Scale To Win with Dominic Monkhouse

Here's Why Your Agency Will Never Scale (The Real Problem) | E368

Setting up a business is a major life decision that should not be taken lightly—it is incredibly painful. The ups definitely outweigh the downs, but the downs can be dark. Having a co-founder makes all the difference. Matthew Duhig, CEO and co-founder of FX Digital, started the business at university with his co-founder Tom, to build a website for his sister's bridal shop for free. Fifteen years later, they've grown from £1.5M to approaching £10M revenue, from 20 people to nearly 80, and they've built connected TV applications for major media and sports companies. Along the way, they had one major near-death experience when a single client became 80% of revenue, then in-housed the work down to 60%—leaving Matt and Tom with no personal wealth or assets, living together, staring at the barrel. But they believed in their proposition, backed themselves against the wall, and won 4 of 5-6 bids they needed to win, which launched them into major tech company work and one of their best years ever. In this episode, Matt reveals his four contrarian beliefs about building businesses: (1) Running a business is incredibly painful and decision should not be taken lightly; (2) Vision comes from consumption (reading, listening, watching—not plucking it from air); (3) Don't make promises you can't control (resentment is harder to overcome than anything else in teams); (4) The job of an entrepreneur is to reduce risk (not take risks). He shares why he's an absolute delegator (sometimes great, sometimes backfires), how he managed to get off the tools when billing five days a week, why he stays in touch with 5-10 people at any given time who might be future hires, and how Barcelona became their second office (Jack the QA lead asked if he could relocate and Matt asked him to set up an office instead). What you'll learn: 💼 Why having a co-founder is massive (not dark and lonely on your own) 🚨 What near-death looks like (80% revenue from one client, they in-house the work at 60%) 📚 Vision comes from consumption (read, listen, watch—a year of immersion in industry) 🤝 Don't make promises you can't control (resentment is the hardest thing to overcome) ⚙️ The job of an entrepreneur is to reduce risk (not take them) 🎯 Delegation as core skill (sometimes great, sometimes backfires, but necessary) 📞 Keep a pipeline of 5-10 potential hires always (chat with them, stay in touch) 🌍 Barcelona expansion lesson (talent + cost benefits + less competition than London) Book recommendations: The Intelligent Entrepreneur - Bill Murphy Jr. - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Intelligent-Entrepreneur-Bill-Murphy-Jr/dp/0805094296 Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits - Greg Crabtree - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Numbers-Straight-Talk-Profits/dp/1600374514 Simple Numbers 2 - Greg Crabtree - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simple-Numbers-Straight-Talk-Profits/dp/1600374514 About the Guest: Matthew Duhig is CEO and co-founder of FX Digital, a business that builds connected TV applications for media and sports companies. He started the business with co-founder Tom at university when Matthew was 20 years old—Tom was away due to a bike accident in London ("Tom get well soon"), so they're running it together remotely. They grew from £1.5M revenue (7 years ago) to approaching £10M now, with headcount from 20 to nearly 80. The business evolved from web design work for his sister's bridal shop (free work) to building websites for a few years, then in 2015 they stumbled across connected TV—creating applications for TV like you create mobile applications, then launching them onto streaming platforms. That niche and doubling down on it propelled their growth. Connect with Matthew Duhig / FX Digital - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/matthewduhig -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Starting FX Digital and early challenges 07:15 Surviving a critical business downturn 12:59 Personal sacrifices and work-life balance 17:10 Stepping back to foster leadership growth 22:25 Delegation and leadership management strategies 28:34 Benefits of hiring fractional leaders 32:48 Building and automating key business systems 35:03 Establishing a Barcelona office for expansion 37:30 Talent acquisition benefits in Barcelona 39:42 Influential books and educational resources 41:28 Sources of ongoing inspiration and learning

