Build newsletter

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…

Hey there, Founder life is all about transitions. They arrive pretty relentlessly in the founder’s journey. And one of the trickier ones I see is moving from being a founder to being a CEO. This week my guest author Codie James takes a detailed look at this transition and how founders can take a more intentional approach to developing their leadership. best regards,-sw Build #74 – From accidental CEO to intentional leader: how founders can evolve without losing their edge When founders first…

Hey there, I’ve been involved in the sale of several businesses over the years and have been on the buy-side of many more M&A deals too. One of the things I’ve observed from those experiences is that the best acquisitions or investments have been the ones that are are well run, not the ones that were obviously built just to sell. In this week’s guest article for The Build Summer Series 2025 my collaborator and fellow Extra Brain Manish Kapur provides a super clear explainer for founders about…

Hey there, In the Build Summer Series 2025 I’m handing over the metaphorical Build keyboard to a series of guest authors. This week Kelly Wakeman (no relation!) gives you a great take on the stages of the founder growth journey. I love her simple framework for this as it nicely captures the personal transitions that happen as businesses grow. best regards,-sw Build #72 – From chaos to culture: why the best founders don’t scale alone Let’s get one thing straight: chaos isn’t a bad sign. In…

Hey there, We’re halfway through the Build Summer Series 2025 – where I’ve handed the metaphorical keyboard over to a diverse bunch of guest authors. What a ride it’s been so far and this week’s no exception. In this issue Volker Ballueder shows how founders can benefit from the fusion of coaching and therapy to help grow their businesses better. best regards,-sw Build #71 – Why tech founders need personal consultancy – not just coaching or therapy There’s something unique about sitting at…

Hey there, This week’s guest author in the Build Summer Series 2025 is Team Sterka founder Trenton Moss. He’s got a great story about how he realised what he needed to change in his business to unleash the potential of his team – and get out of the way himself. best regards,-sw Build #70 – You’re not growing if your team still needs you in every pitch If you’re still the one leading every big client meeting, every sales call, every tricky negotiation… then let’s be honest: You’re the…

Hey there, This week’s guest author is Sarah Harris. Sarah is a fractional COO and seasoned business leader. She supports founder-led businesses to scale sustainably. She’s also a qualified therapist and leadership coach – and my co-founder at actualise.work too. That means she’s uniquely placed to take a science-based look at how founder leadership runs much deeper than most people realise. best regards,-sw Build #69 – Spoiler: You might be the bottleneck It’s 4:33am, and you’re awake….

Hey there, This week we’re talking about selling. Yep, it’s that side of founder life that represents one of the hardest transitions to make as you grow. My guest author is David Biden, co-founder of Growth Venture Group. I’ve known David for many years. His advice is a must-read for any founder wondering how to make their first sales hire. best regards,-sw Build #68 – How to scale your selling without losing your soul Every founder knows what it takes to sell in the early days. Grit. Energy….

I see too many people overcomplicating marketing in growth businesses. That’s why I love Rebecca’s practical approach to tackling the marketing challenges that many founders face.

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, yet few founders can point to a single process it has genuinely improved inside their business. The reason is simple: most start with the technology, not the outcome. This short guide shows you how to deliver a working AI system in days.

Hey there, I’m a big believer in the power of collabs in helping founders to build businesses. That’s why throughout July, August and September I’m … Read More

I spend a lot of time working on organisational design projects for clients. To be honest there are times I end up waking up at … Read More

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in my inbox so I was spoilt for choice while selecting the most useful articles for founders who … Read More

Hey there, I’ve been thinking a lot about deep work recently. It’s something that’s vital for people in scaling businesses to have space to do. … Read More

Hey there, It’s Simon here with today’s quick issue of Build – my newsletter read by more than 1,400 founders taking an intentional approach to … Read More

This week in Build I’m looking at a favourite topic of mine: decision-making. Most of the founders I work with are grappling with the challenge … Read More

Once again Wednesday is with us, so I bring you the three most interesting things to cross my path this week: ​1. Why is change … Read More

Hey there, You might know I became an ICF qualified coach last year. I was surprised me that a lot of the coaching course (and … Read More

In last week’s Build newsletter I looked at why systems win out over goals. This week it’s time to share three of the things I … Read More

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about goal setting and why OKRs aren’t the only game in town for founders to help get things … Read More

This week I’ve got three fascinating articles that grabbed my attention plus a quick recap from last week’s issue: ​1. What you see is what … Read More

A couple of years ago I was being asked to do a lot of work to help founders with objectives / key results (OKRs). That … Read More

Today I’ve got three interesting founder-friendly links worth your time: 1. Four keys to leading today​ Not another leadership article, surely Simon? In this one … Read More

Many years ago I remember a founder in a company we acquired. He was charismatic, bright, forceful and outwardly hero leading his business. But once … Read More

After the joys of last week’s look back at 50 issues of Build, normal service resumes today. Here’s my round-up of the most interesting things … Read More

Today’s Build has a slightly self-indulgent feel. I’m taking a look back over the last 50 issues of my newsletter for founders. I was going … Read More

Hope your week’s going well and you’ve got a little corner of brain space for three interesting articles I spotted recently: ​1. Measuring knowledge work … Read More

I’ve worked closely with founders in growing businesses since 2014. Over those years I’ve noticed a few patterns that hold true almost everywhere. One is … Read More

A quick canter through three interesting things I spotted this week: 1. We are shaped by place​ Jindy Mann explores how place shapes who we … Read More

Our life experience shapes who we are and the way we work. It strongly influences the way we perceive those around us and our interactions … Read More

This week’s pick of three interesting things has a people and relationships strand running through it. I won’t claim that’s by any kind of inspired … Read More

I’m fascinated with the enduring tension between seeking predictability and embracing agility in growth businesses. It’s a classic tightrope for founders to walk. What shows … Read More

Here’s your weekly dose of thought provoking links, curated to help you take a different perspective on building your company: 1. Organisations are mirrors​ An old … Read More

I’ve been noodling around with thinking about the future of work since first reading Reinventing Organisations by Frederic Laloux back in 2014. Laloux’s “Evolutionary-Teal” paradigm … Read More

Here are three things I spotted recently for founders in scaling businesses to think about: 1. ​Zola’s decision-making method​Often when debating decisions extroverts tend to … Read More

Founders are natural problem solvers. Creating a business from nothing means spotting and solving problems, over and over again. In my work, I often talk … Read More

I’ve got three things I spotted recently for founders in scaling businesses: 1. Reorganisations aren’t the answer​ Colin Mulholland explains why the restructure is often the … Read More

I’m collaborating with a co-founder on a new venture. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time at this formative stage of a business…thrashing out … Read More

Last week’s fungi-related ponderings elicited a good few suggestions about personal consumption of mushrooms, alongside the more usual work-related responses I tend to get. Today I bring … Read More

Late Autumn is my favourite time of year to get out running in the woods near our house. I love the combo of the near … Read More

I tried ​googling to learn about operating models​. I waded through the hundreds of complicated consultants’ charts that said so little in so many slides. … Read More

I had a thought about leading a business as a founder having listened to a podcast recently Your real role as a business leader is … Read More

I was chatting with a founder friend recently. He’s been running his tech product business for more than a decade now and it’s doing ok. … Read More

Last month I spent five days on a coaching course, developing my skills in that side of my work. Self-reflection is a big part of … Read More

If we look at the great teams in the worlds of sport and business, it’s clear they don’t happen by accident. Creating a team that’s … Read More