Growth

Strategies to fuel and build the business

How Do CEOs Navigate Culture While Scaling?

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Navigating Culture While Scaling: Insights from Alex Simmons, CEO of Inerva

Scaling a business is an exhilarating journey filled with opportunities, challenges, and pivotal decisions. One of the most critical aspects often overlooked during rapid growth is the company’s culture.

We recently got to spend some time with entrepreneur and CEO of Inerva Software, Alex Simmons.  Alex acquired Inerva in 2021 from the founders and is scaling up the business which provides a single platform for financial, management and admissions to the aged care sector in Australia.  His experience and perspective offers valuable insights into how leadership must intentionally adapt to preserve and evolve organizational culture amid expansion.

From a Family-Like Team to a Dispersed Workforce

When Alex took over Inerva in late 2021, the business was small, with just 12 staff members who knew each other well—a close-knit, family-like environment. Today, with a team of 30 across multiple locations and over 185 customers, the fabric of the company’s culture has transformed significantly. This shift from intimacy to dispersion poses headaches for maintaining the same foundational culture, yet Alex emphasizes that intentionality is key.

The Power of Clear Communication 

One of the primary challenges of scaling is communication. In a small team, Alex notes, it’s easy to have everyone around a whiteboard, working through ideas organically. As the team grows and disperses across different states, that organic flow becomes impossible. Leaders must be deliberate about how they communicate company values, vision, and expectations. Failing to do so can lead to misalignment and cultural drift.

 Alex highlights that in a larger organization, messaging needs to be super clear and consistent. “We have to be really intentional about how we see comms and culture develop,” he says. This might involve scheduled town halls, written communications, and leveraging external coaches to help craft and deliver messages effectively.

 Inherited vs. Developed Culture 

Another vital point Alex raises is the challenge of inheriting a culture. When acquiring a company, leadership often gets limited visibility into its history and underlying values. Unlike startups that craft their culture intentionally from day one, established businesses like Inerva inherit a pre-existing culture that may not align perfectly with the new leadership’s vision.

 To bridge this gap, Alex advocates for ongoing reflection and incremental cultural change—understanding where you are, clarifying where you want to be, and communicating that direction consistently. This process, though tough, is essential for future growth and employee engagement.

 Leadership in Transition

Alex admits that transitioning into a leadership role in an established organization demands humility and adaptability. His approach involved supporting the team during the early stages, fostering trust, and avoiding abrupt changes. He acknowledges that this transition is fluid—there’s no clear moment where a supportive, cautious approach shifts into a more directive leadership style.

He also emphasizes the importance of external perspectives, such as coaching, in navigating this transition. Working with coaches and peers enables leaders to identify blind spots, distill complex issues into actionable strategies, and build confidence in communicating with larger teams.

Building the Foundation for Growth 

As companies scale, the concept of a “platform” or “framework” becomes vital. Alex argues that in a constantly evolving business, a rigid foundation can be counterproductive. Instead, principles-based cultures—values and behaviors that guide decision-making—offer the flexibility needed for organic growth.

 He describes his leadership evolution from problem-solving in detail to stepping back and empowering managers to handle operational matters. This shift requires self-awareness and continuous learning. Alex points out that good leadership entails recognizing what must change, what can remain, and where to focus efforts.

 Embracing the “I Don’t Know” Mindset

One of the most insightful themes Alex shares is the necessity of comfort with uncertainty. As organizations grow, leaders must accept that they cannot have all the answers. Cultivating a mindset of “I don’t know” allows for greater agility and openness to new ideas. This approach also encourages transparency and fosters trust within teams.

The Value of External Support

Finally, Alex underscores the role of external advisors and coaches in managing cultural and leadership challenges. Their fresh perspectives help distill complex issues, highlight blind spots, and shape more effective communication strategies. He emphasizes that no leader is born with all the skills needed; continuous learning and external support are critical.

Key Takeaways for Leaders Scaling Up

  • Be intentional with communication to align your dispersed team with your cultural vision.
  • Recognize and manage inherited culture during acquisitions.
  • Support your team through transparent, incremental change.
  • Build principles-based frameworks rather than rigid foundations.
  • Embrace uncertainty and seek external perspectives to guide growth.

Growing a business is as much about nurturing culture as it is about scaling operations. Alex Simmons’ journey illustrates that with humility, clarity, and intentionality, leaders can steer their organizations through the complex waters of growth while maintaining a strong, cohesive culture.

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What Does “Scale” Really Mean in Business?

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What Does “Scale” Really Mean in Business?

