"Loss and failure is what comes with growth. You have to lose to win."
"When you're overwhelmed, your brain is sending you thoughts that are super unhelpful."
"Even though I've IPO'd a business, I say to people, I still have all these insecurities that I was not good enough."
"As soon as I hear that word "should", it starts ringing alarm bells now going, no, this is an expectation of me. It's a pressure. It's not what I want."
Samantha Smith, co-founder of Super Scalers and former CEO of FinnCap, joins Annie Wenmiao Yu to trace her ~20 year journey from KPMG accountant to leading the UK's largest investment bank for growth companies through to IPO on the London Stock Exchange. She speaks candidly about being the first female stockbroker at a City firm, surviving burnout as a new mother, building inclusive culture, and confronting imposter syndrome. Sam also shares her mission to help underrepresented founders 'super scale' past £50 million in revenue.
What you'll learn
- Loss and failure are an inevitable part of growth. Learning to accept them while staying true to your vision keeps you moving forward.
- Asking for help, whether from coaches, life coaches or alternative support, can be transformational when you're overwhelmed and losing clarity.
- The word 'should' is a red flag. It often signals you're acting on external pressure rather than what you actually want.
- Inclusive culture comes from the top and from genuinely caring about people's happiness, not from writing culture documents.
- Self-awareness - knowing your strengths, weaknesses and triggers - is foundational to building a business and leading well.
- Building a business of scale gives underrepresented founders a seat at the table and the power to influence how decisions are made.
Key moments from the conversation
Barked at on the trading floor
Sam recalls walking into the commodity exchange at age 17 in her "little suit", only to be literally barked at by a room full of men with pin-up pictures on the walls. A vivid snapshot of how far the City has changed.
Hitting rock bottom as a new mum
Six months after maternity leave, with a seriously ill baby and just two hours of sleep a night, Sam was falling over in the road. She describes how a life-coaching yoga teacher and her coach Geeta helped her quiet the noise and rebuild.
The IPO and the nativity play
Sam describes getting choked up seeing FinnCap's name on the Stock Exchange screen after bringing it to IPO, and then racing on a motorcycle to make her daughter's nativity with one minute to spare.
Building inclusive culture before it had a name
Twenty years ago there were no culture consultants or books. Sam explains how simply focusing on happy, purpose-driven staff and shared ownership organically became what she now calls inclusive culture.
Imposter syndrome after the IPO
Sam admits that selling herself rather than her business brought old insecurities flooding back, and reflects on how doing the inner work earlier could have made her an even more effective CEO.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the first female CEO of a City stockbroking firm?
Samantha Smith was the first female CEO of a City stockbroking firm. She led FinnCap for 24 years, building it into the UK's largest investment bank for growth companies and taking it through IPO in December 2018.
How do you cope with burnout as a founder and new mother?
Samantha Smith recommends asking for help and finding what calms your mind. After hitting a low point sleeping just two hours a night, she found coaching and a yoga-based life coach transformational — learning to quiet unhelpful thoughts, identify her triggers, and build in regular moments of clarity. With coaching she ended up working fewer hours while being more productive.
What does inclusive culture actually look like in a scaling company?
For Samantha Smith, inclusive culture means prioritising people's happiness and shared ownership over rigid rules. At FinnCap she focused on hiring people driven by purpose beyond money, avoiding hire-and-fire practices, and creating an environment of openness — which she believes drove both profit and growth.
What is Super Scalers and who is it for?
Super Scalers is a community co-founded by Samantha Smith for founders with over £1 million in revenue who aspire to scale past £50 million. It provides a playbook, courses (launching in March) and a network to help underrepresented and female founders scale faster and avoid common pitfalls.
How can the word 'should' affect your mental health?
Samantha Smith advises that hearing yourself say 'should' is an alarm bell — it usually signals external pressure or expectation rather than something you genuinely want to do. Noticing the word prompts you to question whether the action aligns with your real priorities.
Who is Sam Smith?
Sam Smith
Entrepreneur & Non-Executive Director / CoFounder of The SuperScalers / Former CEO finnCap Group Plc
Samantha Smith spent 24 years building FinnCap into the UK's largest investment bank for growth companies, becoming its CEO and leading it to IPO in December 2018. A former KPMG-trained chartered accountant who attended a state school, she was the first female CEO of a City stockbroking firm. She is now co-founder of Super Scalers, a community and playbook helping underrepresented and female founders scale their businesses, and a champion of inclusive culture in finance.
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