In this high-impact episode of Business Growth Talks, Mark Hayward sits down with Simon Severino, founder of Strategy Sprints and author of the bestselling book by the same name. With over 21 years of experience and 1,600 companies served, Simon brings an incredible depth of wisdom on how to accelerate growth, simplify strategy, and transform businesses through systems thinking and agile sales processes.

Simon opens up about what a true business mindset means to him—seeing business as a holistic, adaptive system that must always serve the outside world. He shares his unique perspective on strategy as a living, evolving process, and explains why even solopreneurs need a CEO meeting with themselves every week.

Throughout the episode, Simon walks us through how his sprint-based strategy model evolved from a personal practice into a globally-scaled franchise. You’ll hear how weekly cycles replaced traditional annual planning, why every business must focus on the buyer’s psychology, and how companies can drastically shorten their sales cycles and increase pricing power with the right tools and systems in place.

He also talks about his transition from academia to entrepreneurship, how teaching remains at the heart of his work, and why his upbringing—rooted in a love of books and bold experimentation—shaped his values today. From his first solo strategy meetings to leading a global remote team, Simon shares the exact practices that helped him grow, stay focused, and deliver consistent results for his clients.

Simon reveals the importance of metrics with meaning, the power of standing out in your market, and how his clients—ranging from solopreneurs to Google—build scalable, sellable businesses using his 274 proprietary tools. He also shares how a daily focus on mindset, presence, and physical wellbeing helps him manage setbacks, stay creative, and lead with energy.

You’ll hear real-world examples, including a case study of how one IT consultancy skyrocketed their pipeline and sales by narrowing their offer and ideal client. Simon also opens up about the evolution of his leadership, how he’s built a life of freedom and purpose through entrepreneurship, and why he has no plans to sell—because he’s already living the life he’d choose as a billionaire.

This episode is full of insight, frameworks, and powerful mindset shifts for any founder, consultant, or service-based business owner looking to grow faster, work smarter, and build a business that truly serves both clients and lifestyle.

Highlights from the conversation include:

Why your business must serve the whole, not the parts

How to run a strategy meeting—even if you’re a solopreneur

The psychology of sales and how to optimize for trust and ease

Building global success with a lean, remote-first team

What legacy means beyond money, and how Simon lives his “rich life” now

How focusing on relevance, engagement, trust, and safety transforms deal flow

What it means to grow a fun, freedom-based business that lasts

If you’re serious about growing your business and want to hear from someone who’s done it with clarity, precision, and humanity—this is the episode for you.

Check out Simon and his tools at strategysprints.com where you can try out his systems free for seven days and join the Sprint Club community.

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