First-time Founders

This week's scale-up confession comes from Harriet, a CEO of a growing SaaS company that provides cybersecurity risk assessment software for professional services firms.Responding to Harriet's letter, Rob is joined by marketing expert Nicola Anderson, Jo Harley - Co-Founder of Korero and Greg Wellman - Co-Founder of Agora Talent to discuss possible solutions.Thanks to our panellists:Nicola Anderson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersonnicola/Jo Harley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-harley/Greg Wellman - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryjackwellman/Connect with Us:Have your own business question or leadership challenge? Please email Rob at rob@mission-group.co.uk (and let us know whether you would prefer a private answer or are happy to feature in a future episode).You can also reach Rob on LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ or to book some free time https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

This week's Scale-up Confession comes from Luke, who runs a SaaS company that provides HR and payroll automation software. Responding to Luke's letter, Rob is joined by marketing expert Nicola Anderson and fractional CFO Pete Donnell to discuss possible solutions.Thanks to our panellists:Nicola Anderson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersonnicola/Pete Donnell - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-donell-0508272b/Connect with Us:Have your own business question or leadership challenge? Please email Rob at rob@mission-group.co.uk (and let us know whether you would prefer a private answer or are happy to feature in a future episode).You can also reach Rob on LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ or to book some free time https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

This week's Scale-up Confession comes from Ed, the founder of a software business focused on supporting financial advisory firms with performance analytics. Responding to Ed's letter, Rob is joined by marketing expert Nicola Anderson and technologist Tim Palmer , to discuss possible solutions.Thanks to our panellists:Nicola Anderson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersonnicola/Tim Palmer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timpalmer/ https://thinkbluehat.com/Connect with Us:Have your own business question or leadership challenge? Please email Rob at rob@mission-group.co.uk (and let us know whether you would prefer a private answer or are happy to feature in a future episode).You can also reach Rob on LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ or to book some free time https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

This week's Scale-Up Confession comes from Sophie, who runs a software company that specialises in project cost estimation tools for architecture firms. Responding to Sophie's letter, Rob is joined by Korero's Leadership Team - Jo Harley, Steve Kennaird and Sean McSweeney to discuss possible solutions.Thanks to our panellists:Jo Harley - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenmhitchcock/Steve Kennaird - https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-kennaird/Sean McSweeney - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-mcsweeney-b624b7122/Connect with Us:Have your own business question or leadership challenge? Please email Rob at rob@mission-group.co.uk (and let us know whether you would prefer a private answer or are happy to feature in a future episode).You can also reach Rob on LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ or to book some free time https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

This week's Scale-Up Confession comes from James, who runs a software company that simplifies compliance management for mid-sized manufacturers. Responding to James' letter, Rob is joined by EOS Implementer Darren Hitchcock and Mick Gosset, Founder of Jointflows - a sales cycle software, to discuss possible solutions.Thanks to our panellists:Darren Hitchcock- https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenmhitchcock/Mick Gosset - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickaelgosset/Connect with Us:Have your own business question or leadership challenge? Please email Rob at rob@mission-group.co.uk (and let us know whether you would prefer a private answer or are happy to feature in a future episode).You can also reach Rob on LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ or to book some free time https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

This week's Scale-Up Confession comes from Tom, the founder of a SaaS company specialising in workflow automation tools for construction firms. Responding to Tom's letter, Rob is joined by marketing expert Nicola Anderson and technologist Tim Palmer, to discuss possible solutions.Thanks to our panellists:Nicola Anderson - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersonnicola/Tim Palmer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timpalmer/ https://thinkbluehat.com/Connect with Us:Have your own business question or leadership challenge? Please email Rob at rob@mission-group.co.uk (and let us know whether you would prefer a private answer or are happy to feature in a future episode).You can also reach Rob on LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ or to book some free time https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

