Scaling with Purpose: Ray Everest on Leadership, Innovation & Impact

In this episode of The Better SMB Podcast, hosts Rob Bull and David Altena sit down with Ray Everest, educator, entrepreneur and co-founder of Future Focus, to explore what it takes to build a business that thrives without you. From humble beginnings in Tokoroa to leading six early learning centres in Papamoa, Ray shares his journey of scaling with purpose, removing ego from leadership, and creating deep societal impact through innovation. Ray’s story is one of resilience, vision and continuous improvement. He discusses how he and his wife Courtney built Future Focus from the ground up, the importance of leadership development, and how their new AI-powered platform, Auro, is transforming early childhood education by helping teachers intervene earlier and more effectively with children needing behavioural and learning support. Whether you’re an SMB owner, educational leader or someone passionate about building high-performing teams, this episode is packed with insights on sustainable growth, leadership behaviours, and creating scalable impact. Highlights: How Ray scaled Future Focus to six centres in seven years with over 120 staff supporting 550 children Why removing your DNA from the business is key to sustainable growth The genesis of Oro, an AI-driven platform set to revolutionise early learning support and the education industry Ray’s leadership philosophy: empowering people to exceed expectations and make mistakes safely  ---------------------  The Better SMB Podcast is sponsored by SetSeed, the all-in-one platform that redefines what a website can be. Smart, secure and AI-tailored to reflect your brand. No plugins, no patchwork, no problems. Just world-class software and support in one subscription. Discover more at setseed.com  ---------------------  Connect with Rob and David on LinkedIn Rob Bull David Altena Learn more about NZ Lean Academy and the mission Rob is on to make NZ the best place in the world to do business  Download David's NBR-featured report "Boosting Productivity in New Zealand SMEs" by joining the mailing list on the Altena Solutions website and start your journey to a more higher performing business today