In business, the term “scale” is frequently used — often as an ambitious aspiration rather than a well-defined objective. But what does it truly mean to scale a business? Does it imply growth? Consolidation? Market expansion? Or simply increased efficiency?

A recent discussion in our Team at Beckon Business explored these questions.  It’s multifaceted, and multidimensional. And leaders who approach it in a strategic and structured way can leverage the investments made in every commercial and cultural stage of their scale-up.

Defining Scale: More Than Just Growth

Is “scale” simply a business bingo buzzword? Too often, the call to scale is made without a clear understanding of what that entails. For some, it may mean planning for succession; for others, it’s about preparing for future expansion or enhancing what already exists.

Context is critical. Scaling varies depending on the business model, leadership vision, and stage of development.

Scale conversations and planning often surfaces deeper strategic considerations: Is the business scaling up or scaling down? Is consolidation a necessary precursor to growth? Team member Ton Wickham, an Olympic athlete draws on his experience as a high performance athlete when he observes that, “just as athletes need time to recover and build strength between competitions, businesses need solid foundations to support expansion. Without this groundwork, growth initiatives are unlikely to succeed.”

Platform First, then Growth

The principle of “platform before growth” is a central theme in any successfully scaled (and sustainable) business. Before scaling, businesses must first define what scale actually means for their specific context. Does it involve a nationwide presence? Or a specialised operation with a strong local following? Once that vision is clear, leaders can reverse-engineer the necessary systems, teams, and infrastructure required to support it.

Too often, growth is pursued before these foundational elements are established — leading to burnout, inefficiency, or cultural fragmentation. The absence of a strong platform can cause even the most ambitious growth strategy to falter.

Fundamentally, “Scale” is an interplay in the relationships between platform, growth, and sustainability thinking as well as the balancing of commercial and cultural considerations.

Scale Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

Different businesses define and experience scale in diverse ways. For example, a small, highly specialised team will approach scale very differently from a mid-sized enterprise seeking to diversify across sectors.

For smaller organisations, the word “growth” can sometimes feel intimidating or irrelevant. However, when reframed as “scaling” — with a focus on internal systems, team development, or personal capacity — it can become more accessible and empowering.

Safeguarding Culture While Scaling

An important concern that arises with scaling is its potential impact on company culture. There’s often a fear that growth will dilute or disrupt core values.

But culture doesn’t have to be sacrificed in the process. With intentionality, businesses can grow while maintaining — or even strengthening — their cultural integrity.

Culture, should be treated as a strategic platform. Neglecting it can destabilise the entire business model. The key is to align cultural development with scaling efforts, ensuring it remains a central pillar of the organisation.

Strategic Scale: An Holistic Approach

So, how should businesses approach scaling?

Start by clearly defining what scale means in the specific context of the organisation. Then, build a robust platform — encompassing systems, people, and structure – i.e. the “stuff” that can support that vision. Once these foundations are in place, growth initiatives like marketing, market expansion, product innovation can be unleashed.

Scaling is not merely about expansion. It’s about strategic growth — deliberate, contextual, and grounded in strong foundations.

What does scale mean for your business?

 

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Purposeful Solitude

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Purposeful Solitude. What a great concept.

What does “Purposeful Solitude” mean to me? Hmm, I suppose it is an intentional practice of being. Being with self, sitting with my thoughts no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable they may be. Allowing thoughts to pass through my mind without judgement and attachment. Allow the silence of solitude to guide me through the present moment. Notice what I am seeing, hearing, feeling… further, what can I smell, what am I grateful for? Notice.

There is no need to act on passing thoughts, no need to write, take notes, investigate the meaning of things popping up.

Accept the fluctuations or welcome the fluctuations of emotions that pass through me. Notice. Notice what I can. No need to get caught up trying to notice. Whatever I notice, notice. Whatever I miss, I miss.

I am grateful to practice Purposeful Solitude. This is a gift. To allow space for an array of different senses is a gift.

Purposeful Solitude – a road map to being.

Hmm, what a beautiful concept.

Listen to the Podcast now

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An Aha Moment on Winning

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Over the last month or so I have been listening to and discussing what the hidden depth of high performance is and what part winning plays in that. A part of me rejects the desire to grade performance and yet another part recognizes the true value in measuring something to give it meaning. This is the ‘aha’ moment for me – that to feel I have performed well, to get that ‘winning well’ kind of feeling, I need to experience a light bulb moment of clarity about why or how I performed well.

It is a topic that intrigues me – I am curious, in a scientific kind of way, about what other elements and machanitions are there that move us into high performance and create that ‘winning’ feeling, especially in this ‘brave new world’ of post-pandemic business-life.

