Simon La Fosse founded La Fosse Associates, a leading IT talent solutions agency, in 2007. Since then, he has appointed two CEOs, and both CEO transitions have been successful, as evidenced by the growth of the business: almost £200m in revenues and nearly 500 employees.

Simon and Evgeny discuss the importance of recognising one's limitations and the complexities involved in transitioning leadership roles within a company. Simon shares his experience of promoting internal talent over external hires, turning La Fosse into an employee-owned company, and maintaining company values during challenging times.

00:00 Introduction

03:08 Founding La Fosse Associates

05:40 Core Values: Co-Ownership and Care

10:24 Upholding Values During Hard Times

14:34 First CEO Transition

20:08 Navigating an Inflection Point

23:41 Second CEO Transition

27:11 Trusting Founder's Intuition

29:52 Developing a People-First Culture

31:20 Simon's Next Chapter

33:46 An Ecosystem of Support

36:21 Balancing Work and Life

40:55 Advice for Future Founders

47:44 Final Reflections and Takeaways

Evgeny Shadchnev is a founder coach who works with entrepreneurs and CEOs to ensure smooth CEO successions. Find out more about his work at www.evgeny.coach.

Startup CEO Succession: a Founder's Guide to Leadership Transition is out now. Find it on Amazon.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit substack.evgeny.coach