From Broke at 48 to Yo! Sushi Founder, Here's What I Learned | E367

We will soon trust AI more than people with their own agendas. In 50 years, we'll realise 50%+ tax was madness when 20% could have worked. Digital voting will let people vote on issues, not political parties, and we'll have an executive of 40 people (like Singapore) instead of 1,000 MPs arguing endlessly. And Brexit will be remembered as the best thing that happened—because this entrepreneurial little island will reinvent how to govern, and the rest of the world will copy us as they've done throughout history. Simon Woodroffe, founder of Yo! Sushi and YoTel, original Dragon on Dragons' Den, performer at Edinburgh Festival, recording artist with the Blockheads, and now published author of "Yo Man," has built businesses across multiple industries starting at age 45—and he's got radical ideas about politics, taxation, and why megalomaniac control at the beginning is the right way to start any business. In this episode from Thailand (where Simon now lives with his Thai wife after being brought up in old Singapore), he reveals how he started YoSushi after a Japanese TV producer said "conveyor belt sushi bar with girls in black PVC miniskirts," flew to Japan when it was expensive and difficult (Japan was the last great mystery of the East 30 years ago), found 2,500 conveyor belt sushi bars nobody in the UK knew about, and opened Poland Street with everything he had in the world—only to have nobody come for the first two weeks. Then the second Saturday, there was a 100-yard queue down the block because they'd done something so completely different. He shares why he was nicknamed "the steamroller," why megalomaniac control is perfect at the beginning but you must let go after three years, how he hired Robin Rowland who closed all the Yo Below bars much to Simon's chagrin (but was absolutely right), and why he's earned roughly 1% of YoTel turnover every quarter for years—which has funded everything since and probably saved him from going broke. Book recommendations: How to Get Rich - Felix Dennis - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Get-Rich-Felix-Dennis/dp/0091927447 Yo Man - Simon Woodroffe - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yo-Man-Simon-Woodroffe/dp/1398616761 About the Guest: Simon Woodroffe is the founder of YoSushi (celebrating 30 years in January) and YoTel (now over 30 hotels worldwide, much bigger business than YoSushi), original Dragon on Dragons' Den (series 1-3), performer at Edinburgh Festival where he did a one-man show, recording artist with the Blockheads, and published author of "Yo Man" (his second book—the first was his autobiography). He's done a few things. He's 77 years old, was brought up in old Singapore, has lived all over the world, and now lives in Thailand with his Thai wife. His home base is Thailand because it's the best place he's found after searching everywhere. Simon started YoSushi at age 45 after a long, hard life that hasn't always been good. He's now a licensor of both YoSushi and YoTel, broadcasting on social media, and trying to give something back to the world to improve it—whether politically or directly helping one person at a time. He always said that when he was knocking on other people's doors, if he was ever the one whose door was knocked on (which is the situation he finds himself in now), he would always try to respond to everybody. And he does. Connect with Simon Woodroffe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yosimonwoodroffe/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:01 Introduction to Simon Woodroffe's journey and achievements 02:37 Simon on world improvements and his life in Thailand 03:47 Predictions on digital voting and government change 06:37 A small executive model for better governance 10:00 Reducing taxes by changing government spending 12:00 Trusting AI over human biases for balanced insights 14:06 Launch of Simon's book, Yo Man, and the ATM story 16:57 Bringing conveyor belt sushi to London 20:05 Transition from steamroller to delegator in business 21:36 Successful expansion under Robin Rowland's leadership 24:10 Involvement in Yotel and its global success 28:59 Importance of theatre and 'ziz' in business branding 30:07 Letting go of control for business growth 31:28 Transition to TV and participation in Dragon's Den 35:14 Enjoying Dragon's Den and investments made 38:08 Overcoming challenges during Yo Sushi's opening weeks 42:29 Creative 'yo' brand extensions and their impacts 45:01 Making tough business decisions swiftly and confidently

