If scaling feels chaotic, inconsistent, or like you’re constantly pushing uphill, it’s probably not your offer, pricing, or even your team.

It’s who you’re selling to.

In this episode you'll learn how to identify your core customer, the one who drives profitability, team alignment, and predictable scale, and how to stop wasting time on clients who drain resources, distract focus, and slow your momentum.

You’ll see why profitability isn’t just a number on a spreadsheet, but the north star for every decision. Jonathan breaks down the difference between trying to please everyone versus building a brand that actually scales, and shares his own perfect future client profile as a working example.

If you're a business founder or CEO trying to crack the next level of growth, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• How to separate high-value clients from time-wasters using existing data (01:43)
• What a true customer-first business looks like in action (02:34)
• The framework to determine who to serve and who to walk away from (04:15)
• How to build a crystal-clear client profile (08:45)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• Why vague client definitions sabotage your growth (and how to fix it).
• The real meaning of profitability and how it should guide every strategic move.
• Why a business built for “everyone” is a business built for no one
• A behind-the-scenes look at Jonathan’s ideal client profile, and how to build your own.
• What true customer-centricity looks like in high-growth businesses.

When you know exactly who you're built to serve, scaling stops feeling chaotic and starts becoming inevitable.

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here

Most CEOs scale stress. The smart ones scale clarity, culture, and control.

In this episode, Jonathan Herps unpacks how Helder Klemp, founder of DNX Solutions, reshaped the future of his business, not by chasing numbers, but by committing to culture. His company now ranks among Australia’s best places to work, with 92% of employees genuinely excited to show up.

But the win wasn’t just emotional. It was strategic. Helder bet on clarity, cadence, and coaching to create a business that runs without him being in the weeds. And it worked.

This episode is your field guide to scaling without stress, building a team that performs because they want to, and finally stepping into the leadership role your business needs.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• How proactively defining a culture vision now can protect your business from chaotic growth later (01:35)
• A simple framework to align vision with execution (02:23)
• How prioritizing people leads to better retention, higher performance, and more time to lead strategically (04:05)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• Culture isn't just a vibe, it's a system. When you build it right, it becomes your most powerful lever for growth.
• A clear 3-year vision broken into 90-day execution cycles keeps your team aligned, focused, and forward-moving.
• Outsourcing culture to chance is a mistake. Bringing in the right expert can hardwire trust and accountability into your company’s DNA.
• What you measure, you improve. Benchmarking culture makes the intangible visible, actionable, and scalable.

When you stop managing chaos and start designing culture, your business becomes a magnet for talent, trust, and traction.

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here

Anyone can fill out an annual plan. But if you want to scale, you need a leadership strategy that actually moves the needle.

This episode isn’t about filling out a worksheet. It’s about getting real with yourself as a CEO and creating a business that supports your life, not the other way around.

Jonathan Herps walks you through the exact exercises he’s used to help hundreds of founders shift from scattered to strategic. Whether you’re leading a team of 3 or 300, these insights will help you stop chasing noise and start focusing on what actually moves the needle.

You’ll learn how to reframe your goals, reset your calendar, and lead in a way that creates calm, not chaos. This is about building the kind of company that doesn’t burn you out.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• How to build an annual plan that’s actually worth following (06:00)
• Redesigning your life before redesigning your business (17:24)
• The time-blocking approach that protects energy, family, and sleep (33:42)
• The ‘Stop, Start, Keep’ Framework for founders (41:03)
• How to build your one-year breakthrough plan (54:00)
• Sorting ideas by impact and execution, and choosing only the moves that create long-term leverage (01:07:33)
• The CEO Dashboard and how to focus on just three core metrics that drive serious growth (01:26:11)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• When everything feels urgent, it’s a sign you’re missing a clear, prioritised plan that aligns with where you actually want to go.
• Your business can’t scale if your life is burning out. Healthy CEOs build healthy companies.
• Protecting your highest-value time (and energy) is the foundation for consistent execution, better decision-making, and sane scaling.
• Do fewer things, better.
• Track what matters, weekly.

Scaling your business doesn’t start with doing more. It starts with getting clear on what truly matters. When you lead with focus and intention, growth becomes inevitable, not overwhelming.

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here

You’re not lazy and you’re not doing it wrong. You’re just scaling on top of a system that’s already tangled, and this episode shows you exactly where to look and what to fix.

