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The Grown UP Business Podcast

The Grown UP Business Podcast

By: Paul Avins
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 The Grown Up Business Podcast is a scale-up podcast for entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs who want proven strategies for scaling a business sustainably and building companies that work without them. Hosted by Paul Avins, Business Transformation Expert, this podcast draws on over 21 years of coaching experience, supporting 20,000+ entrepreneurs and helping facilitate £150m+ in business exits. Each episode Paul shares practical insights, disciplined leadership thinking, and real-world scale-up frameworks to help founder and CEOs find new levels of personal and professional performance. On the podcast, you’ll hear: Expert Interviews Candid conversations with successful founders, CEOs, investors, and subject-matter experts covering leadership, scaling, funding, operations, exits, wellbeing and personal development. Actionable Scale-Up Strategies Clear, practical frameworks built around Paul’s four pillars: Level UP (founder mindset and CEO identity) Team UP (building high-performing leadership teams) Scale UP (sales, systems, and operational discipline) Fire UP (harness the power and energy of mind, body, spirit connect) Real Business Stories Proven strategies and hard-won lessons from leaders who have scaled businesses, failed and rebuilt, in the real world — with clarity, structure, and purpose. This CEO podcast is for you if you want to: - Scale a founder-led business beyond day-to-day dependency - Build a high-performing leadership team - Create a scalable and sellable business - Move from operator to confident scale-up CEO - Invest in your self and your personal development You’ll learn how to scale a business without chaos, implement systems that support sustainable growth, and build a company that delivers results, with or without you at the centre. A sellable business is also a great business to run. The Grown Up Business Podcast shows you how to build both. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your favourite platform and join thousands of ambitious founders already scaling with Paul and Team Purple. Level UP. Team UP. Scale UP. Fire UPCopyright 2025 Paul Avins Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • AI SEO Expert Julie Holmes on Getting Recommended by AI (And Why It Matters More Than Google)

    AI SEO Expert Julie Holmes on Getting Recommended by AI (And Why It Matters More Than Google)
    Jan 29 2026
    What if the secret to scaling your business isn't working harder — but learning to collaborate with AI in ways most entrepreneurs haven't even considered? In this episode of The Grown Up Business Podcast, Paul Avins is joined by Julie Holmes — inventor, tech founder, and AI expert who has spent over 25 years in enterprise technology. Julie shares her journey from building cat traps as a kid to creating innovative products like the HeyMic (the first Bluetooth microphone for phone videos) and now helping entrepreneurs harness AI to scale faster, serve better, and lead smarter. Together, Paul and Julie unpack why most people are still just dabbling with AI, the difference between using AI and being empowered by it, and how founders can apply an AI-first mindset to build grown-up businesses that scale sustainably. This episode is essential listening for founders and CEOs who want to stop outsourcing their thinking to technology and start using AI as the ultimate leverage tool. Key Takeaways Why most people are using AI wrong — and how to shift from user to empowered professional The 20-60-20 framework: how to collaborate with AI without outsourcing your ingenuity Why vibe coding is revolutionizing how entrepreneurs build products and solve problems The difference between mechanical and meaningful — and when to lean into automation vs human connection How AI-first thinking changes customer journeys, sales cycles, and business operations Why GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the new SEO — and what you need to do now Why the most valuable skill isn't coding — it's problem solving, communication, and grit About the Guest Julie Holmes is an inventor, tech founder, and AI expert with over 25 years in enterprise technology. She is founder of Smarter HQ and the creator of the HeyMic, the first Bluetooth microphone designed for phone video, and author of 101 Tips, Tools and Prompts for Sales Pros and 101 Tips, Tools and Prompts for AI Leaders. Julie specializes in helping entrepreneurs and business leaders become AI-empowered — using technology to enhance performance, not replace it. Next Steps Apply it now Identify one business process you're still doing manually and ask: how could AI enhance this — not replace it? Connect with Julie Holmes — https://julieholmes.com Scale with Paul If this episode resonated, Paul's work focuses on helping founders step out of the day-to-day and scale with structure and confidence. Book a call with Paul: https://www.paulavins.com/book-a-call Subscribe to the Scale-Up Newsletter: https://www.paulavins.com/newsletter-opt-in About Paul Avins Paul Avins is a scale-up business coach and founder of the Grown-Up Business framework. He works with founders and CEOs to help them move from operator to scale-up leader — building businesses that grow sustainably, scale beyond the founder, and create real enterprise value. Paul's work focuses on disciplined leadership, high-performing teams, and systems that replace chaos with clarity. Level Up. Team Up. Scale Up. Fire Up.
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • Goal Setting Expert Brian Mayne Reveals 7 Step System used by Microsoft, Disney and Coca-Cola