If performance is a measured thing to make it high or low, then it should be simply a matter of putting all the skills and competencies in the right place and letting them distill into high performance. However, we know it is not as simple as this.There is another side to the high performance coin that comes from the energy and commitment. So one side of high performance could be skills and competencies (tools of the trade) and the other side could be the energy and commitment (inner purpose) we are feeling. What I have noticed when working with teams and high performing indiviudals is that they balance these elements around their closely held values. I am still left wondering what else there is in the formula that turns a performance into a feeling of ‘winning well’.

When I reflect on this, what stands out to me is that it is our feelings that inspires us and our feelings that we use to measure how well we have performed. Whether it is a ‘ho-hum’ performance or quite fulfilling, our feelings are the guide! Hence, my curiosiness has lead me to conclude that as high performers we are searching for an immeasurable measure to confirm our high performance, to give us that ‘winning well’ feeling.

As a leadership coach, I have discovered that a feeling of ‘winning well’ is a very individual thing because the ‘well’ part of the phrase comes from the measure of the individual or the team I am working with. It’s not something that can be arbitrarily applied or externally measured to claim the ‘winning well’ title.

On a personal level, I need to experience an ‘aha moment’ to give me the ‘winnng well’ feeling. My ‘aha moment’ is when there is a sudden understanding of what is behind a knarly issue or the different perspective I can take to unlock the next steps for me or my client. So this is my measure of ‘winning well’. No matter what anyone else tells me or explains to me, unless I experience an ‘aha moment’ I feel like an underperformer.

In William B Irvine’s book Aha!: The Moments of Insight that Shape Our World, he explores the many varieties of ‘aha moments’ that have resulted in significant wins for humankind and the world we live in. The ‘aha moment’ could be a moral revelation or a scientific revelation or simply a small trigger that changes the way we approach something. They don’t all have to change the entire world, but they do have to result in new insight and will make an impact on us. Something we easily remember and recall over and over.

My insight or ‘aha moment’ when pondering on ‘winning well’ and high performance, is that a key element of the formula is to discover something and share it. It can be to reveal a truth that hasn’t seemed relevant, or it can be a new perspective on an old issue, or it can be an awareness of why everything worked well and knowing how we can repeat it.

So the fundamental nature of ‘winning well’ for me is in the sharing of the win to make high performance sustainable – it’s in my response to the experience. What is it for you?  I would love to hear your thoughts.

~ Margaret Armitage

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A Reason to Win

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Recently a conversation came about with a few colleagues regarding winning. I used the word winning as a metaphor to achieve something, gaining something we aspired to and for a deeper meaning to one’s purpose. Without explaining this first I felt a little push back when I kept using the word. At first, I couldn’t understand why. It became apparent that winning was my metaphor or an easy way to explain what brings me purpose or fulfillment, but not everyone aligned with this. The word ‘winning’ has a different meaning for each of us, created by our different experiences and associations with the word. 

 This then took me on a journey over the past couple of weeks and brought me to asking the question, “can you win without competing?” Depends on how you define winning right? After asking this question to people from sport, business, friends, and colleagues, one gem of a comment that took me deeper was “winning is a data point, no less or no more important than other data points.” This makes sense, picking up data or information based on the processes we are undertaking. 

 To me, seeing it as a data point takes emotion out of it. It gives me the result of a process without the attachment and gives information to plan my next move. So why can we get so attached to certain results if it is “simply a data point, no more no less”? Are we attached to the work that goes into the process to get to a desired outcome (the blood, sweat and tears)? Maybe even loved ones or others are involved. Is the attachment to another, deeper meaning we value? If we get the desired outcome to a certain process, is that a win? If so, did we have to compete in some way, shape or form to put ourselves in the best possible position to get the desired result? 

 I don’t know. However, I feel knowing when to win and knowing when to fall back and not become overly attached allows for clearer thinking, better decision making and to put energy where needed to allow me to be in the best possible position to win. It may also allow us to make better decisions by not becoming overly attached to those data points and allowing emotion to take over. 

 Taking it a step further, does this mean there are personalized data points and depersonalized data points? Data points, no more no less (depersonalized) and data points attached with a desired want of a result or preconceived outcome (personalized). If that preconceived result is along the lines of gain, obtain, achieve something by effort can you get it without competing? And if it doesn’t mean enough, is it winning? Sure, you can gain something by not competing. For instance, if someone knocks on your door and gifts you $1000 you could say that’s a win. But if we are talking in the context of preconceived gain, obtain or achieve something by effort, is it winning? Not in that context (being gifted $1000) as you applied no effort and had no preconceived expectation. But yes, in the context of a depersonalized, non-emotional data point you could say it is a win. 

