Show notes
Hi there and welcome back to another edition of ScaleUp Radio, the podcast brought to you by Smart90, inspired by the Entrepreneurial ScaleUp System and designed to make navigating our ScaleUp journeys that little bit easier by learning from others' experiences. I’m Kevin Brent and in today's episode I’m joined by Steve Johnson.
Steve’s a founder who’s been in the trenches, he grew his SaaS business from £750k to over £5 million ARR in just three years. In this conversation, we break down his proven 3-stage framework for scaling sales the right way, starting with the founder doing the selling.
This episode is structured in three parts:
First, we explore Steve’s background, business model, and where he is on the scaleup journey.
Second, we dive into the tough lessons of scaling sales, from hiring evangelists over mercenaries, to the critical role of positioning.
And finally, we wrap up with a few quickfire questions to hear Steve’s take on leadership and learning.
One key takeaway: “If the CEO hasn’t sold it themselves, they’ve no idea what makes a good sales process, or a good hire.”
Quick heads-up, we’re looking for a handful of founders to test our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite app.
It’s built to help you stay accountable and actually deliver on your goals, in just a few minutes a day.
It’s free while we’re in testing, and your feedback will help shape the final version.
👉 You can try it now at email kevin@biz-smart.co.uk
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For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Steve.
Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.
If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:
https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin
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Most founders I speak to feel busy but stuck; plenty happening, but not always clear on what genuinely matters most this quarter. If that’s you, the G90 Summit is worth a look. A structured half-day where we work through everything competing for your attention, get clear on the three to five things that must happen in the next 90 days, then commit to them and build the system to make sure they actually happen. Quarterly, virtual, £97 a seat.
Steve can be found here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevejohnsonactual/
Resources:
Thinking In Systems by Donella Meadows - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/thinking-in-systems-international-bestseller-donella-meadows/3265846?ean=9781603580557&next=t
The Goal by Jeff Cox - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-goal-a-process-of-ongoing-improvement-eliyahu-m-goldratt/55822?ean=9780566086656&next=t
The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/brand-gap-the-revised-edition-marty-neumeier/4452437?ean=9780321348104&next=t
Octavo by Marty Neumeier - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/octavo-a-novel-marty-neumeier/7446775?ean=9798987158456&next=t
Simplicity by Edward de Bono - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/simplicity-edward-de-bono/4317445?ean=9780241257487&next=t
ChatGPT - https://chatgpt.com/
Gemini - https://gemini.google.com/