Scale-Up Sessions

AI is transforming the way businesses operate, but simply adopting more AI tools doesn't automatically create more value. The real opportunity lies in knowing where AI can genuinely improve the way your business works.In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how growing businesses can move beyond AI experimentation and start using it to create real commercial advantage. From identifying the right use cases to redesigning workflows and avoiding unnecessary complexity, we unpack what it really takes to use AI as a lever for sustainable growth.Joining us is Yinka Fasawe, AI Go-To-Market Lead for FSI capital markets at Google Cloud for the UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa. Yinka works with organisations to help them adopt AI strategically, enabling businesses to move beyond the hype and focus on where AI can improve productivity, decision-making and long-term competitiveness.Yinka shares practical insights, including:Why the businesses seeing the greatest return from AI aren't simply adopting more tools, they're rethinking how work gets done.How to identify the business processes where AI can create the greatest value, rather than automating for automation's sake.Why successful AI adoption is ultimately a leadership challenge, and how businesses can build the right culture, governance and mindset to turn AI into a genuine competitive advantage.● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ ● Follow Yinka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yinkafasawe/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

Growing a business isn't just about getting more attention. It's about making sure the right people find you, trust you, and know exactly how to buy from you.In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how founders can turn visibility into sustainable growth. From building meaningful relationships and creating a clear market position, to systemising sales and reducing founder dependency, we unpack what it really takes to build a business that can scale.Joining us is Molly Ruland, Founder of Heartcast Media. Molly has spent more than two decades building businesses rooted in art, music, culture and community. Today, she helps founders and business leaders use strategic visibility and podcasting to build meaningful relationships that translate into long-term business growth. Her philosophy is simple: the strongest opportunities come from having better conversations.Molly shares practical lessons from building and scaling her own business, including:Why not everyone is your customer, and how focusing on the right audience creates stronger growth than chasing vanity metricsHow to turn visibility into predictable revenue by creating a clear offer and building repeatable sales systemsWhy the most valuable businesses are designed to operate without constant founder involvement, and how to start reducing dependency on yourself as the business grows● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/● Follow Molly on the channels below:https://mollyruland.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/heartcastmediaScale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

What stops businesses from scaling? More often than not, it's not the market or the strategy - it's founder bottlenecks, misaligned leadership teams, and decisions made under pressure.In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we unpack the leadership challenges that emerge as businesses grow and become more complex. From struggling to let go of control to building alignment across senior teams, we explore what really gets in the way of sustainable scale.Joining us is Kate Waterfall Hill, leadership coach, advisor, and author of How to Lead. You may also know her alter ego, Linda, the Bad Manager, whose brilliantly relatable online sketches shine a light on the everyday management mistakes many leaders make. Kate shares practical lessons from decades of working with founders and leadership teams, including:Why founders struggle to let go of control, and how to delegate without feeling like you're losing control of the businessHow to build and maintain an aligned leadership team as your business becomes bigger and more complexHow to make smarter resourcing decisions that support growth, avoid team burnout, and prevent overhiring too quicklyFollow Kate Waterfall Hill on the channels below:https://www.waterfallhill.co.uk/https://www.linkedin.com/in/katewaterfallhill/https://www.tiktok.com/@katewaterfallhillhttps://www.instagram.com/katewaterfallhill/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUCO50cN8ETdaUwQ_IiosFQFollow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

Is access to finance really drying up for growing businesses, or has the SME lending market simply become more complex?In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how the UK SME lending landscape is evolving and what business owners need to understand before raising finance. From the rise of fintech and alternative lenders to the growing importance of brokers and long-term planning, this conversation cuts through the headlines to reveal what’s really happening on the ground.Joining us is Jim Higginbotham, CEO of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), the UK’s largest trade body for commercial finance brokers. Jim shares insights from across the broker and lender ecosystem, explaining how funding routes have diversified, why many businesses rule themselves out of finance too early, and how scale-ups can make better funding decisions to support sustainable growth.Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/Follow Jim Higginbotham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-higginbotham-33142523/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

