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PODCAST

Peer Effect

Best way to scale? Your peers have the answers.This is the podcast for scaleup founders looking for insightful, actionable wisdom from some of the best operators around. Each week we’ll explore one secret that other founders and experts are using right now and how to implement it. It’s practical wisdom to build the company AND life you want. Hosted by renowned founder coach and advisor James Johnson. You’ve survived to £1m, now let’s scale to £10m+.

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

18:29

What Should You Actually Use a Coach For?

Peer Effect ·

2026/04/13

Most founders misunderstand what coaching is for. And it costs them. In this Post Bag episode, James Johnson and Freddie Birley unpack what coaching actually does - and why the best founders use it differently. This isn’t about frameworks. It’s about decision-making, pressure, and telling the truth when it matters. Listen to the end if you’ve ever asked: “Is coaching actually worth it?” More from James: Connect with James on LinkedIn or at peer-effect.com

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41:10

Are You the Bottleneck in Your Startup? | Max Teichert

Peer Effect ·

2026/04/08

At some point, every founder becomes the bottleneck. In this episode of Peer Effect, James Johnson speaks with Max Teichert, founder of Track Titan, about the transition from doing everything yourself to building systems that scale. Max shares his journey from sim racing to launching Track Titan and explains how founders can stay close to product while avoiding burnout and decision overload. This conversation is packed with practical advice for founders navigating growth and stepping into the...

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16:16

How to Not Become an Asshole as You Get More Senior

Peer Effect ·

2026/04/06

"How do I not become an asshole?" Emma sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birley for Peer Effect Post Bag. The fact she's asking is already a good sign. What you'll hear: Why self-reflection matters but isn't enough. Freddie breaks down the three groups you need around you. Your team is one. But they have limits most founders don't acknowledge. The power dynamic nobody talks about. You can fire your team. They know it. James explains how far they'll actually push - and why expecting more ...

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41:27

Core Values in Startups: Hiring, Scaling and Culture...

Peer Effect ·

2026/04/01

Founders talk about values all the time. But do they actually drive growth? In this episode of Peer Effect, James Johnson speaks with Allison Kopf, CEO of TRACT, about how to turn company values into real operating principles that improve hiring, retention and performance. Allison shares practical frameworks for building mission-driven teams, running values workshops, hiring for cultural alignment and scaling culture from startup to Series A and beyond. This conversation is packed with action...

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15:41

Best Performer Worst Behaved: What to Do When Your...

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/30

"My best performing team member is also my worst behaved. What should I do?" Jack sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birley for Peer Effect Post Bag. The answer is clear: one is worse than the other. What you'll hear: Why under-behaving vs underperforming are fundamentally different problems. James explains which one is more detrimental to your business and why most founders get this wrong. The myth of "this person is irreplaceable." James and Freddie have seen this story play out dozens ...

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40:39

Niche Business Strategy: Why Narrow Focus Beats Going...

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/25

Clementine Schouteden built a multimillion-pound e-commerce business selling premium products for Guinea pigs. Not small pets. Not rodents. Just Guinea pigs. As founder and CEO of Kavee (bootstrapped across UK, Europe, and US), Clementine spent 10 years being asked "why not expand?" Her answer changed how to think about focus. What you'll hear: Why 100% relevance to a small community beats 1% relevance to millions. Clementine explains the math behind this that most founders miss. It's not wha...

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13:40

What to Do When Your Co-Founder Is Micromanaging You

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/23

"What do I do if I feel like my co-founder is micromanaging me?" Anna sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birley for Peer Effect Post Bag. The first question they ask: are they actually micromanaging you, or do you just feel that way? The distinction matters. Because micromanagement is usually a symptom, not the problem. What you'll hear: The co-founder assumption that's often wrong. Most people assume co-founders means equal shares, equal power, and started together. James worked with co-...

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34:53

The Wrong Co-Founder Will Kill Your Business (How to...

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/18

Fabien Koutchekian built his first company with two co-founders. They were completely misaligned. After one year, Fabien left. The company failed. As Co-Founder and CEO of Genomines (plant-based metal extraction, £45M Series A, 30 people across France and South Africa), Fabien's second attempt went very differently. Here's what he learned about choosing and working with co-founders. What you'll hear: The questionnaire that reveals misalignment before you start. There are specific questions yo...

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14:48

How to Support Team Members Going Through Personal...

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/16

"How to allow for team member personal challenges as a founder?" Katy sent this to James Johnson and Freddie Birley for the Peer Effect Post Bag. James's immediate response: "I always struggle with this." This question has no easy answer because personal challenges could mean anything: mental health, divorce, bereavement, or family crises. Here's what James and Freddie break down: The core principle James always comes back to. You should look after everyone. But you can't look after one perso...

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40:23

Everyone Needs to Know Who the Villain Is - Not Just...

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/11

Neil Tanna's early fundraising mistake: he could articulate the hero perfectly. But he couldn't explain the villain. As founder of Howbout (6 million users, backed by VCs and the Sidemen with 300 million followers), Neil learned the hard way that the hero makes no sense without the villain. Investors don't care if you can describe your solution. They need to understand the problem you're solving - viscerally. What you'll hear: Why early Howbout messaging failed. They focused on the solution (...

