Episode 20: Entrepreneurs at Scale : Roheel Ahmad Managing Partner at fast growing recruitment company Forsyth Barnes

Welcome to another episode of the "Entrepreneurs at Scale" podcast, where we explore the journeys of some of the most resilient and visionary minds in the business world. We were incredibly honored to have Mark Divine with us.

Mark is not just an ex-Navy SEAL; he's a man who has mastered the art of mental toughness and strategic thinking, both on the battlefield and in the boardroom. As the creator of the SEALFIT program, Mark has transformed the principles of SEAL training into a powerful framework for personal and professional development.

Moreover, his insights as the author of "Unbeatable Mind" have empowered countless individuals to break through their limitations and achieve extraordinary success. Mark's journey from the military to entrepreneurship embodies the spirit of resilience, discipline, and leadership, making him a true beacon for entrepreneurs looking to scale their ventures and personal capabilities to new heights.

Join us as we dive deep into Mark's philosophy, experiences, and the lessons he's learned along the way, offering invaluable guidance for anyone looking to lead and succeed in today's challenging environment.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Learning from nature on how to be still and to truly listen to what is going on around you?
• The Benefits of Box Breathing 
• The questions that you need to ask to find your Purpose, your Passion and your Principles 

BEST MOMENTS

• The most valuable leadership skill for anyone, is the ability to Stop, Sit still in silence and Listen
• Meditation is all about training the Mind 

 Book Mark is currently listening to:  Legacy by James Kerr

Contact Mark
https://markdivine.com/
https://unbeatablemind.com/team
https://sealfit.com/

Buy the books
• Unbeatable Mind 
• The Way of the Seal
• Kokoro Yoga

 VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/

In this episode, we're thrilled to have with us Carajane Moore, a titan in the world of sales, known for her innovative approaches and groundbreaking techniques that have revolutionised how we think about making big sales. 

Carajane and her brother Tom have been at the forefront of the sales industry , consistently breaking records and setting new benchmarks for success. Today, she's here to peel back the curtain on the secret sauce behind her incredible sales achievements specifcally focusing on achieving large sales 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The layer cake approach to sales - Becoming the expert and fully underestanding the problem that they are trying to solve.  
• You could be connecting with up to 10 people from the potential purchaser and you need to create a dosier on all of the interests, fears and poistions of each stakeholder that you are going to be talking to.
• Preparation is absolutely imperative to 
• Be really clear on who you want to work with - What does your core customer look like 

• Website :     https://www.huntbigsales.com/the-secret-to-big-sales/
• LinkediN profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carajanesearcymoore/
• Books they are reading :  Productize by Eisha Armstrong
• Podcasts listening to: All in Podcast 

BEST MOMENTS

• Entrepreneurs are great story tellers.  It is there passion and drive that gives them an advantage over larger corporates
• Navigating the "eel in the deal" .. who could derail the deal.  Bring derailers into the conversation early
• The importance of feeding your brain - Reading, Podcasts, ongoing education to keep on top of the game 

 VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/

On the latest edition of the  "Entrepreneurs at Scale," the podcast we are humbled to be joined by two entrepreneurs from Ukraine.  Pavel Obod the founder,  and Anna Bovda the CEO of Sloboda Studio.

Their lives changed for ever on 24th February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.  Firstly their was a feeling of total disorientation.  They had to adapt very quickly to a new way of working.  People behave in wierd ways during a war and that required a new way of leadership.

Even though they are an Ukranian company most of their clients are in the US, UK and across Western Europe 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• My main client is our company Sloboda studio, I am always thinking about what is the best for the company ?
• Four imperatives of the CEO:
  • Setting down the vision for the company
  • Ensuring the culture is alive and well
  • Hiring and Firing the Senior Leadership team
  • Allocation of Capital 
• The importance of giving the team meaningful work during a war time condition
• The benefits or hiring people from lots of different companies to enhance the culture and hiring A players 
•   Website :      https://sloboda-studio.com/
• Books they are reading :  Good to Great by Jim Collins, Scaling Up by Verne Harnish, 10x is easier than 2X Dan Sullivan  

BEST MOMENTS

• As the CEO my main goal is not to implement everything that Pavel the entrepreneur brings to the table  ? 
• The importance of being able to filter the plethora of ideas and then bring focus to the implementation 
• As soon as you make a decision go forward and don't stop.
• When customers say WOW about your work it is time to increase your prices.

 VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/

On the latest edition of the  "Entrepreneurs at Scale," the podcast we are honored to welcome a truly remarkable guest, John "Gucci" Foley, a former lead pilot of the illustrious Blue Angels and a distinguished high-performance coach.

John's story is one of exceptional skill, unwavering discipline, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. As a lead solo pilot with the Blue Angels, the United States Navy's elite flight demonstration squadron, he exemplified precision, teamwork, and leadership at speeds of over 400 miles per hour.

But John's journey didn't end in the skies. Taking his experiences from the cockpit to the boardroom, he has transitioned into an influential high-performance coach, inspiring and guiding leaders and teams in various sectors to achieve peak performance. His methodologies, rooted in the principles he lived by as a Blue Angel, are transforming the way businesses and individuals approach performance, teamwork, and success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How come some people can outperfom others or some teams outperform others?
• The "Glad to be here" debrief and experience. It’s where passion meets presence & purpose and is about connecting the heart and head as key attributes of a high-performance mindset.

1. Safe company:  Respect
2. Check you egos at the door
3. Straight Talking - You have to lay it on the table with open and honest communication. Done with the We not I approach
4. Accountability - An Own It and Fix it Mentality - Own the Outcome!
5. Glad to be hear mindset  - The importance of having an attitude of gratitude 

•  High performance zone podcast. https://johnfoleyinc.com/high-performance-zone/
•   Website :      https://johnfoleyinc.com/john-gucci-foley/    
• Book John is reading : Be Useful : Seven tools for life   by   Arnold Schwarzenegger

BEST MOMENTS

• Ask yourself the question - How do the best get better ? 
• Learn , Grow , Give 
• John coaching me on what were my "I ams " and my purpose 
• John trains his brain to wake up Happy 

 VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/

This edition of the Entrepreneurs at Scale podcast,  Howard Getson, a visionary in the world of technology entrepreneurship and the driving force behind Capitalogix talks about how AI and Machine learning.

Howard isn't just an entrepreneur; he's a trailblazer in harnessing the power of advanced technology to redefine the landscape of data-driven decision-making. At Capitalogix, he has pioneered a unique approach that leverages real-time data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to create strategic advantages in the market.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Unique ability is were you ahve superior skill and it gives you energy
• If it is not my unique ability I want to automate delegate or outsource
• AI is going to be thought of as an extra team member 
• We can "Systemise the predictable to Humanise the exception"
• Automation and Innovation frees humans to focus on what really matters and what creates the most impact
• Where I am going to be able to utilise my time to have the most impact?

KEY AI RESOURCES 

• Keap/Infusionsoft – E-mail Autoresponder 
• Sanebox – Inbox Zero E-mail Sorting.  https://www.sanebox.com/
• PhraseExpress or TextExpander or PopClip – Text Macros
• Paste or ClipMate – Clipboard Manager. 
• BookLikeABoss – Scheduling Agent (www.talkwithhg.com)
• MeetGeek and Otter.AI – Auto-Transcription  https://meetgeek.ai/
• TechSmith Camtasia, Snagit, and Audiate – Screen Capture and Video or Image editing  https://www.techsmith.com/video-editor.html
• Backtrack – Audio Recorder that works up to 5 hours in the past 
• HippoVideo or Warm Welcome – Personalized Videos.  https://www.hippovideo.io/
• IrisClarity or Krisp.AI – Voice Isolation and Noise Removal. 
• Flipboard and Feedly – Content Discovery.  https://flipboard.com/
• Heyday – Content Connection and Knowledge Management.  https://heyday.xyz/
• Evernote and Notion and Readwise – External Brains  Zapier and ITTT – Tool Integration.  https://readwise.io/
• Grammarly or Hemingway – Editing & Grammar https://www.grammarly.com/
• ChatGPT – Writing Help & Brainstorming

