Scale-Up Sessions

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 business
How to build and maintain an aligned leadership team as your business becomes bigger and more complex
How to make smarter resourcing decisions that support growth, avoid team burnout, and prevent overhiring too quickly

Follow Kate Waterfall Hill on the channels below:
https://www.waterfallhill.co.uk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katewaterfallhill/
https://www.tiktok.com/@katewaterfallhill
https://www.instagram.com/katewaterfallhill/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUCO50cN8ETdaUwQ_IiosFQ
Follow 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-354699a

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