ScaleX™ Insider Podcast

What if the secret to scaling your business is to stop worrying about scaling?
In this 7-minute clip from ScaleX Insider, Brendan McGurgan speaks with Guy Kawasaki, former Apple chief evangelist and current Canva chief evangelist, about what businesses should focus on before pursuing growth.
Guy explains why doing things that don't scale is often essential to winning your first customers, why smaller businesses have an advantage when experimenting with new ideas, and how his simple two-by-two framework can help entrepreneurs create something both unique and valuable.
Using Apple's iPod as an example, he reveals why differentiation alone isn't enough. Your product or service must also deliver something customers genuinely value.
The key message? Before figuring out how to scale, make sure you've built something worth scaling.
Timestamps
00:00 – Why great products and word of mouth come first

00:45 – The importance of doing things that don't scale

01:50 – Why gaining customers is harder than scaling

02:35 – How small businesses can experiment with new ideas

03:30 – Guy's unique and valuable two-by-two framework

04:35 – Why businesses end up competing on price

05:15 – How Apple's iPod combined uniqueness with value

06:15 – Finding your competitive advantage in any market

ScaleX / Simple Scaling
Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business
Website: Simple Scaling
Email: hello@simplescaling.com
Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder Simple Scaling
Guest: Guy Kawasaki
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another business leader.

What does it really take to build a business worth scaling?
Guy Kawasaki on scaling, entrepreneurship and what makes a business truly remarkable. In this episode of ScaleX Insider, Brendan McGurgan sits down with Guy Kawasaki, former Apple chief evangelist, current Canva chief evangelist, bestselling author and host of the Remarkable People podcast.
Drawing on decades of experience working alongside some of the world's most influential entrepreneurs, Guy challenges conventional thinking about business growth. His message is simple: before worrying about how to scale, focus on creating something people genuinely want.
From Apple's early days and the iconic Think Different campaign to Melanie Perkins' journey building Canva, Guy shares the lessons that have shaped his approach to innovation, marketing and entrepreneurship.
He explains why businesses should be willing to do things that don't scale, why word of mouth still matters in an increasingly noisy digital world, and how creating something both unique and valuable gives businesses their strongest foundation for growth.
Brendan and Guy also explore the importance of understanding customer pain, the role of luck and hard work in entrepreneurial success, and what it really means to lead and build a business with purpose.
In this episode, you'll discover:
Why getting your first customers is often harder than scaling your business.

How doing things that don't scale can create the foundations for long-term growth.

What Guy learned from Apple's Think Different campaign and working with Steve Jobs.

Why Guy believes word of mouth and credibility matter more than ever.

How to use the unique and valuable framework to differentiate your business.

What Melanie Perkins and Canva can teach entrepreneurs about solving real customer problems.

Why businesses experiencing a growth plateau need to rethink the problems they solve.

How luck, hard work and persistence contribute to entrepreneurial success.

Why great leaders should never ask customers or employees to do something they wouldn't do themselves.

Guy's three timeless principles for living and leading with purpose.

 
Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction: Guy Kawasaki on scaling with purpose
03:00 – Why getting your first customers is harder than scaling
07:00 – The Silicon Valley mindset and building businesses that matter
12:00 – Behind Apple's iconic Think Different campaign
16:00 – Why word of mouth still matters more than social media
22:00 – Doing things that don't scale to build lasting growth
26:00 – Guy's unique and valuable framework for business success
31:00 – Steve Jobs, remarkable leadership and the importance of character
38:00 – Melanie Perkins, Canva and solving real customer problems
44:00 – Why Kodak failed to adapt and how businesses can avoid stagnation
49:00 – Building a meaningful legacy through entrepreneurship
55:00 – The role of luck, hard work and persistence in success
59:00 – Purpose, evangelism and empowering others
1:04:00 – Guy's three timeless lessons: learn, earn and return
About Guy Kawasaki
Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva and a former chief evangelist of Apple, where he played an influential role in the marketing of the Macintosh. He is the author of 19 books, including Think Remarkable, The Art of the Start and Rules for Revolutionaries, and hosts the Remarkable People podcast.
Through his writing, speaking and podcasting, Guy shares insights on innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership and making a meaningful difference.
Connect with Guy Kawasaki:
Website: https://guykawasaki.com/
Substack: https://guykawasaki.substack.com/
 
ScaleX / Simple Scaling
Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business
Website: Simple Scaling
Email: hello@simplescaling.com
Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder Simple Scaling
Guest: Guy Kawasaki
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another business leader.

