What do an ethical handbag brand and a tech-based locker business have in common?
More than you'd think.
In this week's ScaleUp Radio episodes, I sat down with Karen Yates of Taylor Yates and Ryan Slaney of iLockerz. Two very different businesses. Two very different founders. But both offer powerful lessons for any business owner trying to scale.
Let’s break it down.
Strategic Growth Planning: How Do You Know When to Go All In?
Karen Yates launched Taylor Yates with a mission to create beautiful, ethical leather handbags that meant something. Inspired by a conversation with a charity worker and her daughter’s 18th birthday, the business is built on values first, product second.
Ryan Slaney’s journey with iLockerz began when he spotted an opportunity to reinvent lockers using smart technology. A request from Heathrow Airport gave him the chance to turn that vision into a product. He quickly learned that innovation without market fit is costly.
Key Takeaway:
Karen tested fast, learned quickly and evolved her offer to match the market
Ryan spent three years over-engineering a product no one could afford before pivoting to an MVP
"You need structure to scale. But the best founders build it on top of real-world feedback."
Cash Flow Management for SMEs: Are You Building or Just Surviving?
Karen is brutally honest about cash. She funds growth from sales, uses white-label services to support cash flow, and stresses the importance of building strong supplier relationships.
Ryan admits they were "absolutely skint" in the early days. Over-investment in product and zero marketing budget meant growth was slow and painful.
BizSmart Insight:
According to the ScaleUp Challenge report, over 30% of SME owners don’t use monthly management accounts to guide decisions. And 32% would show a loss if directors were paid a market salary.
Key Lesson:
Cash isn't just king. It's the lifeblood of smart growth
Leadership Development: Are You Empowering People or Protecting Them From the Rubbish?
Ryan's leadership ethos? "Keep the rubbish away from your A-players." He openly shares his vulnerability, saying he doesn’t always have the answers, but is 100% committed to his team.
Karen's leadership challenge is different. As a family business founder, she balances intuition with structure. She learns from her younger team and is building a business that matches her values.
Contrast from the ScaleUp Challenges Report:
50% of business owners struggle to get their team to take responsibility like they would
Just 4% of KPIs relate to staff engagement
SmartBoards helps business owners share real issues and stay accountable. Smart90 creates a 90-day rhythm to align teams and build momentum.
Prefer a Quick Breakdown?
If you're short on time, Granger and I dig into the key takeaways from Karen and Ryan's interviews in our latest ScaleUp Radio Shorts episode.
We talked about how both founders are values-led but took very different approaches to building structure and teams. As Granger put it:
"Karen leads from the heart. Ryan leads from the front. Both work if you build the right team around you."
And I shared why this episode stuck with me:
"They both had to learn how to let go of control. Whether it's operations or product perfection, scaling means trusting others."
Watch the Shorts episode here →
Building a Brand: What Makes People Care?
Karen names each bag after a woman who’s inspired her. She invites customers to become part of the "Taylor Yates family." Her brand is about meaning, not just product.
Ryan takes a more practical route. His focus is solving real problems for clients. Exhibitions give him the feedback he needs to keep innovating. He calls this "product-led growth."
Two different routes. Same principle: Know your customer and keep solving their problems.
Want to Scale Smarter?
Both Karen and Ryan are navigating their scaleup journeys in different ways. But they’re also proving a key truth:
Success doesn’t come from doing everything yourself. It comes from building the right structures, teams and rhythms to support growth.
That’s exactly what we do at BizSmart.
If you’re ready to:
Get out of the day-to-day
Build a scalable, valuable business
Lead your team with confidence
Book a call today and let’s explore how Smart90 or SmartBoards could support your scaleup journey.
Listen to the full interviews: ScaleUp Radio - https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/scaleupradio
Watch the Shorts with Kevin & Granger: YouTube -
Book a call with Kevin: Schedule now - https://c.bizsmart.co.uk/widget/bookings/kb-30
Download the ScaleUp Challenge Report: Read it here - https://lp.bizsmart.co.uk/sacleupchallenge-page
Share this post: