

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

Dec 18, 2018 • 35min
E21 | Helping Businesses Get Proper Funding: Meet Stephen Sacks
Today I’m talking to Stephen Sacks, the author of Reboot your Business, a step-by-step guide to reinventing your business for maximum growth.
Stephen’s book includes a fantastic section on how to apply for grants. It also offers plenty of actionable tips on how to fund your business from free cash. Remember that allowing a third party to come in and help you rethink your funding methods can be very helpful.
On today’s podcast:
Lack of cash can be the symptom of a bigger problem
Common issues businesses face
Stephen’s turning point
His passion for helping businesses acquire free cash
Motivation drives success
Stephen’s book recommendations
Links:
Reboot your Business

Dec 11, 2018 • 58min
E20 | Coaching Scaleup Companies Around the World: Meet Roland Siebelink
Roland Siebelink is a 25+ years veteran of Internet business, entrepreneurship and digital marketing. He is a former landslide winner of the Silicon Valley Founder Showcase (2011) and the only person who has lived through three 10-1000 FTE scaleup journeys in a row. He lives in San Francisco and coaches scaleup companies around the world.
Startup founders know that product market fit is the “pot of gold”. But what happens after? In this podcast, Dominic and Roland take founders through the Silicon Valley Roller Coaster and the different stages they will have to scale to reach product market dominance.
On today’s podcast:
Why it’s better to avoid hiring executives that come from big corporations if you’re a scaleup
Helping companies become more robust while keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive
How to hire the right people
Going from early market to mainstream
Dimensions to consider: followers, strategic focus, follow through and flow
Roland’s book recommendations
Links:
Roland’s Website
Scaling Silicon Valley Style. Growing Big But Not Corporate.

Dec 4, 2018 • 33min
E19 | Converting a Hobby into a Successful Video Games Business: Meet Craig Fletchere
My guest this week is Craig Fletcher, the founder and former Chief Exec of Multiplay.
Multiplay is a video games industry and events & online services company which has now been split into two separate businesses: the events business and the online hosting part.
If you’ve ever attended the Insomnia Gaming Festival, UK’s largest video games festival, then you might have already heard of Multiplay, which is its producer.
On today’s podcast:
Two businesses in one: a video games success story
How Twitch changed the gaming landscape
Multiplay’s slow, organic growth
Getting acquired by GAME Digital
What Craig would now do differently
Craig’s book recommendations for the curious and entrepreneurial
Links:
Multiplay

Nov 27, 2018 • 46min
E18 | How to Achieve the Best Net Promoter Score Part II: Meet Tony Pandher
Today I’m talking to Tony Pandher, Head of Operations at Macquarie Cloud Services.
This episode is the second and final part of the Macquarie Telecom Group masterclass on what it takes to get your Net Promoter Score to a world-class level and make Fred Reichheld proud.
On today’s podcast:
Why they chose to hire students
How they built an amazing culture
What they were after: a technology gene and a passion for delighting customers
Hiring students on two-year contracts and investing in their growth
Creating a knowledge base
Launching the Legend program
Links:
The History of Net Promoter
The Ultimate Question 2.0
The Net Promoter System Podcast

Nov 20, 2018 • 48min
E17 | Using the Net Promoter System to Create a Gold-Class Customer Contact Center: Meet Fionán Mc Donnell
Today I’m talking to a soft-spoken Irishman, Fionán Mc Donnell, who is the NSW New Business Manager at Macquarie Telecom Group.
This episode is the first part of a Macquarie Telecom Group masterclass on how to achieve the best Net Promoter System score (a concept developed by Fred Reichheld).
On today’s podcast:
How they created a gold-class customer service centre
Why they spent a lot of time on recruitment
Why they made sure that their customer service professionals felt empowered
Prioritizing customer satisfaction over operational efficiency
The power of transparency and the supervisor feedback group
What Fred Reichheld, the creator of the NPS, told Fionán after visiting their contact centre
Links:
Meet Fion YouTube Video
The Ultimate Question 2.0
The Net Promoter System Podcast

