You’ve outgrown scrappy. Now what?

When you’re in scale-up mode, the playbook shifts.

The scrappy hustle that got you early traction?
It won’t get you to brand fame.
The daily posts and drip-fed paid?
Can only stretch so far.

At this stage, you don’t need more output.
You need alignment.
Strategic moves that punch above your weight – without blowing the budget.

Brand spotlight:

Let’s talk about BERO – the non-alcoholic beer brand founded by Tom Holland.

Instead of relying solely on performance marketing or stunt PR, they delivered something smarter:

The BERO Padel Classic – an IRL event that was incredibly well executed by a talented global team.

• Co-hosted with IMG and Ad/vantage Sports

• Hosted at the ultra-hyped Padel Social Club - invested in by Stormzy

• Sponsored by Darktrace, Vuori, Chase Sapphire, Aston Martin

That’s a scale-up move. Why?

Because they didn’t try to own the entire thing.
They brought in partners.
Borrowed reach.
Shared investment.
And amplified everything.

What scale-up brands can learn from this:

1. Partnerships are your power move. Stop acting like you have to do it all alone.

2. IRL still matters. Especially when done with relevance, taste, and good company.

3. Borrowed brand equity = fast trust. You’re not just seen - you’re seen with the right players.

» These types of partnerships can take 6 months to pull off (or more), so don’t expect a quick ROI! You need to plan in advance and take a risk.

Pressure-tested thinking:
Right now you’re probably:

• Spinning plates across paid, CRM, influencer, organic…

• Hiring to keep up with channel sprawl

• Questioning CAC while trying to preserve brand value

What if your next bold move didn’t come from your marketing calendar, but your commercial one?

Ask yourself:

• Who has the reach, reputation, or audience we want access to?

• What can we bring to the table that makes us a no-brainer partner?

My take (Fractional CMO mode on):
Scale-ups don’t lack ideas. They lack alignment.

» Who are the decision makers that you need to get on-board to make this vision into a reality? Get them onside first.

BERO’s event worked because it aligned audience, platform, partners, and product.
Just real brand equity - accelerated. Use this as a case study to get it signed off!

So here’s your challenge this month:
Stop briefing in more paid ads.
Start briefing in one partnership play that earns trust, builds reach, and delivers brand value at scale.

Let me know how it goes.

Stay bold, stay brilliant.
Beth

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Disclaimer: I share advice from my own experience. Every business is unique, so tailor these ideas to fit your needs.