

Curious Leadership with Dominic Monkhouse
Monkhouse & Company
Wide awake at 3am, wondering how your business turned from a 15-person rocket into an 80-person rollercoaster? Hit play. This show is for founder CEOs who want practical wins, not platitudes.
Every fortnight, Dominic Monkhouse - who scaled two UK tech firms to £30m+ in five years (twice) - grills people who’ve actually done it: operators, battle-scarred founders, and experts who cut through noise. You’ll learn techniques that stop fires, speed up decisions, and give you time back.
What you’ll get: field-tested methods that will all contribute to one of three vital goals – freeing up your time, building a leadership team that can lead without you, and installing systems that you can be sure will work. No recycled LinkedIn fluff. No crappy ‘inspiration’. Just clear actions you can run this week.
Why listen now? Because growth shouldn’t mean chaos. Twelve of Dom’s clients have exited. His 2-Day-a-Week CEO Blueprint shows leaders how to make sure they spend their time doing things that ONLY they can do - not covering tasks that could be done by others. He coaches scale-ups, writes books people actually read, and asks the questions you wish investors would.
If you’re stuck between “we’re onto something” and “this might kill me,” this is your edge: honest stories, hard numbers, and repeatable systems to build a business you’re proud of - without losing yourself along the way.
New episodes weekly. Grab a notebook. And hit follow so the next time you’re staring at the ceiling at stupid o’clock, you’ve got a plan - and a playbook - waiting in your ears.
Every fortnight, Dominic Monkhouse - who scaled two UK tech firms to £30m+ in five years (twice) - grills people who’ve actually done it: operators, battle-scarred founders, and experts who cut through noise. You’ll learn techniques that stop fires, speed up decisions, and give you time back.
What you’ll get: field-tested methods that will all contribute to one of three vital goals – freeing up your time, building a leadership team that can lead without you, and installing systems that you can be sure will work. No recycled LinkedIn fluff. No crappy ‘inspiration’. Just clear actions you can run this week.
Why listen now? Because growth shouldn’t mean chaos. Twelve of Dom’s clients have exited. His 2-Day-a-Week CEO Blueprint shows leaders how to make sure they spend their time doing things that ONLY they can do - not covering tasks that could be done by others. He coaches scale-ups, writes books people actually read, and asks the questions you wish investors would.
If you’re stuck between “we’re onto something” and “this might kill me,” this is your edge: honest stories, hard numbers, and repeatable systems to build a business you’re proud of - without losing yourself along the way.
New episodes weekly. Grab a notebook. And hit follow so the next time you’re staring at the ceiling at stupid o’clock, you’ve got a plan - and a playbook - waiting in your ears.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 19, 2019 • 34min
E31 | Daring to Dream Bigger with Guy Rigby
Guy Rigby has been working with entrepreneurs for decades. He’s an accountant who takes a unique approach to the service by working directly with the founder at owner-managed business as the Chair of Entrepreneurial Services at Smith and Williamson.
Guy is also the author of Vision to Exit, a book that tackles the very similar challenges most entrepreneurs face. Over the course of the conversation we talk about the common pitfalls many entrepreneurs face, what it means when you become risk averse in your business, and how to dream bigger.
Tune in to hear Guy’s top tips for entrepreneurs who want to scale up, such as:
Recruiting for character and training for skills
Helping entrepreneurs succeed and achieve their goals over time
Developing the confidence to pursue your vision
Your first hire and who you need to have on board for growth
Knowing when it is time to change something in order to move forward
Links:
Smith and Williamson
Vision to Exit
Dream Bigger Report