BEST MOMENTS

• Amplified Intelligence - Howard Getson 
• The best way to predict the future is to create it 
• AI will be as important an invention as the discovery of Fire, Electricity, the computer and the Internet

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach

Cameron Herold is a top business consultant, best-selling author, and speaker. He’s the mastermind behind hundreds of companies’ exponential growth and he’s touched thousands of businesses indirectly through his work.

At age 21, he had 14 employees. By 35, he’d helped build his first two 100 Million Dollar companies. By the age of 42, Cameron had engineered 1-800-GOT-JUNK?’s spectacular growth from $2 Million to $106 Million in revenue in just six years.

Cameron is the author of Vivid Vision, Second in Command and Double Double and we dig into the key learnings from these books as well as the COO alliance during the podcast 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The importance of knowing yourself as CEO and how to find an A player COO who is a compliment to your strengths and can pick up all the areas that takes your energy away 
• Use the Mission to Mars exercise to help you discover your core values. Never make your values a single word, instead a short sentence that everone can rescite:
  •  Deliver What We Promise
  •  Be Open & Vulnerable
  •  Show Respect for Everyone 
  •  Grow Big, Act Small
  •  Have Some Effin’ Fun
• The Four component parts to building your culture:  Core Values, Core Purpose ( Your Why) ,  BHAG, One Year Plan
• The benefits of having a vivid vision, how you see your company three years from today. When everyone can see what you are building every sentence helps alignment and energy.
• Examples of Vivid Vision:
  • https://everwandertravel.com/2025-vivid-vision/    
  • COO Alliance  
• The misunderstood role of the COO HBR article 

•   Contact for Cameron     https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronherold/
•   Website :                           https://cameronherold.com/

BEST MOMENTS

• A vision without execution is halucination!
• The power of purpose - The three bricklayers story in building the cathedral in Barcelona.
• The importance of listening to key people around you.

 VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/

In the world of business coaching and leadership development, few names resonate as strongly as Ezra. This innovative company has redefined how executives and professionals grow, not just in their careers but in their personal lives as well.

And the visionary behind this transformative approach? None other than Nick Goldberg, CEO of Ezra. With an unwavering commitment to excellence and a unique insight into human potential, Nick is building a global coaching company that  is changing the way that coaching is delivered right across and organisation's talent pool.

In today's episode, we're going to dive deep into the entrepreneurial journey that led Nick to where he is today. We'll explore the challenges, triumphs, and the philosophy that fuels Ezra's success.

 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Nick's mission to democratise coaching across the world and give opportunities for more people could benefit coaching in a seamless fashion. "Every large employer in the world gives each of their employees an Ezra coach"
• The power that coaching can bring to anyone both in the sports world and the business world. Providing greater confidence, self belief and skills.
• If you culture is not right then people don't develop great products, they are not passionate when they are in front of a customer, they are not promoting your company to friends and family.
• Having a relentless on keeping things as straightforward and easy as possible. 
• "We don't know all the answers!", tap into your employees genius to make constant innovation.
• Nick's  books  and learning resources that he is reading / watching  at the moment:

                   - Why  by Simon Sinek

                   - Amazon Unbound by Brad Stone and Jeff Bezos

•   Contact for Nick      https://www.linkedin.com/in/goldbergnick/
•   Ezra Coaching         https://helloezra.com/

BEST MOMENTS

• Treat the interview of a new colleague as importantly as you would seeking to win a new client contract
• We not only give all the members of our team a coach, we also provide them with one licence to allow a friend or a member of their family to access a coach.
• Using his holiday as an opportunity for a total reboot, leaving his mobile phone behind.

 VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/

With a proven track record of success and expertise in executive search and talent acquisition, Roheel Ahmad is a driving force behind Forsyth Barnes, a leading executive search firm specialising in technology, digital, and change leadership. 
 
 Throughout his career, Roheel has developed deep industry knowledge across various sectors, including but not limited to technology, finance, and professional services.  Forsyth Barnes was launched in 2015 and for the last three years has experienced exceptional growth that has been reflected in being the FT 250 fastest growing business.
 

In this episode, we will delve into Roheel's insights on the challenges of scaling up an organisation, the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, the importance of leadership in today's fast-paced business environment, and the strategies that organisations can employ to attract and retain top talent.

 KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The work ethic and inner drive that comes from the example demonstrated by Roheel's parents
• Having a frustration with the recruitment industry and the lack of innovation over the past 20 years has fuelled Roheel and the team with the determination to bring about change and new experiences that will benefit their customers
• The importance of caring and looking after team, especially in tough times such as the pandemic and higher inflation.
• The importance of having balance in your life as you grow a fast growth organisation

• Roheel's  books  and learning resources that he is reading / watching  at the moment:

                   - Winning  by Tim Grover 

                   - Masterclass Learning platform
                    - Masters of Scale podcast 

•   Contact for Roheel       https://www.linkedin.com/in/roheelahmad/

BEST MOMENTS

• The Fear of not achieving his full potential is what drives Roheel's performance 
• High Performance definition  - "The way you do anything is the way that you do everything"
• Key advise to anyone setting up a business : "Stay true to path, stay true to your focus"
• We all have a dark side 

 VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/
Are you ready to achieve a  high-value exit?  https://extraordinaryexit.scoreapp.com/ 

Peter Harrison is MD of FGH Security, one of the fastest growing Security businesses across the UK, and according to Pete
one of the finest security companies in the world! And almost definitely the friendliest!!!!

Recognised by the Sunday Times as a Top 100 Big company to work for and the winner of more accreditations and awards than most of the multinational security companies.

What makes them different?
Fantastic Staff, awesome  Clients and a desire to  put a lot back into the Community at the same time.

All our customers absolutely love us and we love them back. We have 100% client retention and 25% growth year on year.

The FGH team is fantastic, more skills and training than any of our competitors - from front line staff up to the management, we all make sure we remain ahead of all the rest when it comes to knowledge.

What makes this "Entrepreneurs at Scale" podcast extra special is that Neale  has been coaching  Pete and the team at FGH since 2018 and it that time seen the company scale its revenue growth from £4m to over £20m

Pete  joins Neale to discuss the Scale up journey of FH security, how the y had to pivot through the pandemic and how investing in developing a great team has been pivotal in accelerating their flywheel.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The importance of having a clear mission statement - " Keeping People Safe"
• In a industry that was notorious for not looking after its people ... Putting People first has been critical to FGH's growth.        " Treat the team fairly and Treat them well"
• Having a balance life.. Getting up Early and keeping fit and healthy in able to achieve Peak performance 
• The importance of having a coach and an Advisory Board to keep you on Top of your game 

• Peter's  books that he is reading at the moment:

                   - Scaling Up   by Verne Harnish 

                   - Vivid Vision  - Cameron Herold

•   Contact for Peter        https://www.fghsecurity.co.uk/

BEST MOMENTS

• I wouldn't change anything, as everything happens for as reason and you can take learnings from that 
• Stay true to yourself 
• The importance of Loving what you are doing 

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/
Are you ready to achieve a  high-value exit?  https://extraordinaryexit.scoreapp.com/
Scaling Up Tools and Resources : https://scaleups.com/

ABOUT THE HOST
Neale Lewis is a business growth expert and Strategic Exit Coach. He is focused on helping the entrepreneurs that he works with maximise the value of their organisations and when the time is right guiding them to achieve an extraordinary exit

His “Entrepreneurs at Scale” podcast, has more than 10k downloads in over 30 countries.

