ScaleX™ Insider Podcast

What makes someone truly remarkable? Is it their success, their personality, or the impact they leave behind?
In this 5-minute clip from ScaleX Insider, Brendan McGurgan speaks with Guy Kawasaki about his experience working with Steve Jobs and what separates remarkable leaders from the rest.
Guy shares his candid perspective on Jobs' brilliance and difficult personality, explains why Canva founder Melanie Perkins proves that success doesn't require being difficult to work with, and challenges the idea that remarkability can be judged by a single moment.
His message? Being remarkable isn't about copying successful people. It's about the body of work you build over time.
Listen to the clip for a fascinating perspective on Steve Jobs, leadership and what it really means to be remarkable.
00:00 – What makes someone truly remarkable?
00:30 – Steve Jobs and Jane Goodall: Two remarkable individuals
01:05 – Steve Jobs: Brilliant genius or difficult leader?
02:00 – Melanie Perkins and why success doesn't require being difficult
02:45 – Why copying Steve Jobs won't make you successful
03:45 – Can you recognise remarkable leadership in a single moment?
04:40 – Why remarkability is measured by a lifetime of work
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.

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