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Build #84 – Stuck in the middle: how founder misalignment kills growth Hey Reader, This week I’ve been reflecting on a client workshop from last summer that I still remember to this day. My immediate post-meeting notes have been sitting in my Todoist for too long and really deserved knocking into shape for a Build article. The workshop in question has to go down as one of the most memorable I’ve had since I started working with in founders in 2014. It’s a story of being stuck in the middle….

Build #83 – Links: Hierarchy and culture, decision-making and founder flow Hey Reader, It’s Wednesday morning and time for three of the most interesting reads I’ve seen for founders recently. Have a read and let me what you think. Just hit reply. best regards, RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK #1 Big data confirms it: less hierarchy = stronger culture The guys at Corporate Rebels unpack new research showing companies with fewer managerial layers develop significantly stronger organisational cultures….

Build #82 – The founder’s paradox: letting go without losing (too much) control Hey Reader, I’ve been working recently with two founders who’ve taken completely opposite approaches to letting go as their businesses scaled. And the contrast has stuck with me. The first founder had read all the right books. He hired an MD and stepped right back. Done and dusted, he thought. The second couldn’t let go of anything. He also knew the theories about delegation being essential for growth (he…

Quick one this week – once again I bring you three founder-friendly links that got my attention, spanning proposition, business development and organisational design. Grab a coffee, take 15 mins and read on. It’s worth your time, I promise. Have a great week. best regards, RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK #1 The positioning carousel Robin Bonn examines why agency positioning exercises fail – he explains the costly…

Decisions have been coming thick and fast in my life recently. A fortnight ago we decided to sell our lovely family home and move to a house which needs a lot of renovation work. Last week I had to take a big decision about investing in my fractional business, in the face of rapidly changing circumstances. Having had a few days to reflect since those big calls, I’ve been thinking a lot once again about how we make decisions at…

In this week’s Build I’m bringing you three links that I spotted that are worth a founder’s attention this week. Today you’ll find me at the UK’s Festival of Entrepreneurs in Birmingham. If you’re attending the event, drop me a line and let’s grab a coffee. best regards, RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK #1 Frameworks – handrails for thinking Mike Fisher writes about the role of frameworks in providing a structure in which ideas and concepts can be…

My COO observations watching operations at Wembley on Sunday. This week I’ve been reflecting on a recent trip to an Oasis gig and my incessant desire to understand how things work behind the scenes. Some interesting parallels between founder-led businesses and predictably delivering stadium-scale experiences week-in, week-out.

Hey there, We’ve reached the end of the Build Summer Series 2025 with an article from Jessica Gregson and Helen Bazuaye looking at the interplay between processes and humans. This topic fascinates me as it’s something I see most days in my work with founders. Normal Build service resumes next week with me back on writing duties. I’d love to know what you thought about the summer series. We had 14 guest authors this year, spanning a wide range of topics for founders. Please just hit reply and…

Hey there, In the penultimate article from this year’s Build Summer Series, Rebecca Bates gives us a thoughtful look at generation X, the “valley of bewilderment” and their subsequent reinvention of the work they do. This resonated deeply with me as virtually all of what Rebecca observes matches my lived experience – including my “second mountain” working with purpose as a fractional and consultant COO. best regards,-sw Build #76 – The forgotten generation’s purpose pivot I have recently…

Hey there, I’m fascinated by the role of tensions in businesses. Too often they’re seen as negatives, as problems to solve. But in reality every founder is running a business where tensions are a healthy feature of their organisation. In this week’s Build Summer Series 2025 newsletter, James Gairdner unpacks this topic through the lens of psychodynamic theory. best regards,-sw Build #75 – Tension is the work: leading without easy answers In leadership conversations with founders, there’s a…