Real Talk from a Family Business CEO: Resilience, Mistakes & Growth

Steve Pickering is the CEO of Sussex Beds — a family business with 14 stores across Sussex, Kent and Surrey. But he doesn’t run it like most CEOs.In this episode, Steve opens up about the messy, rewarding reality of running a growing family business. From navigating financial turmoil and coaching challenges to installing company-wide KPIs and learning how not to micromanage — Steve shares what makes him truly unorthodox in leadership. If you're building a business and feel like you’re making it up as you go, this one’s for you.00:00 Clip: “Far more knocks than wins”00:13 Intro – Why Steve is an unorthodox CEO02:00 Growing up above the furniture shop04:30 Joining the family business full-time06:00 Restructuring after a rocky period07:40 How working with a business coach changed everything09:10 What makes Steve’s leadership style so different11:25 Performance reviews with his wife12:55 Allowing people to fail (and why that matters)14:40 Hiring people better than you16:15 Building a culture that outlives the founder18:30 Why Sussex Beds turns away low-quality sales22:00 The power of real-time data and KPIs27:00 Becoming visible as a CEO on LinkedIn29:30 Resilience: “Knock, knock, knock… win”33:30 Performance reviews around the dinner table36:00 The struggle to switch off (even on holiday)39:00 Why amateur theatre helps Steve decompress41:30 Final advice for new business owners