January 2020. New CEO. Six-month-old baby. Seven weeks later? COVID hits.

That's how Cara McLeod stepped into the CEO role at Mahlab—and somehow that chaos became the launchpad for international growth.

But here's the problem: Mahlab does bespoke strategy work. Everything is custom. Every project needs people. More growth = more headcount. The classic service business trap.

So how do you scale what on paper looks hard to scale?

Cara asks the questions keeping service business CEOs up at night: How do you stand out in a global marketplace when you're suddenly competing worldwide? Can you turn custom expertise into scalable products without losing your magic? And how do you test international markets—especially for their niche in member-based organisations—without taking your eye off the Australian ball?

Naomi doesn't hold back. She reveals the partnership model that took a  Shark Tank investment global fast. Plus: the warm referral strategies that crack international markets (spoiler: ditch the cold calling) and why tapping into global associations through your existing clients is pure gold.

If you're wrestling with taking custom work global, this episode is your playbook.

January 2020. New CEO. Six-month-old baby. Seven weeks later? COVID hits.
That's how Cara McLeod stepped into the CEO role at Mahlab&mdash;and somehow that chaos became the launchpad for international growth.
But here's the problem: Mahlab does bespoke strategy work. Everything is custom. Every project needs people. More growth = more headcount. The classic service business trap.
So how do you scale what on paper looks hard to scale?
Cara asks the questions keeping service business CEOs up at night: How do you stand out in a global marketplace when you're suddenly competing worldwide? Can you turn custom expertise into scalable products without losing your magic? And how do you test international markets&mdash;especially for their niche in member-based organisations&mdash;without taking your eye off the Australian ball?
Naomi doesn't hold back. She reveals the partnership model that took a&nbsp; Shark Tank investment global fast. Plus: the warm referral strategies that crack international markets (spoiler: ditch the cold calling) and why tapping into global associations through your existing clients is pure gold.
If you're wrestling with taking custom work global, this episode is your playbook.

Handpicked with Naomi Simson is a short podcast delivered each Monday which is just like having a mentoring session with one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs.

In this podcast Naomi takes questions from business owners that might need help growing starting or saving their business.

Each guest is handpicked by Naomi as she shares stories, ideas and advice that might help them and anyone that has ever wanted to start a business.

Naomi Simson is an entrepreneur who founded RedBalloon in 2001. She has been blogging for a decade at NaomiSimson.com, is a professional speaker, author of Live What You Love & Ready To Soar, and a “Shark” on business reality show Shark Tank Australia.

Handpicked with Naomi Simson is a short podcast delivered each Monday which is just like having a mentoring session with one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs.

Handpicked with Naomi Simson

When Custom Meets Scale - Global Aspirations Realised

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/d3c3fae0-c28c-4b37-8480-b3690042ede4/transcript

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