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15:43

What to Do When You Can't Trust Your Co-Founder

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/08

"What do I do if I feel like I can't trust my co-founder?" Dan sent this to the Peer Effect Post Bag. And if you're asking this question, James Johnson and Freddie Birley know it's probably not the first time you've had that thought. This is Season 6 of Post Bag. James and Freddie are founder coaches who've worked through dozens of co-founder conflicts. Here's what they break down: Trust has two components. (1) Do they have my back emotionally? Are they loyal? (2) Can I consistent...

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34:52

How to Scale from 80 to 200 People Without Becoming...

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/04

Dr. Christian Schmierer has 80 people. In two years, he'll have 150-200. As CEO and Co-Founder of HyImpulse (building rockets with paraffin fuel, €74M+ raised, successful launch May 2024), Christian knows the challenge isn't just hiring 120 people. It's avoiding silos, slow processes, and bloat. The decisions he makes now will define what the company looks like at 200-400 people. What you'll hear: What you're actually building at 50-80 people. Not just executing today's work. You're laying fo...

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17:08

Fundraising Is Distracting You? You're Framing It Wrong

Peer Effect ·

2026/03/02

"Fundraising is distracting and draining. How do I cope?" Dave sent this to the Peer Effect Post Bag. And James and Freddie's answer challenges the question itself. If fundraising is your responsibility as a founder, calling it a "distraction" reveals the problem. That framing guarantees you'll feel distracted during it, which means you won't perform as well as you could. This is Season 6 of Post Bag. James and Freddie are founder coaches who've worked with dozens of scale-ups through fundrai...

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40:47

Why People First Beats Deals First - Even at a VC

Peer Effect ·

2026/02/25

At a VC, deals are literally the business. But Rachel Townend's philosophy? People first, always. As Chief of Staff and General Partner at Illuminate Financial - employee #1, 12 years, fourth fund, Rachel's watched what happens when founders get this right versus wrong. Her take: Without the right people in the right seats, you can't do deals. It's a multiplier effect. Good people attract good people. Get the first hires wrong and everything compounds negatively. This episode breaks down how ...

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15:43

Your VC Is Probably Failing (And They'll Never Tell You)

Peer Effect ·

2026/02/23

Most VCs work non-stop and still feel like they're failing. They do 2x the deals of their peers. They're at every event. And they still feel like they're not doing enough. What James Johnson and Freddie Birley reveal in this episode is what VCs won't say publicly: the loneliness, the ambiguity, the constant feeling of underperforming despite objectively crushing it. What drives this? Founders want freedom. VCs want peak performance. When you're optimizing for achievement but venture's ambigui...

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35:13

Why Network Effects Beat Product Now (The AI Shift...

Peer Effect ·

2026/02/18

You spent a year building a feature. Someone just replicated it in a day using AI. This isn't hypothetical. Roei Samuel is watching it happen in real-time. As founder of Connected - a marketplace helping 5,700 fractionals work with scale-ups - he's spinning up products daily that took his team a year to build in 2020. His conclusion? Unless you're building quantum computing or genuine deep tech, your technology moat is dead. AI killed it. Here's what makes this different: Roei isn't being dra...

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14:05

Your Investors Want You to Fire Your Team (The Power...

Peer Effect ·

2026/02/16

"What do I do if my investors tell me to fire a bunch of my team?" Alex sent this question to the Peer Effect Post Bag. And the answer from James Johnson and Freddie Birley cuts deeper than "evaluate your team." This is Season 6, Episode 1 of Post Bag—where founders, CEOs, and leaders submit their hardest questions and get straight answers from two coaches who've worked with dozens of scale-ups. No fluff. No corporate speak. Just practical takes on the problems that keep you up at night. Here...

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33:54

Why Your Bank Balance Is Lying to You (The Cash Flow...

Peer Effect ·

2026/02/11

You've got £250K in the bank. You're profitable. Everything looks fine. Then your VAT bill hits and you're scrambling. Or a major client payment is 60 days late and suddenly you can't make payroll. Marc Obrart has seen this exact scenario play out dozens of times. As co-founder of Fin House, he provides finance teams and CFOs to 50+ scale-ups. And the pattern he sees most often? Founders managing by their bank account instead of understanding the two stories every business tells. Here's what ...

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29:11

The PR Playbook That Actually Drives Revenue (Hint:...

Peer Effect ·

2026/02/04

PR feels like an unquantifiable luxury when you're trying to hit profitability. But Harrison Duhr has helped hundreds of startups use media to drive actual business outcomes - fundraising, hiring top talent, and landing ideal customers. As Head of North American Brand at London and Partners, Harrison's secured coverage in CNBC, Bloomberg, Fortune, and TechCrunch for startups scaling between the UK and US. But his approach completely flips the traditional PR playbook. Here's what makes this di...

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14:05

Startup Founder Lessons: 3 Patterns From 9...

Peer Effect ·

2025/12/10

After 9 conversations with entrepreneurs and business leaders, three patterns emerged about scaling successfully. In this Season 5 recap, I share the key lessons from conversations with founders like Mark Shepherd (Gathr), George Sullivan (Sole Supplier), and Gaurav Bhattacharya (Jeeva AI), plus insights from Darcy Martin (Outward VC) and Steve Duncan (C Studios). The 3 patterns: Pattern 1: Vulnerability is the unlock, not the weakness Mark launched a 10,000-member community with a LinkedIn p...

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183 results

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