Making The Grade

From CMO to CRO: Florence Broderick on balancing growth with efficiency and the metrics that actually matter

What does it really take to make the leap from CMO to CRO and to build a revenue function that actually scales?In the final episode of Season 1, Tom is joined by Florence Broderick, CRO at General Index, to unpack what it actually takes to make the transition to CRO and what founders should know before hiring their first CRO. Florence shares candid insights from her transition to CRO, why she believes marketing leaders can make exceptional CROs, and how she’s balancing growth with capital efficiency in 2025 and beyond. If you’re a founder or GTM leader navigating growth right now, you won’t want to miss this episode.  Episode Chapters02:30 - Flo’s career journey from dreams of big corporates to CRO 08:30 - Managing imposter syndrome in a new role 14:30 - Building her CRO playbook 22:10 - What every CRO should nail in their first 90 days 27:30 - Why ‘rockstar CVs’ often fail 31:45 - The CRO skills that matter most in 2025 38:10 - AI that uses the needle & metrics that matter 46:50 - Getting more women into sales Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at podcast@scalewise.com✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

From $60m Exit to Building an Era-Defining AI Company: Sean Williams on lessons from a start-up exit to building again with AutogenAI

What do you think of when you hear ‘exited Founder’? Someone travelling the world or sitting on a remote island sipping cocktails? Today’s Making The Grade guest may change your perspective… We’re joined by Sean Williams, Co-Founder & CEO of AutogenAI, the AI bid writing software. Before AutogenAI, Sean co-founded Corndell Ltd, which he grew from scratch to 350 people and sold to THI Holdings for $60m. In this episode, Sean discusses how to build with an exit in mind, why you need to keep control while fundraising and why US expansion isn’t as easy as some Founders might think. Episode Chapters02:18 - From bid writer to CEO - Sean’s career journey 08:40 - Post-exit reality & why Sean decided to jump back in the Founder seat14:36 - Selling a business during Covid 18:57 - More about AutogenAI and the opportunity 23:12 - Fundraising without losing control 27:26 - US expansion do’s & don’ts  29:33 - GTM in the AI-era - what actually works 33:43 - Hiring GTM leaders  Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at podcast@scalewise.com✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

Scaling Lean in a $500B Market: Ed Bartlett on going from zero to one & transitioning out of the CEO seat

In the start-up ecosystem, there are a few truths that never change - scaling is harder than it looks, over-hiring can kill momentum, and knowing when to hand over the CEO reins might be the hardest call of all. In this episode,Ed Barltett, Founder & CEO of Hicomply, unpacks how to successfully scale with a lean team and build a GTM engine that actually produces an intent-led pipeline. Ed breaks down why stage-fit leadership beats vanity headcount and how to plan a smooth CEO transition when the time is right. If you’re a founder starting to think about what might be next for you, then this is the perfect episode to listen to.Episode Chapters02:02 - Ed’s path into Tech 10:40 - Finding your niche in a $500B market 12:44 - Comparing the UK and US markets 17:02 - Staying lean & focusing on speed of execution 19:10 - Building a realistic GTM stack in an AI-driven world 31:58 - Founder transition & handing over the CEO reins 36:47 - Exit prep 101 in 2025 and beyond Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at podcast@scalewise.com✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

Running Your Own Race: Tom Lavery on going from bootstrapped to venture-backed

What does it take to build a category-defining SaaS company when your biggest competitors have raised 40x more funding than you?In this episode, Tom Lavery, Founder & CEO of Jiminny, joins us to share how he bootstrapped for years before raising, why staying in control beats chasing hype, and how to layer AI into GTM without over-engineering your stack.Expect pragmatic tactics for capital-efficient growth, candid lessons from fundraising in a downturn, and a no-BS view on what’s truly changed in sales. Episode Chapters:03:34 - Jiminny’s origin story 05:53 - Competing in a category with 40x more capital  09:21 - How to pick your investors & navigating the SaaS recession 17:20 - What’s changed in sales 21:18 - Successfully implementing AI 31:18 - The European ecosystem 33:18 - Slowing down and getting hiring right Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at podcast@scalewise.com✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!

Bootstrapping Agorapulse to over $20M ARR with Emeric Ernoult

Start-up headlines are often dominated by fundraising announcements and the latest valuation. But the Venture Capital route isn’t the only option or the best to take. In this episode, we’re joined by Emeric Ernoult, Co-Founder & CEO of Agorapulse, one of Europe’s most successful bootstrapped SaaS Founders.Emeric is a serial entrepreneur and has seen Agorapulse through several pivots and international expansion, all while bootstrapping. This often painful journey has come with its fair share of lessons - some of which Emeric shares with us in today’s conversation. This is definitely not a highlights reel, so if you’re currently going through the trenches or facing a pivot, this episode is one you don’t want to miss. Episode Chapters03:37 - Building Agorapulse from the ashes of a previous business 07:20 - The signs to know when it’s time to pivot 13:31 - Bootstrapping vs VC funding - the hard truths17:44 - Understanding VCs beyond the money 23:25 - The Do’s & Don’ts of international expansion27:28 - Growth metrics that actually matter34:07 - How AI is transforming data-driven growth Enjoyed today's episode of Making The Grade? If you took something valuable from the episode, we'd love for you to... ✔️ Leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast platform. ✔️ Share your ideas or guest suggestions with us at podcast@scalewise.com✔️ Stay in the loop with the latest from Making The Grade and ScaleWise by following us on LinkedIn or YouTube. See you again next week!