I’ve invested in 82 startups. Here are 6 ways to grow your business

Simon Squibb is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He’s backed 82 startups and built a following of over 22 million people. That gives him a rare, ground-level view of how businesses actually grow.

Simply Business has partnered with Squibb because we share his mission: helping as many business owners as possible actually make it. Here are his top six lessons on how to start thinking like an entrepreneur and grow what you’ve built.

1. Mindset – start thinking like an entrepreneur

The single biggest shift is deciding you don’t need anyone’s permission. Most people wait to be told they’re allowed to build something. Entrepreneurs don’t.

Start solving problems people actually have – that’s the shift. An entrepreneur sees a gap and runs at it.

That means not worrying about titles, or spending months on a strategy that hasn’t been tested against a real customer.

You don’t need a title or a fancy plan – you just need to start before you feel ready.

Simply Business is giving away £1,000 every month with Simon Squibb for the rest of 2026. This monthly prize draw is cash funding to help you grow your business, whether you need access to a new tool, some new software, or just need to bridge the gap before getting paid. Terms and conditions apply.

2. Purpose – find your ‘why’

The ‘why’ behind what you do decides how far you get.

Your purpose is the reason you’d keep going on a bad day. It’s the filter every decision runs through, and the foundation you keep building on as the business grows.

Ask yourself who you’re really helping and why it matters to you. When your ‘why’ is clear, every decision gets easier – and people feel it.

3. Pitching – capture an investor’s imagination

Investment can be the difference between building slowly and building quickly. But the mistake most founders make in a pitch is showing investors what the business currently is – rather than what the world will look like if it works.

People don’t invest in spreadsheets, they invest in belief backed by proof.

Make them feel the problem, then show them you’re the one to solve it.

4. Community – bring people along with you

The difference between a business people talk about and one people ignore is community.

A brand isn’t your logo – it’s how people feel about you.

For small businesses especially, bringing people along with you is often the difference between making it and not. A good experience and a real person behind it are how word actually travels.

Build a community and they’ll champion you for free. Show up, listen, and give more than you take. That loyalty is worth more than any ad budget.

5. Marketing and PR – build your reputation

There’s one simple marketing rule for me: Give first and trust follows.

Just help people with no agenda and watch what comes back.

It’s not a tactic, it’s how trust gets built. The more you give freely, the more your reputation grows – and that’s the best marketing there is.

Read more: How to advertise your business: 3 founders share their stories

6. Resilience – stay committed

Every business owner has weeks that feel like the wheels are coming off. Those weeks are the ones that decide who makes it.

Slow isn’t failing. To be honest, most businesses take years, not months. The trick is to fall in love with the building, not just the winning.

When it comes to staying committed, it’s important to celebrate the small stuff – one customer, one good week.

Keep going when it’s quiet, because that’s when most people quit. The ones who make it are simply the ones who didn’t stop.

As one of the UK’s biggest business insurance providers, we specialise in public liability insurance and protect more trades than anybody else. Why not take a look now and build a quick, tailored quote?