Illustration comparing traditional and modern sales leadership approaches for startups.

When and how to hire your first head of sales

Don’t hire a head of sales to fix chaos. Prove it works first, then scale it properly.

leader talking to a team

How to run a strategic planning meeting: the CEO’s complete guide

Most strategic planning meetings are a waste of oxygen—here’s how to make yours actually lead to something useful.

Comparison of old and new sales compensation models for scale-ups.

Sales compensation for scale-ups: beyond commission

Commission-heavy sales compensation drives the wrong behaviour, attracts the wrong reps, and breeds resentment across the company.

Alex Cooper

E361 | Alex Cooper: The guy who built UK COVID testing now knows what your customers are thinking

This founder’s path makes no sense on paper…  History degree at Oxford, trader in the City, and then one day

UK Scaleups by Employment growth

What Does Scaling Up Mean? The Definitive Guide (2026)

Scaling a business without meaning? Congrats—you’ve built a soulless machine. Here’s how to grow without losing the plot.

Infographic summarizing the framework for hiring sales reps that actually close.

A guide to hiring sales reps that actually close

Founders often hire impressive big-company reps who can run a machine, but can’t build one from scratch.

Infographic showing how to hire sales reps that actually close deals.

When to hire a salesperson: 7 signals you’re ready

Seven clear signals show when you’re genuinely ready to hire a salesperson.

Person throwing a bin bag in a bin

Why any fast-growing company should bin the nine-box talent grid

The nine-box talent grid is a flawed, growth-stifling model—I'd take annual appraisals over it any day.

Steve Phillips

E360 | How to use AI to double your revenue (without hiring anyone)

Steve Phillips started Zappi in his back garden with a bottle of wine, and twelve years later, he’d scaled it

Visual diagram showing reasons buyers purchase businesses and how to build value.

You’re not selling a business, you’re selling a shortcut

Buyers don’t buy your deck or your vision. They buy a shortcut so they don’t have to build it themselves.

Monkhouse & Company logo with focus on customer retention strategies.

Drucker 10 Sun Tzu 0. Ten lessons every CEO should learn.

Stop quoting Sun Tzu. You’re not at war. Focus on customers, priorities, and what actually moves your business forward.

Gerry Tombs

E359 | From 0 to £77m exit: Gerry Tombs on why your leadership team might be too big (and too old)

Gerry Tombs spent 25 years building ClearVision from a garage startup to a £77m tech consultancy with 100 people across

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