AJ is a serial entrepreneur and passionate student of startups.
After a decade of spending countless hours and money building companies, most of which failed, he went back to basics and surrounded himself with entrepreneurs decades further ahead of him.
He ran a deeply connected community of 400 entrepreneurs in the UK and realised how little he knew about the art and science of company building.
At this intersection of relationships and company building is where AJ has found the key to success.
If we don't understand people, we don't understand business.
But people are hard to understand....
Which is why this show exists!
scale with soul is a deep dive intro how the best entrepreneurs alive build and manage the relationships that lead to startup success.
AJ is a serial entrepreneur and passionate student of startups.
After a decade of spending countless hours and money building companies, most of which failed, he went back to basics and surrounded himself with entrepreneurs decades further ahead of him.
He ran a deeply connected community of 400 entrepreneurs in the UK and realised how little he knew about the art and science of company building.
At this intersection of relationships and company building is where AJ has found the key to success.
If we don't understand people, we don't understand business.
But people are hard to understand....
Which is why this show exists!
scale with soul is a deep dive intro how the best entrepreneurs alive build and manage the relationships that lead to startup success.
He built a company to millions, hired someone better to run it, and walked away.
Why stepping down as CEO can be your greatest act of leadership.
Most founders cling to their CEO titles long after they've outgrown the role.
Evgeny Shadchnev did the opposite. He recognised the misalignment, planned his exit over 14 months, and handed the keys to someone who could scale what he'd built. What he soon learnt transformed both his life and the business.
🧠 What You'll Learn:
▪️ How to recognise when you've outgrown your own company (before burnout forces the decision)
▪️ The difference between founder skills and CEO skills — and why confusing them kills companies
▪️ A framework for making confident leadership transitions without destroying what you've built
▪️ The breathwork techniques that shift your nervous system from reactive to strategic
▪️ Why starting a company for belonging can lead to profound misalignment later
📖 Chapters
00:00 - What A Founder Coach Does
00:41 - What Founders Don't Talk About
05:02 - "Predicting the Future of the Company"
08:10 - The Founder's Job: Make Sure It Survives
11:15 - The Skills Needed at Pre-Product Market Fit
14:17 - Moving to Product Market Fit - "This Is a Very Specific Skillset"
15:15 - "The Skills You Never Stop Needing - Fred Wilson's Advice"
17:48 - The First Alarm Bells
20:24 - CEO Transitions Take Time
22:16 - Feeling Misaligned: Childhood Experiences
27:59 - The One Thing That Helped Me Make the Tough Decision
35:23 - Ego Wanting vs Heart Longing
37:40 - Success 10 Years Ago vs Success Now
40:07 - The Startup Is Not There to Make You Happy
45:09 - Running Away or Braving the Wind
49:26 - Working Long Hours Sustainably
58:22 - Decision Making
01:05:31 - What Makes You Tick?
01:08:20 - Revelation on Simplification of Life
01:13:12 - What Your Fiancée Said About You
01:15:25 - Read Evgeny's Book!
🍿 WATCH NEXT
If you liked this conversation, you'll love this one too:
Why Your Outer Voice Is Your Biggest Threat | Soheil Ahmadzadeh - Coach
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🔗 Guest Links:
Mentioned Resources:
"Let Your Life Speak" by Parker Palmer Other Sheep breathwork app
Fred Wilson's blog on CEO framework (Union Square Ventures)
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