Show notes
In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent talks to Ken Scales, founder of Scalesology, about the challenges of growing a technology consultancy, removing the founder as the operational bottleneck and creating more predictable, recurring revenue.
Ken’s journey is an interesting example of what happens when a successful service business reaches the point where simply winning more projects is no longer enough.
Scalesology has spent years helping businesses connect technology, data and systems. But project work inevitably creates peaks and troughs. That led Ken and the team to look at how they could turn knowledge developed through individual client projects into something much more scalable.
The result is Syncology, a SaaS platform designed to connect disparate data sources, including CRM and ERP systems, through a common data model.
It represents a significant shift in the business: taking intellectual property developed through years of client work and turning it into recurring revenue.
And that transition is just one of several scaling challenges we explore.
From founder dependency to operational discipline
One of Ken’s biggest changes has been handing responsibility for day-to-day operations to a COO.
Rather than trying to stay involved in everything, the business now uses a modified version of EOS and Traction, supported by weekly pulse meetings, scorecards and clear individual accountability.
One phrase from Ken particularly stood out:
“Everyone should have a number.”
The principle is simple. People need to understand what they are individually responsible for and how that measure contributes to the wider objectives of the business.
That structure has enabled Ken to spend more time on strategy, sales and the future of the company without losing visibility of what is happening operationally.
Solving the founder-led sales problem
Sales has been another major scaling challenge.
Like many technically experienced founders, Ken found that he naturally acted as the translator between the commercial problem a customer was describing and the technical solution Scalesology could provide.
The difficulty was trying to recruit somebody who could replicate all of that experience.
Eventually, the team stopped trying to find a clone of the founder.
Instead, they developed what Ken describes as a “peak and pass” approach.
Salespeople identify the opportunity and understand the problem before bringing in the right technical expertise to help develop and close the solution.
It allows the sales process to become more repeatable without pretending that every salesperson needs years of technical experience.
Escaping the consulting treadmill
Project businesses often suffer from the same challenge: revenue arrives in waves.
A major project finishes and suddenly the business needs to replace that income.
Ken describes two ways Scalesology has addressed this.
The first is through retainers that provide clients with ongoing access to the people who understand their systems.
The second is more fundamental: turning repeatable solutions developed for individual customers into products.
That thinking led directly to Syncology.
Rather than continually building individual point-to-point integrations, Syncology provides a platform through which different systems and data sources can connect.
The ambition is to create a more scalable business with recurring revenue alongside the existing consultancy operation.
AI as an opportunity rather than simply a threat
Ken also talks about the rapid development of AI and the impact it is having on software and technology businesses.
Rather than viewing AI purely as something that will replace existing services, he sees it as an opportunity to change how those services are delivered and create new products.
One example is Syncology’s AI Control Center.
The concept is to redact sensitive information before data is passed into an AI model, helping organisations in regulated industries explore AI while protecting personally identifiable or sensitive information.
It is another example of Scalesology looking at a client problem and asking whether the solution can ultimately become something repeatable and scalable.
Culture before process
Ken’s approach to scaling has also been heavily influenced by culture.
Scalesology established four core values with its first two employees:
- Commit to the Cause
- Treat Others Like You Want to Be Treated
- Focus on the Leading Edge
- Celebrate the Journey
Those principles have remained part of the business as it has developed.
Alongside culture has come increasing operational discipline, including weekly scorecards, individual measures and 30, 60 and 90-day plans when bringing new people into the business.
Networking: give before you get
Towards the end of the conversation, Ken shares a very practical approach to networking.
Rather than immediately asking what somebody can do for him, he starts with two questions:
How can I help you?
and
Who would you like to meet?
Helping first builds trust and, in Ken’s experience, naturally creates reciprocity.
It is a simple approach that founders relying on networks, referrals and relationships can put into practice immediately.
The one key thing…
If your growth still depends on the founder personally delivering, selling or solving every problem, scaling means finding the repeatable system behind what you already do well.
For Scalesology, that has meant clearer operational accountability, changing the sales process and turning years of bespoke integration work into a scalable product.
In this episode
We cover:
- Moving from project revenue towards recurring income
- Productising expertise developed through client work
- Delegating operational responsibility to a COO
- Using scorecards and weekly rhythms to create accountability
- Why “everyone should have a number”
- Moving beyond founder-led sales
- Scalesology’s “peak and pass” sales model
- Using 30, 60 and 90-day plans when hiring
- The development of Syncology
- Creating safer routes to AI adoption for regulated businesses
- Building culture around clear company values
- Why Ken approaches networking by giving before asking
Smart90 and the G90 Summit
Before we get into it, most founders I speak to feel busy but frustrated.
There is plenty happening, but they are frustrated that they are not moving forward at the rate they want to. Success creates more options, pulling founders and their teams in different directions.
Here is what more than 500 interviews on ScaleUp Radio have taught me:
The founders who scale choose less, and deliver all of it.
That is what the G90 Summit is for.
It is a structured half-day where we cut through everything competing for your attention, agree the three to five things that must happen in the next 90 days, and build the rhythm to make sure they do.
From the frustration and chaos of more, through the discipline of less, to the rhythm of done.
Quarterly. Virtual. £97 a seat.
Visit Smart90.co.uk/summit.
Ken can be found here:
Resources:
Built To Sell by John Warrillow - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/built-to-sell-creating-a-business-that-can-thrive-without-you-john-warrillow/d0d51f969be59f14?ean=9798256105150
Manus - https://manus.im/