Insights from the Inside: The Expert Edition - Mark Bridger

At VenturePath, our expert network brings together those who’ve built, backed, scaled, and exited businesses - and who now help others do the same. They’re not here to share theoretical advice, but to offer practical, actionable insights drawn directly from their own experience.

In this edition of Insights from the Inside: The Expert Edition, we’re excited to feature Mark Bridger, Sales and GTM Strategist, Mark brings 35 years of sales and business leadership experience to the table, with a solid track record of driving major growth through smart strategy and hands-on operational management. These days, he focuses on coaching and guiding senior executives and entrepreneurs toward successful business outcomes.

His extensive global experience has taught him how to deliver real revenue results. Mark takes a team-based approach to coaching and mentoring that's built on solid analysis, active listening, personal accountability, and the kind of constructive challenge that helps leaders truly grow. Here's what he had to say:

Q&A with Mark Bridger

What’s the one mistake you see founders making that holds them back from scaling effectively?

"One common mistake is focusing too much on short-term gains or local optimisations, to appease initial customers’ needs. This often results in burnout, inconsistent processes, and inefficiencies that become bottlenecks as the company grows, impacting revenue growth."

What’s one small change that can have a massive positive impact on a founder’s ability to scale?

"To scale effectively, founders should prioritise building resilient systems, documenting processes, and fostering a strong organisational culture that can flexibly adapt and grow with the business. Delegating effectively and investing in scalable infrastructure, both technology and human."

What’s one trend you see shaping the future for startups over the next 12 months?

"Of course, I would say it’s the increasing adoption of AI and automation technologies. Startups that leverage AI-driven automation tools can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and offer more personalised experiences to their customers. This naturally enables startups to compete more effectively, innovate faster, and scale revenues more smoothly. However, we humans still need to bring the creativity, innovation and business attitude to ensure success!"

What’s one thing that founders waste time and money on while scaling that they shouldn’t?

"One common area is investing heavily in elaborate, customised solutions or features that aren’t essential at their current stage. This can include overbuilding infrastructure, developing complex features, or expanding the team prematurely, before the core product-market fit is embedded and delivering robust revenues."

About Mark

Mark has 35 year’s sales and business leadership experience and a track record of driving major growth through strategic and operational management, now coaching and guiding successful business outcomes for senior executives and entrepreneurs.

With extensive global experience, Mark ensures the delivery of revenue results, with a proven team based coaching and mentoring approach, delivered through fact-based analysis, active listening, individual accountability and constructive challenge.

Mark is actively involved with VenturePath to support scaling founders. Connect with him and tap into his wealth of knowledge and experience through the platform. If you’re not yet a member, sign up today to access Mark's insights and support as you scale your business.