Peer Effect
Best way to scale? Your peers have the answers.
This is the podcast for scaleup founders looking for insightful, actionable wisdom from some of the best operators around. Each week we’ll explore one secret that other founders and experts are using right now and how to implement it.
It’s practical wisdom to build the company AND life you want. Hosted by renowned founder coach and advisor James Johnson.
You’ve survived to £1m, now let’s scale to £10m+.
Episodes
187 episodes
How to Validate a Startup Idea (Before You Waste Time & Money) | Aaron Solomon, Ambl
What if you could validate your startup idea before wasting months (or years) building the wrong thing?Aaron Solomon, founder of Ambl, shares the real story behind buildin...
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Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Founders
Comparison is one of the fastest ways to lose momentum as a founder.In this Post Bag episode, we unpack why it happens, why it’s misleading, and how to stay focused on your own path.From the “swimming” analogy to the reality behin...
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How Integrity Became This Founder's Business Strategy (400 Weddings a Year)
Jenna Ackerley, founder of Events Under Canvas, built a business delivering 400 weddings a year - without cutting corners.In this episode, she breaks down how integrity and authenticity shaped her decisions, from early growth to navigati...
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Post-Exit: What No One Tells You After You Sell Your Company
“I’ve exited… what now?”It sounds simple. It’s not.In this Post Bag episode, James Johnson and Freddie Birley unpa...
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When to Be Hands-On and When to Build Systems as You Scale
Agata Krawiec‑Rokita, co-founder and CEO of sun.store, scaled from a €12M GMV forecast to €100M in just 12 months.Now she’s facing the next challenge: shifting from doing ev...
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What Should You Actually Use a Coach For?
Most founders misunderstand what coaching is for.And it costs them.In this Post Bag episode, James Johnson and Freddie...
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Are You the Bottleneck in Your Startup? | Max Teichert
At some point, every founder becomes the bottleneck.In this episode of Peer Effect, James Johnson speaks with Max Teichert, ...
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How to Not Become an Asshole as You Get More Senior
"How do I not become an asshole?"Emma sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birley for Peer Effect Post Bag.The f...
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Core Values in Startups: Hiring, Scaling and Culture That Works
Founders talk about values all the time. But do they actually drive growth?In this episode of Peer Effect, James Johnson speaks with
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Best Performer Worst Behaved: What to Do When Your Top Team Member Is Toxic
"My best performing team member is also my worst behaved. What should I do?"Jack sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birle...
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Niche Business Strategy: Why Narrow Focus Beats Going Broad
Clementine Schouteden built a multimillion-pound e-commerce business selling premium products for Guinea pigs.Not small pets. Not rodents. Just Guinea pigs.As founder...
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What to Do When Your Co-Founder Is Micromanaging You
"What do I do if I feel like my co-founder is micromanaging me?"Anna sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birley for Pe...
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The Wrong Co-Founder Will Kill Your Business (How to Know Before It's Too Late)
Fabien Koutchekian built his first company with two co-founders. They were completely misaligned.After one year, Fabien left. The company failed.As Co-Founder and CEO o...
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How to Support Team Members Going Through Personal Challenges
"How to allow for team member personal challenges as a founder?"Katy sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birley for th...
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Everyone Needs to Know Who the Villain Is - Not Just the Hero
Neil Tanna's early fundraising mistake: he could articulate the hero perfectly. But he couldn't explain the villain.As founder of Howbout (6 million...
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What to Do When You Can't Trust Your Co-Founder
"What do I do if I feel like I can't trust my co-founder?"Dan sent this to the Peer Effect Post Bag. And if you're asking this question, James Johnson and
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How to Scale from 80 to 200 People Without Becoming Bloated
Dr. Christian Schmierer has 80 people. In two years, he'll have 150-200.As CEO and Co-Founder of HyImpulse (building rockets with paraffin fuel, €74M+ raised, successful launch May 2024), Christian kno...
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Fundraising Is Distracting You? You're Framing It Wrong
"Fundraising is distracting and draining. How do I cope?"Dave sent this to the Peer Effect Post Bag. And James and Freddie's<...
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Why People First Beats Deals First - Even at a VC
At a VC, deals are literally the business.But Rachel Townend's philosophy? People first, always.As Chief of Staff and General Partner at Illuminate Financial - employee #1,...
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Your VC Is Probably Failing (And They'll Never Tell You)
Most VCs work non-stop and still feel like they're failing. They do 2x the deals of their peers. They're at every event. And they still feel like they're not doing enough.What James J...
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Why Network Effects Beat Product Now (The AI Shift Killing Your Moat)
You spent a year building a feature. Someone just replicated it in a day using AI.This isn't hypothetical. Roei Samuel is watching it happen in real-time. As founder of Connected - a...
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Your Investors Want You to Fire Your Team (The Power Dynamic Nobody Discusses)
"What do I do if my investors tell me to fire a bunch of my team?"Alex sent this question to the Peer Effect Post Bag. And the answer from James Johnson and
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Why Your Bank Balance Is Lying to You (The Cash Flow Framework That Saves Businesses) - Marc Obrart
You've got £250K in the bank. You're profitable. Everything looks fine.Then your VAT bill hits and you're scrambling. Or a major client payment is 60 days late and suddenly you can't make payroll.
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The PR Playbook That Actually Drives Revenue (Hint: It's Not Press Releases) - Harrison Duhr
PR feels like an unquantifiable luxury when you're trying to hit profitability. But Harrison Duhr has helped hundreds of startups use media to drive actual business outcomes - fundraising, hiring top talent, and landing ideal customers.A...
Startup Founder Lessons: 3 Patterns From 9 Entrepreneurs | Season 5 Recap
After 9 conversations with entrepreneurs and business leaders, three patterns emerged about scaling successfully.In this Season 5 recap, I share the key lessons from conversations with founders like Mark Shepherd (Gathr), George Sullivan...
