EP 7: Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape with Merv Small

In this candid and strategically grounded episode, Saurabh Jain sits down with Merv Small, Founder and Managing Director of Agiro, a ServiceNow Premier Partner, to explore the realities of entrepreneurship and scaling a professional services business within the ServiceNow ecosystem.Merv shares his journey from building ServiceNow practices in a Big Four environment to founding and growing Agiro. He reflects on the non-linear path of entrepreneurship, the pressure of wearing multiple hats as a founder, and the challenge of accepting that founders cannot - and should not - be experts in every function of the business.Together, they unpack one of the most persistent challenges in founder-led businesses: sales. The conversation dives into founder-led sales versus hiring specialist sales talent, how to evaluate performance when you are not the domain expert, and why feedback, trust, and cultural fit are critical when building early sales capability. Merv also shares his thinking on market expansion, including why the UK emerged as a strategic next step for Agiro’s growth, and how proximity, relationships, and specialisation influence success in new markets.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeMerv Small’s entrepreneurial journey and the founding of AgiroHow Agiro differentiates itself in the ServiceNow ecosystemWhy understanding client needs builds stronger client relationshipsSales strategies for founder-led professional services businessesThe challenges of hiring and managing sales talentHow to assess sales performance without being a sales specialistThe importance of feedback in performance managementWhy cultural fit matters when hiring and winning clientsWhen and how to approach market expansionThe role of cold outreach in driving sustainable business growthAbout AgiroAgiro is a specialist ServiceNow Premier Partner focused on bridging the gap between technology implementation and business process transformation. The firm helps organisations maximise the value of ServiceNow by aligning platform capability with real operational and organisational outcomes.Agiro Website: https://www.agiro.com.au/Links & ResourcesConnect with Merv SmallLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merv-small-06a7a183/?originalSubdomain=auConnect with Saurabh JainLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhjain10Website: https://ceowhisperer.au/Email: [email protected] the PodcastIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider rating and subscribing:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ceo-whisperer-by-saurabh/id1862989706Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6rbvHV1FEDxq91bERv1h8vYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEOWhisperer.auYour support helps more founders, CEOs, and investors discover the show.