Nick Bradley Knows How to Scale a Business
Nick Bradley recently appeared on Steve Sims’ podcast, The Art Of Making Things Happen, and he had a lot to say about how to scale a business. Nick’s an interesting guy, and he admits that he isn’t always the creative entrepreneur type that is consistently coming up with 50 ideas for businesses at a time. He also tends to think about things in a much different way than your average entrepreneur or business consultant.
Nick is more focused on optimizing and scaling a business. He prides himself on seeing the “cracks” in businesses and finding out ways to optimize them. Here’s an example of Nick starting early. He founded a personal training business when he was 18, scaled it, and sold it by the time he was 22.
Leader Insecurities
When entrepreneurs think about scaling a business, they often begin thinking about what they can automate, market a specific product, or expand a product or service to different markets. Bradley points out that it’s also essential to look inwards. He points out that one of the biggest reasons for bottlenecks in business is because a leader can end up doubting himself or herself, which often ends up having a domino effect within their organization.
He states that when a leader loses confidence, it often affects their performance, which leads to more confidence lost. It’s this vicious cycle that often ends up causing the organization to self-destruct. That’s why Nick believes that business owners require a real shift in mindset before their business can scale.
Bradley also states that the same individuals who start a business often don’t have the skills to scale the same company. He believes that once a business hits a plateau, the organization leader can often end up micromanaging his or her employees, to disastrous results. Obviously, this also ends up affecting employee morale and overall productivity. Ultimately, Bradley believes that an entrepreneur second-guessing himself, or herself, is one of the main reasons that companies are unable to scale sufficiently.
Forgetting The External
While Bradley emphasizes the importance of mindset, he also said that many business leaders end up micromanaging their employees to the point where they miss how industry trends are shifting, or how the market is reacting to specific events. He believes that if an entrepreneur ends up succumbing to his or her inadequacies, it can cause the entire business to fall apart.
Of course, Bradley points out that he also considers many factors, including cash flow, sales, marketing, etc. However, he does believe that leaders often should face their fears and emotions before scaling a business and creating more value. Nick clarifies that this journey isn’t for everyone and that it might require a change in mindset or even identity.
Nick also understands that many business owners might feel defeated during the pandemic. His advice to entrepreneurs is to leverage the available opportunities as much as possible while not allowing emotions to dictate actions. Bradley emphasizes the importance of mastering your emotions, facing your fears, and remaining as rational as possible. Nick also admits that some entrepreneurs will have to pivot, as well. He added that it might be smart for business owners to consider investing in marketing, given the fact that there may be a discounted rate on digital ads.
Bio:
Nick Bradley is from Adelaide, Australia, a city known for two things: serial killers and sharks. He was ahead of the curve when he started a personal training business in 1991. He ended up selling the business and spending a decade in the private equity world. After taking it all in, he decided that he needed to shift his mindset.
He currently lives in the UK and launched a podcast, Scale Up Your Business, several years ago. Within three months, it went to the top of the UK podcast charts. Bradley also connects with people in his Scale Up Your Business Facebook group, and you can connect with him on LinkedIn.
