Scale-Up Sessions

Cynergy Bank
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  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Semimonthly

Welcome to Scale-Up Sessions, your roadmap to scaling your business. Joined by expert guests, Martin Kennington brings you the smartest, most up-to-date ways of making smart financial decisions to confidently take your business to the next level. Whether you’re chasing your next round of funding, a business loan, or simply building a smarter growth plan, this is your guide to scaling with confidence.

  1. 4d ago

    How to build cyber resilience and protect your business from cyber attacks | Jenny Pirault

    Cyber attacks are an increasing risk for growing businesses, but protecting your organisation isn't simply an IT responsibility. Cyber resilience means being able to prepare for, respond to and recover from incidents while keeping your business running and maintaining customer trust. In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how growing businesses can build cyber resilience, prepare for the critical first hours of an incident, manage third-party risk and respond effectively when things go wrong. Joining us is Jenny Pirault, Cyber Risk and Resilience Manager at Sodali & Co. Jenny works with organisations and leadership teams to prepare for cyber incidents, strengthen resilience and recover from disruption. Jenny shares practical insights, including: Why cyber resilience needs to be built into business strategy as an organisation grows, including procurement, contracts, suppliers, technology and critical business processes.How to prepare for a cyber incident before it happens, from establishing strong cyber hygiene and identifying your business's “crown jewels” to mapping third-party dependencies and testing an incident response plan.How AI is changing the cyber threat landscape, including the rise of “shadow AI”, increasingly sophisticated attacks and the need for businesses to combine AI governance with employee education and AI literacy. ● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ ● Follow Jenny on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jennypiraultcv Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    How to build cyber resilience and protect your business from cyber attacks | Jenny Pirault

  2. Jul 22

    How to use AI to scale your business: Creating real value beyond the hype | Yinka Fasawe, Google Cloud

    AI is transforming the way businesses operate, but simply adopting more AI tools doesn't automatically create more value. The real opportunity lies in knowing where AI can genuinely improve the way your business works. In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how growing businesses can move beyond AI experimentation and start using it to create real commercial advantage. From identifying the right use cases to redesigning workflows and avoiding unnecessary complexity, we unpack what it really takes to use AI as a lever for sustainable growth. Joining us is Yinka Fasawe, AI Go-To-Market Lead for FSI capital markets at Google Cloud for the UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa. Yinka works with organisations to help them adopt AI strategically, enabling businesses to move beyond the hype and focus on where AI can improve productivity, decision-making and long-term competitiveness. Yinka shares practical insights, including: Why the businesses seeing the greatest return from AI aren't simply adopting more tools, they're rethinking how work gets done.How to identify the business processes where AI can create the greatest value, rather than automating for automation's sake.Why successful AI adoption is ultimately a leadership challenge, and how businesses can build the right culture, governance and mindset to turn AI into a genuine competitive advantage. ● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ ● Follow Yinka on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yinkafasawe/ Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    How to use AI to scale your business: Creating real value beyond the hype | Yinka Fasawe, Google Cloud

  3. Jul 8

    How to turn visibility into sales: Why meaningful relationships are the key to driving business growth | Molly Ruland

    Growing a business isn't just about getting more attention. It's about making sure the right people find you, trust you, and know exactly how to buy from you. In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how founders can turn visibility into sustainable growth. From building meaningful relationships and creating a clear market position, to systemising sales and reducing founder dependency, we unpack what it really takes to build a business that can scale. Joining us is Molly Ruland, Founder of Heartcast Media. Molly has spent more than two decades building businesses rooted in art, music, culture and community. Today, she helps founders and business leaders use strategic visibility and podcasting to build meaningful relationships that translate into long-term business growth. Her philosophy is simple: the strongest opportunities come from having better conversations. Molly shares practical lessons from building and scaling her own business, including: Why not everyone is your customer, and how focusing on the right audience creates stronger growth than chasing vanity metricsHow to turn visibility into predictable revenue by creating a clear offer and building repeatable sales systemsWhy the most valuable businesses are designed to operate without constant founder involvement, and how to start reducing dependency on yourself as the business grows ● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ ● Follow Molly on the channels below: https://mollyruland.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/heartcastmedia Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    How to turn visibility into sales: Why meaningful relationships are the key to driving business growth | Molly Ruland

  4. Jun 24

    Leadership lessons for founders: Letting go, building alignment, and scaling without becoming the bottleneck | Kate Waterfall Hill