CONTACT DETAILS

Neale ’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealelewis/
Neale's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scaleup_coaches/
Scaling Up Coaches website : www.scalingup.co.uk
email: neale@scalingup.co.uk

Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors, building high-value companies. Over the last decade, he has built, bought and sold 26 businesses with a combined valuation of $5.2 billion dollars.

He also works with Private Equity and Venture Capital firms across the UK and the US leading business turnarounds, mergers, acquisitions, and scale-ups.

His “Scale Up With Nick Bradley” podcast, is ranked #1 in the UK on iTunes’ business charts

Nick  joins Neale to discuss the journey from transitioning from a Start Up to a Scale Up and the importance of planning for a successful exit. How he helps founders, entrepreneurs and realise the value that they have created in their organisations.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• A person who is great at starting a business has a whole let of different skills to a person scaling a business
• You can only Scale a business to the level of your identity
• Leadership: Being able to scale through people and processes

Five reasons why your businesses will not scale to 8 figures:

1. You are flying your plane but with no idea of the destination - You must be clear on where you want to get to ( Your destination ) and then dial back to where you are today and then use that delta to drive the Strategy for growth.
2.  Your are trying to grow your business one customer at a time.  If you are not running a predictable machine that brings in a consistent flow of your ideal customers, then you have no way of scaling your business.
3. You believe that the way for making serious money is to run your business. Simplifying things is the ultimate
   sophistication (and it’s the often missed, little secret behind fast business growth). Put the right systems and processes in place, hire an amazing team of A players so that your business runs like a machine
4. You don't know how to leverage other people's money to drive growth. Opportunities can be in the form of partnerships, joint ventures, sourcing investment capital, finding good profitable businesses to buy so you can scale your business rapidly. Bigger picture thinking vs. the granular stuff that will only deliver small, incremental gains.
5. Your beliefs, your environment , the people that you are surrounding yourself with are holding you back. Proximity is power. Who you spend your time with directly influences your thinking on a daily basis.
   What is  belief ? It’s simply an attitude that filters the experience of your reality and dictates your actions.

Key considerations for achieving a successful exit:

• You must get mentally prepared for the exit journey
• The earlier that you begin to plan for your exit the better
• Surround yourself with the right advisors - Don't try and do this alone
• Be inspired and enjoy the process
• Plan the next act.. Many exits fail at the last moment due to sellers remorse 
  
  
• Nick's  books that he is reading / writing at the moment:

                   - Wim Hof Method  by Wim Hof

                   - The Private Equity handbook - Adam Coffey

                   - Buy then Build by Walker Diebel 
                   - High Value Exit by Nick Bradley ( Due to be published later in 2023 )

•   Contact for Nick       https://highvalueexit.com/

BEST MOMENTS

• Be grateful, Be Brave, Have faith, Show Up - Take Action ever single day.
• All growth comes from friction.
• Get clear on your life changing number.
• You are the sum of the five people that you hang out with. 

VALUABLE RESOURCES
Entrepreneurs at Scale Podcast - https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/scalingup
Scale Up Your Business, coaching/consulting: https://www.scalingup.co.uk/work-with-a-scale-up-coach
How Scaleable is your business? Discover your Scaleability Score:  https://scaleable.scoreapp.com/
Are you ready to achieve a  high-value exit?  https://extraordinaryexit.scoreapp.com/
Scaling Up Tools and Resources : https://scaleups.com/

ABOUT THE HOST
Neale Lewis is a business growth expert and Strategic Exit Coach. He is focused on helping the entrepreneurs that he works with maximise the value of their organisations and when the time is right guiding them to achieve an extraordinary exit

His “Entrepreneurs at Scale” podcast, has more than 10k downloads in over 30 countries.

CONTACT DETAILS

Neale ’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nealelewis/
Neale's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scaleup_coaches/
Scaling Up Coaches website : www.scalingup.co.uk
email: neale@scalingup.co.uk