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by Brendan McGurgan
My name is Brendan McGurgan and I am immersed in the world of scaleup businesses. In 2020, myself and business partner Claire Colvin co-founded Simple Scaling with the sole purpose of inspiring and enabling millions of ambitious leaders to scale with purpose. Over the past two years we have researched and examined our success and the success of those who have 'been there and done it' to create the 10 Principles of Scaling which is enshrined in our ScaleX™ Framework. As an extension of this we have created the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast.Every week I will be having fascinating conversations with authors, change makers and business leaders on one or more of the ScaleX™ Principles to support you on your journey to success. I believe passionately in business scaleup and most importantly the wellbeing of you - the aspirational scaleup leader. New episodes on Wednesdays. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts, and please rate, review and share the podcast if you enjoy it. For more information go
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- 2 days ago4 min
[ScaleX Bite-Size] After 1,000 Interviews, This Lesson Stood Out with Jordan Harbinger
After interviewing around 1,000 people, Jordan Harbinger has heard thousands of stories. But some conversations have stayed with him long after the recording ended. One was with former Soviet spy Jack Barsky, whose story forced Jordan to think about what happens when work and duty are prioritised over family. Another was with Kobe Bryant. After their interview, Jordan expected Kobe to move quickly on to his next commitment. Instead, Kobe stayed to talk about their children. What struck Jordan was how little Kobe seemed concerned with fame, money or what came next professionally. His priority was getting to his daughter's game — even learning how to use his phone better so he could film her playing. Three or four months later, Kobe died. For Jordan, that memory became a powerful reminder that success is ultimately shaped by what you choose to prioritise — and that the time you assume you have with the people who matter most is never guaranteed. [00:00] – What Jordan learned from nearly 1,000 interviews [00:55] – Jack Barsky and choosing between work and family [01:55] – Jordan's interview with Kobe Bryant [02:40] – Discovering what Kobe valued most [03:35] – Kobe's excitement about getting to his daughter's game [04:15] – A conversation about mortality that took on new meaning [04:40] – The lesson Jordan took away about family and priorities Connect with Jordan Harbinger Website: jordanharbinger.com Podcast: The Jordan Harbinger Show ScaleX Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business ScaleX Elevate – for businesses under £3M revenue ScaleX Accelerator – for businesses over £3M revenue Website: simplescaling.com Email: hello@simplescaling.com
- 3 days ago3 min
[ScaleX Bite-Size] How to Network When You Don't Have Time | Jordan Harbinger
Networking often falls to the bottom of a founder's to-do list. Not because relationships aren't important, but because "networking" can feel vague, time-consuming and difficult to turn into a practical habit. Jordan Harbinger argues it doesn't have to be. His approach is something he calls Connect Four. Find one to four people you haven't spoken to in a while and send them a simple message. Remind them where you met, share a quick update about what's happening in your life and genuinely ask how they're doing. No pitch. No favour. No hidden agenda. Jordan says the key is to "dig the well before you get thirsty" — maintain relationships before you need a client, introduction, opportunity or favour. And it can take just a few minutes. Over time, those small conversations keep relationships alive and create a network built on genuine connection rather than transactions. [00:00] – Why busy founders struggle to prioritise networking [00:45] – Why networking doesn't need to be time-consuming [01:15] – Jordan's Connect Four networking habit [02:00] – How to reconnect with someone you haven't spoken to in years [02:50] – Why you should reconnect without asking for anything [03:35] – Turning a simple message into a genuine conversation [04:00] – How small conversations can strengthen your network Connect with Jordan Harbinger Website: jordanharbinger.com Podcast: The Jordan Harbinger Show ScaleX Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business ScaleX Elevate – for businesses under £3M revenue ScaleX Accelerator – for businesses over £3M revenue Website: simplescaling.com Email: hello@simplescaling.com
- 5 days ago1h 2m
Business Networking: How to Build Relationships Before You Need Them | Jordan Harbinger
Business networking, relationship building and scaling with purpose are more connected than most leaders realise. In this episode of ScaleX Insider, Brendan McGurgan sits down with Jordan Harbinger to explore how relationships, ambition and clear goals shape the way we scale. Jordan is the host of The Jordan Harbinger Show and has interviewed around 1,000 guests across business, psychology, science, geopolitics and culture. His argument is simple: success becomes dangerous when you never define what "enough" looks like. If every target moves the moment you reach it, you can end up constantly trading more time for the next level of achievement. Jordan calls this the hedonic treadmill. For him, one of the clearest measures of success is what he calls "Lego time" — the time he gets to spend with his children while they are still young enough to want it. That same intentionality runs through his approach to relationships. One of Jordan's core principles is: Dig the well before you get thirsty. Build relationships before you need a client, favour, introduction or opportunity. He also shares his Connect Four system: regularly reconnect with one to four