How a “25-Year-Old Startup” Scaled From £2m to £14m (and Kept a Perfect Client Score)

What does it take to grow from a £1m–£2m business into a £10m+ organisation — without losing your culture, your clients, or your sanity?

In this ActionCOACH Podcast episode, you’ll hear a behind-the-scenes conversation with the leadership team at Aram Global — a specialist consultancy trusted by some of the world’s largest banks, governments, and major organisations. The result? A business that’s scaled dramatically while maintaining something almost unheard of:

An NPS (Net Promoter Score) of 100.

If you’re a business owner who wants to scale fast and keep standards high, this is the episode to watch.

The Big Hook: “We’re Not Growing Because We Haven’t Asked.”

Here’s the moment that should make every owner stop and think:

They ask every client, “Would you recommend us?”
Every client says yes.
Then someone asks: “How many have actually referred us?”
Silence. None — because nobody asked.

That’s the kind of simple, high-leverage fix that can unlock growth without spending more on ads, hiring more SDRs, or reinventing your offer.

The Scale Story: From Investor to Full Owner

The lead investor originally expected to acquire around 35% of the business… then ended up buying all of it.

At the time:

  • Revenue was around £2–£3m

  • The business was losing ~£400k/year

  • It was trusted by huge brands — despite being a “tiny” consultancy

Fast forward:

  • Revenue now ~£14m

  • Around £5m EBITDA

  • Headcount grew to 100–150 people

  • The ambition is £100m+ at 26–28% margin

The core insight: trust is the foundation business.
If you’re trusted by the biggest brands, you can sell them bigger outcomes over time.

Why NPS Matters (and How They Use It Wrong)

They started tracking NPS about six years ago to create a “heat map” of client satisfaction — a temperature gauge to spot problems early.

But the revelation is this:

They used NPS to measure excellence… not to generate growth.

If you already have clients who love you, your fastest growth lever may simply be:

  • asking for introductions

  • asking for testimonials

  • asking for case studies

  • asking “who else in your network needs this?”

This episode shows how easily a world-class business can overlook the obvious.

The Unsexy Secret Behind Fast Growth: Process First

If you want to scale from £1m to £4m (and beyond), the operational advice is blunt:

Get your processes right first.
Document requirements. Make the model repeatable. Ensure everyone knows “how we do things here.”

That’s how you stop growth from turning into chaos.

The People Truth Nobody Likes to Say Out Loud

When you scale hard, this comes with it:

You will have to remove people sometimes.

Not because you’re ruthless — but because not everyone is right for the next stage. The episode doesn’t sugarcoat it, and it’s refreshing to hear leaders speak honestly about:

  • performance mismatches

  • maintaining standards

  • supporting people properly — but still making the call

And crucially, they don’t treat it like “HR admin.” They treat it like leadership.

Culture in a Remote World: Standards Are Slipping

The episode hits a nerve for any modern business:

  • People showing up to calls in tracksuits

  • Cameras off while colleagues present

  • A slow slide into “lowest common denominator” professionalism

Their point is simple:

If your internal standards drop, your client standards will follow.
Everything starts at home.

And the leader’s personal rule is one every owner should steal:

Show up. Be present. Set the standard.

The “Head of People” Move That Most SMEs Miss

Most small businesses wait too long to formalise “people leadership.”

This team did it early — not as a traditional Head of HR, but as a Head of People (almost a Chief of Staff for culture, engagement, and standards).

Key takeaway: don’t just hire “an HR person.”
Find someone who combines:

  • strong administration/process

  • genuine human touch

  • credibility with leadership

  • ability to handle both gifts and tough calls

A Powerful Example of Value Creation (That Applies to Any Business)

They share a case where a client had ~£80m of debt sitting in “vulnerability” status for years. The team helped analyse it and found a meaningful portion could be ethically re-engaged and recovered.

The broader lesson (even if you’re not in that industry):

Real value isn’t just what you deliver — it’s the outcome you unlock.
And when you can prove outcomes quickly, small engagements often turn into long, lucrative relationships.

The Best Advice From Each Leader (Worth Watching for This Alone)

If you’re scaling, here are the three “sticky” takeaways from the episode:

  • Operations: Get your processes right first.

  • People: Know your people — build real connection.

  • Leadership: Show up, lead by example, and hold yourself accountable.

If you apply those three consistently, you don’t just grow revenue — you grow a business that can actually handle the growth.

Why You Should Watch This Episode

If you’re a business owner aiming to go from:

  • £1m to £4m

  • £2m to £10m

  • or “small team” to “real organisation”

…this episode gives you practical, real-world lessons from people who’ve lived it.

Not theory. Not motivational fluff.

Process. People. Standards. Trust. And the simplest growth lever of all: asking.

If you watch it, keep a notebook nearby — you’ll come away with at least 5 actions you can implement immediately.

👉 Watch the video below .