The Good Growth Podcast by BGF

In this episode of The Good Growth Podcast, we sit down with Bruce Daisley — workplace culture expert, bestselling author, and former VP at Twitter and YouTube — for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, resilience, and the realities of scaling fast-growing businesses.Bruce shares his personal lessons from leading Twitter through hypergrowth, introduces a powerful framework for understanding resilience, and explores the changing nature of work in a hybrid world, discussing new data from BGF's portfolio. Bruce offers practical insights for founders and leaders on how to maintain culture, focus, and connection in an environment that rarely slows down.Whether you're scaling a startup, leading a team, or navigating the complexity of modern work, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

In this episode of The Good Growth Podcast, we sit down with Maya Moufarek, founder of Marketing Cube and former CMO of Pharmacy2U, to uncover the key ingredients for sustainable growth—and why founders should rethink their approach to marketing post-investment.Maya shares how she helped shape Pharmacy2U's rapid expansion, achieving the equivalent of opening an offline pharmacy every 2.5 days before a PE exit. She dives into the fundamentals of building a scalable growth engine, why customer insight is the most overlooked marketing tool, and how trust and segmentation played a crucial role in Pharmacy2U's success.Plus, Maya explains why “channels come last”, the impact of AI on SEO, and why community-building will be more important than ever in the years ahead.

In this episode of The Good Growth Podcast, we sit down with Ross Linnett, Founder & CEO of Recite Me to explore the challenges and opportunities of scaling a business internationally—and why accessibility is a game-changer for growth.Ross shares how his own experience with dyslexia led him to build a pioneering accessibility tech company, helping businesses unlock new customers and boost revenue. He dives into the challenges of breaking into the US market, why so many UK businesses struggle overseas, and the key cultural differences founders need to navigate. Plus, Ross reveals how partnering with BGF helped him scale at pace allowing him to remain focused on the business.

In this episode of The Good Growth Podcast, Grant Keenan, Founder of Keenan Recycling, reveals how he turned a humble composting operation into a national force with 21 depots, 140+ employees, culminating in its recent exit to BIFFA.Grant dives into the challenges of scaling sustainably, his lightbulb moment, and the strategic move to secure growth capital investment. He also shares practical tips for navigating an exit — knowing when the time is right to which financial metrics matter.Whether you're a founder considering investment, preparing for an exit, or simply looking to grow your business this episode is packed with insights to help you on your journey.

In this episode of The Good Growth Podcast, we sit down with Sophie Birch, Head of Non-Executive Talent at BGF, to explore the true impact of non-execs and chairs in scaling businesses. She shares what sets standout NEDs apart (spoiler: culture fit matters), and how board composition should evolve as a business grows.We also dive into BGF's thousand-strong talent network and the role of non-execs in strategy and exits, and how BGF is driving greater board diversity—with gender balance on shortlists.If you're a founder looking for game-changing board support or an experienced leader considering a non-exec role, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss.

In this episode of The Good Growth Podcast, Graeme Lee, CEO of Springfield Healthcare Group, and Andy Gregory, CEO of BGF, reflect on a 12-year partnership and £30m investment that transformed the business and helped to create more than 700 new jobs.From an initial phone call to one of BGF's biggest-ever exits, Graeme shares the highs and hurdles of scaling Springfield, securing the right buyer at the right time, and his advice for founders considering growth capital. BGF's patient partnership approach meant Springfield was able to grow at the right pace for the business.Tune in for a candid conversation on ambition, investment, and what it really takes to scale!

What does it really mean to be a Chair? In this episode, Sharon Baylay-Bell—former BBC CMO, Microsoft leader, and Chair of BGF-backed DriveWorks—shares her journey from executive roles to the boardroom.Sharon dives into the role of a Chair as a ‘critical friend', strategic guide, and mentor, offering  advice on driving growth, managing differing views, and aligning with CEOs. She also reflects on helping DriveWorks expand globally and navigate a successful acquisition by tech giant Bechtle AG.This episode is packed with practical tips, career reflections, and inspiration for leaders at all levels.

Welcome back to The Good Growth Podcast, brought to you by BGF—the most active equity investor in the UK and Ireland.We're kicking off series two with Joe Jani, CEO and founder of Metric Search, and non-exec chair Andy McRae to explore what it takes to build a ‘one-in-a-million' recruitment business.Joe takes us behind the scenes of launching Metric during the pandemic, riding the wave of the 2021 recruitment gold rush, and scaling to achieve a staggering 95% of revenues from the US market.We also hear how BGF's introduction to Andy—a 30-year industry veteran—became a game-changing sounding board for Joe, turning the often-lonely entrepreneurial journey into a partnership focused on strong governance and long-term success.

In this episode of The Good Growth podcast, we hear from Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bicycle. Few bikes are as recognisable as the Brompton with its foldable design favoured by commuters, making travelling around cities a breeze. Tune in to learn about their global growth ambitions, how running a business is much like a game of whack-a-mole and why success lies in putting people and planet first.  

Simon Steward, Head of Digital at BGF joins Jimmy this week on the Good Growth podcast. As part of the value creation team at BGF, Simon helps management teams pinpoint key technologies, identify strategic gaps, and build capabilities to maximise business value through technology. 

This week on the Good Growth podcast we're joined by Tim Rea, Head of Early Stage BGF.Tim shares his 20+ years of startup experience, how BGF assesses early-stage growth potential and the disruptive technologies he's excited about.

Join Jimmy in Edinburgh as he chats to Michael Rolland, Managing Director at The Paint Shed (TPS), and Grahame Clarke Investor at BGF.In this episode, Michael explains how a pre-pandemic website revamp, enabled TPS to pivot from a bricks-and-mortar family business to a thriving online marketplace.

In episode four of the Good Growth podcast Roshni Bandesha, Head of ESG at BGF, joins Jimmy to discuss all things ESG for scaling businesses.While most entrepreneurs start out with the intention of solving a particular challenge, part of Roshni's role is to support businesses in putting pen to paper to formalise their ESG strategies as they scale.

In episode three of the Good Growth Podcast, host Jimmy is joined by Dob Todorov, co-founder of IT consultancy and managed services provider, HeleCloud. Alongside BGF Investor Alex Snodgrass.From day one Dob's vision was clear, to strategically scale his business through to exit. With growth capital he achieved this in just five years — tune in to find out how.

In episode two of The Good Growth Podcast, Jimmy is joined by Eamon Donnelly, co-founder of award-winning kitchen manufacturer and distributor, Uform.  Alongside BGF Investor Paddy Grahame.Eamon went from driving around Northern Ireland selling kitchens in his Talbot Sunbeam, to building a tens of million revenue-generating business.We cover:- Navigating external capital after 25 years as a family business- What it means to reach the zone of mutual discomfort- The importance of building a team aligned with core business values- Defining good growth as a business leader- Overcoming a halving of revenue during the recession- Advice for Northern Irish entrepreneurs seeking international growth

In our first episode of the series, host Jimmy McLoughlin is joined by Clare Roberts, Founder and CEO of Kids Planet, the family business operating 190 nurseries across the UK.Clare shares why she decided to found the business after the birth of her first child, explains Kids Planet's buy and build growth strategy and how she ensured the wellbeing of her team remained a top priority as the business scaled.

Welcome to The Good Growth Podcast! Join us for insightful conversations on the art and science of business growth with the entrepreneurs who are driving it. Released weekly, episodes from season one include conversations with scaleup leaders Clare Roberts, Dob Todorov, Eamon Donnelly, and Michael Rolland, alongside advice from industry experts.Subscribe now to make sure you're the first to hear about new episodes.