84. Frog Capital's playbook to purposeful growth

The Unicorny Marketing Show

In this episode of Unicorny, Dominic Rodgers, Head of Marketing at Frog Capital, shares how his company integrates purpose into every aspect of its investment strategy.

Dominic reveals Frog's unique methodology for scaling businesses, emphasising the vital role of purpose in driving both growth and resilience. The discussion explores how aligning purpose with business strategy creates a sustainable and competitive advantage.

• Frog Capital’s unique position in the investment world and how they integrate purpose at every level of their operations.
• The scale-up methodology used by Frog Capital
• The role of purpose in business growth

Listen to this episode to discover how integrating purpose into your business strategy can lead to sustainable growth and resilience.

About Dominic Rodgers

Dominic Rodgers has worked with businesses ranging from start-ups to large corporations, as well as on the agency side, gaining a wide range of sales and marketing experience across industries such as publishing, technology, arts & culture, and financial services.

In 2008, Dominic helped start Raconteur, the publisher and content marketing agency, where they produced special reports for The Times newspaper. During that time, he predominantly focused on tech topics like Software as a Service, Virtualisation, and Cloud Computing, making his work with Frog, who specialize in investing in these technologies and growing businesses that have reshaped numerous industries, a natural progression.

He joined Frog in 2019 and now leads Marketing and Communications. Dominic particularly enjoys building Frog’s library of Scale-Up podcasts and toolkits called How to Scale, as it embodies Frog’s mission to assist businesses in the Scale-Up phase. Frog’s team of Operating Partners and Senior Partners have encountered many of the challenges software leaders face as they scale their startups, and creating meaningful content to help others overcome these challenges is highly rewarding for him.

Links

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

LinkedIn: Dominic Rodgers | Dom Hawes

Website: Frog Capital

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

Other items referenced in this episode:

70. How entrepreneurs create value

71. Thesis-Driven Marketing: you heard it here first

Frog Capital: Scale-Up Methodology graphic

Frog Capital: How to Scale up resources

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Clue

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Chapter summaries

Introduction to Dominic Rodgers and Frog Capital

Dom Hawes introduces Dominic Rodgers, Head of Marketing at Frog Capital, highlighting Frog’s unique position between private equity and venture capital. The episode teases a deep dive into how Frog makes purpose pay.

Frog Capital's scale-up methodology

Dominic Rodgers explains Frog Capital’s methodology for supporting scale-ups, focusing on the day-to-day execution, medium-term planning, and long-term sustainability. He discusses the challenges scale-ups face and how Frog's structured approach helps overcome them.

Role of operating partners in scaling businesses

Dominic Rodgers describes the crucial role of operating partners at Frog Capital, who work closely with portfolio companies to execute growth strategies. The discussion highlights how trust and partnership are key to Frog’s investment approach.

Leveraging toolkits for business growth

The conversation shifts to the practical tools and resources Frog Capital provides, including downloadable templates and toolkits that help businesses implement strategies effectively. Dominic Rodgers emphasises the importance of practical value over mere communication.

Integrating purpose with business strategy

Dominic Rodgers delves into the significance of purpose in Frog Capital’s investment strategy, explaining how purpose-driven businesses are more resilient and better positioned for long-term success. Examples of portfolio companies are discussed to illustrate this alignment.

Purpose as a competitive advantage

Dominic Rodgers and Dom explore how purpose can serve as a competitive advantage in the market. They discuss the symbiotic relationship between purpose and business growth, with purpose acting as a strategic anchor.

Conclusion: The true meaning of purpose

Dom Hawes reflects on the conversation, cautioning against inflating a company’s purpose beyond its natural scope. He emphasises the importance of an authentic purpose that aligns with the company’s core business, setting the stage for sustainable success.