Becoming a scaling leader starts with how you see yourself and the habits you build. In this clip from ScaleX Insider, Brendan McGurgan and JL Holdsworth explore the connection between identity, consistent action and leading a growing business.
Drawing on his experience as a powerlifter, JL shares his perspective on why new leadership practices can feel uncomfortable at first. They discuss how habits and meaningful coaching conversations can help leaders build confidence in their ability to scale.
Timestamps
00:00 Do you see yourself as a scaling leader?
00:40 How practices and habits shape leadership identity
01:10 JL's perspective on resistance to change
01:50 How a coaching conversation can shift confidence
03:15 Looking beneath the labels we give ourselves
04:00 Connecting your internal state with your ability to scale
Connect with JL Holdsworth
🌐 Website: jlholdsworth.com
💼 LinkedIn: JL Holdsworth

ScaleX / Simple Scaling
Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business
Website: Simple Scaling
Email: hello@simplescaling.com
Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder Simple Scaling


Host: Brendan McGurgan
Guest: JL Holdsworth

Staying calm once felt unfamiliar to JL Holdsworth. In this clip from ScaleX Insider, he tells Brendan McGurgan how a four-day workshop in South Africa led to an unexpected change that his wife noticed in just four words.
JL had travelled there to improve his performance. Instead, he describes finding himself responding calmly to a conversation that would previously have triggered anger. That experience began an 11-year exploration of the relationship between his nervous system, internal state and behaviour.
For business leaders, his story raises a relatable question: how does the state you bring into a conversation affect the people around you?
Timestamps
00:00 The four-day workshop in South Africa
00:15 The phone call that revealed something had changed
00:50 Staying calm instead of reacting with anger
01:25 "My wife could feel the difference in four words"
01:55 The beginning of an 11-year exploration
02:40 Reflecting on his past violence and behaviour
03:30 JL's perspective on internal state and behaviour
04:00 "I haven't even thought about being in a fight in 11 years" 
Connect with JL Holdsworth
🌐 Website: jlholdsworth.com
💼 LinkedIn: JL Holdsworth

ScaleX / Simple Scaling
Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business
Website: Simple Scaling
Email: hello@simplescaling.com
Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder Simple Scaling
Guest: JL Holdsworth

Leadership under pressure can mean dealing with a key employee leaving, a difficult customer or an unexpected setback. In this episode of ScaleX Insider, JL Holdsworth joins Brendan McGurgan to explore how leaders can stay calm, think clearly and lead through uncertainty.
A world champion powerlifter, entrepreneur and performance coach, JL shares how a serious back injury led him to explore human performance beyond physical strength. He describes how a four-day experience in South Africa changed his behaviour, relationships and approach to life.
Brendan and JL discuss why lasting habits matter more than willpower, how our internal state affects the decisions we make and why working harder can only take us so far. JL introduces his approach, internal state calibration, and its three pillars: mind state, neuro state and state shift.
Through everyday business examples and a live breathing demonstration, they explore leadership under pressure and what it could mean to approach challenging situations with greater calm and clarity.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to JL Holdsworth
01:15 What it means to scale with purpose
04:00 Why habits matter more than discipline
10:00 Why knowing what to do isn't always enough
16:15 A serious back injury and the return to competition
24:00 Seeking better performance and finding unexpected change
29:00 The four-day experience that changed JL's approach to life
34:20 How personal change affects relationships
38:10 Understanding the internal state you lead from
44:20 Rethinking how we experience stress and anxiety
48:00 Staying grounded when difficult news arrives
54:20 How JL assesses a leader's response to pressure
61:00 The three pillars of internal state calibration
62:00 JL's perspective on how the nervous system operates
66:00 Preparing for challenging situations before they happen
71:25 Navigating the pressures of entrepreneurship
75:45 JL's approach to bodywork and breathing
79:00 A live breathing demonstration with Brendan
87:15 Exploring tension mapping
91:35 Connecting with JL and learning more about his work
95:25 Three timeless takeaways
About JL Holdsworth
JL Holdsworth is a world champion powerlifter, entrepreneur, performance coach and founder of The Spot Athletics. He is also the co-founder of Reflexive Performance Reset. His work explores the relationship between physical performance, internal state and how people handle pressure. In this conversation, he introduces his internal state calibration framework and shares the personal experiences behind it.
Connect with JL Holdsworth
🌐 Website: jlholdsworth.com
💼 LinkedIn: JL Holdsworth


ScaleX / Simple Scaling
Book: Simple Scaling: 10 Proven Principles to 10x Your Business
Website: Simple Scaling
Email: hello@simplescaling.com
Host: Brendan McGurgan, Co-Founder Simple Scaling
Guest: Anne Lackey
Host: Brendan McGurgan
Guest: JL Holdsworth
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with another business leader.