We’d all like to go back and tell our younger selves something. If you could get in a time machine and whisper secrets to the person you were when you were starting out in business, what would you say? What wisdom would you give to avoid the pitfalls of going from founder to scaler and get further, faster with fewer sleepless nights?
This episode is all about every time machine moment we’ve had with our podcast guests over the past six months. And it’s a fitting theme, as we step into our rebrand as Sparks for Growth. In an honest and open moment, our host, Phil, shares what he would tell his younger self – so make sure you stick around to the end.
The truth is, scaling isn’t easy. The mistake many business owners make is believing that it’s all about strategy and hard work. We don’t talk about how lonely and confusing it can seem, particularly when you feel like you don’t have the skill, guts or resources to pull it off. Some end up having to pretend they’re someone they’re not, and they can’t quite trust their inner compass.
If this sounds familiar as someone going from founder to scaler, this episode is for you.
As we look back on the conversations we’ve had in the first half of the year, several themes emerge. Listen in to the podcast for more, but here’s a quick roundup:
- You don’t have to go it alone and don’t feel like you’re bothering anyone if you ask for assistance. ‘Go find a mentor, go find a coach,’ Scale Like Clockwork guest Sam Goodner commented. ‘You’ll be surprised how happy they are to help.’ So reach out, expand your network and get others onboard – and do it sooner.
- You’re already enough, so don’t feel like you need the next qualification or achievement to prove it. ‘You have or will get the skillsets you need,’ we were reassured by leadership and the unconscious mind expert, Manny Fiteni. ‘When you need them, you’ll find them.’ And time and money guru Dr Sharon Spanno reminded us that if we’re feeling yucky about our life, career or business, then great, it’s a time of growth and what’s next will blow your expectations. ‘Remember we live in a world of abundance,’ she told us.
- Drop the armour and stop performing because these old defence mechanisms may be preventing you from stepping into your next big thing. ‘Lean into the cringe and stop trying to be cool’, no-BS scaling expert Alex Smith said about what it takes to grow. And bootscaling master Pete Martin shared that the secret to his success was being vulnerable and not being the smartest person in the room.
- Trust yourself; you don’t have to know it all in the beginning. Start out, work hard with honest intention but trust the journey. Shraddha Varma spoke about how she turned a writing group for girls into a global ecosystem, creating opportunities for women to transform their passion and creativity into financial independence. The whole episode is about instinct, consistency, self-belief and the power of single-mindedly putting community first. And seasoned executive coach Dana Theus spoke about how founder’s syndrome isn’t a personality flaw (think overwhelm, confusion, lack of direction); it’s an identity shift.
There’s more to share and we haven’t been able to cover all our guests and their throw-the-rope-back wisdom here, so click listen and settle in.
To get going and keep going, we all need a spark. It sets us off and then keeps the wheel turning. When it dulls, that’s when we get stuck and lose momentum, so what can you do to keep the spark alive when you’re on the journey from founder to scaler?
Phil shares the tried-and-tested tips and coaching questions he’s used over the years to help you think and see yourself and the world more openly.
Because our future starts here, and the work we’ll do to make our future selves proud starts now.
Stay tuned, there’s more to come.
Enjoy the episode and remember to like, comment or share. It helps us to get the word out there. Thanks.
TL;DR
In the first of our 2026-so-far roundups, Phil Rose recaps our guests’ responses to ‘What would you tell your younger self? Discover the four themes that have run throughout, voiced by successful entrepreneurs, authors and coaches alike. Find out his own raw answers to the question along with tried and tested methods you can put in place today to make your future self proud.
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