The £20k trade show lesson I won’t forget

How to make a clear decision even when your brain's in panic mode

Are you facing a decision in your business where there's no obvious right answer, and putting it off feels safer than getting it wrong? Does your brain spiral straight to the worst case scenario, leaving you stuck and firefighting rather than thinking clearly? When the pressure is on, do you wish you had a calm, repeatable way to work your way through the tough calls? I share the exact routine I fall back on whenever I'm faced with a difficult decision that has no clear right answer. I used this routine when my house purchase went 'under threat' when the seller's tenants decided not to budge. In this episode, I talk about why doing nothing is itself a decision, and how I move from an emotional mess into calm, rational thinking. I'll walk you through the questions I ask, and the order I ask them in, so you can take hard decisions without letting anxiety run the show. What you'll learn in the podcast episode: - Why choosing not to decide is still a decision - How to surface the certainties and non-negotiables to guide you to a decision - The regret-test question I use to find out what really matters for me - How to research the knowns and unknowns so you're deciding on facts rather than fear - The power and insight that comes from mapping the emotional and rational drivers of every stakeholder - How to spot the danger signals early Related episodes: 3 decisions that turned my empty pipeline into a waiting list - https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/3-decisions-that-turned-my-empty [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/3-decisions-that-turned-my-empty] The day I found out that my team were b*tching about me on a private WhatsApp group https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-day-i-found-out-that-my-team [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-day-i-found-out-that-my-team] Everyone talks about scaling up. Nobody talks about scaling down https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/everyone-talks-about-scaling-up-nobody [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/everyone-talks-about-scaling-up-nobody] How to stay mentally strong when your business is under pressure and trading conditions are tough - https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-stay-mentally-strong-when [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-stay-mentally-strong-when] This question could solve your frustrations with scaling your business https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-its-time-to-become-the-least [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-its-time-to-become-the-least] Useful links: - sign up as a paid subscriber and use this link [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/ac966e3a] to get 20% off an annual membership of Start Up To Grown Up Welcome to a free podcast episode of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth Club [https://www.accountantsgrowthclub.co.uk/] Each episode of the Start Up To Growth Up Podcast is based on my weekly Substack Article [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] on the same topic. Head over to my substack to subscribe https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] so you never miss an article or episode again. Get full access to Start Up To Grown Up at startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The 5 specific moves that made me redundant from my own business

Have you ever stopped to work out what your business would actually be worth if you tried to sell it tomorrow? If the answer is "not much, because it all runs through me", you are not alone. And if reducing your hours feels impossible while the business still depends on you for everything, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned over the last twelve months of deliberately reducing my own hours and chargeable time, prompted by a big birthday, a Fibromyalgia diagnosis, and the very real sense that the clock is ticking. In this episode, I talk through the practical moves I made to build a business that is no longer reliant on me and that could command a proper capital value on exit. You'll hear the real decisions behind stepping back, including the brands I closed, the marketing I ditched, and how I finally started leading rather than doing. What you'll learn in the podcast episode: - Why knowing your exit plan matters even if selling feels years away, and how it shapes the business you build right now - How I deliberately stopped leading on new client work - The hard call to close or mothball brands and ditch marketing that were no longer earning their keep, even when it meant a short-term financial hit - Why auditing my own day to day activities was the key to adding back white space in my diary - The leadership routines I put in place to actually lead the business rather than just work in it - How I moved from playing with AI to using it with purpose to cut the processing and thinking I was doing myself Link to riverside.fm:  https://riverside.sjv.io/e1MXvg [https://riverside.sjv.io/e1MXvg] (affiliate link) Related episodes What I did next when my rheumatologist told me I was broken https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/what-i-did-next-when-my-rheumatologist [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/what-i-did-next-when-my-rheumatologist] The strategy I never wanted to learn - how to stop running yourself into the ground https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-strategy-i-never-wanted-to-learn [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-strategy-i-never-wanted-to-learn] Feeling like you are falling behind on AI adoption? Here's what to do first https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/feeling-like-you-are-falling-behind [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/feeling-like-you-are-falling-behind] These 4 beliefs that made you and your firm successful are now sabotaging your firm's growth https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-you-cant-let-go-of [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-you-cant-let-go-of] The clients you can't let go of are the ones holding you back https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-3-step-guide-to-handing-over [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-3-step-guide-to-handing-over] Everyone talks about scaling up. Nobody talks about scaling down. https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/everyone-talks-about-scaling-up-nobody [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/everyone-talks-about-scaling-up-nobody] Useful links: - sign up as a paid subscriber and use this link [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/ac966e3a] to get 20% off an annual membership of Start Up To Grown Up Welcome to a free podcast episode of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth Club [https://www.accountantsgrowthclub.co.uk/] Each episode of the Start Up To Growth Up Podcast is based on my weekly Substack Article [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] on the same topic. Head over to my substack to subscribe https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] so you never miss an article or episode again. Get full access to Start Up To Grown Up at startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

