People Spark Solutions
“I left these meetings feeling very challenged and out of my comfort zone.”
People Spark Solutions had grown from a 2020 launch into a respected coaching and leadership business — but Scott Smith knew the next phase needed something he could not give himself: honest challenge from people who had built businesses before. He reached out for mentoring.
- 3
- Board-level mentors engaged
- 6
- On-call advisors for specific challenges
- 5 yrs
- From launch to advisory board
- 2025
- Strategy reshaped after two meetings
By 2025 People Spark Solutions had a portfolio of clients, a growing team and a clear specialism — coaching leaders and teams inside high-growth tech companies. What Scott Smith did not have was a sounding board with enough scar tissue to push back on his thinking.
Through Unlocked Expertise he was matched with three mentors — Mark Dixon, Ian Scurfield and John McConnell — plus six more experienced operators he could call on for specific questions. Two board meetings in, the strategy conversation had already moved.
“I left these meetings feeling very challenged and out of my comfort zone,” Scott said. “As we head towards our third board meeting things have already moved along significantly. The three advisors bring great diversity in experience and thinking. They’ve had me look at my business through the eye of a client — to see that we are authentic, speak the language of our clients and behave like an extended part of each client.”
That single reframe — looking at the business from the outside — became the launchpad for the 2025 strategy: more one-to-one coaching for tech leaders, an expanded leadership development offer, and a sharper positioning as the partner for high-growth teams who want healthy, productive workplaces.
Five years in, mentoring did not give Scott a new playbook. It gave him people willing to ask the questions he had stopped asking himself.
“They've had me look at my business through the eye of a client, to see that we are authentic, speak the language of our clients and behave like an extended part of each client. Now we have recognised that, we will be using it to launch the future strategy of the company.”
Different shape, same idea — relevant experience in the right room.
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