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Published by James Ashford
Most business owners are brilliant at what they do. But building a business that can grow without you, and one day be sold without you, is a completely different game. Grow Fast, Exit Big is the podcast for ambitious business owners who want to build something bigger than themselves. Hosted by entrepreneur, investor and author James Ashford, each episode gets into what it really takes to build a valuable, scalable and ultimately exit-ready business. From leadership and culture to money, systems, strategy and scaling, James shares the lessons he learned building and selling his own businesses, including the mistakes, the things that worked, and the things he wishes someone had told him sooner. You’ll also hear honest conversations with founders, entrepreneurs and experts who’ve built businesses, made mistakes, taken risks and learned what it really takes to succeed. This isn’t another business podcast that just scratches the surface. The aim is to go deeper. To get into the things that are difficult to talk about, ask the uncomfortable questions and have the conversations that often get avoided. The decisions that went wrong. The pressure behind the success. The mistakes people don’t normally admit to. And the lessons that only really come from going through it. No surface-level answers. No pretending everything went to plan. Just honest conversations about what it really takes to build, grow and exit a business. Because growing a business isn’t just about making more money. It’s about building something valuable. Something that works without you. And something that gives you the freedom to choose what comes next. Grow Fast. Exit Big.
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Heather Elkington is a leadership and management expert - she’s built and scaled teams across startups and FTSE 100 companies, trained 5,000+ managers globally, and she sits down with her former boss James Ashford to reveal the systems she’s created so you can become a world-class leader. In this episode, Heather explains the secret behind building a high-performance team, the controversial questions she asks in her 1-2-1s and how to stop being a bottleneck in your business. 00:00 Humans are the most important resource we have 04:57 The biggest driver of high performance is psychological safety 12:37 How to give feedback to your team 30:09 The difference between feedback and advice 39:07 The illusion of control 46:16 The kind way to fire someone 48:00 Why you need to let your team run your business 57:06 Kill the King 01:04:45 Are core values corporate bullsh*t? 01:16:00 Why you need to overhaul your 1-to-1s 01:24:48 Why Heather is changing the world of leadership 01:32:50 Own your emotions or they’ll own you 01:39:50 The AI tool which will transform your management style LINKS Follow Heather: https://www.instagram.com/leadershipheather/?hl=en Get Heather’s book, Your Boss Era: https://lnk.to/YourBossEraBook Follow James: https://www.instagram.com/thejamesashford/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@fireproofjames https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamesashford Get James’ book, Grow Fast Exit Big: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781339872?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&bestFormat=true
Jack Choppin, Head of Client Success, was James Ashford’s first hire at GoProposal. A key player in the customer’s success, Jack also drove the exceptionally high standards within the entire team and in this episode he reveals the playbooks he created to enable this ambitious culture. 00:00 Your first hire is critical 02:53 What is the metric of success? 10:22 How Jack proved his success at GoProposal 16:35 This is the way to handle client cancellations 23:03 True client success is giving a sh*t 27:30 Don’t lead with scalability 33:06 How to get high standards out of your team 41:45 How to disrupt locked-in processes 46:15 The never-ending problem of client retention 52:10 Number 1 advice about working directly for a founder LINKS Follow James: https://www.instagram.com/thejamesashford/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@fireproofjames https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamesashford Get James’ book, Grow Fast Exit Big: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781339872?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&bestFormat=true
In 2021, James Ashford sold his company, GoProposal, for an 8-figure exit to a FTSE 100 company. Determined from the start to understand the intricate details of how to build a sellable business, he’s lifting the lid on what goes into successful entrepreneurship in his new podcast. EPISODE CHAPTERS 00:00 The end goal that started it all 05:09 Teaching in prisons: trying out different jobs 09:51 The biggest challenge in entrepreneurship 10:53 How to get rich in business 16:10 Why your competition is not just your direct competitors 20:08 How GoProposal was born 24:06 How to keep the cost low 33:23 How do you know when it’s time to exit, and why it’s OK to be a control freak (sometimes) 38:17 How to Kill the King 42:35 The sale of GoProposal 55:12 Why true entrepreneurship is passing on your knowledge 01:12:36 Can manifesting actually help in business? 01:23:10 Why comfort is a problem LINKS Follow James: https://www.instagram.com/thejamesashford/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@fireproofjames https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jamesashford Get James’ book, Grow Fast Exit Big: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781339872?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_GQR6D38EGKM6069R9J0J_3&bestFormat=true
How do you build a business that gives you everything you want? A business that runs without you. One that operates to the highest standards. And one that could eventually be worth tens of millions of pounds. That's the question I spent years trying to answer. After failure after failure, I eventually built and sold a successful business. But I certainly don't have all the answers. And that's exactly why I've started Grow Fast, Exit Big. Every Tuesday, I'll be sitting down with successful entrepreneurs, business leaders and top performers to have honest, in-depth conversations about what it really takes to build, scale and eventually exit a successful business. We'll explore the mistakes, the challenges, the strategies and the lessons that actually make a difference. No bullsh*t soundbites. No surface-level advice. Just real conversations, difficult questions and practical insights you can take away and apply to your own life and business. Whether you're just starting out, scaling towards your next milestone or planning your eventual exit, this podcast is for you. 🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe now and join us on the journey. Let's get to work. James Ashford #GrowFastExitBig #JamesAshford #Entrepreneurship
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Apple Podcasts rankings via the Mato Topic Intelligence Platform.
Observed November 4, 2026.
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