star: build tools that make people’s lives easier and give them time back.What You’ll Learn -Why “disrupt yourself with AI” is a defensible strategy for leadersJotform’s evolution: Forms → Sign (e‑sign), Apps (no‑code mobile apps), Tables, workflowsReal support gains from AI agents (resolution rate jumps, faster response times, redeploying humans to higher‑value work)Practical channels working today: Gmail drafts, Instagram DMs, web chat, presentation agentsLeadership lessons: fix the bottleneck, ship MVPs, learn from customers, scale with curiosityBook Recommendations -Creative Selection - Ken KociendaThe Goal - Eliyahu GoldrattNo Man’s Land - Doug TatumAbout Aytekin Tank -Founder & CEO of Jotform (2006 → 35M+ users). Host of the AI Agents Podcast. Bestselling author and regular contributor to Medium, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur. Began as a software developer in New York automating repetitive web forms - sparked the idea for Jotform. Expanded the platform with Jotform Sign, Jotform Apps, and Jotform AI Agents that help users complete forms, answer questions, and get instant, on‑brand support.Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter:  https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/monkhouse-and-companyhttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/curiousleadershipSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts:  https://link.cohostpodcasting.com/52495078-fc00-41b8-a42e-9371bb2fa3e0?d=sZwdKMGh4

What if the secret to skyrocketing your business lies not just in sales, but in understanding your customers on a deeper level? In this episode of Curious Leadership, Dominic Monkhouse chats with James Peach, award winning speaker, investor and brand marketing expert whose portfolio includes roles at Innocent, Uber, and Vinted, about customer obsession, and how it shapes brand marketing strategies that resonate and influence buyer perceptions. James dives head first into the very essence of brand marketing, how it transcends mere promotion to become a powerful tool for problem-solving and emotional engagement. Hear how effective brand marketing can transform what customers think about a business, driving loyalty and growth, and how the greatest challenge impacting every business lies in measuring brand impact versus direct sales metrics. Discover the vital collaboration between both brand and growth teams and how clear purpose is essential for motivating employees to enhance organisational efficiency - a principle not just applicable to large corporations but impacts all businesses, regardless of size or industry. Reflecting on his scale-up experience, James shares how fast-paced decision making can dramatically influence brand perception and the importance of maintaining a customer obsession throughout the journey. James's story is not just confined to corporate boardrooms and beanbags; it crosses over into global adventures and personal growth by pushing himself to the max - 2 years of solo cycling across the world, mirroring his leadership philosophy - embrace discomfort for growth and leverage experience for success.Book recommendations:Good to Great - Jim CollinsRadical Candor - Kim ScottWhen the Dust Settles - Lucy EasthopeWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There - Marshall GoldsmithSign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter:  https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/monkhouse-and-companyhttps://www.linkedin.com/showcase/curiousleadershipSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.cohostpodcasting.com/52495078-fc00-41b8-a42e-9371bb2fa3e0?d=sZwdKMGh4