How to eliminate your emotional baggage when managing people

Do you dread getting a message from a team member asking for a quick chat? Does a staff member handing in their notice feel like a personal failure, even though you can't quite explain why? If past experiences with your team are affecting the decisions you make today, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned from my own journey with the emotional baggage that builds up when you manage people in a small firm - including why I finally decided to seek professional help. In this episode, I talk about why growing firms are such fertile ground for this kind of baggage, how to spot the signs that it's influencing your leadership, and the practical steps you can take to start unpacking it. You won't need a therapist to benefit from this episode - though I wouldn't blame you if you decided to book one. What you'll learn in the podcast episode: - The seven signs that emotional baggage from past people management experiences is still affecting how you lead and make decisions today - including some that are easy to miss - Why small firm owners are far more vulnerable to accumulating this kind of baggage than managers in a corporate environment, and why inexperience isn't the whole story - How unprocessed emotions get turned into stories and limiting beliefs that distort your perception of what's really happening with your team - A practical root cause approach to understanding what actually went wrong in difficult people situations - so you can stop blaming yourself and start preventing the same problems from repeating - How to make friends with anxiety rather than fighting it, including a simple checklist technique for separating fact from fiction when your brain starts catastrophising - Why acknowledging your feelings - through journalling, coaching or working with a therapist - is the first and most important step to ditching the baggage for good Related episodes How to finally have the conversation you've been too scared to have https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/4-things-to-do-before-the-conversation [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/4-things-to-do-before-the-conversation] How to deal with your firm’s Dysfunctional Star (without losing your sanity) https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-deal-with-your-firms-dysfunctional [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-deal-with-your-firms-dysfunctional] The seven habits that keep me standing when most business owners quit https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-seven-habits-that-keep-me-standing [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-seven-habits-that-keep-me-standing] 6 ways to overcome fear when ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ isn’t working - https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/6-ways-to-overcome-fear-when-feel [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/6-ways-to-overcome-fear-when-feel] Are you being gas lit by clients or staff? How to spot and stop it https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/are-you-being-gaslit-by-clients-or [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/are-you-being-gaslit-by-clients-or] When emails turn ugly: my response to a bully https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/when-emails-turn-ugly-my-response [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/when-emails-turn-ugly-my-response] Useful links: - sign up as a paid subscriber and use this link [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/ac966e3a] to get 20% off an annual membership of Start Up To Grown Up Welcome to a free podcast episode of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth Club [https://www.accountantsgrowthclub.co.uk/] Each episode of the Start Up To Growth Up Podcast is based on my weekly Substack Article [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] on the same topic. Head over to my substack to subscribe https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] so you never miss an article or episode again. Get full access to Start Up To Grown Up at startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

5 subtle (and not so subtle) signs that you have a performance problem with a staff member.

