Fifth Chrome Business Insights

Why do promising SMBs hit a wall just as they try to scale?Often, it is not because the strategy is wrong.It is because of execution friction — the widening gap between what the CEO wants, what the leadership team understands, and what the organization actually executes.In this episode of Buy-and-Build & Scaling Stories, Anirvan Sen speaks with Christina Haxton, Founder and CEO of the Center for Sustainable Strategies, about the leadership and organizational problems that quietly derail scaling companies.Christina brings an unusual perspective. She began her career as a marriage and family therapist before moving into executive coaching, leadership development, strategic planning, and organizational advisory.We discuss:• why persistent people problems may actually be process problems• how founders become decision-making bottlenecks without realizing it• why CEOs often believe they delegate when their teams experience something very different• how different ways of working can be mistaken for resistance or poor performance• why trust determines whether employees will actually tell the CEO the truth• how leadership behavior creates — or destroys — psychological safety• why strategy cannot simply be developed at the top and pushed downward• inclusive strategic planning and the difference between accountability and ownership• why one-off workshops rarely create lasting organizational change• why scaling companies need shorter operating and strategic cadences• how visionary CEOs create organizational whiplash by continually changing priorities• the powerful question every CEO should ask when adding something new: What are we going to stop doing?Christina also shares several striking real-world stories.One involves a century-old family business where deeper problems around leadership, transparency, and willingness to change eventually contributed to the company disappearing.Another involves an aggressively scaling company preparing for private-equity investment. After focused work on strategy, leadership, trust, priorities, and execution cadence, Christina learned the PE sponsor considered it one of its most prepared recent portfolio acquisitions.And she shares the story of a technology company whose founders resolved significant internal friction, strengthened the organization, and were subsequently acquired by Google.The contrast leads to one of the strongest lessons from the conversation:You cannot transform an organization beyond the willingness of its leadership to transform.For scaling SMBs, execution friction can become the invisible gap between ambition and reality.If you don't address it early enough, it can become the place where growth dies.Connect with Christina HaxtonLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinahaxton/Center for Sustainable Strategies:https://www.centerforsustainablestrategies.com/Connect with Anirvan SenLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirvansen/Books & Resources MentionedThe Character-Based Leader: Instigating a Leadership Revolution... One Person at a Time — Lead Change GroupChristina is a contributing author.https://www.amazon.com/dp/145751222XBE 2.0 (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0) — Jim Collins & Bill Lazierhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0399564233The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencionihttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0787960756Buy-and-Build & Scaling StoriesHosted by Fifth Chrome.Presented by Anirvan Sen.

Why do so many businesses struggle to move from roughly $5M to $15M in revenue?Because an eight-figure business cannot operate exactly like the smaller company that came before it.In this educational episode of Buy-and-Build & Scaling Insights, Anirvan Sen explains five operating disciplines that become increasingly important as an SME moves toward becoming a mid-market company.The central idea is simple:You do not scale by simply doing more of the same. You scale by operating differently.The five disciplines are:1. Customer Creation ProcessMove beyond founder relationships, referrals, and opportunistic selling toward a repeatable process for creating customers.2. Sales Operating SystemBuild the basic infrastructure needed to manage prospects, sales activity, follow-ups, data, marketing collateral, and ongoing engagement consistently.3. Financial AcumenUnderstand how revenue, costs, margins, working capital, receivables, payables, and cash interact as the company grows.Revenue growth alone does not guarantee financial health.4. Capital AllocationDecide deliberately how much of today's profit to distribute and how much to reinvest in the capabilities required for the next stage of growth.5. Operating CadenceMove beyond simply holding weekly meetings. Create disciplined execution through metrics, actions, owners, timelines, accountability, and follow-up.Together, these five elements help the company transition from:founder-driven execution → more system-driven execution.The founder does not necessarily need to work harder as the business scales.The organization needs to become more capable.The bigger lesson:The company that reached $5M cannot simply be stretched into a $15M company. Somewhere along the journey, the business has to change how it operates.If you would like to discuss the scaling challenges in your business:[email protected] with Anirvan SenLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirvansen/Further ReadingBuy-and-Build Operating System — Anirvan Senhttps://www.amazon.com/Build-Operating-System-Buy-Build-ebook/dp/B0GNN7WR72/Buy-and-Build & Scaling InsightsHosted by Fifth Chrome.Presented by Anirvan Sen.

