Figure 8

ABOUT ME

Commercial growth rarely fails because of effort.

Commercial growth rarely fails because of effort.

It usually fails because the commercial engine isn’t aligned.

It usually fails because the commercial engine isn’t aligned.

I help software businesses remove constraints that limit growth.

I help software businesses remove constraints that limit growth.

Creator of the Figure Eight Revenue Knot.

Creator of the Figure Eight Revenue Knot.

Former CRO, CPO, Managing Director and Private Equity Operator

Former CRO, CPO, Managing Director and Private Equity Operator

Scale is delivered by systems.

Growth is delivered by people.

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My Perspective

My Perspective

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I’ve spent most of my career carrying the number, I know how tough that is.

Operator

CRO, CPO and Managing Director roles within software businesses.

Operator

CRO, CPO and Managing Director roles within software businesses.

Builder

Built teams, products, processes and operating models that drive growth.

Builder

Built teams, products, processes and operating models that drive growth.

Advisor

Worked with private equity-businesses to identify and remove growth constraints.

Advisor

Worked with private equity-businesses to identify and remove growth constraints.

What I’ve Learned

What I’ve Learned

Beliefs shaped by 25+ years leading and scaling software businesses.

I've spent most of my career carrying a revenue number. And when you're the person whose name sits next to that number, you learn fairly quickly that simply telling the sales team to sell more isn't much of a strategy.

I've spent most of my career carrying a revenue number. And when you're the person whose name sits next to that number, you learn fairly quickly that simply telling the sales team to sell more isn't much of a strategy.

I am also suspicious of problems described as sales problems.


Sometimes they are. But quite often the real issue sits somewhere else; unclear positioning, the wrong (or badly defined) target market, a product that's difficult to buy or not what the customer needs.

I am also suspicious of problems described as sales problems.


Sometimes they are. But quite often the real issue sits somewhere else; unclear positioning, the wrong (or badly defined) target market, a product that's difficult to buy or not what the customer needs.

I believe enormously in good people (and I'll take a brilliant person over a brilliant process every time). But the best businesses I've worked in have both. They give talented people clarity, structure and the tools to succeed — without creating so much process that everyone spends their lives updating Salesforce.

I believe enormously in good people (and I'll take a brilliant person over a brilliant process every time). But the best businesses I've worked in have both. They give talented people clarity, structure and the tools to succeed — without creating so much process that everyone spends their lives updating Salesforce.

And perhaps the biggest lesson is that revenue is an outcome, not a strategy. By the time it appears in the monthly numbers, most of the things that created it happened weeks or months earlier. I'd much rather understand those things — and work out which ones we can change today.

And perhaps the biggest lesson is that revenue is an outcome, not a strategy. By the time it appears in the monthly numbers, most of the things that created it happened weeks or months earlier. I'd much rather understand those things — and work out which ones we can change today.

That's really where Figure 8 came from. Not a theoretical consulting model, but an attempt to capture the things I've seen work (and, occasionally, spectacularly not work!) over 25+ years of building and scaling software businesses.

That's really where Figure 8 came from. Not a theoretical consulting model, but an attempt to capture the things I've seen work (and, occasionally, spectacularly not work!) over 25+ years of building and scaling software businesses.

Selected Experience

Outcomes over titles.

PE-backed software scale-up

Built commercial operating model supporting growth from £5m to £50m ARR.

International software business

Led commercial and product functions through multiple growth phases across EMEA and APAC.

Portfolio value creation

Worked with leadership teams across multiple PE-backed businesses to improve growth, forecasting and revenue quality.

Things You Won’t Find Here

Things You Won’t Find Here

I DON’T BELIEVE:

More dashboards automatically create growth

More salespeople always solve the problem

Process should slow people down

Strategy decks are implementation

Revenue is solely a sales responsibility

I DO BELIEVE:

Great businesses are built by great people

Positioning matters more than most companies realise

Simplicity beats complexity

Commercial teams perform best when aligned

Sustainable growth comes from strengthening the whole system