Mar 12, 2019 • 1h 1min
E30 | Dispelling Myths Around Growth: A Conversation with Spencer Gallagher and Pete Hoole
Spencer Gallagher and Pete Hoole work with the next generation of independent Agencies to help them scale as co-founders of Cactus. In the past eight years they’ve worked with more than 1,000 Agencies globally, all the while collecting notes about what was and was not working. They recently converted those notes into a book, Agencynomics, an Amazon five-star rated best selling book and Audiobook, aimed to help all types of Agencies scale from Start-up to the first £3-5M in revenue by setting the record straight on what KPIs should really look like.
In our conversation we talk about some of the myths around what makes an Agency successful, where you should really focus your energy, and the four cornerstones that anchor business success. While the focus is on Agency growth, many of the areas they’ve identified are ubiquitous to the business world.
In this episode we talk about:
Why work-life balance and a corporate culture of trust is essential to success
How personal relationships and networks to grow your business
What your eNPS score should look like, and how to grow it
Where you should be channeling your energy and qualifying your leads
What it means to take a client-centric approach in the way you structure your staff
Links:
http://www.cact.us/
Agencynomics

Mar 5, 2019 • 21min
E29 | [Rebroadcast] Henry Stewart - Be Happy
Henry Stewart believes people should find joy at work. And it’s not just a nice idea, it’s good business. And as the Chief Happiness Officer at Happy Ltd and author of Happy Manifesto, Henry has made happiness his business.
Happy workplaces are more profitable, and have increased share growth. Employees are naturally more engaged with their work, and staff retention improves.
During our conversation we explore a few of the core principles of the Happy Manifesto and talk about what it really what it looks like when you trust your people. We also discuss how pre-approving, playing to strengths, and celebrating mistakes are continuing to revolutionise how Happy Ltd operates.
On today’s podcast:
Trusting your people and empowering them to make decisions
Coaching rather than managing your staff, and selecting the right people for these roles
Shifting from blame culture to embrace opportunities for improvement
Training for skill, and getting great at your strengths
Giving choices, not delegating tasks
Links:
Happy Ltd.
The Happy Manifesto

Feb 26, 2019 • 53min
E28 | Powering Technology with the Human Element: Meet Barnaby Lashbrooke
Today I am talking to Barnaby Lashbrooke, founder and CEO of Time etc, an award winning virtual assistant service that helps entrepreneurs and leaders achieve more, without working harder. Through Time etc., Barnaby simultaneously provides a resources to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses, while providing an opportunity for stay at home moms to find meaningful work on their own terms.
While Time etc. is primarily a workforce of virtual employees (around 700 employees across the UK and USA, with a home office of around 30 employees) Barnaby emphasises the human experience as an essential element of company culture. We talk about how this plays out both in the experience of his employees and in the engagement that his clients receive.
On today’s podcast:
Cultural shifts around the virtual workforce
Evolving role of the executive assistant
Challenges and solutions with new clients and new employees
Building high performance teams
Eliminating corporate hierarchies and creating a flat office
Links:
https://web.timeetc.com
Barnaby’s TEDx video
Barnaby’s Forbes Channel

Feb 19, 2019 • 29min
E27 | [Rebroadcast] Alexandra Eavis - Harnessing Tech To Improve Lives
Alexandra (Alex) Eavis is the co-founder of three distinct businesses that are tied by a common theme: harnessing technology to make life better, in a meaningful way.
In 2017 Alex co-founded two companies. In January she took on the role of Director as Co-Founder of How Do I?, a social enterprise for a special needs school that uses NFC technology in vocational learning. By the end of the year she helped launch a blockchain platform to drive better information sharing in healthcare as Co-Founder and CEO of Dovetail Lab. She previously Co-Founded Alcove, another tech-based company that uses machine learning to assist older and disabled adults in their lives, and careers.
For entrepreneurial success Alex credits hiring people who are smart and passionate, and talks about the importance of doing what you love.
On the podcast we talked about:
Investing in technologies to revolutionize for the future
What it takes to make a social impact, and a profit
The democratization of content creation
Creating aspirational products
Creating a space for a digital detox in our lives
Links:
Dovetail lab
How do I?