people you haven't spoken to for a while, without pitching or asking for anything. Jordan argues that strong networks are built through depth, consistency and helping others — not collecting as many contacts as possible. And one of his most important rules is: Don't keep score. Instead, create value across your network and allow the benefits to compound over time. Brendan and Jordan also explore the people who have shaped Jordan's thinking after nearly 1,000 interviews, including Jack Barsky and Kobe Bryant, and the lessons those conversations taught him about work, family, purpose and time. Timestamps 00:00 – What does scaling with purpose really mean? 03:30 – Defining what "enough" looks like 07:00 – Why Jordan protects his "Lego time" 13:30 – Relationships as a competitive advantage 19:30 – Dig the well before you get thirsty 22:00 – Jordan's Connect Four networking system 28:00 – Why depth beats breadth in networking 32:30 – Becoming the connector in your network 36:00 – The real ROI of building relationships 41:00 – Why you should never keep score 46:00 – How one relationship led to this conversation 51:00 – Lessons from almost 1,000 interviews 54:00 – What Kobe Bryant taught Jordan about family and time 58:30 – What the most impressive people have in common 01:01:30 – Jordan's advice for growing a podcast 01:05:00 – Three timeless takeaways 01:06:30 – The hedonic treadmill and moving your goals About Jordan Harbinger Jordan Harbinger is the host of The Jordan Harbinger Show, where he interviews leading thinkers and experts across business, psychology, science, geopolitics and culture. Connect with Jordan Harbinger Website: https://www.jordanharbinger.com Podcast: The Jordan Harbinger Show ScaleX / Simple Scaling Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business Website: https://simplescaling.com Email: hello@simplescaling.com Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder Simple Scaling Guest: Jordan Harbinger
- 1 weeks ago5 min
[ScaleX Bite-Size] Using ChatGPT Isn't AI Transformation with Paul Cheek
Paul Cheek explains why simply giving everyone access to ChatGPT isn't AI transformation. The real opportunity isn't a 10% productivity boost. It's moving towards 10x efficiency by deeply embedding AI across the business. But before SME leaders start building AI agents and automating workflows, Paul says there's one place they need to start: AI literacy. His advice? Set aside some "Tinker Time" to experiment, learn what's possible and understand both the opportunities and the risks. [00:00] – How AI could help SMEs think 10x bigger [01:05] – Why using ChatGPT isn't the end game [01:45] – Moving from 10% productivity to 10x efficiency [02:20] – Why AI transformation starts with literacy [03:05] – Understanding the opportunities and risks of AI agents [04:05] – Why leaders should make time to tinker with AI [05:00] – How Brendan is already using Tinker Time in his own workflow Connect with Paul Cheek Website: paulcheek.com Book: No One Works Here: How AI-Driven Enterprises Are Raising the Bar for Business Leadership and Competition ScaleX Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business ScaleX Elevate – for businesses under £3M revenue ScaleX Accelerator – for businesses over £3M revenue Website: simplescaling.com Email: hello@simplescaling.com
- 1 weeks ago3 min
[ScaleX Bite-Size] The Business Model Built for the AI Era with Paul Cheek
Paul Cheek explains why AI is creating an entirely new model for how businesses scale. Traditional SMEs can start with limited upfront investment, but their growth often remains linear. Innovation-driven enterprises can achieve exponential growth, but typically require significant risk capital. Paul's AI-Driven Enterprise model brings those two worlds together — combining lower upfront resource requirements with the potential for exponential scale. And it isn't just for tech companies. It means embedding AI across the entire business to remove the limits of "human time" and increase the speed at which an organisation can operate. [00:00] – What is an AI-Driven Enterprise? [00:45] – Why traditional SME growth eventually becomes capped [01:30] – How innovation-driven enterprises achieve exponential growth [02:20] – The limitations of relying on risk capital [03:00] – The third model: the AI-Driven Enterprise [03:45] – Combining limited investment with exponential scale [04:30] – Why AI-driven enterprises aren't just tech companies [05:10] – Embedding AI across every function of the business [05:50] – Human time versus system time and removing the speed limit on growth Connect with Paul Cheek Website: paulcheek.com Book: No One Works Here: How AI-Driven Enterprises Are Raising the Bar for Business Leadership and Competition ScaleX Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business ScaleX Elevate – for businesses under £3M revenue ScaleX Accelerator – for businesses over £3M revenue Website: simplescaling.com Email: hello@simplescaling.com
- 1 weeks ago52 min
AI-Driven Enterprise: How SMEs Can Unlock 10x Efficiency with Paul Cheek