This week's scale-up confession comes from Emma, an entrepreneur running a growing eco-conscious marketing consultancy. Responding to the letter, Rob explores how misalignments within Emma's leadership team seem to be paralysing decision-making, impacting morale and which components of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) are most likely to offer a solution.Connect with Us:Have your own business question or leadership challenge? Please email Rob at rob@mission-group.co.uk (and let us know whether you would prefer a private answer or are happy to feature in a future episode).You can also reach Rob on LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ or to book some free time https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Jonathan Dunn is Co-owner and CEO of Initium Corporate Finance, with 25+ years of experience in the UK and international M&A market.In this episode of the First-time Founders podcast, Jonathan explains why selling your business may be the most challenging experience of your working life but how - with the right preparation - it can also be the most rewarding. We also cover how you can:- Understand, shape and maximise the true value in your business prior to an exit- Secure the best possible deal terms when the right time comes to sell; and- Achieve freedom, create lasting impact, and exceed your expectations post-sale.Interested viewers can reach Jonathan via https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandunn3/ and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Simon Vella is a Certified EOS Implementer with 20+ years experience holding various senior leadership roles in the ICT industry. He credits EOS with allowing him to transform his last company together with its leadership team, scaling from 24 to 50 employees and doubling financial results.Simon will be hosting a masterclass at the EOS European Conference on 27 September in London titled "Getting your Vision Shared by All" (09:30-10:15, Break Out 2). In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Simon previews some of the big ideas to be covered in that session.Get your ticket here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eosworldwide/1227926 (ask your EOS Implementer for their discount code for 40% (c. £200) off or please feel free to use code "EOSI-RobL" if you don't have one). You can also connect with Simon on LinkedIn, via https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-vella/.

Sylvie Milverton is Co-founder and CEO of Lynx Educate (a learning benefit platform to help companies retain workers by differentiating their benefits offering) and Host of Talent is Everywhere Podcast. Sylvie and her team are backed by leading investors in the EdTech and Future of Work space, including Rethink, Emerge, Southern New Hampshire University and Brighteye Ventures. Her customer list includes well-known logos such as Deliveroo and Lynx Educate has been voted Top 200 European EdTech startups (Holon IQ) and Top 20 EdTech startups globally (ASU GSV).Before co-founding Lynx Educate, Sylvie spent her career in various Finance seats, growing and operating international education companies in Latin America and Europe. So, in this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, we discuss how and why she stepped out of being an employee finance executive and into being a ‘visionary' founder leader - and what she's learned through her unusual entrepreneurial journey.Interested viewers can reach Sylvie via https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviemilverton/ and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

Ryan Markewich is a business coach and a Great Game of Business certified practitioner. Having run a successful landscaping company for over 29 years, he's passionate about teaching other owners how to create cultures of ownership, accountability, and transparency that drives performance and profits.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Ryan shares his knowledge and skills in Open Book Management, a proven system that empowers employees to think and act like owners, and aligns them with the company's goals and vision. This is a ‘must listen' if you want to increase your profits, have more time for yourself, and find enjoyment in the process along the way.Interested viewers can reach Ryan via https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-markewich/ and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). You can buy a copy of the Great Game of Business via Amazon here: https://amzn.eu/d/5Lyo2xe.

In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Rob walks listeners through the personal and business scorecards he uses to keep his life on track despite the uncertainty of the entrepreneurial journey.Interested listeners can reach Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Rob explains why so many Founder suck at financial and operational forecasting, why that's a problem and how to get better at predicting your organisation's future.Interested listeners can reach Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Rob explains his view that a happy entrepreneurial life rests on 3 pillars: process, practice and peace:PROCESS - an overarching framework you're willing to believe in (how to be a good dad; what constitutes being a good husband; how to run a good company if you're a CEO; how to execute a golf swing etc :);PRACTICE - committing to actually implement your chosen framework;PEACE - a sincerely held belief in your inner goodness, that practice of your process will get you to where you're 'supposed to be' (and accepting that where you're supposed to be may not be where you think you want to be!);and why lacking any one of the 3 often leads to frustration, stress or worse.Interested listeners can reach Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

Are your frontline people so busy ‘doing the work' that you fear rolling out Level10 meetings and other EOS Foundation Tools down to their level?Sid Jashnani (who personally led a frontline organisation in his prior entrepreneurial journey) makes a compelling case that, contrary to some Leadership Teams' fears, rolling out EOS actually saves frontline people time and their organisations from process breakdowns.Sid will be hosting a masterclass at the EOS European Conference on 27 September in London titled "80% of the challenge is rolling out the EOS Foundation Tools" (14:00-14:45, Break Out 1).Get your ticket here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eosworldwide/1227926 (ask your EOS Implementer for their discount code for 40% (c. £200) off or please feel free to use code "EOSI-RobL" if you don't have one)

