Episode
EP 7: Navigating the Entrepreneurial Landscape with Merv Small
- Podcast
- CEO Whisperer by Saurabh
- Published
- Feb 3, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4394
- Processing state
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Summary
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 Episode Merv Small’s entrepreneurial journey and the founding of Agiro How Agiro differentiates itself in the ServiceNow ecosystem Why understanding client needs builds stronger client relationships Sales strategies for founder-led professional services businesses The challenges of hiring and managing sales talent How to assess sales performance without being a sales specialist The importance of feedback in performance management Why cultural fit matters when hiring and winning clients When and how to approach market expansion The role of cold outreach in driving sustainable business growth…