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