Feb 12, 2019 • 38min
E26 | The Incredible Power of Clear, Heartfelt Communication: Meet Adam Fairhead
Adam Fairhead is an English entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded the Fairhead Group which serves cause-driven companies with the mission of helping difference makers make a difference.
Today I’m talking to Adam about why it’s so important for companies to have a purpose. He works for and has the biggest impact on businesses that are seeking to change the world. We talk about how he does that, what his process is, the coaches that he has on staff and what they do with clients to help them get their message right.
He’s also written a book called “Marketing Isn’t About You”. You can register for a free copy (when it comes out in March) here.
On today’s podcast:
Making communication clearer and more efficient
Differences between the US and the UK
Adam’s book, “Marketing Isn’t About You”
The magic of having a service-oriented one-page scrollable website
Adam’s book recommendations
Links:
Adam’s Website
Adam’s Podcast
Web page for free copy of Adam’s book, “Marketing Isn’t About You”

Feb 5, 2019 • 48min
E25 | A Marxist-Capitalist Approach To Business: Meet Simon Biltcliffe
Today’s guest is Simon Biltcliffe, CEO of Webmart, a print management business in Bicester.
Simon’s on a mission to make print more affordable for everybody. He’s built an amazing business with some impressive specs! They’ve capped the number of people, they share profit share with employees, Simon’s capped his salary and the business is owned by a trust so he couldn’t sell it even if he wanted to.
Simon declares himself a “marxist-capitalist”, because without capitalism there’s no wealth, and without wealth there’s no redistribution. Join us for a fascinating conversation with plenty of takeaways for everybody!
On today’s podcast:
The marxist-capitalist business model
Transforming his employees into entrepreneurs
How they hire new people
Why they do biannual team peer-reviews
Simon’s book recommendations
Links:
Simon’s TED Talk
Webmart

Jan 29, 2019 • 41min
E24 | Let’s Meet Better: Elise Keith
For the last 10 years, Elise Keith has been on a mission to fix the thing that most people spend the most time doing at work: meetings. Who hasn’t been in a terrible meeting?
Elise witnessed people who should have been in conflict come together and have a great meeting. She has worked out what types of meetings there are, how to approach these meetings and how to get the best out of everybody.
Today’s episode is all about getting things done by using well-structured, well-designed meetings. Don’t miss out!
On today’s podcast:
Meetings don’t have to be gruesome
What makes a good meeting?
Everybody needs to speak during a meeting
Companies need to respect people’s time
How to make an important decision
Book recommendations
Links:
Where the Action Is
Lucid Meetings

Jan 22, 2019 • 35min
E23 | [Rebroadcast] Jedi Mind Tricks To Turn A Negative Into A Positive
Peter Czapp loves what he does. He’s the co-founder of The Wow Company, an accountancy firm that helps you grow your business, not just fill in your tax return.
He’s got a fascinating story and a lot of interesting thoughts on business, which I talk to him about for my podcast this week. Peter explains why he felt driven to launch his own company, despite not having a background in accounting. And why he’s so passionate about delivering that ‘Wow’ to clients.
Lots of great advice included here.
On today’s podcast:
Why receiving negative feedback is the only way to get better
Why he agrees that “culture eats strategy for breakfast”
How he uses a special mind trick to turn negatives into positives
Why focus is so important
And, how you should always enjoy the journey!
Links:
The Wow Company
The Agency Collective

Jan 8, 2019 • 56min
E22 | Innovating Within the Tech Landscape: Meet Mike Tobin
Today I’m interviewing Mike Tobin, former CEO of Telecity. Mike has over 30 years of experience as a tech entrepreneur and he’s now working with a number of businesses across multiple continents.
He’s also got significant charitable interests. In 2016 Mike raised over £100k running 40 marathons in 40 consecutive days. He’s now preparing for an unaided trek across Antarctica planned for next year. On top of that, he’s started a podcast with his son and written two books.
On today’s podcast:
Why it’s important to have realistic performance expectations
Keeping up with the times is not optional, it’s essential
Mike’s involvement in charity projects
Why fear is an irrational emotion
Having a vision is more important than planning on a strategy
Work-life balance just doesn’t exist
Links:
Live, Love, Work, Prosper: A fresh approach to integrating life and work
Forget Strategy. Get Results.: Radical Management Attitudes That Will Deliver Outstanding Success
The Tobin Podcast