In this episode, Jonathan sits down with Myles Henaghan, founder of Wires Uncrossed, to delve into the intricacies of software delivery systems. Myles shares his journey from experiencing recurring challenges in tech teams to developing the Hierarchy of Engineering Needs, a framework designed to systematically identify and address constraints in software delivery.

They discuss the importance of understanding your system's bottlenecks, the value of open-sourcing methodologies, and how to maintain balance between professional ambitions and personal life.

Whether you're a business owner feeling stuck or a tech leader aiming for scalable growth, this conversation offers actionable insights to help you move forward.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• How to spot when your delivery problems aren’t about headcount or effort but about tangled systems, misalignment, and invisible constraints (01:07)
• Why giving away your frameworks earns credibility, attracts self-qualified buyers, and helps you grow even when you’re not in the room (04:36)
• A flexible structure to manage your business, team, visibility, and life without dropping the ball or pretending you can do it all (06:17)
• How even high-functioning teams can crash if they lose sight of commercial realities (12:07)
• How to rewire your mindset for sustained growth (15:51)
• What healthy leadership teams really look like (17:20)
• How to use AI without multiplying chaos, especially when quality controls are weak or missing (24:07)
• Focusing on the most important constraint today and keeping momentum without chasing perfection (30:44)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• More people ≠ more output. If your team’s velocity is dropping as headcount grows, you’ve likely got a system constraint problem, not a talent one.
• Don’t hoard your IP. Leverage it. Open-sourcing your frameworks builds authority, accelerates trust, and magnetises the right-fit clients who are already sold on your thinking.
• Your calendar reflects your leadership priorities. A simple, daily 4-bucket system (Grow, Run,

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here

people in your team. If you're still tolerating average performers, avoiding tough conversations, or hoping culture will fix itself, this conversation is your wake-up call.

In this episode, Jonathan Herps walks through a practical playbook that every CEO should be using (but probably isn’t).

Drawing from nearly a decade working alongside scaling CEOs, he breaks down what it really takes to build a team of A players, how to assess your people with clarity not emotion, and why quarterly talent reviews are the leadership muscle your business is starving for.

You’ll also hear firsthand from Paul, a founder navigating real leadership landmines, all about global teams, toxic high performers, wrongful dismissal threats, and all the headaches CEOs are too exhausted to talk about publicly.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• How to build a team of 90% A players (00:48)
• How quarterly reviews drive faster growth and keeps your business ahead of performance problems before they snowball (08:25)
• Handling team dependencies that undermine performance (12:04)
• 8 questions that tell you who to coach and who to let go (15:12)
• How to exit team members with clarity and compassion (21:00)
• How to apply values in day-to-day leadership (34:03)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• Adopt a quarterly talent review rhythm. Regular assessments create accountability, surface blind spots, and keep your team aligned with growth.
• Use values as your ultimate filter. Skills can be trained, but misaligned values will always cost you more in the long run.
• Know who to coach and who to exit. A simple decision framework removes the guesswork and helps you lead with clarity, not emotion.
• Build an A player culture by design, not default. Your growth depends on your people. Systematise how you assess, develop, and upgrade your team.

This is for the business owner who’s scaling, but stalled. Someone who knows they’ve got dead weight, but doesn’t know what to do. Someone who suspects the real bottleneck isn’t strategy, but people.

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here

If your calendar looks like a game of Tetris, you're not running your business. It's running you.

In this episode, Jonathan gets brutally honest about a hard truth that most CEOs don’t want to admit: your calendar is a mirror. And what does it reflect? That’s what’s either scaling your business or strangling it.

You’ll hear the story of Jane, a sharp agency founder who went from 70-hour weeks and pure chaos to real leadership clarity after one game-changing shift.

This isn’t about productivity hacks. It’s about the one leadership structure that separates scattered founders from strategic CEOs.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• Why your calendar is the clearest reflection of your leadership (00:01)
• How a lack of structure creates bottlenecks, weakens delegation, and keeps CEOs trapped in execution instead of strategy (01:28)
• A simple, actionable framework that unlocks 8–12 hours a week and builds space for deep work, strategy, and scaling (02:04)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• Your calendar is a mirror. If there’s no time to lead, your business can’t grow.
• Most CEOs aren’t out of time. They’re out of structure.
• Reclaiming just a few hours of strategic time each week can unlock exponential results.
• Leadership lives in deep work, delegation, and deliberate thinking time, not back-to-back meetings.
• A self-managing business starts with a calendar that reflects clarity, not chaos.

