Coffee With a Geek: The Truth About Going It Alone in Business (with Peter Barclay)

What happens when you go from nearly walking away from your business to building a thriving business community across Scotland? Peter Barclay of Sales Geek Scotland joins Brian Ewing from Sales Geek Southwest for an episode of Coffee with the Geek, sharing the highs, lows and lessons from his journey. From his early days in business and corporate sales leadership to becoming Scotland’s first Sales Geek, Peter talks openly about the challenges of going it alone, taking on the wrong clients and the moment he realised he needed to change his approach. The conversation also explores how Sales Geek Scotland has grown, the story behind Sales Club and the Scottish Growth Expo, and why building a strong community can be one of the most valuable things a business owner does. In this episode: 00:00 – Welcome to Coffee with the Geek 02:24 – Peter’s journey into sales and entrepreneurship 06:13 – Becoming Scotland’s first Sales Geek 07:08 – Changing the perception of sales 09:41 – The challenges of building Sales Geek Scotland 10:45 – Why Peter nearly walked away 12:28 – The importance of community and having the right people around you 15:24 – How Sales Club began and grew 17:16 – The story behind the Scottish Growth Expo 21:59 – Peter’s ambitions for Sales Geek Scotland 23:43 – Final thoughts and advice for business owners Whether you’re running your own business, working in sales or thinking about taking the leap into consultancy, there’s plenty here about growth, resilience and the value of having good people around you. Find out more about Sales Geek Scotland: https://salesgeekscotland.co.uk/ Or get in touch: peter.barclay@salesgeek.co.uk