Welcome to the ‘Scale Up Your Business’ podcast. In this podcast, we will show you how to go from start-up to scale-up and beyond!; how to significantly grow your business; how to develop the right mind-set for growth and to re-ignite with your purpose; how to create effective commercial plans driving predictable revenues; how to leverage and systemise to free you up from day-to-day operations; how to raise funding and investment, especially from VC’s and PE firms; how to design a lifestyle business, a performance business, or an empire!; how to build up for an exit and a significant capital event!; ultimately, how you can create freedom, build wealth, have fun ... and live life more on your terms. Introducing your host, entrepreneur, investor and scale-up specialist, Nick Bradley. “In business and in life - be grateful, be brave, have faith, show up”. Contact details: [email protected] www.nickcbradley.com
Nick talks to Allan Dib, author of The 1-Page Marketing Plan and Lean Marketing, about the power of simplification in marketing and business growth, particularly for those with seven- to eight-figure businesses.
Allan shares his core philosophy, the structure of his 9-box marketing plan, and the importance of focusing on a "rich life" by design.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"My role in simplification is to simplify the complex."
"The only two metrics that really, really matter are your Cost of Customer Acquisition and Lifetime Value."
"If you do the first parts of your marketing right, sales becomes so easy and frictionless."
"How do we get to that rich life, how do we live a life that's essentially awesome?"
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Exclusive offer for SCALE UP listeners!
Level up your marketing with The 1PMP Architect, a free tool by Allan Dib that builds your custom marketing plan. Access it here: leanmarketing.com/scaleup
Allan Dib on LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/allandib
Allan Dib on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/allandib/?hl=en
Lean Marketing With Allan Dib on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LeanMarketingOfficial
To get your copy of Nick’s new book, go to http://bit.ly/4ngC2hO
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: https://go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnickbradley
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick welcomes media expert Omar Hamdi from Dubai to discuss the evolving landscape of media coverage, publicity, and public relations.
With a rich background in traditional media and a passion for technology, Omar shares insights on how businesses of all sizes can leverage media tech to enhance their visibility and authority. The conversation delves into the importance of strategic intent behind media engagement, the role of verification in building trust, and the complementary relationship between personal branding and media coverage
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"If you use technology in the right way, you can make PR accessible to businesses of every size."
"The point of the media is in the verification... That's why it's such a letdown when... an esteemed organisation like the BBC edits an interview."
"You need to be doing multiple things. You need to be leveraging the sources that align with what your goals are."
"The biggest mistake is doing it without any of those things, not knowing why you're engaging with the media."
GUEST RESOURCES
Omar's LinkedIn Profile: linkedin.com/in/omar-e-hamdi
Pathos Communications Website: https://payonresultspr.com/
VALUABLE RESOURCES
To get your copy of Nick’s new book, go to http://bit.ly/4ngC2hO
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnickbradley
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick shares his past struggles as a CEO being overwhelmed by too many metrics, which led to poor decision-making and a difficult board meeting. He argues that most CEOs drown in "vanity metrics" that don't actually reflect a business' true value.
To combat this, he introduces The Ultimate CEO Dashboard, detailing the five most crucial numbers that private equity operating partners consistently demand and that truly determine a business' enterprise value and potential for a premium exit
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"The board partner at the time said, 'Nick, I don't care about your NPS score, your net promoter score. He said, do we have cash or not?'"
"More metrics can sometimes mean worse decisions."
"You can't cost-cut your way to a premium exit. You need growth plus margin expansion."
"If you're only looking at revenue, you're driving by looking in the rearview mirror."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Want a one-pager that breaks down The Ultimate CEO Dashboard — the exact 5 metrics that determine your company’s enterprise value?
DM Nick with the words "CEO Dashboard" on LinkedIn, and he or his team will send you a copy of the cheat sheet so you can start applying it in your business right away.
To get your copy of Nick’s new book, go to http://bit.ly/4ngC2hO
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnickbradley
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick talks to the amazing Callum Laing about the crucial role of networking and connections in achieving success, particularly for founders and business owners.
Callum emphasises that talent alone isn't enough; success is driven by who you know and how you leverage that network, sharing personal experiences of building a network from scratch and introducing his "CARES" framework (Connections, Authority, Reach, Equity, Service).
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"Most of the value that we deliver in the world actually has a lot less to do with us and a lot more to do with who we're connected to."
