Episode #572 - From Virtual Assistant to Strategic Agency: Evolving for Growth - with Samantha Thurlow

Feb 11, 2026

In this episode of ScaleUp Radio, Kevin Brent is joined by Samantha Thurlow, founder of In Collaboration, a business support agency that’s grown from offering virtual assistant services to delivering full-service strategy, admin, and marketing.

As her business evolves into a two-brand model, with the launch of Creative Bean Studios, Sam shares how she’s adapting to market shifts, overcoming growing pains, and preparing for the next stage of her scaleup journey.

Key Takeaways

• Pivoting the Business Model: Sam transitioned In Collaboration from a flexible associate model to a hybrid employed team, following clear advice from her accountant. This shift was vital to improving profitability and enabling scale.
• New Brand, Same Vision: The launch of Creative Bean Studios allows her to expand specialist marketing services while focusing In Collaboration on strategic support for clients.
• Strategy Over Service: Clients are moving away from generic VA tasks to valuing strategic insight, SEO, branding, and business positioning are now in high demand.
• The Power of Vulnerability: Sam’s standout message? Being open about challenges attracts support and builds trust, both in business relationships and team culture.
• AI Done Right: AI isn't a silver bullet, real results come when it’s used as a tool by experienced humans, not a content factory.

The One Key Thing

Building a scalable business model sometimes means letting go of what's worked in the past. For Sam, it was moving beyond the associate model to unlock long-term sustainability and growth.

Quick heads-up, we’re looking for a handful of founders to test our new AI-powered Smart90 Lite app. It’s built to help you stay accountable and actually deliver on your goals, in just a few minutes a day. It’s free while we’re in testing, and your feedback will directly shape the final version. You can get access by emailing [e-mail].

Make sure you don’t miss any future episodes by subscribing to ScaleUp Radio wherever you like to listen to your podcasts – and why not give us a follow?

For now, continue listening for the full discussion with Sam.

 

Scaling up your business isn't easy, and can be a little daunting. Let ScaleUp Radio make it a little easier for you. With guests who have been where you are now, and can offer their thoughts and advice on several aspects of business. ScaleUp Radio is the business podcast you've been waiting for.

If you would like to be a guest on ScaleUp Radio, please click here:

https://bizsmarts.co.uk/scaleupradio/kevin

You can get in touch with Kevin here:

[e-mail]

 

 

Kevin's Latest Book Is Available!

Drawing on BizSmart’s own research and experiences of working with hundreds of owner-managers, Kevin Brent explores the key reasons why most organisations do not scale and how the challenges change as they reach different milestones on the ScaleUp Journey. He then details a practical step by step guide to successfully navigate between the milestones in the form of ESUS - a proven system for entrepreneurs to scale up.

More on the Book HERE - https://www.esusgroup.co.uk/

 

Samantha can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthathurlow/

https://www.instagram.com/incollaboration/

https://www.facebook.com/InCollaborationAgency

https://incollaboration.co.uk/

 

Resources:

Blockworks - https://blockworks.co/

Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/atomic-habits-the-life-changing-million-copy-1-bestseller-james-clear/2458373?ean=9781847941831&next=t

Dear Female Founder by Lu Li - https://amzn.eu/d/0ikvYiaG

Brene Brown - https://brenebrown.com/

Asana - https://asana.com/