Mark Scrivener has spent the last couple of decades helping businesses grow, adapt, and build what matters. He’s worked across agencies, start-ups, scale-ups, and enterprise environments, often moving between worlds people assume don’t mix: creative and corporate, small and huge, strategy and delivery.

In this episode of the Authority Builder Podcast, Mark shares what he’s learned about scaling sustainably, avoiding bottlenecks, building culture, and using systems (including AI) in a way that supports people rather than replacing them.

If you’re growing a business, leading a team, or trying to build a better operating model without burning everyone out, you’ll find a lot to take away.

From agency roots to scaling businesses

Mark’s journey started in the agency world, where problem-solving is the job.

After Mohu, he moved into a sporting digital agency handling large volumes of sports event data.

The challenge wasn’t just delivering services. It was turning raw data into digital products and customer experiences that created value for clients across horse racing organisations, bookies, and media.

That phase came with a key scaling lesson: when you grow quickly, governance and structure matter as much as speed.

What changes as you grow from 5 to 150 (and beyond)

One of the most practical parts of Mark’s perspective is how clearly he describes the “phases” of growth.

At 5–10 people, you’re scrappy.

Everyone wears multiple hats.

You may not have HR, finance, or legal support, but the work still has to get done.

At around 30 people, things start to shift.

You can focus more, but you still don’t have full departments to lean on. You’re more specialised, but still interdependent.

At 150 people or a few thousand, you’re operating in squads inside a larger system.

Now you can rely on specialist departments, but the risk becomes fragmentation and poor communication.

Mark’s recurring theme here is simple and important:

Scaling is built on communication and transparency.

The biggest scaling myth: relying on “superstars”

A common pattern Mark sees is founders or leaders leaning too hard on the same high performers.

They’re dependable, they’ve done it before, and they make things happen.

So they end up front and centre on every important client, every “shiny” project, and every urgent decision.

Over time, that creates two problems:

1) The superstar becomes the bottleneck
Everything needs them, so progress slows.

2) The rest of the team gets stuck
Others don’t get the chance to grow, contribute, or lead, which can create resentment.

Mark’s fix is not complicated, but it does require discipline:

• Delegate properly
• Train people around the leaders
• Spread responsibility across the team
• Build decision-making capability at multiple levels

It’s not just better for culture. It’s essential for growth.

If you can’t step back, you can’t scale (or exit)

Mark also touches on a hard truth that shows up when businesses want to scale or sell:

If the founder (or a key leader) is the product, the service, or the decision-maker for everything, the business becomes harder to value and harder to exit.

Succession planning, management buyouts, and acquisitions all get more complex when the organisation can’t function without one person.

Stepping back isn’t just delegation for the sake of it.

It’s building something that can last.

How to keep momentum alive while hiring fast

Hiring quickly can create a strange mix:

• New joiners need context
• Existing staff are moving fast
• Leaders are juggling delivery and recruitment

Mark’s approach is to make the journey visible.

That means sharing:

• Successes
• Failures
• Client wins
• Client losses (and what you learned)

In many organisations, people only hear the good news. But when a big client leaves and no one explains why, uncertainty spreads.

Transparency helps teams stay engaged, feel trusted, and contribute ideas that reduce the chance of repeat mistakes.

When to stabilise vs when to push for growth

Not every business needs to grow aggressively.

Mark points out that many agencies intentionally stay at 7–10 people, make consistent profit, keep cash in the bank, and avoid the stress that comes with scaling.

That isn’t a lack of ambition. It’s a conscious operating choice.

The challenge is that once you reach a certain size (often around 30 people), the pressure increases:

• Higher overheads
• More salary responsibility
• Greater need for predictable revenue
• More temptation to say yes to everything

To decide whether to stabilise or accelerate, Mark leans heavily on clarity and data:

• Runway visibility
• EBITDA and margin tracking
• Hiring plans mapped to pipeline
• Bench capacity
• Forward scheduling and forecasting

The key is that this information should be automated and transparent, not held by one person acting as the gatekeeper.

AI: do you need it, or do you just need better systems?

Mark splits AI into two practical categories:

1) Operational AI (business-wide)
This is infrastructure-level change: how your whole organisation works. It’s a programme of work, usually involving operations and IT.

2) Day-to-day efficiency AI (individual use)
This includes tools people use to speed up tasks, reduce admin, and improve workflows. Think meeting notes, scheduling, voice-to-text, design tooling, and developer copilots.

His point is balanced:

AI is here, it’s useful, and it’s being adopted quickly.

But leaders still need to avoid rushing into “quick wins” without proper discovery, customer insight, or design thinking. Fast prototypes and proof-of-concepts are fine, but scaling requires proper engineering and a clear view of the real use case.

Why human connection still matters (more than ever)

One of the most striking reminders in Mark’s conversation is that even in highly technical, enterprise environments, progress still depends on people.

He mentioned examples where getting an innovative product into a major ecosystem can take anywhere from 30 to 200 meetings.

Not touchpoints.

Not automated sequences.

Actual conversations with real humans, across multiple stakeholders, until timing, need, and internal alignment match.

That’s a useful counterweight to the idea that tech alone drives growth.

Looking ahead: “transitional design” and building for real impact

Mark is now focusing more intentionally on organisations and projects that create meaningful change.

He referenced a concept he’s championing called transitional design: designing services, experiences, and systems with an understanding of how today’s decisions shape future environments.

In other words, not just building what works now, but building what still works later.

Listen to the full episode

If you want the full conversation, including more on scaling culture, product-led growth, and how Mark approaches advisory work across multiple organisations, listen here:

Listen on Buzzsprout: From Start-Up to Scale-Up: Mark Scrivener’s Guide to Sustainable Growth

Want help applying this to your business?

If you’re navigating growth, trying to remove bottlenecks, or building systems that make your business easier to run (without losing the human element), this episode is a strong starting point.

Go and listen to the episode on Buzzsprout, then identify one area where you can improve clarity, delegation, or decision-making in the next 30 days.