In an era where technology and innovation are reshaping the entrepreneurial landscape, Scott English, Brand Director at CEMG, stands at the forefront of empowering fast-track SMEs and high-growth businesses. With a passion for providing entrepreneurs with the tools, insights, and connections they need to scale, he has played a pivotal role in shaping Elite Business into the UK’s leading content platform for ambitious founders.

From navigating the challenges of a rapidly evolving media landscape to embracing AI and automation, Scott ensures that Elite Business, Elite Business Live, Elite Franchise, and the EB100 & EF100 Awards remain invaluable resources for entrepreneurs worldwide. As he leads the platform’s international expansion—most recently into Canada—he continues to drive innovation, bridging the gap between knowledge, opportunity, and global success.

In this exclusive interview, Scott shares his vision for the future of entrepreneurship, the biggest challenges facing business leaders today, and how cutting-edge strategies are helping businesses thrive in an ever-changing world.

As Brand Director at CEMG, what is your core mission in supporting SME fast-track growth companies?

Elite Business is the UK’s leading content platform for fast-track startups, SMEs, and high-growth business owners. My core mission is to ensure it stays that way by continuing to provide the needed tools, insights and connections to succeed by making available any actionable information that helps entrepreneurs scale.

However, it’s more than that; it’s also about visibility and networking with your peers. Underpinning this are initiatives such as the Elite Franchise and EF100 awards, where we showcase not only the very best of the best entrepreneurs and businesses but also provide aspiring franchisees with the knowledge and support needed to navigate the world of franchising. 

Elite Business has become a leading platform for entrepreneurs—how do you ensure it stays ahead in an evolving media landscape?

To stay ahead of the game that means continuously evolving and being nimble enough to respond to the ever-changing needs of fast-growing SME’s and entrepreneurs. 

One of the major ways we do this is through Elite Business Live – a major event where high-growth entrepreneurs can seek out industry experts, investors, and thought leaders, who can offer invaluable advice.

The EB100 Awards are also invaluable. Here, the exposure for high-growth companies through the award brings added visibility and credibility. And hopefully, a longer-term boost for their businesses.

In a global context, we’re not standing still either; indeed, we’re expanding the Elite Franchise and the EF100 Awards internationally, with Canada marking the first international year for the EF100 CA Awards. From our perspective, this will help us stay connected to the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Entrepreneurship often comes with setbacks—can you share a time you faced a major challenge and how you overcame it?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the obvious ‘elephant in the room’ – not least because when it hit in 2020, we were in the process of preparing Elite Business Live. So, its timing was inopportune, to say the least. Yet if the timing was one thing, there were also practical considerations to take on board too. For example, in-person events were cancelled, so we had to pivot quickly and transition to a fully virtual event, meaning a substantial investment in live-streaming technology and new content formats, to make the event engaging for our audience, was now required.

As the COVID protocols ebbed and flowed 2021 saw another set of challenges, leading us to take matters a step further by transforming Elite Business Live into a TV-style programme. This allowed us to safely bring our speakers on-site while complying with COVID protocols, such as social distancing measures, managing airflow in the room, and marking floors to ensure proper spacing between attendees. These efforts meant we could continue to offer value and engagement, even in the most challenging of times.

With AI and automation transforming industries, how do you see these technologies shaping the future of entrepreneurship and business media?

They say the AI revolution is coming but it is now here because AI and automation are already reshaping how businesses operate and how content is delivered to entrepreneurs.

Not only does AI provide smarter decision-making tools, but it also enhances customer experiences and allows for automation of operational tasks, freeing up time to focus on scaling. From our point of view AI helps us deliver highly personalised content to our audience, ensuring that the right insights and resources reach the right entrepreneurs.

Elite Business Live and our digital platforms are already using automation to streamline event logistics, optimise attendee experiences, and manage content delivery. As AI advances, we will become even more efficient in connecting entrepreneurs with the needed resources to grow their businesses. 

What are the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face when expanding internationally, and how does Elite Business help?

Challenges to our international expansion are three-fold. Firstly, there are the cultural differences. Secondly, never underestimate the regulatory hurdles that need to be overcome and last, but not least, you need to understand the complexities of new market dynamics. For entrepreneurs that means not only navigating local business environments but also appreciating that to succeed they need to understand these competitive landscapes.

Our role at Elite Business is to provide the necessary resources and tools to help entrepreneurs make informed decisions when expanding globally. Platforms – such as Elite Business Live and Elite Business Online – can help connect entrepreneurs with industry experts who can provide advice on market entry strategies and overcome international expansion challenges. 

Meanwhile, the EF100 Awards highlight successful franchises globally and our recent expansion into Canada and beyond, gives us a sense of satisfaction in that we continue to help entrepreneurs expand their own operations too. 

What’s next for you and CEMG? Are any exciting projects or developments on the horizon?

The future is bright regarding continued growth for Elite Business, Elite Franchise and the EF100 Awards.

Our international expansion means we’re looking forward to further developing our offerings to help entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey. 

Much of the focus will be on enhancing our events, such as Elite Business Live, and integrating more cutting-edge technologies to improve the experience for attendees and speakers. The EF100 Awards will also continue to grow, and our recent push into Canada will help expand our global reach even further. That is not to say that we aren’t always looking for improved means of supporting entrepreneurs, be it through digital content, live events, or industry-leading awards.

If you could sit down for a coffee with any entrepreneur—past or present—who would it be and why?

Well, Richard Branson immediately springs to mind, partly because he very kindly opened the very first Elite Business Live back in 2013. While I met him at a subsequent event I would like to get more time to spend with him. 

I’ve always been inspired by his ability to marry bold innovation with a strong sense of personal brand and customer experience.

Scaling businesses is also important and given his experience across a myriad of industries, ranging from airlines to space travel and financial services, it bears testimony to his vision and resilience.

I am especially interested in what makes him tick in terms of how he has managed to maintain his entrepreneurial spirit despite having to navigate through often difficult business challenges of his own during his career.