Jonny White is the Founder of Ticket Tailor, a bootstrapped SaaS ticketing platform which helps event organisers sell 1 million tickets per month.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Jonny explains how he managed to build TicketTailor to scale without a cofounder or any outside capital (Jonny attributes his success - for those of us who define success as building a profitable company that operates with purpose - preserving optionality, keeping things simple and taking actions today with a clear vision for tomorrow in mind).Interested viewers can reach Jonny via https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnywhite1/ and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

Can the Leader of an entrepreneurial company ever 'outgrow' being accountable for People & Culture? And if you do need a 'People Person', what's the difference between an HR Manager, a Leader of People and Culture and a Business Leader (and which of these does a growing company need, when)? Are your people ready to fulfil your growth aspirations?Alice Jordan is well-placed to answer these and all your People and Growth Agenda questions, having spent the first 20 years of her career in senior people roles in big companies and having since led more than 300 sessions as an EOS Implementer, helping entrepreneurial leadership teams build really strong, heart felt cultures to drive growth and productivity.Alice will be hosting a masterclass at the EOS European Conference on 27 September in London titled “Preparing Your People Agenda for Growth” (13:10-13:55, in the Main Space).Get your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/erpXCMcK (ask your EOS Implementer for their discount code for 40% (c. £200) off or please feel free to use code "EOSI-RobL" if you don't have one)

If you're into EOS, be sure to print a copy of your Accountability Chart and take it to Dean Breyley's "The Devil is in the Accountability Chart" masterclass at the We Run on EOS European Conference on 27 September (11:40-12:25 in the Main Space).Dean has facilitated over 600 full day EOS Leadership Team sessions and will draw on his full experience to help you sense check - ie with interactive examples - how many of your company's issues trace back to structure (it could be as many as 80%).Get your ticket here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/eosworldwide/1227926 (ask your EOS Implementer for their discount code for 40% (c. £200) off or please feel free to use code "EOSI-RobL" if you don't have one)

Tyrone Croome-Carroll is a 3-time COO and accomplished people-centric leader, currently with Cadence (the leading language solutions provider to the global investment community).In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Tyrone shares what he learned leading multiple B2B information services businesses and explains why its important to build systems to support high performance teams in rapidly scaling environments.Interested viewers can reach Tyrone via https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyronecc/ and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

Julie Wilkinson is an accountant on a mission to save the world from failed acquisitions. Her firm, Wilkinson Accounting Solutions, works on business acquisitions between £1m and £20m turnover and also actively acquires other accounting firms to scale its own operations.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Julie gives Rob an ‘idiots guide' to what a good small business finance function should look like and discusses the perils for exiting (and acquiring) entrepreneurs who don't build adequate strength in this area.Interested viewers can reach Julie via https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewilkinson-accounting/ or julie.wilkinson@wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk (also check out her 'Understanding Accounting Lingo' course here: https://wilkinsonaccountingsolutions.co.uk/masterclass/understanding-accounting-lingo/) and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

Tom Lavery is Co-founder CEO of Jiminny, a software platform which helps commercial teams maximize their revenue through conversation intelligence. Jiminny enables its customers to record, transcribe and analyze conversations in real-time, giving customer insights and full visibility into performance. Jiminny empowers teams to coach and develop their people at scale.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Tom describes how he seized an early-career opportunity with Reward Gateway, scaled that business in various sales leadership roles (through a number of successful Private Equity transactions) and eventually co-founded Jiminny, with Reward Gateway as a cornerstone customer!Interested viewers can reach Tom via https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomlavery7/ or tom@jiminny.com and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

Jo Harley has co-founded two businesses: Korero, a tech platform which enables leaders to have great career conversations with their teams and gives organisations the data they need to plan for success; and Hendrick and Hyde, a consultancy which helps organisations to build authentic cultures through diagnostics, analysis and strategic advice. Jo, her technology and her colleagues are behind Best Places to Work in Hospitality and Best Workplaces in Travel and work with many amazing clients on their employee surveys. Jo regularly judges The Best Employer Catey, The Hotel Cateys, The Food Service Cateys, The Springboard Awards for Excellence, HR in Hospitality Awards and The Purple Umbrella Awards.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Jo shares a wide range of insights relating to her recent implementation of the Entrepreneurial Operating System.Interested viewers can reach Jo via https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-harley/ or jo@hellokorero.co and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

