Growing a small business shouldn’t mean working longer hours with more stress—but for many owners, that’s exactly what happens.
In this episode of Gaining the Technology Leadership Edge, Mike speaks with Pete Romano, founder of Segwick, about how small and medium-sized businesses can scale by designing frictionless customer journeys and sustainable operations. Pete shares how Segwick helps business owners step out of reactive, day-to-day firefighting and instead view their companies through the perspective of a single customer moving through every touch point.
The conversation covers why growth breaks existing processes, how undocumented workflows and human handoffs create bottlenecks, and why operational complexity doesn’t scale linearly with revenue. Pete explains how mapping customer interactions, centralizing data, and improving handoffs create the foundation for scalability. Drawing on his background in music production, he compares business operations to mixing a record—constantly adjusting small elements to produce a cohesive result.
Mike and Pete also discuss AI as a practical tool for improving efficiency, particularly in areas like data cleanup, reporting, and automation, while emphasizing the importance of responsible use. This episode is a practical look at how entrepreneurs can regain control of their businesses, reduce friction, and build systems that support growth instead of limiting it.