Stop using AI just to save a few minutes. Paul Cheek, MIT Senior Lecturer, entrepreneur and author of No One Works Here, joins Brendan McGurgan on the ScaleX Insider podcast to explain why the real opportunity with AI isn't a 10% productivity boost — it's building an AI-driven enterprise capable of unlocking 10x efficiency. They explore where SME leaders should actually start with AI, why every team needs "Tinker Time," how leadership changes when humans and AI agents work together, and why AI literacy may determine whether your business can compete in the years ahead. 00:00 What scaling with purpose means to Paul Cheek 03:00 Why AI is about 10x efficiency, not 10% productivity 06:00 What No One Works Here really means for the future of work 10:00 Why AI should free people to do their most impactful work 12:30 Tinker Time and creating space for teams to experiment with AI 16:00 What makes an AI-driven enterprise different from a traditional SME 20:00 How AI can remove the traditional speed limits on business growth 23:00 Where SME leaders should start with AI 26:00 Why AI literacy comes before AI transformation 29:00 How to structure a Tinker Time day that actually produces learning 34:00 Why you shouldn't simply automate the way work is done today 37:00 The risk of AI projects becoming disconnected from business strategy 40:00 Moving from personal AI tools to shared agency across the organisation 44:00 How the role of the leader changes in an AI-driven business 47:00 AI agents, security risks and the importance of guardrails 50:00 Paul's vision for the AI-powered organisation of the future 52:30 The AI ROI trap and why leaders need to think long term 54:00 Why AI tools plus AI training do not equal AI transformation 55:00 Three timeless takeaways for leaders navigating AI Key ideas discussed: AI-driven enterprise, AI literacy, AI transformation, Tinker Time, AI agents, shared agency, system time versus human time, AI guardrails, business efficiency and the future of leadership. Resources mentioned: No One Works Here: How AI-Driven Enterprises Are Raising the Bar for Business Leadership and Competition by Paul Cheek Paul Cheek's AI transformation resources and Tinker Time guidance Connect with Paul Cheek: 🌐 Website: paulcheek.com 💼 LinkedIn: Paul Cheek 📘 Book: No One Works Here 📘 Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10X Your Business 🚀 ScaleX Elevate (under £3M revenue): simplescaling.com/solutions ⚡ ScaleX Accelerator (over £3M revenue): simplescaling.com/solutions 🌐 Website: simplescaling.com ✉️ Email: hello@simplescaling.com 💼 LinkedIn: Simple Scaling 📸 Instagram: @simple_scaling If you're an SME or B2B leader serious about scaling your business: 👍 Like this video 💬 Comment: Where could AI create the biggest impact in your business right now? 🔁 Share with a business leader who needs to move beyond simply using ChatGPT 🔔 Subscribe for more scaling insights 21Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder, Simple Scaling Guest: Paul Cheek, MIT Senior Lecturer, entrepreneur and author of No One Works Here
- 2 weeks ago5 min
[ScaleX Bite-Size] Why the Best Leaders Don't Need to Dominate with Dr Benjamin Granger
Eighty percent of employees are disengaged. Benjamin Granger, organisational psychologist and author, tells Brendan McGurgan on the ScaleX Insider podcast that dominance and prestige are the only two strategies humans use to achieve social status, and only one of them builds a business worth scaling. Dominance works in the short term. Every social animal uses it, from crickets to chimps to boardrooms. But the alpha never stays the alpha. Prestige is different. It is a uniquely human strategy built on knowledge, skill and talent applied for the betterment of the group, and it is the only leadership strategy that compounds over time. Full episode link in the description. Connect with Benjamin Granger: 🌐 Website: benjamingranger.com 💼 LinkedIn: Benjamin Granger 📘 Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business 🚀 ScaleX Elevate (under £3M revenue): https://simplescaling.com/solutions/scalex-elevate ⚡ ScaleX Accelerator (over £3M revenue): https://simplescaling.com/solutions/accelerator 🌐 Website: https://simplescaling.com ✉️ Email: hello@simplescaling.com 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simple-scaling 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simple_scaling Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder Simple Scaling Guest: Benjamin Granger, Author A Leader Worth Following
- 2 weeks ago4 min
[ScaleX Bite-Size] Hiring for EQ: What Great Leaders Look For with Dr Benjamin Granger
Dr Benjamin Granger explains why he would hire for EQ over IQ when choosing leaders — but why gut instinct alone is never enough. The best hiring decisions combine validated assessments, structured interviews, human-to-human conversations and a clear definition of what success looks like. And once you've done the due diligence? That's when Dr Benjamin believes you should listen to your gut. 00:00 – Why Ben would hire for EQ over IQ 01:05 – Don't replace human interviews with AI 01:50 – Look at how candidates achieved results 02:30 – When to trust your gut 03:35 – Why gut instinct alone is dangerous 04:35 – Define what great looks like before you hire Connect with Dr Benjamin Granger Website: benjamingranger.com Book A Leader Worth Following: How to Master Yourself, Influence Others, and Create Exceptional Experiences ScaleX Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business ScaleX Elevate – for businesses under £3M revenue ScaleX Accelerator – for businesses over £3M revenue Website: simplescaling.com Email: hello@simplescaling.com
About ScaleX Insider Podcast
My name is Brendan McGurgan and I am immersed in the world of scaleup businesses. In 2020, myself and business partner Claire Colvin co-founded Simple Scaling with the sole purpose of inspiring and enabling millions of ambitious leaders to scale with purpose. Over the past two years we have researched and examined our success and the success of those who have 'been there and done it' to create the 10 Principles of Scaling which is enshrined in our ScaleX™ Framework. As an extension of this we have created the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast.Every week I will be having fascinating conversations with authors, change makers and business leaders on one or more of the ScaleX™ Principles to support you on your journey to success. I believe passionately in business scaleup and most importantly the wellbeing of you - the aspirational scaleup leader. New episodes on Wednesdays. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts, and please rate, review and share the podcast if you enjoy it. For more information go
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