What does a business coach do?

At Scaling Up Spain, Laia Alomar (Barcelona, 1982) helps CEOs and management teams take control of their companies, grow without falling into chaos, and make more time for their personal lives.

Laia studied computer science at the UPC and business studies in London. She then founded her own animation studio, which, from Barcelona, worked on productions for companies such as Disney and Marvel. Later, she became certified in Scaling Up, the methodology created by business guru Verne Harnish to help SMEs grow sustainably and profitably.

Laia insists that professional success should not come at the expense of what awaits you when you get home: “I am the mother of two teenagers, and I believe that a well-built company should not destroy your family nor your life,” she says. Outside work, she is preparing for her next trip around the world, says that in another life she would have been a rally driver, and describes Premià de Mar as the “tropical Maresme” she always returns to.

TB: What is the purpose of your project?

LA: I want CEOs to be able to grow their companies without letting them take over their lives, by establishing an operating rhythm that provides clarity, shared direction, and the pace needed to grow with traction and balance.

TB: What stage is your project at, and where do you see it in two years?

LA: It is in a phase of consolidation and focus. There are recurring clients, structure, and results. What is missing now is visibility and growth.

TB: A key decision that has shaped your project.

LA: Seeking international knowledge and then using it to serve my local ecosystem.

TB: What has been the biggest challenge you have faced, and what has it taught you?

LA: Something very common in most businesses: the difficulty of communicating something that people need but no one is looking for. It has taught me that the job is to help people recognise themselves in the problem and feel that “this is exactly what is happening to me”.

TB: The best advice you have ever received.

LA: Purpose and values are at the heart of everything you do as a person and as a company. Discover them first, then build everything else.

TB: We all change over time. Have you changed your mind about anything?

LA: Over time, I have come to understand that less is more. We need to eliminate noise in every area. We do not need more data, priorities, or actions. We need less of everything and much more focus.

TB: A professional role model who inspires you.

LA: All the business owners I work with. Many of them are also close family members who help me grow.

TB: What do you value most in the people you work with?

LA: Courage and humility. Courage to say out loud what needs to change, and humility to accept feedback and improve. Difficult conversations are what move things forward. The rest is theatre.

TB: A technology that will shape the future.

LA: AI for team decision-making. Not to replace human judgement, but to make visible what could not be seen before.

TB: A startup or company you admire, and why.

LA: Innovamat. I am passionate about innovation in learning. It is a local initiative, and I have seen the results first-hand at my daughters’ school.

TB: What do you do to switch off?

LA: I enjoy travelling and discovering new cultures. I am currently preparing for a trip around the world.

TB: A book you would recommend.

LA: ‘Scaling Up’, by Verne Harnish, to apply in business, or ‘Atlas Shrugged’, by Ayn Rand. A controversial read, but a necessary one.

TB: A song that defines this stage of your life.

LA: ‘Unstoppable’, by SIA.  

TB: A recipe, a dish, a restaurant.

LA: Frit Mallorquí, in honour of my family. St. Moritz, a Swiss fondue restaurant on Wardour Street in London, where I celebrated my birthday every year for a decade and which I miss very much.

TB: A place in the world.

LA: Premià de Mar, tropical Maresme. There’s no place like home.

TB: Where would you invest 100k?

LA: In books and education.

TB: If you were not an entrepreneur…

LA: In another life, I would have been a rally driver.

TB: What is Tech Barcelona to you?

LA: A source of support and a driving force for Barcelona’s tech ecosystem.