Episode #429 - Thinking of The Micro, But Maintain Company Culture Across the Macro - with Abid Jafri

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent sits down with Abid Jafri, the Director of AJ Sports, a family-run business specialising in cricket and hockey equipment with stores in the UK and UAE. Founded by Abid’s father in the 1980s, AJ Sports has grown into a thriving retail business with a strong focus on community engagement and increasing sports participation at the grassroots level. Throughout the discussion, Abid shares his insights on the challenges of scaling a family business, particularly in managing people and leadership development. He emphasises the importance of quick decision-making, effective delegation, and maintaining company culture across multiple locations. A key part of AJ Sports’ success has been fostering transparency with staff by sharing financial information, which, as Abid highlights, can enhance employee motivation and understanding. Abid also touches on the significance of mentorship in business growth, rethinking the concept of work-life balance, and the strategic use of AI tools like ChatGPT and Canva to improve business efficiency. Key Highlights: AJ Sports operates multiple stores in the UAE and UK, with plans to increase its online sales to 15-20% over the next five years. Abid talks about the importance of leadership development and mentorship, particularly when it comes to scaling a business. One of the major challenges in growth has been people management, but setting clear performance metrics and quick decision-making has been key to overcoming these hurdles. AJ Sports prides itself on engaging with the local community to foster a love for sports, particularly cricket and hockey. Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts. For now, continue listening for the full story from Abid. ========================= Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for. If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here: https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin You can get in touch with Kevin here: kevin@biz-smart.co.uk   Kevin's Latest Book Is Available! Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up. More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/ =================== Abid can be found here: https://ajsports.co.uk/ abid@ajsports.me   Resources: Start With Why by Simon Sinek - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action-simon-sinek/239994?ean=9780241958223 Psychology Of Money by Jim Ware - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-psychology-of-money-an-investment-managers-guide-to-beating-the-market-j-ware/3049094?ean=9780471390749 Hard To Get Rich by Felix Dennis - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-get-rich-felix-dennis/3783747?ean=9780091921668 Alchemy by Rory Sutherland - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/alchemy-the-magic-of-original-thinking-in-a-world-of-mind-numbing-conformity-rory-sutherland/4026901?ean=9780753556528 Audible - https://www.audible.co.uk/ Chat GPT - https://chat.openai.com Canva - https://www.canva.com/