Building and Scaling Innovative Startups
By Mike Walker
Managing Director & Co-Founder, MGN Events
Hybrid Approach - Systems + Strategy
We're a 17-person creative event agency founded by my brother Neil and me. We've grown a multi-million pound revenue business in a way that feels sustainable because we've been intentional about operational systems.
Here's what we think works: operational systems in the first place. We use HubSpot for CRM and Marketing (pipeline and commercial visibility). Teamwork for project management. Whale for process documentation. Google Drive for collaboration. These are all standard tools, but what matters is that we use them consistently and they funnel information to quarterly planning meetings where the leadership team reviews pipeline, capacity, delivery quality, and margin.
On building leadership: its important to structure as you scale, not after. We've just completed a big restructuring to clarify roles after we realised we'd organically grown without being intentional about reporting lines which created friction. Your early hires should include people who want responsibility. Give them clear ownership of a domain and make them accountable for outcomes, not just activity - delegate and stay out of their way.
Growth strategies: we've shifted from a generalist events company to a specialist strategic partner for specific industries and event types. This feels smaller but it's actually better for growth because our team becomes more efficient (they know the processes), our pricing can be higher (specialisation commands a premium), and our sales become more predictable (reputation in that niche drives inbound enquiries - and most of our enquiries come via the website - as well as referrals). Most small businesses try to do everything; we've learned that doing fewer things exceptionally well grows faster.
The big-learning: growth doesn't equal success. We've turned down revenue to protect culture and margins. We've built a company where our people want to work and our clients trust us and genuinely love working with us. That's worth more than growth numbers at any cost.
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