Rob Gibson trained as an accountant and rose to become a divisional Chief Operating Officer for Real Estate giant JLL. Today he's a consultant, coach and Chair for Vistage (the world's leading executive learning and coaching organisation).In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Rob explains the ‘classic' COO role (how it should help formulate and then implement strategy, create culture, drive collaboration and ensure daily operations are effective, efficient & coordinated) but also how in reality every COO role is different. We also explore why the COO seat must be crafted to reflect each unique company, its breadth of operations, the strengths/weaknesses of the business and particularly the CEO!Interested viewers can reach Rob G via https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgibson68/ or Rob.Gibson@vistagechair.co.uk and Rob L (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob L, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). Alternatively, if you'd prefer Rob L to send you a free copy of Traction (the book by Gino Wickman which explains The Entrepreneurial Operating System) just complete the form here: https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-giveaway?implementer_email=rob.liddiard@eosworldwide.com

In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, host Rob Liddiard recites 'The Struggle', an iconic chapter from Ben Horowitz's startup leadership classic, The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Rob follows the passage by describing how he escaped The Struggle as founding CEO of Yapster (a UK software company which scaled to 100,000 business users) by leaning on the 6 Key Components of The Entrepreneurial Operating System.Interested listeners can reach Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) via Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time to learn about EOS, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Steve Peralta is Co-founder and Chief Wellbeing Officer of Unmind, a leading workplace mental health SaaS platform that helps organisations create better workplace cultures, so that employees and businesses can flourish. They support over 2 million employees in hundreds of organisations globally.Steve came to entrepreneurship in an unconventional way, from jazz singer and songwriter, to actor, to coach, to startup co-founder. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Steve talks about how his unusual background has helped him inspire leaders to bring more heart and soul into workplaces, the ‘four pillars of self care' and much more.Interested listeners can reach Steve via https://www.linkedin.com/in/peraltasteve/ and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Matthew Phelan is Co-CEO of The Happiness Index, a SaaS platform that helps organisations measure their key employee engagement and happiness drivers. Matt is also a speaker and business adviser. Prior to the Happiness Index, he founded, scaled and sold a digital marketing agency called 4Ps Marketing (which serviced over 100 brands such as Selfridges, M&S, Nissan and L'Oréal).In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Matt shares some of his key learnings from a decade helping organisations measure their key employee engagement and happiness drivers. He also talks about the Go To Market challenges he experienced selling the concept of ‘happiness' to different types of employers (not all of whom ‘get it')!Interested viewers can reach Matt (https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewphelan/) at matt@thehappinessindex.com and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Alfie Lambert is a Co-Founder (Product and Growth Lead) at BizCrunch, an advanced off-market deal discovery platform which helps business users identify potential companies to acquire, providing vital metrics and key contact data. With over 10 years' experience working with startups and scale-ups, primarily in B2B data, AI & Data Science, Alfie has co-founded two startups and successfully pitched & raised funds.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Alfie discusses how there has never been a better time to buy an established company in the UK, with a wave of baby-boomer business-owners inches closer to retirement and increasingly open to succession M&A. Alfie explains how a significant portion of UK SME business leaders have not yet put succession plans in place for their enterprises, paving the way for a new generation of entrepreneurs (like you!) to step in!Interested viewers can reach Alfie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfie-lambert/) at al@bizcrunch.co and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Freddie Szydlowski is a CoFounder of Embargo, the UK's & Poland's no1 plug&play digital loyalty wallet & CRM platform helping coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries, dessert parlours & deli's boost repeat revenues and customer loyalty across walk-ins, delivery and pickup ordering. Santiago Gamboa and Victor Gamboa are Cofounders of Hemanos, Colombian Coffee Roasters - and were early Embargo customers.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Freddie, Santiago and Victor talk about how their relationship came about, why Embargo's early proposition spoke to Hermanos and how the platform has matured over time (and retained customer confidence through the inevitable ups and downs of building their respective businesses).Interested listeners, please reach out to any of Freddie, Santiago or Victor via LinkedIn, or contact Rob on Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, host Rob Liddiard explains how the Six Key Components of EOS (Vision; People; Data; Issues; Process; and Traction) impacted his life and business as the Cofounder CEO of Yapster (a software company with 100,000 paid users, serving companies such as Brewdog, Caffe Nero, Krispy Kreme, Next and Wagamama). Rob spent 5 years (2015-2020) running Yapster without knowing about EOS and then nearly 3 years on EOS until the company was acquired in December 2022. Today Rob works as a Professional Implementer of EOS, helping other entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial leadership teams get what they want from their businesses more quickly, with less frustration.Interested listeners, please contact Rob on Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Ashley Harris is an experienced Operations Leader used to working in fast-growing and high-pressure companies. He spent 5 years working at Tesla, where he rose to a management role for European Operations and Logistics. He's currently Director of Operations for Clearview, a pioneering company in the Machine Vision space, where he works with the Managing Director and Senior Leadership Team to help deliver strategic goals (serving as "Integrator", using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)).In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Ash compares and contrasts the style of Elon Musk, one of the greatest entrepreneurial Visionaries of our time, with a good small business leader, running on EOS. We talk about aligning teams around a Vision; recruiting and managing People; use of Data; understanding Issues at their root; if, when and where Processes are necessary; and quarterly operating rhythms. We explore what it takes as an entrepreneurial leader to really 'put a dent in the universe'!Interested viewers can reach Ash via LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-w-harris/ - and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

