The Small Podcast

We chat to Cien Solon - an experienced AI and Product leader about how startups and scaleups can embrace AI to supercharge their products and businesses.Cien is a seasoned entrepreneur and AI advocate, Product lead with a finger on the pulse of innovation.She's the founder of Launch Lemonade, an AI startup that helps companies launch AI products without writing a line of code, and founder of product consultancy Scale that thing, where she provides scaleups and start ups get with fractional support to get their AI products back on track.In this episode we talk about:- The range of understanding of AI  - How to bridge the gap in knowledge scalling businesses struggle with- How founders can plan and upskill themselves and their staff? - How to harness AI products within your business- What individuals do to protect themselves in the switch to AI If you'd like to talk to us about how our flexible in-house recruitment services can transform your scaleup - contact us today https://thesmallconsultancy.com

We’re excited to share our latest episode, featuring Caroline Hall, founder and Head of Talent at The Small Consultancy, and Rob Kerner, a seasoned business transformation expert.In this episode, Caroline and Rob dive into:✅ The rise of fractional leadership and how it supports startups and scaleups.✅ Practical strategies for driving business transformation and achieving sustainable growth.✅ How fractional works at c-level and why it's different than an NEDWhether you’re a founder, a leader, or simply curious about innovative leadership and transformation strategies, this conversation is packed with value!

We chat to Tony Bainbridge - an experienced HR Leader about managing the people aspects of change in scale ups and carve-outs. Tony is Co-founder of CEO Whispering  and Director of Transforming Business Through Talent. With over 30 years of HR experience in both large corporate and agile scaling businesses, Tony talk about why HR Leaders are instrumental to a smooth journey to growth.In this episode, we talk about;- Why HR need a seat at the top table- The benefits and drawbacks of remote working- How to communicate effectively throughout the change process- How to effectively manage conflict in the change processYou can find out more about Tony on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonybainbridge/Listen and subscribe on your podcast player of choice to hear more stories from the frontline on private equity as we talk to those people forgeing careers within (and solving the problems of) prscaleups, startups and carveouts.If you'd like to talk to us about how our flexible in-house recruitment services can transform your scaleup - contact us today https://thesmallconsultancy.com

We catch up with Michael Pacheco from SaaS scaleup Trint to discuss all things Sales. Michael is Director of Sales for Trint. An experienced Sales Professional with over 15 years experience selling leading enterprise solutions to the top companies in North America.Trint is an AI-powered SaaS platform that helps turn interviews or live events into articles and create transcripts from your podcasts and videos. Trint makes transcription, translation, editing and collaboration easy with n one simple and seamless workflow. In this episode, we talk about;- Why it's important to manage a sales team as individuals- Are scaleups more empathetic to their sales teams than larger orgs?- Building a new sales team- Practical ways to increase DEI- Sensible uses of AI in sales- Snubbing Wayne GretzkyYou can find out more about Michael on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwpacheco/Learn more about Trint on their website: https://trint.com/Listen and subscribe on your podcast player of choice to hear more stories from the frontline on private equity as we talk to those people forgeing careers within (and solving the problems of) private equity and PE-backed scaleups.If you'd like to talk to us about how our flexible in-house recruitment services can transform your scaleup - contact us today https://thesmallconsultancy.com

As The Small Consultancy turns 5 this month, we're shaking things up and CAroline is moving to the other side of the mic to talk about what she's learned about successfully recruiting in fast-paced PE companies, scaleups, startups and carveouts.In this episode, we talk about;- why it's important to do your research when recruiting internationally- the hidden costs of recruitment- why you need to get your processes sorted - why PE companies should embrace flexible workingListen and subscribe on your podcast player of choice to hear more stories from the frontline on private equity as we talk to those people forgeing careers within (and solving the problems of) private equity and PE-backed scaleups. If you'd like to talk to us about how our flexible in-house recruitment services can transform your scaleup - contact us today https://thesmallconsultancy.com

This episode Jon and Caroline sat down with product marketing extraordinaire Andrea Saez. In this fascinating interview, we look at what is product marketing, how product drives user behaviour and the ethical implications of that, why might your organisation need a product marketer and why might you want to take up a career in product marketing. Andrea is a product marketer, public speaker and co-author of The Product Momentum Gap. If you'd like to engage andrea on your project, hire her for a talk or find out more about her product marketing thoughts, contact her on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreasaez/ To find out more about The Small Consultancy and how we help PE companies and PE-backed scaleups, startups and carveouts with flexible in-house recruitment support, contact us today - https://thesmallconsultancy.com

On this week's podcast, we talk to Dave Martin about how Product Management can become a driving force for value generating growth in a tech startup / scaleup.Dave is a product leader and co-author of The Product Momentum Gap. He is a qualified executive coach with over 20 years of experience in the world of product development and leadership, helping B2B SaaS founders and product teams. In this interview, we discuss how Dave helps founders and product teams to create better products. To learn more about Dave's work or discuss engaging him for your product-led business, find him on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrdavemartin/To find out more about The Small Consultancy and how we help PE companies and PE-backed scaleups, startups and carveouts with flexible in-house recruitment support, contact us today - https://thesmallconsultancy.com

On this week's podcast, we talk to Susi Mackeown about all things Product Management in Private Equity.Susi is Chief Product Officer with extensive experience delivering SaaS and infrastructure products in the EdTech, Energy andTelecoms sectors. Equally at home in Blue Chip and Private Equity (PE) funded settings, Susi spoke to us on the differences between product management in an agile startup or scaleup compared to more traditional corporate environments. She shares her experiences and tips for effectively managing globally remote teams and how to look after their mental health. We also cover where product should fit in an organisation and how it can get a strategic 'seat at the table.'If you'd like to engage Susi for CPO or project strategy projects or consultancy for your scaleup, startup or carveout, you can find her on LInkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/susimackeown/To find out more about The Small Consultancy and how we help PE companies and PE-backed scaleups, startups and carveouts with flexible in-house recruitment support, contact us today - https://thesmallconsultancy.com

We spoke to Miles Lloyd, co-founder of Level= and Northstar People, about Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. Miles’ career spans an impressive list of accomplishments across a wide range of industries, including not-for-profit, recruitment and sports. Amongst other things, Miles is currently a Leadership coach and business mentor in the Engish Premier League, a founder of his own business consultancy Milestones, working with businesses to improve leadership and Co-founder of Northstar people, advising recruitment leaders. In this fascinating interview, we covered how companies can make a start with DEI, some areas to get you underway, how to engage the business and senior leadership and the importance of engaging traditionally excluded communities. If you'd like to talk to Miles about how to improve your D&I or about his other leadership on coaching services,you can find him on LInkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mileslloyd/ or via his companies:Milestones Consulting: https://www.milestones.consulting/Levelequals: https://www.linkedin.com/company/levelequals/North Star People - https://northstarpeople.co.uk/