If you’ve ever felt trapped in your own business, unable to step away without everything grinding to a halt, this conversation will hit home.

Jonathan Herps, four-time CEO and seasoned mentor, shares hard-won lessons on breaking free from founder bottlenecks, smashing through revenue plateaus, and building a business that thrives without you at the center of every decision.

From overcoming the dreaded “valleys of death” to creating a culture and system that supports predictable growth, Jonathan gives practical strategies for CEOs ready to scale beyond $10M and reclaim their personal freedom.

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

• How to identify and fix the $3M growth ceiling (00:00)
• The leadership and structural shifts that allow your company to run smoothly when you’re not there (01:44)
• The “valleys of death” that stall most businesses and how to navigate these danger zones to achieve predictable, sustainable growth (02:40)
• The 3 pillars of a $10M self-sustaining company (04:21)
• Planning rhythms that connect your long-term vision to daily execution to keep your business scaling (04:49)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• The $3M plateau often happens because the founder is still the hub for sales, delivery, and strategy. Replacing this with clear role ownership is the first step to breaking through.
• A truly self-sustaining business is built by empowering a leadership team with decision rights and aligning them through a shared operating system.
• Growth stalls (“valleys of death”) are predictable. They happen when team size outgrows informal management, and you need systems before you hit the threshold, not after.
• Scaling past $10M requires three non-negotiables: a self-managing team, a culture that drives performance without micromanagement, and processes that protect both profit and quality.

If you’re done being the bottleneck in your own business, this episode is your blueprint for building a company that scales and a life you don’t need a vacation from.

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 grow too fast, and then watch everything crack. Learn how to scale smart, keep control, and create a business that thrives at any size.

Parth Gulati, co-founder of Gather Wealth, shares his entrepreneurial journey - from childhood tinkering with tech to building a platform designed to simplify and unify the wealth management experience.Together with Jonathan, they dive into the leadership lessons that shaped his approach to scaling, staying small before going big, and keeping the right priorities in the chaos of business growth.

Parth’s story is full of practical wisdom for founders who want to grow without burning out or losing the essence of what made their business great.

If you’re a CEO or founder feeling the push to scale but not sure how to keep control of the process, this conversation will give you clarity, tools, and perspective.

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

• How early exposure to business and problem-solving can hardwire you for entrepreneurship (01:37)
• The principles behind building tools that solve complex problems in simple, repeatable ways so customers keep coming back (04:19)
• Why starting small is the fastest path to scaling successfully (13:37)
• How to structure your schedule so you can lead effectively without being consumed by day-to-day distractions (17:28)
• How to strategically rebalance priorities between business demands and personal life without losing momentum (19:59)
• How to build leadership teams that outperform the competition (34:31)
• The founder mindset that fuels sustainable growth (41:26)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• Protect early-stage ideas from overexposure. Nurture them before scaling.
• Build deep relationships with customers to guide your product roadmap.
• Balance is dynamic. Keep rebalancing based on business and life seasons.
• Team chemistry can outperform technical skills in leadership success.
• Scaling is a long game. Perseverance is as critical as strategy.

Scaling is not a sprint. It’s a series of intentional steps, guided by clarity, connection, and the courage to stay small until you’re truly ready for big.

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 team still needs you to run, fix, or finish everything, you don’t have a business. You have a bottleneck. Find out how to install the systems, structure, and leadership your business needs to grow without you.

In this episode, Jonathan breaks down the core system behind how he helps founders go from scattered and stuck to focused and scaling. He unpacks the 5 essential pillars your business must be built on if you want to grow beyond yourself.

If you're trying to lead a team, get out of the day-to-day, or finally hit that next stage of growth, you’ll see exactly what’s been missing and how to fix it.

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

• The five-part framework that builds a self-managing business (00:16)
• How to move from firefighting to high-level decision-making with a repeatable planning and execution system (01:53)
• Building a leadership team that runs the business without you (02:45)
• The purpose and impact of a 1–2 day session that creates a 12-month and 3-year roadmap (03:40)
• How the right message can inspire alignment, drive action, and energise leadership teams or audiences around scaling smart (04:07)

Key takeaways for CEOs and business owners:

• Why your mindset and role as CEO must shift before your business can scale
• The five critical systems that create a self-managing, scalable company
• How to align your leadership team to drive growth without relying on you
• A simple planning rhythm to reduce overwhelm and keep execution tight
• When to hit pause and invest in strategy to unlock clarity and momentum

Remember, if growth still depends on you, it's not real scale

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