Deborah Frost is a Portfolio Chair, former CEO, Board Mentorand Partner at Scale Up Group.

In this episode John and Deborah discuss entrepreneurship,leadership and scaling. Deborah shares her experiences of building and growing a business, and explores what makes a company investable or acquirable. She highlights the importance of combining strong numbers with a compelling story that gives investors confidence in the founder, leadership team and future of the business. She also stresses the need for robust financial, tax and contractual foundations, trusted professional advisers, and founders who canstep out of the day-to-day, delegate effectively and focus on the bigger picture. As businesses grow, she emphasises the value of surrounding yourself with the right expertise and support to avoid issues that could derail future growth or an acquisition.

The conversation also explores the opportunities andchallenges AI presents for technology businesses, with Deborah highlighting the importance of protecting the value created through expertise, experience, relationships, proprietary data and human judgement. Ultimately, her message to founders is one of perseverance, continuous learning and perspective: successful businesses are rarely built overnight, and the journey requires resilience, support and a willingness to keep evolving. Drawing on her own experiences of navigating uncertainty, leading through change and building a business for the long term, Deborah offers a candid and inspiring reminder that while entrepreneurship is challenging, it can also be one of the most rewarding journeys a leader can take.