In 4 years, Eddie Whittingham went from working 9-5 (first as a policeman and then as a lawyer), to bootstrapping a cyber-security startup as a sole founder and selling it to a NASDAQ-listed company in a multi-million pound exit. Since then, he's bought an 1891 chapel and converted it into a premium co-working space in Greater Manchester, founded GoFounder.com (accountability for high-potential founders) and co-founded GrowGrows.com (a premium children's' sleepwear brand). In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Eddie describes how 'a daft lad from Scunthorpe' built a business and sold it to achieve a life-changing outcome for his family, with some of the mistakes made and lessons learned along the way!Interested listeners can reach Eddie (https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiewhittingham/) at eddie@ministryofwork.co.uk and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).

Do you know what a great early-stage customer looks like? Customer-side Visionaries like Dara Howley of the RAF Museum (speaking In this episode with Ashley Staines about her selection of Volunteero) might not be common, but they are evenly distributed across society. If you're doing and saying the right things in any market, you will get opportunities to execute your Vision by serving them. Visionary customers are special people who care more about their cause than internal politics, and are accordingly willing to take calculated risks on new vendors in service of a greater good. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Dara explains the key criteria for winning her backing: VISION: In Dara case with Volunteero, she was looking for a Volunteer Management software provider totally committed to superior design and usability on the front end, and comprehensive reporting on the back end FOCUS: Genuine obsession about improving the volunteer experience (vs generic HR platforms who can 'play at' volunteer management) SERVICE/PROCESS: Volunteero have a Proven Process for listening to client feedback and continuously releasing new features. Thanks to Dara and Ash for letting us observe 'the why and the what' underpinning their innovation partnership. If you have (or know of) a similar founder-customer relationship or story, we'd love to hear from you! Interested listeners can reach Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard). First-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4 First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0Q First-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Eyal Malinger is a Partner at Resurge Growth Partners, helping growth businesses thrive in a market where capital is scarce. He takes a more active investment approach than traditional venture capital firms, backing businesses that may have fallen off the VC flight path but still deserve to be funded.In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Eyal explains the structure of Venture Capital - how it is a great model for high-growth businesses, but by definition, all VC portfolios have a "middle bit" comprised of great companies which are unlikely to make a material impact on the fund's returns. According to Eyal, these businesses require an investor operating under a different paradigm to take them to the next level and a successful exit, which is where Resurge Growth Partners come in.Interested listeners can reach Eyal (https://www.linkedin.com/in/malinger/) at eyal@resurgegrowth.com and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).First-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0QFirst-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Andrew Lynch is a well-known X (formerly Twitter) finance thought leader with experience in companies of all sizes and a wide range of industries industries. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Andrew explains the building blocks of a finance function (as illustrated in a recent SecretCFO newsletter https://www.cfosecrets.io/p/first-foundation-finance); how a first-time founder should think about recruiting a finance leader; and his experience implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).For more detail, you can check out this twitter thread where Andrew first shared his Finance pyramid, including specific tactics and actionable steps to get your Finance function in good shape: https://x.com/andrewglynch/status/1589605703118987266?s=20Interested listeners can reach Andrew via https://twitter.com/andrewglynch or his LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewglynch/) and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).Andrew's newsletter: https://www.netincome.co/

