Deploying cash for growth - Alex Fenton Podcast #47

Scaling SMEs, Offshoring Talent, and Operational Investing – with Alex Fenton (Effer Ventures)

In this episode of the FinTech Growth Podcast, I sit down with Alex Fenton, founder and CEO of Effer Ventures, and operator across multiple businesses including:
Funding Bay (debt advisory for SMEs)
FBX Capital (institutional lending access)
The Legends Agency (offshoring UK/US teams via South Africa)

We cover:
00:00 – Intro: Who is Alex Fenton?
02:00 – Starting a lending company at 25 and selling before the pandemic
05:00 – The problem with SME access to capital
08:00 – Why offshoring is overtaking entry-level hiring in the UK
12:00 – The cultural advantage of South Africa
15:00 – When founders shouldn’t do earn-outs
17:00 – How to know if you can really add value to a business
21:00 – The 3 most important lessons in operational investing
25:00 – Letting go: Alex’s 8-week founder holiday test
27:00 – Advice for founders raising debt capital

This is a raw, smart, and honest look into what it really takes to scale fast-growing SMEs across borders, from someone who's seen under the hood of 10,000+ businesses.
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🔗 Connect with Alex on LinkedIn:   / ajmfenton  
🔗 Learn more about The Legends Agency: https://www.legends.agency
🔗 Explore Funding Bay: https://www.fundingbay.co.uk
🔗 Explore Effer Ventures: https://effer-ventures.com