Why do so many business owners leave significant money on the table when they sell their companies?In this episode of Buy-and-Build & Scaling Stories, Anirvan Sen speaks with M&A practitioner Vicky Fang about exit readiness — and why preparing a business for sale should begin long before a buyer appears.Vicky brings experience across audit, financial diligence, investment banking, corporate development, integration, separation, and sell-side readiness.A central idea in the conversation is that owners should not begin by asking:“What is my business worth?”Instead, Vicky suggests starting with a much more personal question:“How much money do I actually need in my bank account after taxes?”That changes how an owner thinks about valuation, timing, lifestyle, tax planning, and the work that may still need to be done before going to market.We discuss:• predictable cash flow, sustainable growth, and transferable value• why founder dependency can reduce the value of a business to a buyer• why replacing one indispensable founder with one indispensable successor does not solve succession• why processes and knowledge need to move from individuals into the organization• strategic capacity and why it should be considered during M&A diligence• why buyers need to ask whether they can actually absorb another acquisition• how deal excitement and momentum can weaken diligence• why headline purchase price is very different from what the owner ultimately receives• how the business may currently be funding the owner's lifestyle• why personal tax and wealth planning should start well before a sale• how long founders may need to remain after an acquisition• the difference between leaving the CEO role and leaving the company• how sellers should think about earn-outsWe also explore the difference between being opportunistically acquired and systematically preparing for an exit.The broader lesson is simple:The best time to prepare your business for sale is when you do not need to sell it.Building a company with predictable economics, sustainable growth, strong management, lower founder dependency, and transferable value does more than improve exit readiness.It creates a better business.Connect with Vicky FangLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-fang/Connect with Anirvan SenLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirvansen/Books & Resources MentionedBuy-and-Build Operating System — Anirvan Senhttps://www.amazon.com/Build-Operating-System-Buy-Build-ebook/dp/B0GNN7WR72/The Growth-Driving Advisor: Proven Strategies for Leading Businesses from Stuck to Best-in-Class — George Sandmannhttps://www.amazon.com/Growth-Driving-Advisor-Strategies-Best-Class/dp/164225875XCan I Borrow Your Car?: How Successful Financial Advisors Can Grow Their Business and Love Their Life — Mike Garrisonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKSCTHL7Buy-and-Build & Scaling StoriesHosted by Fifth Chrome.Presented by Anirvan Sen.

Why do some businesses scale successfully through acquisitions while others struggle long before integration even begins?In this episode of Buy-and-Build & Scaling Stories, Anirvan Sen speaks with Nicholas Gleeson, drawing on more than 35 years of experience across CFO, CEO, board, strategic advisory, and acquisition-led growth roles around the world.The central idea is:Buy-and-build succeeds or fails long before the deal is done.A substantial part of the conversation focuses on boards and governance — and why the board required by a $20M entrepreneurial company can be very different from the board required as that business becomes larger and more institutional.Anirvan and Nick explore:• how boards should evolve as companies scale• the five capabilities a scaling-company board may need: people, finance, compliance, commercial, and technical expertise• why boards should mentor and develop management, not merely supervise it• the role of independent directors and chairs• when the founder can become a constraint on future growth• how boards should approach CEO succession• why CEO and CFO roles change dramatically across scaling stages• design debt — what happens when organizational design fails to keep pace with growth• why design debt compounds as complexity increases• why a company may sometimes need to stop growing temporarily to repair its organizational foundation• why post-acquisition organizational design should begin before the deal closes• why postponing compensation alignment after an acquisition can be a major mistake• how communication and operating cadence need to evolve with scale• what makes an effective buy-and-build leadership team• Nick’s memorable description of exceptional people who deliver “the ask +20%”The broader lesson is that successful buy-and-build is not simply about finding good companies and completing acquisitions.Every acquisition adds more people, decisions, systems, incentives, leadership complexity, customers, and governance requirements.If the organization underneath the acquisition is not ready for that complexity, the deal can amplify existing weaknesses rather than create value.You cannot sustainably scale the business faster than you scale the organization that has to run it.-------Books & Resources Mentioned: Buy-and-Build Operating System — Anirvan SenThe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas AdamsGood to Great — Jim CollinsThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen R. CoveyAgainst the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk — Peter L. Bernstein----------Buy-and-Build & Scaling StoriesHosted by Fifth Chrome.Presented by Anirvan Sen.