Former Hostage Negotiator Reveals Business Secrets & Negotiation Tactics | E366

Conflict is not a dirty word. You don't need a trigger warning; you need to know the trigger better. Don't rush to solve the problem. And when you're negotiating, remember it's not about you. Scott Walker is a kidnap-for-ransom and extortion negotiator who's spent 20 years with a ringside seat into what makes human beings think, feel, and act—particularly in times of stress, overwhelm, challenge, and conflict. Over 300 cases across every major continent, and touch wood, every single person came back. That's a 100% success rate in an industry where the average is 93% (better than the All Blacks' win rate), and all those lessons apply directly to everyday business and life. In this episode, Scott reveals why 80% of his time on a kidnapping case was spent dealing with the crisis within the crisis (internal politics, egos, competing demands, silo thinking—not the kidnappers), why the conflict call with bad guys is essential (managing expectations when they want £10M but you're offering £250K), and the immediate action drill he learned after threatening grieving parents in his first case. He shares why most leaders spend their time dealing with internal politics rather than customers, why feeling seen-heard-understood is the only thing people want in a negotiation, and why resilience isn't something you hashtag on a mug—it only comes from doing hard things and being uncomfortable. Plus: how he went from Scotland Yard detective inspector avoiding paper cuts to three live kidnaps in his first week in the private sector, and why the All Blacks' motto "don't be a dick" is actually brilliant negotiation advice. What you'll learn: ⚔️ Why conflict is essential (embrace difficult conversations without being belligerent) 🎯 The empathy loop: demonstrate understanding first, it's not about you ⏸️ The immediate action drill: interrupt pattern, ride the 90-second cortisol wave, ask better questions 🧠 Why you don't need trigger warnings (develop skills to handle anything, don't control others) 🚫 Why rushing to solve problems is dangerous (buy time, find the real issue) 👂 How to listen at level five (not for gist or to argue, but for what's really being said) 💡 Why 60% of sales don't close (people think it's too risky for them personally, not the company) 📊 The crisis within the crisis (80% of time spent on internal politics, not the bad guys) Book recommendations: Legacy - James Kerr - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Legacy-All-Blacks-James-Kerr/dp/1472103536 Awaken the Giant Within - Tony Robbins - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Awaken-Giant-Within-Immediate-Emotional/dp/0671791540 How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0091906814 About the Guest: Scott Walker is a kidnap-for-ransom and extortion negotiator who's spent the best part of 20 years having a ringside seat into what makes human beings think, feel, and act—particularly in times of stress, overwhelm, challenge, and conflict. Over 300-plus cases (including piracy and extortion) across every major continent, and touch wood, every single person came back. That's a 100% personal success rate in an industry where the global average over 50 years is 93%—better than the All Blacks' win rate at roughly 90%, and vastly better than most salespeople's 30% close rate. Connect with Scott Walker - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottaw/ -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to negotiation and life skills 03:09 Personal anecdotes about family and negotiation 14:08 Aligning with clients to uncover real issues 21:11 Developing resilience and managing emotions 25:37 Techniques for emotional control and effective questioning 29:12 Journey from the police to a negotiation career 36:54 Handling difficult workplace conversations 40:25 Book recommendations and learning influence skills 44:44 Final thoughts and closing remarks

How to Spot Leaders Who Will Scale (Look for This, Not Confidence) | E365

Failure is a better business school than an MBA. Most agencies will never scale because their founder is the product. Minority investment beats full acquisition. And self-doubt isn't a weakness to overcome—it's the edge that separates high performers from those who are growing. Luke Tobin, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Unusual Group, has built and sold three companies in three different industries over 20 years (the largest being Digital Ethos with an eight-figure exit in late 2022), and he's learned that the people we look up to the most—the ones who seem to have it all figured out—are often the ones who struggle with doubt the most. The difference? They find a way to move anyway. In this episode, he reveals why imposter syndrome appears when you're stepping outside your comfort zone (which means you're doing something productive), why he's writing a book about doubt after interviewing 30 high performers from ex-SBS commandos to actors, and why doubt is actually the cost of admission to the next level. He also shares hard lessons from scaling to 90 people before his exit, hiring 5-6 people per month without proper vetting, and making the mistake of being the eye of the storm instead of creating mini-storms with good people. What you'll learn: 🧠 Why self-doubt is the cost of admission to the next level (imposter syndrome = you're expanding, not retracting) 📚 Why failure beats an MBA (founders with scars are shrewder, better, wiser) 🎯 Why most agencies never scale (founder is the product, won't delegate, sits at eye of storm) 👥 How to transition from basketball (50 people, you're on court) to football (100 people, you're off field) 💰 Why minority investment beats majority acquisition (founders lose motivation after 60-70% exit) 📊 The hiring mistake: loyalty vs capability (promoting based on tenure, not experience) ✅ Unique hiring practice: pay candidates for full week in business before offer (non-negotiable for mid-tier+) 🏢 Why remote work is dangerous for junior people (no water cooler conversations, no training) Book recommendations: Never Split the Difference - Chris Voss - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/1847941494 The Psychology of Money - Morgan Housel - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychology-Money-Timeless-lessons-happiness/dp/0857197681 The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Obstacle-Way-Ancient-Adversity-Advantage/dp/1781251492 About the Guest: Luke Tobin is an entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Unusual Group, a holding company investing in marketing and creative service businesses to help them scale without losing control. He's been building companies for over 20 years with three successful exits in three different industries, each one bigger than the last. The largest was Digital Ethos, a performance marketing agency he sold in late 2022 after scaling to 90 people with an eight-figure exit. He's also a partner in a venture studio in San Diego rolling out consumer goods products, and he has 800,000 followers on social media where he shares success psychology week to week. Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Luke's business background 03:14 Debunking common entrepreneurial myths 09:15 Perceptions shaping our reality and decisions 15:43 Biggest business failures and lessons learned 19:46 Preventing businesses from getting stuck due to founder focus 28:32 Transitioning from founder to CEO roles 30:07 Balancing remote and in-office work environments 35:58 Cultivating leadership and curiosity for business growth 40:19 Recommended books for personal and professional development

