Natasha Hawker: Mastering Hiring, Managing & Exiting for SME Growth

In this episode, Natasha Hawker — leading people strategist, workplace culture expert, and author of From Hire to Fire & Everything in Between — joins Brendan McGurgan on ScaleX Insider to explore how purpose-driven leadership, people-first practices, and courageous conversations drive sustainable business growth. With over 25 years of HR experience and as founder of Employee Matters, Natasha brings a wealth of knowledge on building compliant, high-performing teams. She shares hard-won insights on how entrepreneurs can scale with purpose while balancing the demands of business and family. From modelling leadership at home and in the workplace, to understanding the hidden costs of poor people practices, Natasha unpacks the real-world strategies that enable business owners to lead with impact, integrity, and intention. You’ll hear how Natasha navigated entrepreneurship while raising a young family, why giving back to your team and clients is essential, and how to stop being “unconsciously incompetent” when it comes to people management. 💡 Key topics: Scaling with purpose Modelling leadership in business and life Building strong people practices Balancing entrepreneurship and family Courageous conversations in the workplace Compliance and culture as growth tools Can Small Businesses Win with AI? 🔎 About Natasha Hawker: Natasha Hawker is a leading expert in people management, workplace culture, and HR strategy. With over 25 years of experience in senior HR roles across global firms and as the founder of Employee Matters, she helps businesses unlock their potential through better people practices. Her bestselling book, From Hire to Fire & Everything in Between, is a practical guide for business owners and managers on how to hire, manage, and exit staff legally and effectively. Natasha’s approach is grounded in deep expertise, commercial insight, and a passion for changing workplaces for the better. Website: https://www.natashahawker.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashahawker Book: From Hire to Fire & Everything In Between 📈 About Simple Scaling: Simple Scaling helps SME leaders achieve exponential growth through expert coaching, masterclasses, and peer communities. Website: https://simplescaling.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simple-scaling Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simple_scaling Email: mailto:hello@simplescaling.com About Simple Scaling & ScaleX™ Insider Podcast 🧭 About Simple Scaling & ScaleX™ Insider Podcast: ScaleX™ helps SME leaders scale with purpose using the proven ScaleX™ Framework. Hosted by Brendan McGurgan, the ScaleX™ Insider Podcast shares insights from top entrepreneurs and business thinkers. If you’re an SME leader looking for a proven plan to scale, here are two ways to work with us: 👉 Join the Northern Ireland ScaleX Accelerator Programme (2026) For CEOs, founders & MDs of SMEs (£2m–30m revenue) ready to scale leadership, teams, and value. Join the waitlist: https://scalexaccelerator.simplescaling.com/ 👉 Join ScaleX Elevate (£750k–2m businesses) A digital learning community with weekly training, support, and expert sessions — designed to give you a roadmap to 2x your revenue and talent within 2 years. Register your interest: https://scalexinsights.simplescaling.com/elevate #LeadershipImpact #MultipliersMindset #ScaleUpSuccess #SimpleScaling #SMEGrowth #ExecutiveLeadership