Should you sell your company completely, bring in growth capital, or sell a majority stake and retain equity for the next stage?In this episode of Buy-and-Build & Scaling Stories, Anirvan Sen speaks with John A. Bova about the choices business owners face when considering private capital — and what happens after the transaction.The conversation covers growth equity vs. buyouts, rollover equity and earn-outs, seller preparedness, succession, current middle-market M&A conditions, and the reality behind valuation multiples.John also discusses why value creation cannot depend simply on financial engineering or hoping for a higher exit multiple. Eventually, investors and management have to create operating alpha through stronger execution, organic growth, commercial transformation, better data, and stronger management capability.A substantial part of the episode focuses on operating partners: what they actually do, when they should become involved, and the three broad reasons for bringing them in — to diagnose a problem, execute a solution, or accelerate something that is already working.We also explore why management must continue to own the value-creation plan, why execution and accountability so often become the real constraints, and why CEOs increasingly need to be data fluent.John also shares his perspective on current middle-market valuations, including the approximately 7.0–7.3x adjusted EBITDA range he had recently seen reported for middle-market private-capital transactions.The broader question for business owners is not simply:Should I sell?It is:What do I want the next chapter of my ownership, control, wealth, and involvement to look like?Connect with John A. Bovahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/johnabova/Connect with Anirvan Senhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anirvansen/Books & Resources MentionedBuy-and-Build Operating System — Anirvan Senhttps://www.amazon.com/Build-Operating-System-Buy-Build-ebook/dp/B0GNN7WR72/The Patient Organization — Walt Brownhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1946633119Think Inside the Box — Tim Nelson & Jim McGeehttps://www.amazon.com/Think-Inside-Box-exceptional-organization/dp/098925030XThe 80/20 Principle — Richard Kochhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0385491743Buy-and-Build & Scaling StoriesHosted by Fifth Chrome.Presented by Anirvan Sen.

Why do some companies continue scaling while others get stuck at $20M, $50M, or $60M in revenue?One of the biggest mistakes founders, leadership teams, and investors make is treating scaling as one continuous journey. It isn’t.In this special educational episode of Buy-and-Build & Scaling Insights, Anirvan Sen introduces a five-stage framework for understanding how companies evolve from approximately $5M to $250M+ in revenue:• $5M–$15M: Founder-Led• $15M–$30M: Foundation Formation• $30M–$60M: Capabilities Build• $60M–$120M: Institutionalization• $120M–$250M+: Strategic Capital Leveraged GrowthThe real value of the framework is not the revenue ranges themselves, but understanding what has to change between stages.Anirvan explores how Finance, HR, leadership, management systems, capital allocation, and the role of the CEO all need to evolve as the company grows.The episode also looks at three common scaling mistakes: relying too heavily on trial-and-error leadership development, bringing experienced capability in too late, and hiring professional managers without building the processes and systems around them.A particularly important question for founders is whether they actually want to become the kind of CEO the next stage requires.The central idea is simple:You do not scale a company simply by making the existing business bigger. You scale it by repeatedly rebuilding the organization for the requirements of its next stage.Connect with Anirvan SenLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirvansen/About Buy-and-Build & Scaling InsightsBuy-and-Build & Scaling Insights is Fifth Chrome’s educational series exploring practical frameworks and ideas around business scaling, professionalization, leadership, acquisitions, organizational capability, and buy-and-build.Hosted by Fifth Chrome.Presented by Anirvan Sen.