Kris Ingham is the Founder of https://liquidation.store/ , the excess stock e-retailer which saves good stock from landfill via flash sales, offering consumers up to 75% off big brands. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Kris reflects on the failure of his first venture, Rejuvenation Water (which he managed to get stocked in 5 of the top 6 UK Grocers) and what he learned from the experience.Interested listeners can reach Kris via his LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisingham/) or Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).Kris's blog on his Rejuvenation Water experience: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/coming-terms-failure-kris-ingham-0dwye%3FtrackingId=TvqJR2pTRTyTv0gv%252FvmcIg%253D%253D/?trackingId=TvqJR2pTRTyTv0gv%2FvmcIg%3D%3DFirst-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0QFirst-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Rob Smith is Co-founder at Slick, the fastest growing online booking solution for Hair and Beauty. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Rob shares learnings from his experience building complex business software for low-tech, highly-creative Hair & Beauty industry users. Interested listeners can reach Rob Smith via his LinkedIn (https://uk.linkedin.com/in/robert-wp-smith) or Rob Liddiard (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob L, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).First-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0QFirst-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Michael Tingsager is Co-Founder of Pulse Kitchen (The plant-rich meal solution for Food Service) and Host of Hospitality Mavericks Podcast Show. With a lifetime of experience in the hospitality industry behind him, Michael is known for his passion for making a positive impact on people, communities, and the planet through service businesses. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Michael shares his insights on a wide range of topics, such as “The difference between B2B and B2C startups”, "Business as a Force for Good", "Agile Hospitality", and "Why People Strategy Makes or Break a Business".Interested viewers can reach Michael (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeltingsager/) at michael@hospitalitymavericks.com and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.eosworldwide.com/rob-liddiard).First-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0QFirst-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Steve Sharp is Founder and Managing Director of Nuvo, a leading firm of Chartered Certified Accountants providing accountancy services for owner managed businesses. Nuvo was recently recognised as a UK Top 100 accounting practice, following a sustained period of organic and acquisition-driven growth. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Steve shares his experiences implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) within a professional services environment and offers advice to fellow entrepreneurs curious about ‘entrepreneurship through acquisition' (in addition to accounting practices, Steve has acquired a wide range of businesses, from country clubs to facilities management companies).Interested viewers can reach Steve ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-sharp-2391581a/ ) at steve@nuvo.co.uk and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.mission-group.co.uk/work-with-rob).First-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0QFirst-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Scott Brown is Founder & CVO of Heriot Brown In-House Legal Recruitment and host of the Lessons I Learned In Law podcast. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Scott shares how he made the transition from Corporate Lawyer to business owner and the hard lessons he learned about himself as a Leader and Manager along the way! Interested viewers can reach Scott - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottjbrown/ - at scott@heriotbrown.com (you can also find Scott's podcast at https://heriotbrown.com/podcast/ ) and Rob - https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ - at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.mission-group.co.uk/work-with-rob). First-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4 First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0Q First-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Meg Payne was EOS Integrator and Operations Director for Yapster when it was acquired by Sona with Google backing in 2022. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Meg explains why the Entrepreneurial Operating System(EOS)'s Process component matters for startups and how it contributed to Yapster's success, including how processes helped in getting the company acquired.Interested listeners can reach Meg via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-payne-41a288166/ and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk (or to book some free time with Rob, visit https://www.mission-group.co.uk/work-with-rob).First-time Founders on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7hcdluu5ywrZ6qFhhI8EVH?si=840a4f564e6d4ea4First-time Founders on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SfnHZhV747su-Wnd-9Z0QFirst-time Founders on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-time-founders/id1697488388

Ian Jones is Managing Director at Care & Independence Limited, a venture-capital-backed company which provides a range of products to aid mobility, independence and improve daily life for the elderly and less able. Ian is a qualified Accountant and experienced Finance Leader by background, and in this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast he shares how and why he chose The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to underpin his efforts to lead Care & Independence to sustainable growth.Interested viewers or listeners can reach Ian via https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-jones-91878313/ ) and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

Adam Johnson is the owner of The Plough, Harborne - "The place where people feel good". In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, Adam shares his story of how, after years of delivering great hospitality, quality food and a bustling but easy-going atmosphere, The Plough 'hit the ceiling' and he turned to The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to rediscover his passion for - and the growth potential in - the business.Interested listeners can reach Adam ( linkedin.com/in/adam-johnson-58009771 ) by emailing adam@theploughharborne.co.uk or Rob ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/ ) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

