Tuesday, November 03, 2026
The spreadsheet's been updated four times and nothing new has changed in three weeks. Here's why waiting for certainty is the real growth-killer, not the risk itself.
Choose Scaling Up if you lead a team and want a structured platform for People, Strategy, Execution and Cash, with a free assessment to start. Choose Simple-Growth if you are the owner and the first job is to find the one constraint holding the business back before you adopt any platform. They solve different problems, and some owners use both.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide and Kevin D'Ambros-Smith is an independent business coach, so he is not neutral. That is why this explains who each option suits instead of ranking them, and uses only what Scaling Up says on its own homepage. Checked 3 November 2026. Market: United States.
Scaling Up describes its platform as focused on "the 4 DECISIONS methodology every company must get right": People, Strategy, Execution and Cash. Its homepage leads with "13-30x Your Valuation", offers a free call as the main next step, and shows a badge of 250+ case studies. It is built for CEOs, founders and leadership teams, and it also recruits experienced coaches and consultants to become Scaling Up coaches.
Simple-Growth starts with you, not the platform. It finds the real constraint in your numbers, then builds a 90-day plan around that one thing. Kevin has coached 200+ businesses one-on-one across 30+ industries since 2017.
The practical difference: a platform gives a team a shared framework for every decision. Coaching tells you which decision to make first. If the real problem is that you are the bottleneck, another framework is more to run, not less.
This is not for you if you want a price list to compare today. Scaling Up's homepage says "Investment varies depending on the program and level of engagement" and that pricing is covered on a discovery call. Simple-Growth quotes coaching by conversation too.
Neither publishes a price for the main engagement, so ask each provider for a written 12-month total, including what is and is not included. If you would rather start small and fixed-price, Simple-Growth also offers three self-paced programs from $97: Quick Wins, Making It Happen and Know Your Future. Here is which one fits which problem.
"Kevin has the ability to make everything so simple. He can take something that seems like a complicated task and break this down to 1 or 2 key things, so that achieving the desired outcome becomes easier and very achievable."
Christiana Thomson
Johnson&Laird Talent Management (quoted word for word)
The US Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy reported in February 2026 that there are 36,207,130 small businesses in the United States, employing 62.3 million people, or 45.9% of private-sector workers. You are choosing from a crowded field, and most of those owners are making the choice alone.
No. Scaling Up describes a platform built on four decisions that leadership teams adopt, and it also offers coaching through its own coaches. Simple-Growth is one-on-one work with the owner, starting with a diagnosis. They can complement each other.
Partly. Its homepage lists a free assessment of about 10 minutes, a free A-Players Assessment and a 7-day Scoreboard trial with no credit card required. Check scalingup.com for the current offer.
Neither is automatically better. If you have a leadership team and want a shared framework, a platform may fit. If you are not sure what to fix first, start with a diagnosis.
Yes. Kevin coaches owners online, so location is not a barrier. Book a free conversation and you will leave knowing your likely constraint and what the first 90 days would look like.
Put the same questions to every provider and compare the written answers. A provider who answers with specifics is worth another conversation.
Not sure which suits you? A 30-minute conversation will tell you, and you are welcome to take the answers to any other provider. You can also read how coaching compares with EOS.
Sources (checked 3 November 2026): Scaling Up, home page. SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Businesses 2026, 3 Feb 2026 (United States). The testimonial is quoted word for word from the person named. Last updated 3 November 2026.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
The spreadsheet's been updated four times and nothing new has changed in three weeks. Here's why waiting for certainty is the real growth-killer, not the risk itself.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
The thought isn't "how do I grow this" anymore, it's "can I keep doing this." That thought isn't proof you're failing — it's proof you're carrying it alone.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
Twenty minutes at the kitchen table turns into two hours, again. Here's why willpower isn't the fix — and the one question that actually frees up your week.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
"I'm also talking to someone else." Most owners improvise an answer in that moment and sound like everyone else. Here's how to have the answer ready.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
Half your customer base needs chasing, discounting or managing. The fix usually isn't your delivery — it's who your marketing is attracting in the first place.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
You've run the numbers four times and still haven't decided. It's not the decision that's the problem — it's that you're making it with no one to pressure-test your thinking.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
An agency, a freelancer or doing it yourself with AI: who each suits, what one NZ agency publishes on cost, and six questions to ask before you pay anyone. Checked 4 November 2026.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
Scaling Up gives a leadership team a four-decision platform. Coaching finds the one constraint to fix first. Here is who each suits, what is public on cost, and six questions to ask. Checked 3 November 2026.
Tuesday, November 03, 2026
Three self-paced programs at $97, $297 and $497. Here is the problem each one fixes, who it suits, who should skip it, and how to choose in five minutes. Checked 3 November 2026.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Strategic Coach, Tony Robbins Business Mastery or one-on-one coaching? A fair, source-linked guide for US owners, with a five-question test to match the format to your stage.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Research published by Adobe Acrobat in October 2026 shows 88% of UK business owners don't trust their own branding, even though 72% call it essential. Here's the gap, and the 3-step fix that closes it.
Monday, November 02, 2026
The New Zealand AI advisory pilot co-funds up to half of an AI plan for small businesses, capped at $15,000, and has been extended to mid-2027. What it is, what to check, and a practical first 30 days. Checked 2 November 2026.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Seven things you can check before you hire a business coach, and how ActionCOACH, Business Mentors NZ, EOS, Simple-Growth and The Icehouse compare on each. Method and bias disclosed. Checked 2 November 2026.
Monday, November 02, 2026
The demand is there. You aren't. Here's why your business can't grow past your own hours, and the simple method for designing one that can.
Monday, November 02, 2026
Flat out one month, silent the next, and every call is yours alone. Here's why the quiet season is exactly when an outside perspective pays for itself.