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ScaleX Insider PodcastAuthor: Brendan McGurgan
My name is Brendan McGurgan and I am immersed in the world of scaleup businesses. In 2020, myself and business partner Claire Colvin co-founded Simple Scaling with the sole purpose of inspiring and enabling millions of ambitious leaders to scale with purpose. Over the past two years we have researched and examined our success and the success of those who have 'been there and done it' to create the 10 Principles of Scaling which is enshrined in our ScaleX Framework. As an extension of this we have created the ScaleX Insider Podcast. Every week I will be having fascinating conversations with authors, change makers and business leaders on one or more of the ScaleX Principles to support you on your journey to success. I believe passionately in business scaleup and most importantly the wellbeing of you - the aspirational scaleup leader. New episodes on Wednesdays. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts, and please rate, review and share the podcast if you enjoy it. For more information go to: www.simplescaling.com. Language: en Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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[REPLAY - from the archive] How Susie Ma Scaled Tropic Skincare With Purpose, Resilience and Profit
Episode 11
Tuesday, 17 June, 2025
How Susie Ma Scaled Tropic Skincare With Purpose, Resilience and Profit In this episode of the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast, host Brendan McGurgan sits down with Susie Ma, founder and CEO of Tropic Skincare, one of the UK’s fastest-growing beauty brands and a shining example of purpose-led entrepreneurship. From launching Tropic at age 15 to turning it into a multi-million-pound business, Susie shares the highs, lows and deep personal insights behind building a truly values-driven company — one that’s scaled profitably, sustainably, and without compromising its ethical roots. This episode is essential listening for SME business leaders who want to scale without selling out, and build businesses that are not only commercially successful, but deeply aligned with personal values, impact, and purpose. 🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ How to scale a business without compromising your values ✅ The secret to Tropic’s growth: customers as co-creators ✅ Why resilience matters more than strategy in tough moments ✅ How to embed sustainability into your business model from day one ✅ What Susie learned from rejection on The Apprentice ✅ The power of radical transparency in building brand trust ✅ How Tropic made purpose its competitive advantage ✅ Susie’s personal mindset tools for clarity and confidence ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Welcome & Susie’s story of building Tropic 06:40 – Growing a purpose-led business from £200 10:30 – Being values-led under pressure 15:10 – When growth tests your convictions 21:45 – Empowering customers in your strategy 26:00 – What sustainable leadership looks like 33:20 – Hiring for integrity and belief 38:00 – The real costs of misalignment 43:15 – Susie’s tools for staying focused 47:00 – 3 timeless takeaways for scaling with purpose 🔗 Connect with Susie Ma 🌐 Website: https://www.tropicskincare.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susie-ma/ 📺 The Apprentice Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQFSfwZq_ug About Simple Scaling & ScaleX™ Insider Podcast: ScaleX™ is a platform designed to help SME leaders scale with purpose using the proven ScaleX™ Framework. Hosted by Brendan McGurgan, the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast brings insights from world-class entrepreneurs and business thinkers. If you're an SME leader who wants help to scale with purpose and a proven plan and framework to follow to get there, here's two ways you can work with us: Join our Northern Ireland ScaleX Accelerator Programme in 2026! (For SME leaders generating £2m-30m annually.) Since 2020, we've ran a 12-month group coaching programme designed for CEOs, founders and MDs of SME's who want to scale their business, their own leadership, their teams and their value proposition. In 90 days, we'll spot the bottlenecks stopping you right now and devise a plan throughout the rest of the programme on how you can achieve limitless business, If that sounds good to you, click here to join our waitlist for 2026 - https://scalexaccelerator.simplescaling.com/ 📢 Subscribe for weekly insights on how to Scale with Purpose: /@scalexinsider #ScalingWithPurpose, #SMELeadership, #PurposeDrivenBusiness, #FounderMindset, #EthicalEntrepreneurship
