This week on ScaleUp Radio we hear from two founders whose journeys could not be more different, yet both offer powerful lessons for business owners.
On one side, Tom Hill, founder of Collina MEP, who took a bold leap from corporate life to build a boutique mechanical and electrical consultancy rooted in trust and long-term client relationships.
On the other, Sarah Turner, founder of Little Beau Sheep, who turned redundancy and creativity into a flourishing craft-based brand that champions British wool and has captured the imagination of customers worldwide.
Their stories challenge us to ask: is it people or passion that truly defines lasting business success?
Tom Hill – Building Through People
Tom’s story is a classic leap of faith. After years as a regional director in M&E consultancy, he handed in his notice one evening and started Collina MEP the very next day. His vision was clear: to create a boutique consultancy where every client felt their project was the most important in the world.
Like many founders, Tom initially fell into the trap of saying yes to everything. The result was exhaustion, over-promising, and a lonely two years that took a personal toll. His pivotal decision was to hire permanent staff, something he now calls the best decision he ever made.
Today, Collina MEP thrives on culture. Tom recruits for personality and cultural fit before CVs, ensuring his engineers can talk to clients “like a friend down the pub.” His challenge is maintaining this culture as the business grows, proof that people are the foundation of scale in service businesses.
Sarah Turner – Scaling Through Passion
Sarah’s journey could not be more different. After redundancy gave her the breathing space to explore her creativity, she discovered felting and began making products at her kitchen table. What started as solving her own laundry challenge became Little Beau Sheep, a brand built on passion, authenticity, and provenance.
Her first Etsy sale snowballed when her local post office staff all became customers. But it was an appearance on BBC Countryfile that created a tidal wave of demand. Swamped with orders, Sarah reached a critical moment: either remain stuck in fulfilment or let go. Her solution was to outsource fulfilment, freeing her time to focus on growing the brand and championing the British wool industry.
Today, Sarah is not just a business owner but an industry ambassador. As a Freeman of the City of London, she has even driven sheep across London Bridge to promote her cause. Her legacy ambition is to increase the value of British wool for farmers across the UK, a reminder that passion can create businesses with purpose and influence far beyond their products.
Lessons for Business Owners
Both Tom and Sarah highlight the universal challenges of scaling:
Avoiding the Founder’s Trap: Growth requires letting go, whether through building a team or outsourcing.
Defining Your Niche: Tom built a premium brand around service and culture. Sarah built hers around authenticity and provenance.
Balancing Growth and Legacy: For Tom, the legacy is culture. For Sarah, it is industry change.
Insights from the ScaleUp Challenge Report
Their stories also echo wider findings from the BizSmart ScaleUp Challenge Report:
43% of ScaleUp businesses doubled turnover within three years, but only by reducing reliance on the founder.
31.6% headcount growth among SmartBoard® members shows the critical role of building capacity through people and systems.
Scaling, therefore, is not about choosing between people or passion. It is about combining both to create a business that can grow sustainably and deliver long-term impact.
Prefer a Quick Breakdown?
Watch the latest episode of ScaleUp Radio Shorts, where Kevin Brent and Granger Forson explore the week’s biggest insights:
Highlights include:
Why some founders scale with people, others with passion
How to grow without losing yourself in the process
What success really looks like when it is personal
Final Thoughts
Tom Hill shows us that people and culture drive success in professional services.
Sarah Turner reminds us that passion and purpose can elevate a brand beyond its products.
Both prove that scaling a business means knowing when to step back, when to invest in others, and how to build something bigger than yourself.
Listen and Learn More
🎧 Listen to the full interviews on ScaleUp Radio:
https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/scaleupradio
📅 Book a call with Kevin Brent to discuss your scaling journey:
https://c.bizsmart.co.uk/widget/bookings/kb-30
🌐 Learn more about BizSmart’s scaling support for SMEs:
https://www.bizsmart.co.uk/
📊 Explore the ScaleUp Challenge Report:
https://lp.bizsmart.co.uk/sacleupchallenge-page
📺 Watch more insights on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@BizsmartCoUkSelect
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