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Scaling a business, building a brand, staying creative – none of it follows a straight line. The best founders, marketers and leaders know that growth isn’t just about tactics; it’s about mindset. This week, we’re looking at the ideas that separate those who take off from those who stall out. From startup scaling lessons to why even Federer had to learn resilience the hard way, it’s all about the uncomfortable truths that make the difference.

Enjoy!

Scaling secrets from Y Combinator’s Startup School

Gustaf Alströmer helped Airbnb scale from scrappy startup to global giant. In this must-watch talk from Y Combinator’s Startup School, he breaks down what separates companies that take off from those that stall out. And it’s not just about being lucky. Alströmer covers everything from finding product-market fit (before you waste time on growth hacks) to the power of experimentation and why even the best ideas need a relentless, systematic approach to scaling. If you want to grow like Airbnb – or at least avoid the common pitfalls – this is one to bookmark. Watch the full session here.

The evolution of the start-up hub

The UK’s start-up scene may have taken a funding hit in 2024, but the ecosystem is far from struggling. While mega-deals in the US and elsewhere have skewed the numbers, the UK’s network of start-up hubs is proving its worth – offering founders not just capital, but connections, expertise and hands-on support. According to the FT, Founders Factory leads the pack, nurturing early-stage ventures like Tembo Money, which turned a corporate partnership with Aviva into a major funding pipeline. Elsewhere, Dublin’s Dogpatch Labs is redefining what a start-up hub can be, blending workspace, matchmaking services and even retail. The challenge now is turning these hubs into “unicorn factories”.

Brand vs. performance? That’s a false choice.

Marketers love to debate the merits of brand building vs. endlessly optimised performance metrics, but the real pros know it’s not either/or – it’s both. A new WARC report, The Multiplier Effect: A CMO’s Guide to Brand Building in the Performance Era, makes the case with 100 slides of great insights. It reveals why McDonald’s CFO credits marketing with driving 2.5x topline growth since 2019 and proves that performance ads only work as well as the brand equity behind them. If you’re still treating brand and demand as separate, this might just change your mind. Read the report here.

How GPTs can supercharge your LinkedIn content strategy

AI may write dull, identikit copy, but it’s a great tool for sparking creativity says LinkedIn growth expert Charlie Hills. He has a 6-step process for turning GPTs into a powerhouse for carousels and infographics – research smarter, generate structured drafts, refine with a human touch and design with impact. The result, he claims, is faster content production with no loss of originality. If you’re looking to streamline your content workflow, find out how AI and originality can work hand in hand here.

Serving up life lessons from Centre Court

What can a 20-time Grand Slam champion teach us about business? As it turns out, quite a lot. In his 2024 commencement speech at the prestigious Dartmouth College in the US, Roger Federer shared wisdom from a career built on discipline, adaptability and knowing when to pivot. From debunking the myth of "effortlessness" (hard work is what makes mastery look easy) to the importance of resilience ("It’s only a point"), Federer emphasises grit, adaptability and playing the long game. He also reminds us that life, like business, is bigger than the court – success is about relationships, purpose and giving back. Watch or read the speech here.

What five years of freelancing really teaches you

Most of us have flirted with the idea of going solo at some point but what’s it like to build a business in later life? This Lowfalutin blog post from Phil Adams lays it out in a way that’s brutally honest and refreshingly insightful. Five years into independent consulting, the author has learned that a fulfilling work life isn’t about being busy – it’s about working on the right things, with the right people, on the right terms. The best clients don’t need a pitch, the best projects don’t need a tender and the best positioning isn’t about what you do – it’s about what makes you different. It’s well worth a read for anyone who’s ever wondered what life outside a company might look like.

The rise of ‘vibe coding’

I kept hearing this phrase – ‘vibe coding’ – and now I’ve found a great explainer for those of us who aren’t software developers. Essentially, it’s where AI generates most of the software code while developers guide it with natural language prompts. As former Tesla AI Director Andrej Karpathy puts it, coding is becoming more about "seeing stuff, saying stuff, running stuff and copy-pasting stuff." In a fascinating blog post, Andrew Chen – a partner at Andreessen Horowitz – reveals what this means for the future: more software will be built by time-rich young creators rather than traditional engineers, AI-generated code could replace open-source libraries and UX design may evolve beyond buttons and dialogue boxes as millions of new creators experiment without prior knowledge. The biggest shift is that AI will make software creation so easy that the real challenge won’t be coding – it’ll be having the best ideas and distribution. In other words, the future belongs to those who can direct AI to build software for them. Find out more here.

Are we drowning in a sea of sameness?

Why has everything started to feel the same? Movies, music, social media, even viral trends. The internet, once a playground for creativity, now seems locked in a loop of repetition. But is creativity really stagnating? Or is it just being buried? A recent New York Times video argues that true innovation is still thriving – it’s just hidden beneath the surface, drowned out by algorithms that amplify predictability. While the mainstream – the “tip of the iceberg” – rewards sameness, an entire underworld of niche creators, indie newsletters, and experimental media is pushing boundaries. The question is: how do we bring this underground creativity to light? Maybe it’s time to tweak our media diets, explore new platforms or even unplug. Because if history tells us anything, it’s that when creativity seems stuck, a renaissance isn’t far behind.

Recognising the hard truths

Managing a team isn’t just about hitting targets – it’s about understanding the realities of leadership. This list of "10 Uncomfortable Truths" lays out some hard-hitting insights that every manager should take to heart. These aren’t just suggestions – they’re the key to building a stronger, more engaged team.

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Drop me a line

The best ideas, the biggest wins and the most meaningful work rarely come from playing it safe. Whether it’s rethinking growth, embracing AI or pushing back against creative stagnation, the real edge comes from questioning assumptions and trying something different. So take what resonates, challenge what doesn’t and keep building. See you next time and if you come across a must-share business story, do send it my way.

Cheers!
Adam

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