Most People Overcomplicate Leadership (Here's What Actually Works) | E364

Most people overcomplicate leadership. They're looking for the next framework, trying to do technical leadership that just doesn't work. Paul Adamson spent 25 years sailing yachts around the world—including two years circumnavigating with Eddie Jordan on an Oyster 885—and he learned that leadership isn't about theory. It's about making decisions without all the information, leading from the front, and remaining calm when the pressure is on. Then he walked into Oyster Yachts (the manufacturer of those luxury yachts) when it went into administration, won it out of admin by deliberately breaking the rules, and rebuilt it from zero to a £200M order book with 700 employees in four years. In this episode, Paul reveals why great leaders are energy-rich (not uninspiring boring managers), why you can't KPI great leadership, and why the three levers of state management—focus, inner dialogue, and movement—underpin everything in business. He shares his Virgin Atlantic story about blagging a gold card, getting upgraded to upper class by a flight manager who knew when to break the rules, and how copying Richard Branson into an Instagram post led to a phone call that changed everything. He also opens up about being diagnosed with lymphoma two weeks after leaving Oyster, how he applied everything he'd taught for years to his own health challenge, and why that gift led him to help raise £3M for follicular lymphoma research that could unlock cures for pancreatic cancer, leukaemia, and other incurables. What you'll learn: ⚡ Why great leaders are energy-rich and how to manage your state (focus, inner dialogue, movement) 🎯 The difference between managers (follow rules) and leaders (know when to break them) 🚢 How to lead without all the information (lessons from sailing in high-stakes environments) 💼 How to rebuild a business from administration to £200M order book (earn trust, two words) 🇬🇧 Why UK social conditioning makes it hard to be energy-rich vs American optimism 📊 Why you can't KPI great leadership—it's about being a lighthouse, not hitting metrics 💪 How to find the gift in every challenge (even lymphoma diagnosis) 🎤 Why copying Richard Branson into an Instagram post was the right move Book recommendations: Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/1846041244 Who Moved My Cheese? - Spencer Johnson - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0091816971 Shine: How to Navigate Life's Curveballs - Paul Adamson (forthcoming) About the Guest: Paul Adamson is a leadership and teamwork speaker who spent 25 years as a professional yacht skipper sailing luxury yachts around the world before transitioning into the business world about 15 years ago. His leadership development wasn't theoretical—it was forged at sea where you learn to lead from the front pretty quickly because in high-stakes environments, if you're not leading, you get into issues fast. Leadership at sea means making decisions without perfect information, remaining calm under pressure, and managing your emotional state when lives depend on it. Connect with Paul Adamson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-adamson -------- Sign up to receive our weekly Curious Leadership newsletter: https://subscribe.monkhouseandcompany.com Follow Dominic on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dominicmonkhouse Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 01:03 Transition from yacht skipper to business leadership 07:45 Managing leadership styles through challenging transitions 15:05 Utilising energy richness and state management 19:00 Emphasising focus, inner dialogue and movement 23:00 The importance of rule-breaking for leadership success 27:00 Virgin Atlantic story – making customers raving fans 34:45 Rebuilding Oyster Yachts from administration to success 39:20 Strategic mindset: Earning trust to build a business 43:00 Achievements and challenges at Oyster Yachts 52:00 Transition from Oyster and personal health challenges 56:30 Navigating a lymphoma diagnosis with a leadership mindset 1:05:30 Paul’s book recommendations and personal insights on leadership