What does it take to move from a corporate career into entrepreneurship — and then build and scale a technology business internationally?In this episode of Buy-and-Build & Scaling Stories, Anirvan Sen speaks with Samit Sengupta, Founder and Managing Director of Geologix, about his journey from corporate leader to entrepreneur.But this is not simply a story about starting a company.It is about what happens as the company grows — when the founder’s expertise is no longer enough, hiring becomes harder, the organization becomes more complex, and the entrepreneur must evolve alongside the business.Samit shares how his early experience working on oil rigs gave him a first-hand understanding of his customers and helped shape the way he approached the market.He also speaks candidly about one of the challenges many founders eventually face: becoming a bottleneck in their own business.Our conversation then turns to one of the biggest challenges for growing SMEs — hiring.Samit discusses mistakes made by pursuing candidates with impressive “gold label” companies on their CVs and why experience in a major corporation did not always translate into success in a smaller entrepreneurial business.That experience led to a different approach: recruiting less-experienced people, looking closely at their attitude and problem-solving ability, and investing in developing their capabilities over time.We also discuss Geologix’s experience with freemium, international scaling, and why Samit continues investing in his own leadership development even after decades of experience.• Samit’s journey from corporate leader to entrepreneur• How experience on oil rigs shaped his understanding of customers• Winning the confidence of early customers• Building and scaling an international technology business• Recognizing when the founder becomes a bottleneck• Why impressive corporate CVs do not always produce the right SME hires• Hiring less-experienced people and developing their capabilities• Looking for attitude and problem-solving ability during interviews• Geologix’s experience with freemium• Why entrepreneurs need to continue upgrading their own leadership capabilitiesAs your company grows, are you simply building a bigger business — or are you building an organization capable of operating at a bigger scale?One of the strongest lessons from Samit’s journey is that the capabilities required to start a business are not necessarily the capabilities required to scale it.Starting often depends heavily on the founder’s knowledge, relationships, expertise, and problem-solving ability.Scaling increasingly depends on building those capabilities throughout the organization.And that requires the entrepreneur to keep evolving too.------------Connect with Samit Sengupta⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/samit-sengupta-b560613/⁠Geologix:⁠https://www.geologix.com/⁠--------Connect with Anirvan SenLinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirvansen/⁠-------------About Buy-and-Build & Scaling StoriesBuy-and-Build & Scaling Stories brings together founders, CEOs, CFOs, investors, operators, and advisers who have lived through the challenges of building, acquiring, scaling, and exiting businesses.These are stories from inside the journey — the decisions, challenges, mistakes, and lessons that rarely appear in deal announcements or investment presentations.Hosted by Fifth Chrome.Presented by Anirvan Sen.