 At the end of the day, I have put more questions on the table than answers. For me the most important question is what is your reason to win? Does it align with your purpose? Your values? And if so to what extent before it becomes toxic, is winning unhealthy? And if winning becomes unhealthy, is it really winning? I believe the question “what is your reason to win?”, holds the answer for each of us. If winning becomes unhealthy to your values and purpose and driven by ego, is it really winning? We all define winning differently, taking small losses in the grand scheme of your purpose and vision could be winning, it’s the awareness around these data points and the decisions we make from them which allow us to move forward. 

 So, what’s your reason to win? Do you have a reason to win? 

~ Tom Wickham

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Ted Talk that made me think…

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Good morning!

Thought I’d share a Ted Talk that my daughter forwarded to me today to discuss over dinner tonight. It brings to the surface some very interesting thoughts and perspective around age and ageing.  I found it well messaged in the main.  Be interested in your thoughts.  Mine are below.  https://youtu.be/WfjzkO6_DEI

What I like is that the presenter has brought to the surface many blind spots that we have within our social system around the topic of age and ageing.  She counters them with really good arguments that allow us to ponder upon our own judgements and beliefs, and perhaps even help us to change just one of them.  That is a good thing.  I love her line about “I am getting old because my left knee hurts – but your right knee doesn’t and it’s the same age!” What a great paradigm breaker!

I disagree with some of her argument and constructs.  Whilst arguing  the need to break down the old beliefs, patterns  and judgements, she uses judgement and beliefs of her own to “make wrong” constructs like capitalism, ‘big business’ and ‘big pharma’ (and a lot more)  in the same breath.  What I think she is trying to do but doesn’t quite get there is to argue that ageism – or any ism is a part of the whole system.  That any “ism” needs to be brought to light – not in judgement but in acknowledging that it exists (even if just in our minds). .

Blaming one part of the system for the ails of another part of that system is flawed logic, a circular argument, and uncreative.  For example, I don’t personally believe that big pharma is out to conspire to make us feel old/sick/bad/wrong – (that’s marketing’s role if we choose to listen to it – and we unconsciously do).  While blaming them for being the bad guys, she fails to recognise that big pharma is still a part of our overall system.  And we cannot change the system from within it (to paraphrase Einstein).  By observing the whole system in context, we can address the beliefs and behaviours we need to address within ourselves (and that helps change the whole system).   My belief is that, on balance, big pharma scientists go to work ‘on purpose,’ perhaps thinking how they could make all lives better by reducing pain, eliminating suffering etc. What we have done, as part of the same system, is to wrap it all in judgement, blame and an unconscious belief that we must ‘make them wrong’ to ‘make us right.’  After all, “those big companies rob us of our money by making us feel bad about ourselves and then sell us stuff to make us feel better.”  No.  If I feel bad about myself – that’s me doing that. That’s me buying into a marketing campaign.  I can change that belief pretty quickly really.

I just need to take full responsibility and ownership for all my stuff – not outsource the issue to ‘the bad guys’ (which I believe to be another mental construct!).

I am reminded by words that my late mother used to speak around being delighted in ageing and gaining white in her hair – a privilege to be able to do so compared to the many that never get to experience it.  She also said once when I asked if she would retire at 80 “Why? I get up and my hip hurts, my foot hurts and it takes a bit longer to get to the bus, but why would I want to not go to work? Why would I not want to be with people half my age, active, alive, aware, thinking, challenging? My hip will still hurt at work, but my mind will be on other more important things.”  Purpose-full.

For me the message is – keep surfing!

Ak

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New Year – a time to change – or is it?

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In my week off after New Year, I treated myself to a Masters Swimming intensive camp designed to help the more ‘mature’ swimmer with their swimming style, stroke and overall efficiency in the water.

It turns out that for years I have been slightly off time in my freestyle stroke – effectively slowing me down and reducing my efficiency in the water by a lot! By making just 2 or 3 minor changes to my stroke I seem to be stronger in the water and faster.

Minor changes – yeah, right! Turns out that those minor changes take a lot of think time and focus, and before the 50m tumble turn my mind is finding hard to concentrate on even one of those 3 changes.

I’m slower in the water, feel like I’ve lost all form, and most definitely am more puffed out and exhausted than ever.

But then I remind myself that you ‘have to slow down to speed up.’ Even the coach reassures me that my speed will improve as I get used to the new way of working in the water.  It just takes time and lots of repetition to re-train my brain. By my 2nd regular training session yesterday I was finding it easier, but don’t feel like I’m even close to half way there.