John Mason is a serial entrepreneur, currently on a mission to make workplace learning more spontaneous, inclusive and continuous through his technology company, Sideways.Prior to Sideways, John founded a range of software and services businesses that were ahead of their time (for example, a peer-to-peer knowledge sharing app for the frontline economy and a virtual golf coach, both long before smartphones and mobile broadband made these ideas 'no brainers'). In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast, John talks about the challenges and opportunities of bringing an idea to market whilst enabling technologies and customer perspectives are still maturing!Interested listeners can reach John (https://www.linkedin.com/in/masonjohn/) at john@sideways.ai and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

Stephen Phillips is a passionate restaurant professional, with a reputation for driving standards and bottom-line targets for the UK's favourite casual dining brands. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast Steve shares key learnings for first-time hospitality founders - how to select sites, shape menus, build great teams and generally increase a new hospitality business' chances of survival!Interested listeners can reach Steve (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-phillips-6b00b110/) at stephen@umamiconsulting.co.uk and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

Alan Williamson is an experienced Chief Technology Officer and provider of operating partner services in technical and data analytics for private equity and investment companies. In this episode of the First-time Founders Podcast Alan shares his experience from mentoring numerous CTOs who have been catapulted by private equity investment and acquisition from 'a founder's most technical mate' into being expected to deliver robust and elegant software for massively greater scale. Alan also offers really valuable insights on how non-technical founders can more effectively lead technology organisations and get the best out of their own CTO.Interested listeners can reach Alan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/a1anw2/) at alan@alan.is and Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

Rob Dumbleton is a B2B SaaS expert and entrepreneur, with a focus on high growth stage (start-up and scale-up) SaaS, who has successfully started, led, raised finance and sold software businesses.In this episode of the First-time Founders podcast, Rob explains how he learned first-hand the importance of taking a scientific, data-led approach to customer discovery and product positioning.Interested listeners can reach Rob D via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robdumbleton/ or Rob L (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

Jeremy Dunderdale is an IT and Security leader, with experience working for top Hospitality companies such as TGI Fridays, Cote and Sodexo. In this episode of the First-time Founders podcast, Jeremy talks about how he selected and partnered with entrepreneurial suppliers over the years to deliver digital transformation in the hospitality sector.Interested listeners can reach Jeremy via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jp-dunderdale/ or Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

Matthew Dashper-Hughes is International Director and a Business Coach for GunnerCooke, the UK's fastest growing law firm. Prior to his role with Gunnercooke, Matthew held a wide range of executive leadership positions including serving as Chief Operating Officer for Ryman Stationers, the nationwide UK retailer, where he was one of Yapster's first Founder Customers. Matthews specialisms include executive coaching, management and leadership development training and mentoring, operational and commercial management, business development, sales, writing and speaking.In this episode of the first-time founders podcast, Matthew breaks down the psychology and process of early stage selling - and much much more.

Lina Olea is a mission-driven Marketer, currently serving as Marketing Director for UK Hospitality wifi and data insights provider, Wireless Social. Lina is well known professionally for her creativity and resilience, having worked in seven different countries and now spent 5 years in the tech start-up world. However, in this episode of the First-time Founders podcast, she talks about one of her less well-known experiences - being married to (and co-parent with) Yapster Co-founder CEO, Rob Liddiard (and also brother to Juan, another software entrepreneur)! This episode should be useful to both existing and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as their spouses. Further, Lina talks openly about the challenges of working in the startup world at the same time as starting a family. Interested listeners can reach Lina (https://www.linkedin.com/in/linaolea/) by emailing Lina@wireless-social.com or Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertlid...) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk

Steve Carpenter spent 30 years leading people functions for fast-growth businesses like TGI Fridays, Pret A Manger, Caffè Nero, Hotel Chocolat, and Krispy Kreme (Caffè Nero grew ten-fold in his decade as their HR lead and Krispy Kreme doubled in size whilst Steve was their People & Culture Director), hiring thousands of people and procuring a wide range of products and services along the way.In this episode of the First-time Founders podcast, Steve details how and why he decided to be one of Yapster's early customers and explains how other first-time founders can break into big brands, with nascent propositions.Interested listeners can reach Steve (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carpentersteve) by emailing steve@three59.co.uk or Rob (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertliddiard/) at Rob@mission-group.co.uk