Send us Fan Mail On today's episode of The Business Game, we're sitting down with Tamika Tyson, founder and managing director of SCALE, a risk-informed advisory firm helping investors and portfolio companies understand the risks that shape performance, growth, and value. She's also the author of Win or Win, a #1 bestseller in multiple Amazon categories on getting the right people in the right roles at the right time. After starting her career underwriting small business loans in a bank basement, testing covenants, calculating ratios, and discovering that balance sheets didn't always balance, Tamika learned how companies function from the ground up through their financial statements. That foundation took her from approving loans to structuring $20 billion energy and infrastructure deals across Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Along the way, she sat on both sides of the table making the calls and watching the bad ones, being the advisor and being the problem, and noticed the patterns that separate businesses that scale from the ones that stall. Today, she helps founders answer the question she asks every business owner before investing: are you optimising for return on investment, or return on ego? Let's dive in, with Tamika Tyson: Why only 4% of US businesses ever break $1M in recurring revenue "Can you fire your niece?" the one question she asks every founder before investing Why your biggest customer might be the one quietly destroying your margins The cash flow statement she asks for before anything else and why net income lies The real cost of going out on your own, and why it's not financial The three reasons teams fail: misalignment, parallel play, and return on ego Speed vs. systems vs. mission: which founder archetype are you, and where will it trip you up Why you must delegate the decision, not just the work and how to know if you're not The team that gets you to $1M won't be the team that gets you to $10M Your first two hires as a scaling founder, and why one of them should be nothing like you AI is a tool, not a solution where it belongs in your business and where it doesn't The three things every founder must focus on to level up: customers, margins, and your own limitations Why you need to fire yourself from certain roles and how to know which ones The career-defining moment: learning to ask for help, and the New York story that changed everything "What's the best that could happen?" why reframing risk might be the most important question you ask this year If you're a founder, entrepreneur, business owner, or anyone trying to scale past your first million without becoming the bottleneck, this episode is packed with practical frameworks on team building, delegation, financial literacy, return on ego, and building a business that wins on your own terms. Connect with Tamika Tyson: Website: https://www.tamikatyson.com/ Support the show Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business. Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap. For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework? Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com It's time to Level Up! We’ll see you at the next level.