I’ve moved from unconscious incompetence, through conscious incompetence and into having to be very consciously aware and present  to maintain what I have learned.  I am a while off from being unconsciously competent like the rest of the squad in the faster lanes.

And then my coach shouts out “and remember to kick!”  Ha! Fat chance – maybe next month?

It brings home how even the  smallest changes we make need to be reinforced regularly in order to make them feel normal.  At work, we expect people to adapt and adopt to change at an increasing rapid rate.  Perhaps we need to reset our expectations and acknowledge that it takes us time to change.  Maybe we have to plan time into our change management to ensure people can process and incorporate the changes being made, into their consciousness.

And as for New Year resolutions – no wonder they are rarely fulfilled – you have to change!

Ak Sabbagh

 

 

 

 

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Is there a way to fail better? (6PR Interview – Ak Sabbagh)

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Are we a nation that fears failure? Leadership expert Ak Sabbagh thinks so, and he thinks it needs to stop if we want to move forward.

See Aks recent podcast with 6PR Chris Ilsley  here: https://www.6pr.com.au/podcast/is-there-a-way-to-fail-better/

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Successful succession: An eight-step approach to passing the business baton (Ak Sabbagh) Smart Company Article

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The average age of a mid-size company owner in Australia is between 57–75 years old, and yet more than 75% of them don’t have any form of planned succession.

It’s no wonder that we regularly see business transitions occur with frantic, unplanned haste and no real value for current owners.

But it doesn’t need to be that way if you plan out your process.

Below are eight considerations to get you and your business ready to pass the baton onto the next owner.

1. Are you really ready?

First, decide whether you are really ready to sell your business. Ask yourself what is motivating you to sell.

If the business is underperforming, while you may want to exit now, it might not be a good time.

If you have a major life event (divorce, death, illness) in your personal life then it might not be a good time either.

If it’s just ‘time to sell’ and you have planned for it, then you have many options. You could sell to some of your key staff (or help them acquire into the business), to a competitor, or to some form of financial investor (like private equity).

2. Are you running to or from?

Secondly, ask yourself if you are moving towards something important to you, or running away from something you don’t want anymore.

Your answer will change how you exit and who you engage with.

In particular, the answer to that question gives an indication of how quickly you want to exit and why.

If your driving motivation is to simply get out, and speed is the most important factor, then you want to engage with as many people as possible and have a clear understanding of the minimum price you will expect.

3. The buyer’s mindset

Third, be in the buyer’s mindset, not the seller’s.

Will you hand over the business to just ‘anyone’?

Are there any persona non grata? Are there organisations you would hate to see own your business?

What should the new owner be like, since they can’t be a replica of you?

What is your ideal person or company as a buyer and why?

Identifying your ideal buyer means you’ll know them when you see them. Otherwise, anyone looks good.

4. Dot your i’s and cross your t’s

Once you’ve figured out your plan, the fourth step is to get your house in order.

If you have no formal contracts, no formal documentation, a shoebox full of receipts, do you really have anything to sell?

It’s time to ensure you have invested in the right structure, systems, processes, people, and documentation so that the business is ready for sale.

5. What’s it worth?

The fifth step is to understand what your business is really worth to someone else.

Don’t confuse what you want for the business, or need for future life, with what the business is worth.

The first step is to do your own research. Find businesses that are similar to yours that have sold recently and go and speak directly to the past owners about it, not only what they got but also what the process was like.

But don’t just take one person’s word for it; consult widely.

6. The sales process

Step six is to understand all your options and make a choice.

To understand your options, don’t just ring your accountant or broker. Your sale process should be tailored specifically to the answers above.

Engage a professional who will help you find the right buyer who meets your criteria and can pay what the business is worth.

That buyer could be an employee, a customer, competitors or supplier.

7. Get flexible

Next, think beyond price. What someone is willing to pay will be different depending on when and how they have to pay.

Vendor terms, deferred components and conditional components are normal for reasonable sized businesses.

Flexibility may get you more, so if you want to maximise the price, expect to offer vendor finance and/or get a deferred payment.

8. Passing the baton

Step eight is to remember the business is yours until you pass the baton, but not a minute longer.

Be sure to plan for the distraction of the sale process, but you must continue to drive the business until you’ve sold it.

When you’ve finally got past the sale, you will have changed your identity overnight.

You are no longer a business owner. So, what are you?

The real work starts now. Plan for what you will be doing and how you will be talking about yourself.

https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/buying-and-selling/eight-considerations-business-succession/

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