According to Product Talk’s 2026 CDH Benchmark survey, only around 20% of product teams describe themselves as truly outcome-focused, while roughly 30% are still primarily measuring outputs rather than real impact.So, are you measuring what truly drives growth — or just tracking activity?In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we’re joined by Sam Collett, Chief Innovation Officer at Eventus.do. Sam introduces the concept of “outcome engineering” — starting with what success looks like and working backwards to identify the actions that truly drive results. He explains why so many organisations fall into the trap of measuring activity instead of impact, why KPIs and dashboards often fail to tell the full story, and how businesses can take a more outcome-led approach to AI and innovation that delivers meaningful value rather than simply adding more activity.Why not keep up to date with Sam via his newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7445799737930170368● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/● Follow Sam Collett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collettsam/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast, visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore another compelling Scale-Up Story, diving into the realities of building and scaling a business rooted in culture, community and authenticity.Joining us is Tom Bott, Founder and Managing Director of Signature Brew, a brewery built at the intersection of great beer and live music. What started as a creative way to connect with audiences has grown into a brand with a fiercely loyal community and a clearly defined purpose.Tom shares how building a community-led brand shaped Signature Brew’s growth strategy, influenced key commercial decisions and helped the business navigate periods of opportunity alongside real pressure - from the craft beer boom to COVID, rising costs and industry shake-outs. He also reflects on the leadership lessons he’s learned around resilience, focus and knowing when to simplify in order to scale sustainably.● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/● Follow Tom Bott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-bott/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast, visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

When is the right time to bring finance into your business, and how do you know you’re truly ready for it?In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how founders can choose the right type of finance and make sure their business is in the right position to use it effectively. From understanding whether funding is the real solution, to avoiding common scaling traps, this conversation offers practical insight to help you grow with confidence.Joining us is Dave Golding, Managing Director at Cynergy Business Finance. Dave oversees how the business supports companies with funding solutions, bringing a lender's perspective on what it really takes to be “funding-ready” and use finance as a tool for sustainable growth.Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/Follow Dave Golding on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dave-golding-354699aScale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

Search is changing, and the way customers find your business is evolving fast.So the question is: are you still showing up?In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how shifting search behaviour is reshaping visibility for growing businesses, and what scale-ups need to do to stay discoverable in an increasingly fragmented landscape.Joining us is Rick Talbot, Director of Digital at Totally Digital. Rick works across marketing, product and engineering teams to help organisations navigate complex changes in SEO, content and digital discovery, to help B2B and B2C businesses grow through search.We break down how customer expectations have evolved, from AI-generated answers and zero-click searches to people using social channels as search engines. We discuss where businesses are most at risk of quietly losing visibility, why relying too heavily on paid channels can be risky and how scale-ups can rethink their approach to search to support sustainable growth.This conversation is packed with practical advice on building a search strategy that adapts.● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/● Follow Rick Talbot on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-talbot-47525b53/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore another fascinating Scale-Up Story, delving deep into the realities of scaling an AI-driven business.Joining us is Chandini Jain, co-founder and CEO of Auquan, a fintech company that creates autonomous AI agents designed to automate complex, knowledge-intensive workflows in financial services.Chandini shares how she identified a widespread industry problem, validated what customers truly needed and navigated the challenges of selling into highly regulated environments. She also tells us more about the evolution of Auquan’s product, from early search-based tools to fully orchestrated AI agents, and what it really takes to stay competitive in today’s fast-moving AI market.● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/● Follow Chandini Jain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandinijain/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast, visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we dive into our first ever Scale-Up Story, exploring the real journey of building, growing and leading a business through the highs, lows and pivotal turning points that only experience can teach.Joining us is Devika Wood, CEO of Brain+, a tech-enabled home care platform that raised millions in funding and scaled rapidly in the UK’s growing elderly care sector.She shares the early signals that can tell you whether your business is actually working, the unexpected challenges of transitioning from founder to CEO of a listed company, and the leadership lessons learned through some of the toughest moments in her career.If you’d like to find out more about Cynergy Bank’s Business Births & Deaths Index discussed in this episode, you can find the full research here: https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/the-indexFollow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/Follow Devika Wood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devikawood/Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast, visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk