Scaling a business is not just about achieving growth; it’s about sustaining it. It’s about making the right decisions at the right time, with the right team in place. During 2024, Excelerator Partners has been at the heart of these conversations, contributing thought leadership at industry events, engaging with leaders, and working alongside scaling businesses to help them build their leadership teams and unlock their business plan targets.
From exclusive discussions at Home Grown to dynamic panels at Grow London, collaborations with the ScaleUp Institute, and delivering over 20 leadership (fractional, permanent, and Board) executives to our clients, our proximity to the market has sharpened our perspective. These experiences reaffirm what we’ve always believed: growth is as much about strategy and leadership as it is about capital and opportunity.
What We’ve Learned from Scaling Businesses?
1. Leadership Is the Linchpin
At events like Home Grown, where we explored the role of transformative Boards, one insight stood out: leadership can make or break a business’s ability to scale. The right Board isn’t just a governance body; it’s a strategic powerhouse that creates value, aligns vision, and drives execution.
This principle is echoed in our day-to-day work scoping and recruiting leadership teams for our clients, whether through fractional leadership roles like CFOs and CMOs, transitions from Founders to first external hire CEOs, or by helping businesses reimagine their Board composition, we ensure scaling companies have the expertise to overcome hurdles and seize opportunities.
2. Strategic Agility Is Essential
At Grow London, conversations revolved around accessing capital, markets, and talent. Yet, the businesses making the greatest strides were those that demonstrated agility. Markets shift, customer needs evolve, and competition intensifies—having the ability to adapt swiftly while staying focused on long-term goals is critical.
Our role is always to help inform our clients. When a CEO spoke to us about the need for expertise from a CFO, CPO and CTO for their business, but only enough capital for one of those roles as a permanent hire, we introduced them to the concept of fractional and consulting C suite executives that meant they didn’t have to choose or delay, but could start to build a blended leadership team today.
3. Collaboration Drives Outcomes
The ScaleUp Institute continues to champion the power of collaboration, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors to address the systemic challenges of scaling. At events like Cambridge Tech Week and the Manchester ScaleUp Event, one theme was clear: scaling isn’t a solo endeavor.
Businesses thrive when they foster connections, whether through building stronger leadership teams, tapping into external expertise, or forging new partnerships. In particular we have provided extensive thought leadership on the topic of Boards, including the imaginative use of Board assets – some of our Board placements are not formal NEDs and Chairs, but Strategic Board Advisors delivering highly targeted expertise to address a specific business objective over a one-two year period.
The Power of Community
The insights gained from Home Grown, Grow London, and our work with the ScaleUp Institute are more than just lessons—they’re the foundation of how we work with scaling businesses.
As you think about your growth ambitions for 2025 and beyond, consider this: what’s the next step for your business? We’re delighted that for many of our clients we have remained their trusted advisor and leadership recruiter over the last year, supporting them to bring in several different leadership assets into their team. Whether an existing client or new, we’re always available for a coffee to help our CEOs, Chairs and Investors think through how best to align and acquire leadership expertise to their business plan. If you’d like to speak with Suzy and Cate, please just reach out directly!
About the author:
Clair Bush, Fractional CMO
Having built a career in marketing, Clair has focused her expertise on empowering start-up and high-growth scaling businesses. She has developed a versatile skillset spanning marketing strategy, brand development, content creation, business development, and team leadership. This broad experience has enabled her to successfully hold roles such as Fractional CMO, strategist, and mentor, delivering impactful growth strategies and supporting organisations through pivotal scaling phases.
