Scaling With Purpose: Liam McStravick on Leadership & SaaS Growth | ScaleX

Scaling with purpose, leadership under pressure, and building a global SaaS platform from Belfast—Liam McStravick shares the raw truth about entrepreneurship in this episode of the ScaleX™ Insider podcast.   Liam McStravick, Co-Founder and CEO of TeamFeePay, has founded seven businesses, remortgaged his house to fund his vision, and scaled from £1M to £5M ARR while growing his team from 20 to 70 people. In this conversation with host Brendan McGurgan, Liam reveals the pivotal moments that shaped his entrepreneurial journey—from collecting cash on football pitches to building Europe's fastest-growing grassroots football platform.   In this episode you'll discover: - What scaling with purpose really means—and how it became Liam's decision-making framework  - The three catalysts that sparked TeamFeePay (including a holiday revelation and a $54M startup exit story) - Why Liam remortgaged his house to extend his runway—and the conviction that kept him going - How leadership must evolve from 20 to 70 people (what got you here won't get you there) - The non-negotiable principle: "We serve at the pleasure of our customers" - Three timeless entrepreneur takeaways: embrace imperfection, prioritise self-care, and surround yourself with people you love - The audacious 2030 vision: £50M revenue, 300 employees, and owning the global grassroots football market   Key Quotes: - "Scaling with purpose is figuring out what we stood for and what we stood against—what were absolute must-haves with everything we do as a company." - "Of every 10 customers we were winning, nine were in England and we were doing it from Belfast. - All the early signs were working." "It's always going to feel a little bit broken—and that's okay. It doesn't have to be perfect as long as every day you're taking another step towards that North Star." - "Do it with people you love and care about. The strength in our leadership team isn't about the boardroom—it's about being connected inside and outside work."   Ready to scale your SME with purpose? The ScaleX™ Accelerator Programme is now open for applications. It's a 12-month transformational journey designed for ambitious SME leaders who want clarity, capability, and community to scale sustainably. Apply here: https://simplescaling.com/scalex-accelerator-programme   About Liam McStravick and TeamFeePay Liam McStravick is the Co-Founder and CEO of TeamFeePay, a SaaS platform supporting grassroots football clubs across the UK and Ireland. An entrepreneur since 2004, Liam has founded seven businesses and is a UEFA A Licensed Coach deeply committed to youth football development and community engagement. TeamFeePay helps clubs streamline operations, collect payments cashlessly, and free up volunteers to focus on developing players and strengthening communities.   Connect with Liam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liammcstravick Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/TeamFeePay Website: https://www.teamfeepay.com   About ScaleX™ and Simple Scaling ScaleX™ Insider is brought to you by Simple Scaling, creators of the ScaleX™ Accelerator Programme—a 12-month cohort-based journey designed to inspire, connect, and enable ambitious leaders of SMEs to scale with purpose. Through world-class frameworks, peer learning, and expert mentorship, Simple Scaling helps entrepreneurs achieve clarity, build capability, and create lasting impact. Learn more: https://simplescaling.com/scalex-accelerator-programme Subscribe & Never Miss an Episode Get weekly insights from world-class entrepreneurs and business leaders scaling with purpose. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SimpleScaling  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/scalex-insider/id1494889789  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0d7ZzJFe6uL3I6wzW3BlFx   Episode Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to Liam McStravick and TeamFeePay 08:30 – What scaling with purpose means to Liam 15:45 – Growing up in North Belfast and learning entrepreneurship 23:20 – Six businesses before TeamFeePay: learning about leverage 32:10 – The three catalysts that sparked the idea 42:15 – Remortgaging the house and going all in 51:30 – From 20 to 70 people: evolving leadership and culture 1:02:45 – The ScaleX™ Accelerator Programme experience  1:12:20 – Three timeless takeaways for entrepreneurs  1:18:30 – The vision for 2030: owning the global market   #ScalingWithPurpose #ScaleXPodcast #LeadershipValues #EntrepreneurInsights #SMEGrowth #BusinessScaling