Build

This week’s Build explores the fascinating tension that shapes every founder’s journey: the gap between who you are now and who you need to become. Whether it’s learning to wield power without becoming Machiavellian, challenging the beliefs that once served you but now hold you back or navigating the eternal conflict between maximisers and focusers in your scale-up, this week’s three articles all point to the same…

I was deep in a Miro board last week when I had one of those moments when something clicked (probably about two hours too late if I’m really honest with you). I’d been sketching out high level org structure options for a client – thinking about the forms that their organisation could take and trying to get them beyond thinking about you the usual boxes and lines showing who reports to whom. And I suddenly realised I…

Build #85 – Volume, quality, spikiness and the value of craft Hey Reader, Wednesday rolls around again and so I have three of the most interesting, founder-friendly links I’ve seen this week for you. There’s a bit of an interesting through-line about volume, quality and predictability through this week’s articles. best regards, RECOMMENDED THIS WEEK #1 The worst designer I’ve ever worked with was also the most productive The story of a highly productive designer whose impressive output volume…

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.