Nov 13, 2018 • 42min
E16 | Great Company Culture Equals Success: Meet Nikki Gatenby
Nikki Gatenby is the Managing Director and Co-Owner of Propellernet, a marketing agency that has consistently been named as a top UK workplace by the Great Place To Work Institute.
On today’s podcast:
How to spark innovation
Their five key values
Why they keep a close eye on their team’s wellbeing
The importance of staying adventurous
Why they value regular check-ins with their team
What’s in Nikki’s recent book, Superengaged
Links:
Superengaged: How to transform business performance by putting people and purpose first (Amazon)
Superengaged Book Website
Propellernet

Nov 6, 2018 • 52min
E15 | Rethinking Education: Meet Liz Robinson
At 29, Liz Robinson was the youngest headteacher in England. She took on a pretty rough inner city school (Surrey Square Primary School) which she turned into a fantastic place. She’s done it in a remarkable way, by throwing away the rule book.
I first met Liz six months ago when I visited the school. I was absolutely blown away with how positive and amazing the parents and the teachers were, given its location in a very challenging environment.
After being the headmaster of Surrey Square for 10 years, Liz just started a new role with Big Education, an organization on a mission to change the education system by empowering teachers and leaders to ask bigger questions about what schools should or could stand for.
On today’s podcast:
The flaws in our current education system
Engaging children to be active change agents
A school with no rules
Surrey Square’s seven core values
Innovating quality assurance
Tracking progress using personal excellence journey books
Links:
Surrey Square Primary School
Big Education
The Guardian: 'It's like family to me': the school feeding its poorest families

Jul 25, 2018 • 32min
E14 | Chris Donnelly - The Perfect Pitch & Finding A Niche - The Melting Pot Podcast
**PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A TINY BIT OF SWEARING IN THIS EPISODE!** At the age of 27 Chris Donnelly already runs a very successful business, Verb. He's the founder and managing director of the digital agency that works with luxury brands, including Jimmy Choo, Claridges and The Wolseley. Chris started the business at university and then developed it into what it is today when he saw a gap in the market for high-end brands. The entrepreneur talks to podcast host, Dominic Monkhouse, about that journey and the ways in which he's managed to create such a successful company in such a short time. They cover: - Finding your niche - Building relationships, and trust, with prospective clients even before a pitch - How culture, and spotting the right talent, is essential - Pitfalls to a merger - Pitches, and how organising them like a military operation has led to a fantastic win rate - And why he wants to give back Plus, Chris talks about how his event 'Trend', a conference for luxury brands, is pushing his success further and why they've also started 'London Women In Digital'.

Jul 20, 2018 • 35min
E13 | Peter Czapp - Jedi Mind Tricks To Turn A Negative Into A Positive - The Melting Pot Podcast
Peter Czapp loves what he does. He's the co-founder of Wow, an accountancy firm that helps you grow your business not just fill in your tax return. In this episode of Dominic Monkhouse's The Melting Pot, Peter explains why he felt driven to launch his own business, despite not having an accountancy background. And why he's so passionate about delivering that 'Wow' to clients. Peter also talks to Dom about: 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!

Jul 12, 2018 • 55min
E12 | Nick Earle - Hyperloop & Making A Difference -The Melting Pot Podcast
Nick Earle has spent over 35 years in tech. He’s currently the Chairman and CEO of Eseye - a leading company in the Internet of Things Market. He was involved in Virgin’s Hyperloop One and has also worked for Cisco and HP. He’s covered a lot of ground and host, Dominic Monkhouse, talks to him about all of it in this episode of The Melting Pot Podcast. They chat about why he’s decided to move onto projects that are making a difference to the world Why Hyperloop will be the next big mode of transportation and how it’ll impact our lives in a positive way How curiosity has driven his career Why it’s never been a better time to start a business And a LOT more! If you want to see more from Nick then he has a TED Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZORdiH6pDyg