"If you're in the wrong room, it doesn't matter how talented you are, how hard-working you are—you're not going to get fully compensated for it."
"The way I think about reach is about surface area of luck."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
To get your copy of Nick’s new book, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exit-Millions-Private-Blueprint-Business/dp/1068243902
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://highvalueexit.com/li
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick presents founders and business owners with a powerful diagnostic tool—the Business Model Diagnosis—to address stalled growth, which is often mistakenly attributed to poor marketing or sales. He breaks down the five core components of any successful business model—Customer Segments, Value Proposition, Revenue Model, Delivery Mechanism, and Operational Excellence—and presents 15 key questions designed to evaluate and optimise the entire business engine
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"If growth is stalled, it's probably not your sales team, it's probably not your marketing funnel either. The truth, most of the time from my experience, is your business model. So let's fix that today."
"You don't need perfect scores, but if you've got weak points across, as I said, two to three of these areas, that's likely the root cause of your growth issues for now."
"When your business model is right, everything else gets easier. When it's wrong, nothing works. So you've got to fix the business model first."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
To get your copy of Nick’s new book, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exit-Millions-Private-Blueprint-Business/dp/1068243902
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnickbradley/
DM me the words “BUSINESS MODEL”, and I’ll share a simple, powerful framework I use with clients to identify the hidden constraints that stop a company from scaling.
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick is proud to announce his new book, "Exit For Millions: The Private Equity Blueprint for Scaling and Selling Your Business for Maximum Value," which aims to level the playing field for founders when dealing with sophisticated buyers.
He shares the importance of taking time off to practice what he preaches about freedom and optionality and details the book's core focus: the "Scale to Sale™️" methodology with five pillars designed to transform a company into an investor-grade asset, ensuring founders achieve significant, generation-defining wealth and financial independence upon exit.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"If you can’t build a business that works for you, you end up in a bit of a prison, right? So, you know, I like to be able to practice what I preach".
"My mission here is to help founders, to help business owners transform their company into an investor-grade asset, something that an investor would see as valuable".
"The core piece of what I'm trying to get across, is that point of optionality. So, even if selling is not where you're at right now, but you want to reverse engineer from a potential event like that in the future, then everything in the book is geared around that outcome".
"They don’t pay for potential. And people kind of think it’s about what the business can become. Yes, it is, but it’s about showing what the business can become with proof of what it has been".
VALUABLE RESOURCES
To get your copy of Nick’s new book, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exit-Millions-Private-Blueprint-Business/dp/1068243902
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: https://go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realnickbradley/
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick examines the technical yet crucial topic of how elite Private Equity firms effectively scale business operations. Drawing from his extensive experience in Private Equity and entrepreneurship, Nick highlights the significant differences between traditional business growth strategies and those employed by top firms like KKR and Blackstone
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Private Equity firms succeed not just by acquiring businesses at low prices but by executing operational improvements effectively. Founders can adopt similar strategies to enhance their business operations and drive growth.
Establishing a structured 100-day plan can help business owners identify hidden value, design efficient organisational structures
Successful Private Equity firms emphasise systemisation at scale, creating streamlined processes and centralised tech stacks.
Effective leadership is crucial for driving value. Business owners should assess their teams regularly and be willing to replace underperforming leaders to ensure the execution of their growth strategies.
BEST MOMENTS
"The real pros, they obsess over how to run them once they own them."
"You do not need to sell to Private Equity to scale like Private Equity."
"If the team that's inherently brought in can't deliver the value creation plan, then they're replaced."
"In Private Equity, growth isn't left to hope, it's precisely engineered, it's methodical."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/realnickbradley
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick looks at the transformative potential of generative AI for business and entrepreneurship, sharing his personal journey of integrating AI tools into his own business practices, and emphasising the importance of leveraging AI to enhance productivity and streamline operations rather than simply replacing human roles.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Generative AI is seen as a significant opportunity for entrepreneurs to fuel business growth by removing friction, enhancing productivity, and allowing for faster execution without sacrificing quality.
Business owners should view AI through the lens of leverage, understanding that it is not just about replacing human roles but about enhancing capabilities and streamlining processes.
Generative AI can be utilised in various areas such as strategic thinking, content creation, operational efficiency, deal flow, and exit readiness, with specific tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Jasper, and Notion AI being highlighted for their effectiveness.
Entrepreneurs are encouraged to create a personal AI toolkit by mastering a few key tools, automating heavy tasks, and designating an AI operator within their team to facilitate the integration of AI into their workflows.