Buy-and-Build & Scaling StoriesTalent and leadership are among the biggest challenges for companies pursuing rapid growth, scaling, and buy-and-build strategies. Yet HR is still frequently viewed primarily as an administrative function.In this episode, Anirvan Sen speaks with seasoned HR practitioner Michelle Kaihani about how HR's role needs to evolve as organizations grow.What does it take for HR to move beyond administration and become a genuine business enabler? What skills and capabilities are required? And how can HR earn the credibility and respect needed to influence senior leadership?The conversation explores the changing demands on HR and why developing organizational capabilities is essential to scaling a business.Topics covered:How HR's role changes as a business grows and scales.Talent and leadership as potential constraints to growth.The capabilities HR needs to become a genuine business enabler.Moving beyond administration toward greater business contribution.Earning credibility and respect with senior leadership.The importance of evolving organizational capabilities alongside business growth.This episode is relevant to HR professionals, CEOs, founders, investors, acquisition entrepreneurs, and senior leaders responsible for scaling businesses.------------Connect with Michelle KaihaniLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-kaihani-esq-sphr-181b168/Email: [email protected] mentionedFunctional Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions by Anirvan Sen | Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9798290562636Performance Intelligence at Work: The Five Essentials to Achieving the Mind of a Champion by Julie Bell | Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9780071625142--------Connect with Anirvan SenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirvansen/-------------About the podcastBuy-and-Build & Scaling Stories features conversations with founders, executives, investors, operators, and advisers who have experienced the challenges of building, acquiring, scaling, and exiting businesses.Hosted by Fifth Chrome. Presented by Anirvan Sen.

What does it really take to be a CFO when a business is going through an exit?Jim Carver reflects on his experience with two business exits and how dramatically the CFO’s role changes during that period. We talk about long hours, intense management reporting, faster decision-making, the need to understand the entire business, and why the CFO often becomes the bridge between management and investors.Jim also compares his first exit with his second—and shares what changes when you have already been through the process once.Connect with Jim CarverLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcarver36/Email: [email protected] & Scaling StoriesHosted by Fifth Chrome. Presented by Anirvan Sen.Have a question, a scaling story to share, or a guest you think we should speak with?Write to us at [email protected].

Join ⁠⁠⁠Anirvan Sen⁠⁠⁠, CEO of ⁠⁠⁠Fifth Chrome⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Nigel Kilpatrick⁠⁠⁠, CEO of ⁠⁠⁠Compassion-in-Business⁠⁠⁠, as they tackle the colossal issue of employee disengagement in this eye-opening episode. Discover why businesses are losing an astonishing $9 trillion annually due to disengaged employees and explore practical solutions to this pervasive problem. Key Episode Highlights: 📌 Magnitude of the Problem: Unpack the staggering $9 trillion annual loss in business productivity globally, emphasizing the urgent need for strategic interventions. 📌 Root Causes of Disengagement: Dive into common workplace hurdles that lead to employee disengagement, including the overwhelming number of IT applications employees are required to manage. 📌 Practical Solutions and Strategies: Learn how businesses can effectively tackle disengagement, increase productivity, and create a more fulfilling work environment for their employees. Expert Insights: Anirvan and Nigel discuss real-world examples and share innovative approaches to boost engagement across various industries. This episode is crucial for business leaders, HR professionals, and managers seeking to understand and mitigate the impacts of employee disengagement. Subscribe to our channel for more insights on creating high-performance, compassionate workplaces. Watch now and take the first step toward transforming your organizational culture and productivity. #EmployeeEngagement #BusinessProductivity #Leadership #HRManagement #HumanResources #OrganizationalDevelopment #TalentManagement #culturechange #CorporateCulture #BusinessStrategy Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more insightful discussions on business strategy, leadership, and organizational development. 🎙️ Hosted by: ⁠⁠Anirvan Sen, CEO - Fifth Chrome 👉 LinkedIn Profile⁠⁠⁠⁠Nigel Kilpatrick, CEO - Compassion in Business 👉 LinkedIn Profile⁠⁠ 🌐 This episode is brought to you by Fifth Chrome, your trusted advisor for Business Strategy, M&A, and Transformations. Visit our ⁠⁠website⁠⁠ Our partner on this podcast is Compassion-in-Business. Visit their ⁠⁠website⁠⁠ ------- 🔹 For More Insights: Stay tuned for more episodes from ⁠⁠Fifth Chrome⁠⁠, where we explore the intricacies of business strategy, high-performance organizational models, and M&A dynamics. Don't forget to subscribe and leave your thoughts in the comments! #FifthChromePodcast #CorporateCulture #BusinessStrategy #BusinessPodcast #FifthChrome