{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Episode #576 - ScaleUp Short - Two Founders. Two Paths. One Scaling Truth","description":"The Art of Sales, Self-Awareness and Scaling Featuring Dr Muddassir Ahmed (SCM DOJO) and Rachael Jackson (WIBN Birmingham) Produced with the aid of AI In this episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts, Kevin Brent and Louise Blunt reflect on two powerful \u2013 and very different \u2013 scaling journeys. On one side, Dr Muddassir Ahmed, founder of SCM DOJO, who built a global AI-enabled learning platform from scratch. On the other, Rachael Jackson, who chose a franchise route with WIBN Birmingham to create structure, community and flexibility \u2013 while building her passion project, Array of Light. Two contrasting models. One shared truth: scaling demands self-awareness, discipline and resilience.   Sales Is Not Optional Muddassir learned a hard lesson early: You can outsource HR. You can outsource accounting. You can outsource marketing. But you cannot outsource sales as a founder. Despite being highly technical and data-driven, he had to personally master enterprise sales \u2013 including sending 72 emails over 18 months to land a major global brand. The takeaway? Polite persistence wins. Enterprise sales cycles are long. And founders must own the conversation.   Cash Flow Is Reality Rachael\u2019s scaling journey exposed a different challenge. Moving from corporate retail into a franchise networking model meant adjusting to the unpredictability of SME payments. Her response? Save upfront Take no salary for 12 months Prioritise reinvestment and resilience It is a disciplined approach that many founders underestimate.   Self-Awareness as a Strategic Advantage Rachael openly discussed being diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD traits in adulthood. Instead of seeing this as a weakness, she built systems around it: Time-blocked email checking Turning off notifications Choosing tools designed for dyslexic thinkers Delegating dense information into top-line bullet points Self-awareness became a scaling tool. Meanwhile, Muddassir applies \u201clean accountability\u201d and daily stand-ups to manage a global team across time zones, backed by documented SOPs. Different personalities. Same principle: structure enables scale.   AI \u2013 Tool or Transformation? Muddassir is building agentic AI into SCM DOJO \u2013 not just generative AI that writes text, but AI agents that: Plan Analyse Execute workflows Run forecasting models Evaluate supplier responses Yet even with advanced AI, he still had to build human relationships the hard way. AI enhances. It does not replace resilience.   Two Definitions of Success Muddassir wants SCM DOJO to become the industry standard for supply chain learning. Rachael defines success as happiness, impact and helping women grow in confidence. Different ambitions. Both completely valid.   The One Key Thing Scaling is not about copying someone else\u2019s model. It is about knowing yourself, managing your cash carefully, building repeatable systems, and staying resilient long enough to win.   Quick Heads-Up If you want more structure and accountability in your own ScaleUp journey, explore Smart90 \u2013 our proven 90-day execution system. And if you\u2019d like to stay focused and actually deliver each week, try our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite. It\u2019s free while we\u2019re testing it \u2013 just email kevin@smart90.co.uk for access. ","author_name":"ScaleUp Radio","author_url":"http:\/\/scaleupradio.libsyn.com\/website","html":"