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Brand to Scale is a podcast where we talk to business leaders and industry influencers about how they built their brands. Each episode dives into real stories about starting up, growing through challenges, and what success looks like behind the scenes. It's an honest look at the people and ideas driving business forward.
Brand to Scale - Toby Henry
Jess (00:00:06):
The questions?
But it'll just be a general conversation, like we have before.
Well, welcome to Brand-to-scale, where I explore the real stories behind Visery
leaders building businesses with a little bit of soul.
I'm Jess.
You're hosts align on a mission to understand the why behind the work.
Today, I'm joined by someone who has taken a unique path to business ownership.
From Management Consulting and scaling fintech companies to acquiring and
growing a people first training business.
Toby Henry has seen it all.
Welcome Toby.
You've seen some things, you've seen some things.
I look forward to hearing all about it before we get into the questions.
Be great if you could give us a little overview of your business as it is and how how
you came to lead the company.
Toby Henr y (00:01:49):
But for the third nation that you have a good life..
Who's?
Jess (00:02:10):
Wonderful that, and people first approaches music to my ears.
Especially in the the business world at the moment we're talking about is tough to
get the right people.
And but are we actually investing in our people enough to get them where they
need to be?
Definitely, but business stories always start with, you know, little touch points along
the way, that nudge due to where you are.
So what did life look like early in in your career?
any, any happenings that sort of, you know, led to your career path?
Toby Henr y (00:02:58):
Never had a passion?
Jess (00:06:08):
Wow, what?
What was that?
Toby Henr y (00:06:09):
for
Jess (00:06:09):
Spark?
For that conversation in New York around something needing to change.
Because, yeah, raising young family and having a pressured career like that.
Where you are, you know, working continuously and want to as well.
I should add, isn't it?
Your your innate, you're excited by it and it's something you want to do?
But was that being made partner the trigger because you knew you'd be home less,
or was it, yeah, what was that?
That feeling that was like, this isn't going to be right anymore?
Toby Henr y (00:06:45):
a little
Jess (00:08:00):
Yeah, absolutely.
Did you feel?
Any sort of grief might be a strong word around leaving what you'd built there and
and the, you know, the role that you.
Toby Henr y (00:08:09):
task
Jess (00:08:09):
Were leaving?
Because that's quite a brave decision to make after all of that investment in your
time and energy.
Toby Henr y (00:08:57):
in,
Jess (00:09:02):
yeah?
Toby Henr y (00:09:21):
the
Jess (00:09:36):
yeah.
Absolutely.
It does seem to be a trait of entrepreneurs and business leaders who talk to around
change and wanting that change and never sitting still.
So perhaps that constantly moving and growing and learning is is part of your DNA
anyway?
So you might have, yeah, you might have chosen a different Direction, but moving
on was probably.
Toby Henr y (00:09:56):
world?
Jess (00:09:57):
Always going to happen.
And you mentioned around the culture change there, so I know that you're very
focused on people development and valuing people.
So when you switched and that culture was very different, what were the what were
the things that made you step back and go?
This isn't right.
And for what you learn from a good culture somewhere else.
Toby Henr y (00:11:25):
The passage took off.
..
Jess (00:18:03):
Yeah, yeah, you, you mentioned it, I think you hit the nail and had there the leader
having that clear purpose and Vision.
But communicating it continuously with the team is really important.
Because how do people know what they're working towards?
The nest there, they're told and they're brought along for the journey.
Yeah, definitely.
How do you think that's a inevitable casualty of business growth, that that culture is
harder to keep than teams end up growing, and then silos happen.
Because, you know, leaders are looking after their teams rather than an entire
business.
And do you think there's a way around that?
Hmm, yeah, yep, wow.
Toby Henr y (00:28:41):
Look
Jess (00:28:44):
I love that.
Mmm, that's brilliant.
I loved what you said earlier about the risk of not doing it almost was greater at
where you were at the time and imagining what your life could look like if you
stayed on that trajectory.
And actually putting in the actual time and effort in the short term to to figure that
out was worth it.
Because, yeah, because you can go down to different parts and that's, that's
interesting.
Sometimes we talk about I'm, I'm comfortable and stable, you know, it is what it is.
I don't want to shape things up, but actually looking at the bigger picture and
zooming out a little bit.
And be like, what, what if I don't do it, though?
what if I didn't?
Yeah, didn't explore this.
And growth on tradition through acquisitions pretty under the radar, as far as I
understand.
There.
I did hear some rumblings early in the New year in the in the news about graduates,
you know, looking to do that instead of going into roles?
But tell us a bit more about how it works.
Did you interview lots of businesses?
Do they come to you?
What is the process for doing that?
Wow, yeah, that's really fascinating.
You mentioned sort of corporate finances and brokers and things like that.
Excuse my ignorance, but that sounds expensive and complicated.
It is that the case, or is it actually simpler than it sounds?
Right?
Okay, yeah, yeah, it's simple to do your research.
Then at the beginning of that process and got not get sold some snake oil in the
process you mentioned earlier around quite serious as well.
So this location, this, this revenue bracket, or whatever it was.
But for you, and your focus on values and Culture.
Did you have a type of business?
And I don't know characteristics of a business owner that you would want?
And did that?
Applied to the search
Toby Henr y (00:47:23):
up.
Jess (00:48:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we all have bad days.
Yeah, yeah, that's, um, that's really great to.
I think you've clearly got a set of skills, set of values that you're really clear on,
which is is helpful when you're on that search for for acquiring a business.
But if if someone out there is looking to do this, and perhaps they.
Well,
how important is,
would you say,
to get clear on what their skills are and the value that they could bring to that
business before they go on that search?
And because you don't want to go through that process and then go out, actually, I
can't, I can't make this better, or I can't sustain it, this business as it was before.
Because, yeah, you clearly knew what you were looking for, what your value is, but
yeah, how important would that be, I think, to do some self evaluation?
Yeah, yeah, I think people not not in the value, but I think overlook sometimes that.
The time and the need, the the investment that needs to go into looking after the
people who will then look after the business rather than doing it the other way
around.
So you've acquired this business and you're doing what?
Was that transition then for the people in that business?
Because suddenly, you know this, new guys come in for the business.
Tada, nice to meet you.
What?
What was that reaction?
Was their hand over period?
Any challenges as well?
Yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, that's brilliant to hear.
Just going back to what we touch on at the Beginning, then, about the importance
of leaders communicating the purpose and the vision to their team continuously.
So is that something that you've been actively doing there over the last year as
well?
To to bring them along for the journey?
Mmm, yeah, that's one of the benefits, one of the benefits.
Yeah, last everyone.
Yeah, yeah, whole conversation you had on entering would have just, yeah, been
irrelevant.
Because I like, he's just he's just taking over and and that's the end of it.
Yeah, definitely, yeah.
It's any other challenges that you've encountered?
In terms of skill set?
So being a consultant, you clearly knew where your skills and where you could add
value, which is why you look for that type of business.
But is there anything that's been a surprise to you in terms of now being a business
owner?
And anything else you've had to learn really quickly?
Fix it, fix it now, yeah.
Toby Henr y (01:07:59):
How to get?
Jess (01:08:45):
Hmm, yeah, the creativity as well, creativity as well, gets the gets lost a little bit and
autonomy and problem solving skills.