BEST MOMENTS
"Generative AI is the biggest thing that I've seen certainly in over a decade of building and scaling businesses."
"AI isn't really just about replacing people, it's about removing friction."
"AI drafts the work, but you remain the editor-in-chief."
"There's a missed opportunity if you don't lean into creating a personal brand using these tools."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://highvalueexit.com/li
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick talks to the remarkable Allison Maslan, a world expert in building and scaling successful companies, about the core principles of entrepreneurship, drawing parallels between the challenges of scaling a business and the exhilarating experience of trapeze artistry, which Allison has practiced for 25 years.
The conversation explores Allison's journey from growing up in an entrepreneurial family to starting her first business at 19, and the lessons learned along the way. They discuss the importance of having a strategic vision, understanding cash flow, and building a strong team culture, emphasising that effective leadership is crucial for scaling a business.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"When you jump off the trapeze... once they do it, they say that is the most exhilarating, exciting experience they've ever had. And they have this leap of confidence."
"The first question a private equity firm will ask a business that they're interested in is, 'Tell me your vision.' I can't tell you the number of times a business owner screws up that question."
"If this is success, I don't want it. I can't continue to function like this."
"You can scale with other products and revenue streams as long as it's complementary to your brand and it's speaking to your avatar."
GUEST RESOURCES
Allison Maslan at Pinnacle - https://pinnacleglobalnetwork.com/scaleup/
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: https://go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://highvalueexit.com/li
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Join Nick as he conducts a special masterclass mentoring session with guest Rohan Sheth, where they dive deep into the world of paid media advertising, exploring its significance for businesses at various stages of growth.
Rohan, a seasoned expert and co-founder of the well-known agency GrowRev, shares insights from his extensive experience managing over $300 million in ad spend and generating over $2 billion in revenue for clients like Tony Robbins and Grant Cardone.
The discussion covers common fears surrounding paid advertising, the importance of understanding customer lifetime value, and effective strategies for crafting compelling ad campaigns.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"There is no quicker way to scale a business than by being able to turn on paid media and also turn it off."
"Fear is the biggest one that I see a lot of the time... it comes down to understanding. There is a way to just light up money on fire."
"If you know your lifetime value for customers is north of $20,000, I'd go to LinkedIn because you're going to get that."
"The one thing Facebook likes to see is consistency. They'd rather you spend $50 a day consistently than turn it on and off."
"Get really clear on that customer journey or that prospect to customer journey. That's critical."
GUEST RESOURCES
Rohan Sheth - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rohansheth
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: https://go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://highvalueexit.com/li
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/
Nick talks about his recent decision to reenter the world of Private Equity after a six-year hiatus, driven by a desire to align his values with the industry. He reflects on past experiences, including the challenges of value extraction versus value creation, and the personal journey that led to their departure from Private Equity.
The discussion highlights the current macro shifts in the market, including the wealth transition of baby boomers and the increasing need for strategic partnerships in private equity. Nick discusses the importance of mentoring and supporting entrepreneurs, advocating for a new model of private equity that focuses on collaboration and shared value creation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
BEST MOMENTS
"I decided to leave because of a lot of things that happened during my decade in that industry that didn't align with my values."
"I can't sit there saying how bad some of these different situations are... I shouldn't be just throwing stones at something and not trying to fix it."
"There's a big explosion of small cap and lower mid-market opportunities... to allow founders to exit gracefully and elegantly is huge."
"Entrepreneurship is a team sport at the best of times. You don't want to be the person who's having to pull everything uphill."
"My mission around it really is to redefine private equity as a vehicle for freedom and growth and wealth, not just the exit."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Scale Your Business Beyond 8 Figures - Watch This Video: https://go.highvalueexit.com/scale-beyond
Exit Your Business For Millions - Download This Guide: https://go.highvalueexit.com/opt-in
Nick’s LinkedIn: https://highvalueexit.com/li
Nick Bradley is a world-renowned author, speaker, and business growth expert, who works with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to build, scale and sell high-value companies.
He spent 10+ years working in Private Equity, where he oversaw 100+ acquisitions, 26 exits, and over $5 Billion in combined value created. He has one of the top-ranked business podcasts in the UK (with over 1m downloads in over 130 countries). He now spends his time coaching and consulting business owners in building and scaling high-value business towards life-changing exits.
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/