Making of an Empire

Episode 16: Pivoting for Growth with Susanne Todnem

• Aditi Jajal-Newey

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Aditi sits down with Susanne, the visionary founder of Poynt, to challenge the "hustle harder" narrative that keeps so many entrepreneurs stuck. This episode is a masterclass in the courage required to dismantle a successful but draining business model to make room for a scalable, high-profit empire.


Let’s Dive Into the Highlights

  • The Cinnamon Bun Trap: Why being "the best" at a service you no longer enjoy is the fastest way to stall your growth.
  • The 30-Hour Work Week: How Susanne has successfully maintained a four-day work week for a decade while serving top-tier corporate clients.
  • Revenue vs. Profit: Understanding why a smaller, leaner business can often result in a much larger personal take-home pay and more freedom.
  • Auditing for Autonomy: How to transition from being the person who "does the work" to the person who "leads the strategy."


Behind the Breakthrough

Susanne spent a decade building a high-performing agency before realising she was on a "merry-go-round" of execution-based tasks. By radically pivoting toward strategic advisory and board positions, she reclaimed her vision and scaled her influence without increasing her hours.

A "forever learner" and former PayPal specialist, Susanne has founded five companies and invested in nine startups. Today, as the General Manager at Poynt, she bridges the gap between high-level marketing and AI for the energy and IT sectors. Beyond the boardroom, she is a Keynote Speaker, a Podcast Producer, and a Lecturer at the University of Stavanger and BI.


The Guest Said It Best 

"Don't let fear run your business."

"The most important thing is just to get started, right?"

"It's scary obviously, but it's also necessary sometimes to do the scary things"

"I want to be proud of the work that I do and if I know that I'm not creating a change anymore then I don't want to be there"



Key Takeaways

  1. Efficiency is a Choice: If you give yourself a 40-hour window, tasks will expand to fill it; restricting your time forces you to be more effective.
  2. Profit is the Only Real Metric: High revenue is a vanity metric if your costs, and your stress levels, are equally high.
  3. The Goal is Autonomy: A true empire should serve the founder's life, allowing for freedom of time and the “audacity” to say no to misalignment.
  4. Leverage Modern Tools: AI shouldn't just be a convenience; it should be the engine that automates your "low-value" tasks so you can focus on your unique genius.


A Question for You

Susanne proves that efficiency is a choice, not a luxury. If you were forced to run your entire empire in just 30 hours a week, what 'faffing around' would you have to cut today to make it work?

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