Scale-Up Sessions

Beer that makes music better: How to build a community-led brand in a competitive market | Tom Bott

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/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/] ● Follow Tom Bott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-bott/ [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/ [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

Choosing the right business finance: How to fund growth the smart way | Dave Golding

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/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/] * Follow Dave Golding on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dave-golding-354699a [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/ [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

How SEO is changing, and what growing businesses must do to stay visible | Rick Talbot

Search is changing, and the way customers find your business is evolving fast. So the question is: are you still showing up? In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how shifting search behaviour is reshaping visibility for growing businesses, and what scale-ups need to do to stay discoverable in an increasingly fragmented landscape. Joining us is Rick Talbot, Director of Digital at Totally Digital. Rick works across marketing, product and engineering teams to help organisations navigate complex changes in SEO, content and digital discovery, to help B2B and B2C businesses grow through search. We break down how customer expectations have evolved, from AI-generated answers and zero-click searches to people using social channels as search engines. We discuss where businesses are most at risk of quietly losing visibility, why relying too heavily on paid channels can be risky and how scale-ups can rethink their approach to search to support sustainable growth. This conversation is packed with practical advice on building a search strategy that adapts. ● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/] ● Follow Rick Talbot on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-talbot-47525b53/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-talbot-47525b53/] Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ [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

AI in Finance: How to build and scale an AI company in a complex, regulated industry | Chandini Jain

In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore another fascinating Scale-Up Story, delving deep into the realities of scaling an AI-driven business. Joining us is Chandini Jain, co-founder and CEO of Auquan, a fintech company that creates autonomous AI agents designed to automate complex, knowledge-intensive workflows in financial services. Chandini shares how she identified a widespread industry problem, validated what customers truly needed and navigated the challenges of selling into highly regulated environments. She also tells us more about the evolution of Auquan’s product, from early search-based tools to fully orchestrated AI agents, and what it really takes to stay competitive in today’s fast-moving AI market. ● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/] ● Follow Chandini Jain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandinijain/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandinijain/] Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ [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

From startup to public company: The reality of scaling a healthtech business | Devika Wood

In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we dive into our first ever Scale-Up Story, exploring the real journey of building, growing and leading a business through the highs, lows and pivotal turning points that only experience can teach. Joining us is Devika Wood, CEO of Brain+, a tech-enabled home care platform that raised millions in funding and scaled rapidly in the UK’s growing elderly care sector. She shares the early signals that can tell you whether your business is actually working, the unexpected challenges of transitioning from founder to CEO of a listed company, and the leadership lessons learned through some of the toughest moments in her career. If you’d like to find out more about Cynergy Bank’s Business Births & Deaths Index discussed in this episode, you can find the full research here: https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/the-index [https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/the-index] 1. Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/] 2. Follow Devika Wood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devikawood/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/devikawood/] Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ [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