    What stops businesses from scaling? More often than not, it's not the market or the strategy - it's founder bottlenecks, misaligned leadership teams, and decisions made under pressure. In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we unpack the leadership challenges that emerge as businesses grow and become more complex. From struggling to let go of control to building alignment across senior teams, we explore what really gets in the way of sustainable scale. Joining us is Kate Waterfall Hill, leadership coach, advisor, and author of How to Lead. You may also know her alter ego, Linda, the Bad Manager, whose brilliantly relatable online sketches shine a light on the everyday management mistakes many leaders make. Kate shares practical lessons from decades of working with founders and leadership teams, including: Why founders struggle to let go of control, and how to delegate without feeling like you're losing control of the businessHow to build and maintain an aligned leadership team as your business becomes bigger and more complexHow to make smarter resourcing decisions that support growth, avoid team burnout, and prevent overhiring too quickly Follow Kate Waterfall Hill on the channels below: https://www.waterfallhill.co.uk/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/katewaterfallhill/ https://www.tiktok.com/@katewaterfallhill https://www.instagram.com/katewaterfallhill/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUCO50cN8ETdaUwQ_IiosFQ Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    Leadership lessons for founders: Letting go, building alignment, and scaling without becoming the bottleneck | Kate Waterfall Hill

  5. Jun 10

    SME lending in 2026: What you need to know today to fund growth | Jim Higginbotham

    Is access to finance really drying up for growing businesses, or has the SME lending market simply become more complex? In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how the UK SME lending landscape is evolving and what business owners need to understand before raising finance. From the rise of fintech and alternative lenders to the growing importance of brokers and long-term planning, this conversation cuts through the headlines to reveal what’s really happening on the ground. Joining us is Jim Higginbotham, CEO of the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB), the UK’s largest trade body for commercial finance brokers. Jim shares insights from across the broker and lender ecosystem, explaining how funding routes have diversified, why many businesses rule themselves out of finance too early, and how scale-ups can make better funding decisions to support sustainable growth. Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/Follow Jim Higginbotham on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-higginbotham-33142523/ Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    SME lending in 2026: What you need to know today to fund growth | Jim Higginbotham

  6. May 27

    Outcome Engineering explained: Are you measuring what truly drives growth? | Sam Collett

    According to Product Talk’s 2026 CDH Benchmark survey, only around 20% of product teams describe themselves as truly outcome-focused, while roughly 30% are still primarily measuring outputs rather than real impact. So, are you measuring what truly drives growth — or just tracking activity? In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we’re joined by Sam Collett, Chief Innovation Officer at Eventus.do. Sam introduces the concept of “outcome engineering” — starting with what success looks like and working backwards to identify the actions that truly drive results. He explains why so many organisations fall into the trap of measuring activity instead of impact, why KPIs and dashboards often fail to tell the full story, and how businesses can take a more outcome-led approach to AI and innovation that delivers meaningful value rather than simply adding more activity. Why not keep up to date with Sam via his newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7445799737930170368 ● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ ● Follow Sam Collett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collettsam/ Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast, visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    Outcome Engineering explained: Are you measuring what truly drives growth? | Sam Collett

  7. May 13

    How to build a craft beer brand: Community, growth and standing out | Tom Bott

    In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore another compelling Scale-Up Story, diving into the realities of building and scaling a business rooted in culture, community and authenticity. Joining us is Tom Bott, Founder and Managing Director of Signature Brew, a brewery built at the intersection of great beer and live music. What started as a creative way to connect with audiences has grown into a brand with a fiercely loyal community and a clearly defined purpose. Tom shares how building a community-led brand shaped Signature Brew’s growth strategy, influenced key commercial decisions and helped the business navigate periods of opportunity alongside real pressure - from the craft beer boom to COVID, rising costs and industry shake-outs. He also reflects on the leadership lessons he’s learned around resilience, focus and knowing when to simplify in order to scale sustainably. ● Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/ ● Follow Tom Bott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-bott/ Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast, visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    How to build a craft beer brand: Community, growth and standing out | Tom Bott

  8. Apr 29

    How to choose the right business finance: Funding growth the smart way | Dave Golding

    When is the right time to bring finance into your business, and how do you know you’re truly ready for it? In this episode of Scale-Up Sessions, we explore how founders can choose the right type of finance and make sure their business is in the right position to use it effectively. From understanding whether funding is the real solution, to avoiding common scaling traps, this conversation offers practical insight to help you grow with confidence. Joining us is Dave Golding, Managing Director at Cynergy Business Finance. Dave oversees how the business supports companies with funding solutions, bringing a lender's perspective on what it really takes to be “funding-ready” and use finance as a tool for sustainable growth. Follow Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinkennington/Follow Dave Golding on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dave-golding-354699a Scale-Up Sessions is brought to you by Cynergy Bank. To learn more about Cynergy Bank, visit https://www.cynergybank.co.uk/ This episode was produced by Flamingo Media. If you want to create a chart-topping podcast visit www.flamingo-media.co.uk

    How to choose the right business finance: Funding growth the smart way | Dave Golding
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About

Welcome to Scale-Up Sessions, your roadmap to scaling your business. Joined by expert guests, Martin Kennington brings you the smartest, most up-to-date ways of making smart financial decisions to confidently take your business to the next level. Whether you’re chasing your next round of funding, a business loan, or simply building a smarter growth plan, this is your guide to scaling with confidence.

Information

  • Creator
    Cynergy Bank
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Cynergy Bank
  • Show Website
    Scale-Up Sessions