Description

In this special episode of Beyond the Blend, Rob is joined by two guests for the first time, Collette and Paul, the husband-and-wife leadership team behind Delta Xero.

This is a conversation about far more than filtration technology. It’s about building a business together, balancing innovation with structure, and learning how to scale without becoming the bottleneck.

Paul brings the entrepreneurial, problem-solving mindset. From algorithms and car supermarkets to inventing capillary filtration technology.

Collette brings the operational clarity, building systems, processes, and the foundations that allow the business to grow.

Together, they share a candid look at leadership, trust, delegation, and what it really takes to turn a technical innovation into a scalable global business.

5 from 5 – Getting to Know Collette & Paul

• ​ Who brings work into the weekend?
• ​ Who’s the optimist when things feel stuck?
• ​ Who presses send on the risky email?
• ​ Who copes better if the other disappears for a week?
• ​ One word to describe working together

A revealing and humorous look at how different personalities can complement each other when there’s a shared goal.

What We Talk About

• ​ The Delta Xero story from garage lab innovation to global filtration solutions
• ​ Why you don’t need to change oil in many applications and what that means for sustainability and uptime
• ​ Building a business as a couple; separate roles, shared vision, and clear boundaries
• ​ Moving from founder-led everything to scalable processes and empowered teams
• ​ The importance of relinquishing responsibility to avoid becoming a single point of failure
• ​ CRM, marketing, and sales structure as growth accelerators
• ​ Hiring for attitude, training for skill, and finding people’s true roles
• ​ Balancing travel, family life, and leadership in a growing global business

Key Takeaways

Innovation Needs Structure

Paul’s technical creativity and problem-solving drive the vision, but Collette’s systems and processes make scaling possible. Growth happens when ideas are translated into repeatable operations.

Relinquishing Responsibility Is Leadership

Letting go of tasks you’re average at isn’t failure, it’s how businesses scale. Empowering the right people creates resilience and removes single points of failure.

Process Enables Freedom

Clear roles, documented systems, and CRM discipline allow the business to grow without relying on individuals to hold everything in their heads.

Hire for Attitude, Develop for Skill

Finding the right mindset matters more than perfect experience. People thrive when placed in roles that match their strengths.

Shared Vision, Different Strengths

Working as a couple succeeds because Collette and Paul move toward the same goal using complementary capabilities, innovation and execution.

Organic Growth with Intentional Support

Bringing in external expertise (sales processes, mentoring, CRM strategy) accelerates growth without losing the business’s core identity.

Why Listen?

If you’re a founder, technical leader, or part of a scaling SME, this episode offers real insight into:

• ​ moving from founder-led to process-driven growth
• ​ balancing innovation with operational discipline
• ​ building trust and accountability in a growing team
• ​ turning technical solutions into scalable commercial success

It’s an honest, practical look at what happens behind the scenes when a business moves from survival to structure.

What’s Next for Delta Xero?

• ​ Expanding into new sectors including wind and landfill gas
• ​ Scaling global distribution and market reach
• ​ Strengthening marketing, CRM, and sales processes
• ​ Continuing technology innovation while building a larger, empowered team

Connect with Collette & Paul

You can follow Collette and Paul on LinkedIn and explore Delta Xero’s growing content and technical insights, including their developing YouTube channel.