    Goal Setting Expert Brian Mayne Reveals 7 Step System used by Microsoft, Disney and Coca-Cola
    Jan 10 2026
    What if achieving your biggest goals isn’t about working harder — but changing how your brain processes success? In this episode of The Grown Up Business Podcast, Paul Avins is joined by Brian Mayne, creator of the globally recognised Goal Mapping system. Brian shares his journey from losing everything at 29 to building a proven whole-brain goal-setting framework now used by organisations including Microsoft, Disney, and Coca-Cola. Together, Paul and Brian unpack why most goal setting fails — and how clarity, identity, and aligned thinking create sustainable success in business and life. This episode is essential listening for founders and CEOs who want goals that actually stick and teams that are fully bought into the vision. Key Takeaways Why most goal setting fails — and how whole-brain thinking changes results The role identity plays in performance and leadership growth Why words + imagery rewire the brain for execution How to overcome limiting beliefs around money and capability Why people support what they help create Next Steps Apply it Choose one business goal and map it using words and imagery to create clarity and focus. Scale with Paul If this episode resonated, Paul’s work focuses on helping founders step out of the day-to-day and scale with structure and confidence. Book a call with Paul: https://www.paulavins.com/book-a-call Subscribe to the Scale-Up Newsletter: https://www.paulavins.com/newsletter-opt-in About Paul Avins Paul Avins is a scale-up business coach and founder of the Grown-Up Business framework. He works with founders and CEOs to help them move from operator to scale-up leader — building businesses that grow sustainably, scale beyond the founder, and create real enterprise value. Paul’s work focuses on disciplined leadership, high-performing teams, and systems that replace chaos with clarity. Level Up. Team Up. Scale Up. Fire Up.
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    2 hrs and 7 mins
  • LinkedIn Expert Richard Woods on How to Build a £Multi-Million Business Using Offshore Teams

    LinkedIn Expert Richard Woods on How to Build a £Multi-Million Business Using Offshore Teams
    Nov 29 2025
    What if scaling from 1 to 154 people in just 12 months wasn’t about working harder — but building smarter systems? In this episode of The Grown Up Business Podcast, Paul Avins is joined by Richard Woods — three-time bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, and creator of LinkedIn Breakfast. Richard shares how he scaled a business from a one-person operation to a 154-strong team in just over a year by systemising execution, building offshore teams, and applying disciplined leadership over distraction. Together, Paul and Richard unpack what a grown-up business really looks like — and why most founders stay stuck firefighting instead of leading. This episode is essential listening for founders and CEOs who want to scale fast without chaos, step out of operator mode, and lead with clarity. Key Takeaways How Richard scaled from 1 to 154 people in 12 months using offshore teams Why discipline beats dopamine when it comes to growth and focus The danger of coaching without accountability — and what actually drives results How simple CEO dashboards and numbers create freedom Why most founders stay reactive — and how to start leading strategically About the Guest Richard Woods is a serial entrepreneur, investor, keynote speaker, and author of The Million Dollar Sprint. After building and selling three businesses and appearing on The Apprentice, Richard cracked the code to scalable growth by combining coaching, systems, and fully trained offshore teams. His strength lies in making complex growth simple — and repeatable. SPECIAL SHOW OFFER - 1:1 with Richard Woods to look at how to effectively outsource the things you should not be doing yourself - Book a Call: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/LePXwEpmKlWpZpAS8ib6 Next Steps Apply it now Identify one area of your business you’re still doing yourself — and systemise or delegate it. Scale with Paul If this episode resonated, Paul’s work focuses on helping founders step out of the day-to-day and scale with structure and confidence. Book a call with Paul: https://www.paulavins.com/book-a-call Subscribe to the Scale-Up Newsletter: https://www.paulavins.com/newsletter-opt-in About Paul Avins Paul Avins is a scale-up business coach and founder of the Grown-Up Business framework. He works with founders and CEOs to help them move from operator to scale-up leader — building businesses that grow sustainably, scale beyond the founder, and create real enterprise value. Paul’s work focuses on disciplined leadership, high-performing teams, and systems that replace chaos with clarity. Level Up. Team Up. Scale Up. Fire Up.
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    2 hrs and 12 mins
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Loved the conversations with amazing speakers - great things you can apply in your business as it grows, about recruitment, your past and present etc

Awesome learnings from a range of speakers !

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