Episode Details

Andrew Holbert, founder of Pareto FM, shares the unfiltered story of how he went from starting a facilities management business in his bedroom (in his pants) to building a £50 million operation with 550 staff and exiting for nine figures at age 37.

Andrew reveals the strategic decisions, brutal work ethic, and unconventional sales tactics that allowed him to achieve profitability levels two to three times higher than industry competitors, all while maintaining an 8 in 10 win rate on major contracts. From winning London Zoo as a £1.5 million turnover business to sitting in client offices with trays of donuts (including vegan and gluten free options), he breaks down exactly how he built a service business designed for scale and sale.

You are going to learn:

00:00 Intro

01:04 How I Started A Business In My Bedroom (In My Pants)

03:21 Growing From Bedroom To £50M & 550 Staff In 9 Years

05:47 Why Our EBITDA Was 13% When Competitors Were At 4%

09:12 The Overhead Light Model That Changed Everything

12:38 Why I Turned Down Work When I Was Starting Out

15:29 How I Used AI Before AI Existed (And Why I'm Glad It Wasn't There)

18:44 Hiring The C Suite: Building A Senior Team That Never Left

22:17 Working 19 Hours A Day & Still Having Two Kids

26:03 The 1,000 Day Wall Planner That Kept Me Going

29:51 Why Work Your Arse Off Is Still The Answer

33:26 I'm Not An Entrepreneur, I'm Someone Who Achieves Things

37:14 What Success Really Means (And Why It's Not What You Think)

40:58 The Three Things I Was Willing To Lose

43:37 Why There Are Two Times To Start A Business

46:22 The Air Conditioning Opportunity Everyone's Missing

49:08 How London Zoo Made Us Grow 300% In One Day

52:41 You Only Get Lucky When You're Doing Something

56:19 Why I Never Won A Single Pound On LinkedIn

59:47 The Donut Strategy That Won Million Pound Contracts

01:03:25 How To Read A Room & Adapt In Two Seconds

01:06:52 The Fake Job Advert Trick To Learn About Competitors

01:10:18 Why Price Was Only 20% Of What We Focused On

01:14:36 What To Do When You Lose A Contract

01:17:29 Sitting At Client Desks & Buying 20 Cheeseburgers

01:21:43 Why I Saw Myself As A Character, Not As Me

01:24:16 Taking Myself Out Of The Pitch To Win The Royal Household

Get help from Brad personally: https://bradstaines.com/

HOST BIO

Brad Staines is a founder in the thick of it, but by design, not by default. As the face of Aquamark Cleaning, he's built a multi million pound operation with 30+ team members, strong systems, and a culture that gives people space to grow.

He's still involved in the business a couple of days a week, but only doing the parts he genuinely enjoys: building relationships, growing the brand, spending time with the team, and spotting new opportunities. The day to day grind? That's been handed over to a structure that runs without constant firefighting.

Brad's also found his rhythm outside of business, with a deep commitment to physical and mental training. Whether it's strength work, early morning runs, or cold plunges, he's a believer that how you