Do you have a nagging feeling that one of your team members isn't quite performing but you're not sure you have solid enough ground to act on it? Have you ever looked back and realised that a people problem which cost you dearly was visible months before it became a crisis? If managing performance feels like one of the hardest parts of running a growing firm, this episode is for you. I share what I've learned from my own costly mistakes in people management - including a situation where my hands-off approach contributed to losing around £50k of business and an employee who quietly fell apart while I kept my distance. In this episode, I talk through the mental checklist I now use whenever I sense a potential performance issue, so you can spot the warning signs early and act before the damage is done. What you'll learn in the podcast episode: - Why setting clear expectations - performance objectives, KPIs, up-to-date job descriptions - is the foundation of any performance conversation, and the simple litmus test to check if yours are clear enough - How your own management style may be contributing to underperformance, and why flexing your approach to suit individual team members is your responsibility, not theirs - The difference between a team member who says all the right things and one who actually delivers - and why actions, not words, are the only reliable measure - How to spot the "cherry picking" trap, where a staff member does the parts of their role they enjoy and avoids the rest - Why tolerating a dysfunctional star - someone brilliant in some areas but damaging in others - will eventually poison your business culture from the inside - What an unexpected drop in performance or change in behaviour is really telling you, and how to approach that conversation with an open mind Related episodes Are you being gaslit by clients or staff? How to spot and stop it https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/are-you-being-gaslit-by-clients-or [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/are-you-being-gaslit-by-clients-or] The day I found out that my team were b*tching about me in a private WhatsApp channel https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-day-i-found-out-that-my-team [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/the-day-i-found-out-that-my-team] How to finally have the conversation you’ve been too scared to have https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/4-things-to-do-before-the-conversation [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/4-things-to-do-before-the-conversation] They sent me an email apologising for “breaking my business” (and this is how I recovered) https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/they-sent-me-an-email-apologising [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/they-sent-me-an-email-apologising] What to do when your team wouldn’t step up https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/what-to-do-when-your-team-wouldnt [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/what-to-do-when-your-team-wouldnt] This question could solve your frustrations with scaling your business https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-its-time-to-become-the-least [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-its-time-to-become-the-least] Useful links: - sign up as a paid subscriber and use this link [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/ac966e3a] to get 20% off an annual membership of Start Up To Grown Up Welcome to a free podcast episode of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth Club [https://www.accountantsgrowthclub.co.uk/] Each episode of the Start Up To Growth Up Podcast is based on my weekly Substack Article [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] on the same topic. Head over to my substack to subscribe https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] so you never miss an article or episode again. Get full access to Start Up To Grown Up at startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

The £20k trade show lesson I won’t forget

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a sales tactic that left you feeling cold? Do you wonder whether some of the more aggressive approaches you see competitors using actually work, or whether they’re destroying the very relationships they’re supposed to build? If you’ve ever been tempted to cut corners on your business development because you’re desperate for leads, this episode is for you. I share what I’ve learned from a fairly grim month of experiencing dodgy marketing tactics first-hand - including what happened when we spent nearly £20k exhibiting at a major trade show and spent most of it being sold to rather than selling. In this episode, I talk about the guerrilla tactics, the aggressive hustles and the inbox invasions I’ve been on the receiving end of, and why every single one of them failed. More importantly, I explain why we think this stuff is acceptable to do in the first place - and what actually works instead. What you’ll learn in the podcast episode: - Why aggressive sales tactics rarely work and why it doesn’t work - Why professional services is fundamentally a relationship business and what that means for your business development plans - What it felt like to pay to exhibit at a big trade show and spent much of your time turning away people that wanted to sell to you or to your clients. - When unsolicited marketing does work - and the specific conditions that make it feel like good timing rather than an intrusion Related episodes The estate agent who won my business didn't do anything special (and what you can learn from them)https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/2-things-to-check-in-your-sales-process [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/2-things-to-check-in-your-sales-process] 3 decisions that turned my empty pipeline into a waiting list to work with mehttps://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/3-decisions-that-turned-my-empty [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/3-decisions-that-turned-my-empty] How to win clients without feeling like you’ve turned into a salespersonhttps://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-win-clients-without-feeling [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/how-to-win-clients-without-feeling] Why your ideal clients have already shortlisted someone else (Before you knew they were looking) https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-your-ideal-clients-have-already [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-your-ideal-clients-have-already] Why your best referral sources aren’t sending you work (and it’s not what you think) https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-your-best-referral-sources-arent [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/p/why-your-best-referral-sources-arent] Useful links: - sign up as a paid subscriber and use this link [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/ac966e3a] to get 20% off an annual membership of Start Up To Grown Up Welcome to a free podcast episode of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth Club [https://www.accountantsgrowthclub.co.uk/] Each episode of the Start Up To Growth Up Podcast is based on my weekly Substack Article [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] on the same topic. Head over to my substack to subscribe https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup [https://substack.com/@startuptogrownup] so you never miss an article or episode again. Get full access to Start Up To Grown Up at startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe [https://startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]