No fluff, no gimmicks. Just a sharp lens on what’s really holding most business owners back (and what you can do about it).

FREE RESOURCE

Send a direct message to Jonathan at jonathan@scaleupgrowth.co with the word “FOCUS” for the CEO Time Reclaim Template

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here

If you’re tired of doing everything yourself, stuck in decision loops, and feel like real growth is always just out of reach, this conversation will hit home.

Antony Dutton took over a business he knew nothing about, built rock-solid leadership rhythms, empowered his team, and scaled a system that now runs without him. No hustle, no magic bullet. Just clear, repeatable growth, built with intention.

When Antony bought Provender, he knew next to nothing about vending. Today, it’s a thriving national brand redefining workplace food and beverage. This episode is a front-row seat to the mindset, decisions, and hard-won wisdom of a CEO who’s scaled a legacy business into something modern, lean, and growth-ready.

You’ll hear honest stories about failure, innovation, and what it really takes to step back from the day-to-day without the wheels falling off.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• Redefining a traditional business into a modern, scalable growth machine (01:50)
• Systems and tech that give franchise partners real-time visibility and accountability and how centralised data fuels smarter decisions without bottlenecking the CEO (06:01)
• Why innovation only works when it solves real pain (09:02)
• Why structured team rhythms are the CEO’s secret weapon to escaping day-to-day chaos (11:11)
• A wake-up call about control, supply chains, and the price of procrastination, plus why acting fast on people problems is essential (15:04)
• Empowering people while aligning business growth with their personal goals (21:09)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• Invest in rhythm and structure. Regular leadership rhythms free up mental space to think long-term and lead strategically.
• Act fast on people decisions. Delaying tough calls around team fit or performance only drags growth down.
• Build trust before scale. A team that trusts each other (and you) will thrive even when you’re not in the room.
• Leverage tech to empower, not control. Smart use of data and systems gives your people autonomy while keeping the business on track.
• Your team is your growth engine. Success isn’t about doing more yourself; it’s about building a team that can grow the business even without you.

If you’re feeling stuck, stretched thin, or unsure how to scale without losing control, this one’s for you.

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here

What if the reason you're stuck isn't a strategy problem, but a structure one?

In this episode, Jonathan shares Helder’s powerful transformation, from overwhelmed founder to hands-off CEO of a wildly profitable, self-managing business.

You’ll learn the 5 practical shifts that helped Helder get out of daily firefighting, scale his team, and take real holidays (without things falling apart). Plus, Jonathan breaks down how to turn cash from a stressor into a strategic weapon so you can scale without fear.

If you’re wanting more freedom without sacrificing growth, this episode lays out the roadmap for you.

In this episode of Stories of Scale with Jonathan Herps, you’ll discover:

• The CEO bottleneck trap and how to escape it (00:24)
• 5 powerful shifts to rebuild your role and empower your team (01:02)
• How Helder’s profit, time off, and leadership soared within 12 months (02:34)
• The 3 cash flow fixes that turned financial fear into strategic power (03:04)
• Why a “boring” business is the real flex (04:06)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• You can’t scale if you’re still the fixer. Build the team that solves problems without you.
• Profit grows when systems run the day-to-day and you stay focused on strategy.
• Cash gives you options. Make it predictable, not panic-inducing.

FREE RESOURCE

Email Jonathan at jonathan@scaleupgrowth.co for the 10x Business Growth blueprint

CONNECT WITH JONATHAN HERPS

Website: www.scaleupgrowth.co

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanherps

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scaleupgrowth

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scaleupgrowth

Youtube: www.youtube.com/@scaleupgrowth

Email: admin@scaleupgrowth.co

🚀 Ready to Elevate Your Business?

If you’re interested, here are 3 ways I can help you right now:

1. Subscribe to our podcast
Get actionable strategies to run a more efficient business from someone who built & exited 3 multi-million $ companies.
Click Here to listen & subscribe now!

2. Download our free CEO Dashboard template
Build a step-by-step business plan for consistent growth.
Click Here to download.

3. Book a 20-min Business Growth Call
Map out a growth plan for your business and identify your biggest bottleneck & leave with a clear action plan. — Click Here