The 20% That Actually Scales a Company | Loic Potjes

What if the reason your company is not scaling is not effort, but focus?In this episode of Executive Connect, Melissa Aarskaug sits down with Loic Potjes, global business strategist, former corporate and scale-up CEO, and founder of Disruptive Leap. With experience coaching more than 50 scale-up CEOs across 25 countries, Loic breaks down what it really takes to move from running a business to truly scaling one. He shares why most leaders stay trapped in linear thinking, how to find the few actions that actually move the needle, and where AI can create a real strategic edge instead of just more noise.This episode is for CEOs, founders, and senior leaders who want to scale faster, think more clearly, and stop wasting time on work that does not matter. Catch the full conversation today.What You Will LearnWhy most CEOs get stuck running instead of scalingHow to identify the 20% of work that creates the biggest impactWhy exponential growth requires a different mindsetWhat makes emerging markets different from mature marketsHow smart partnerships can shorten the path to scaleWhere AI creates real business leverage beyond simple automationHow leaders can make better decisions under pressureWhat it takes to keep momentum without burning outChapters (0:01) Why CEOs must think exponentially (1:48) The mindset shift from running to scaling (5:10) Finding the 20% that matters most (10:06) Scaling across markets and cultures (15:26) Using AI beyond the hype (22:12) Making clear decisions under pressure (28:39) Keeping growth without burnout (33:22) Final advice for scale-up CEOsGuest Bio Loic Potjes is a global business strategist, former corporate and scale-up CEO, and founder of Disruptive Leap. Over the past 25 years, he has led companies with up to 4,000 people, managed mergers, launched businesses in emerging markets, and advised leaders across North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Today, he coaches scale-up CEOs on how to create clarity, build momentum, and scale faster with sharper execution, stronger differentiation, and practical AI strategy.Connect with Loic Potjes Website: https://www.disruptiveleap.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loicpotjes/Connect with Executive ConnectWebsite: https://www.executiveconnectexperience.comLinkedIn: Melissa AarskaugYouTube: Executive ConnectInstagram: @executiveconnectpodcastTikTok: @executiveconnectpodcastFacebook: Executive Connect