Built Not Born Podcast · 27 June 2025
Is Bigger Better in Business? How We Grew 27% Without Growing the Team
How Thread A Pixel grew turnover by 27% without growing the team, by removing friction, improving systems, tightening customer fit and using technology more intelligently.
Episode guide
About this episode
In this episode, Chris and Helen Butler examine a result that initially surprised their own team at Thread A Pixel. Comparing January to May 2025 with the same period in 2024, turnover was up 27%, even though the business had not added machinery or increased its team. Chris was also spending far less of his own time inside Thread A Pixel than he had the year before.
The conversation centres on the operational changes behind that growth. Rather than looking for one dramatic fix, they reviewed the way work moved through the business and started removing friction. One simple example was changing where supplier deliveries entered the premises. What had once made sense in a smaller unit had become an unnecessary extra step as the production area moved further away from the showroom.
A larger improvement came from the quoting process. Thread A Pixel's pricing can vary by garment, quantity, decoration method, size and supplier rules, which previously meant a lot of information had to be remembered or checked manually. Chris built an internal AI-style pricing tool that helps the sales team calculate and write quotes more quickly. They estimate that the change could save around an hour a day across the sales function, while also making training easier for new starters.
Chris and Helen also discuss the importance of stepping back from established ways of working. Someone who is deeply involved in a process can easily accept it as normal simply because it has always been done that way. Their approach is to review bottlenecks, delays, repeated checks and duplicated effort, then decide whether each problem can be removed through a simple process change, a better system or a worthwhile investment.
Efficiency is only part of the story. Helen explains how the business has become more selective about the work it accepts. In the early years, saying yes to almost every order could mean spending too much time on low-value jobs that did not suit the team's processes. Becoming clearer about the right type of customer has allowed the business to focus its time where it can deliver more effectively and profitably.
They also reflect on how clearer communication with the team supports growth. Monthly meetings have long been part of the business, but Chris says he has become better at explaining the destination as well as the immediate tasks. When people understand the growth plan, the ideal customer and why changes are being made, they can take more initiative and make decisions that support the wider business.
The episode finishes by looking at what AI and automation could make possible for smaller companies. Chris sets out an ambition to build Two Krakens into a high-revenue business with a very small core team, using technology for the administrative and operational gaps between the human, creative parts of the service. The broader point is not that every business should remove people, but that owners can question whether growth has to mean continually increasing headcount.
Key takeaways
What you'll learn
- Business growth does not always require more staff or more machinery. Thread A Pixel increased turnover by 27% while operating with the same core resources and less of Chris's day-to-day involvement.
- Small operational changes can compound. Moving deliveries to the production entrance removed unnecessary handling and reduced wasted time.
- A purpose-built quoting system helped reduce manual pricing work, lower the risk of mistakes and free up significant sales-team time.
- Customer selection matters as much as internal efficiency. Saying no to poor-fit, low-margin work can protect capacity for the customers the business serves best.
- Teams make better decisions when they understand the wider goal. Chris and Helen discuss giving staff clearer visibility of the business direction and ideal customer profile.
- AI and automation can be used to remove bottlenecks and repetitive admin while keeping the human parts of the customer experience personal.
Questions from this episode
Frequently asked questions
Can a business grow without hiring more staff?
Yes. Chris and Helen describe how Thread A Pixel increased turnover by 27% from January to May 2025 compared with the same period in 2024 without adding staff or machinery. They attribute the improvement to a series of process, systems and customer-focus changes rather than one single action.
How can a business find process improvements?
Chris recommends stepping back from the day-to-day work and reviewing bottlenecks, delays, repeated checks and unnecessary movement. He also suggests involving someone who is less close to the process, because established routines can be difficult to question when they have become normal.
How did Thread A Pixel make quoting more efficient?
Chris built an internal AI-style pricing tool that uses the business's pricing rules to help the sales team calculate and write quotes faster. The aim is to reduce manual checking, lower the chance of pricing errors and make the process easier for new starters to learn.
Why can saying no to some customers improve a business?
Helen explains that some small or complex orders could absorb a disproportionate amount of team time for very little return. By becoming clearer about which customers and orders fit the business best, the team can protect capacity for work it can serve more efficiently and profitably.
What role can AI play in a lean business?
In the episode, Chris and Helen focus on using AI and systems to reduce repetitive admin, remove bottlenecks and improve access to information. They still want the customer-facing and creative parts of the business to retain a personal, human approach.