When Charlie Ward built Ramen Club (an online community for SaaS founders) and Ramen Space (a physical coworking hub in London), he found himself running two thriving but different businesses—one online, one offline.
In this Hidden Value conversation, David Sherry and Charlie explore what it takes to scale a hybrid business model, balancing physical operations with digital growth. Together, they unpack how sequencing, delegation, and education can unlock new levels of scale—without taking on unnecessary risk.
Charlie shares how he’s reframing growth from “open another space” to “build digital leverage”, and why his sweet spot lies in teaching founders how to find and validate ideas through smart market research.
Key Takeaways
• A hybrid model can leverage the best of online and offline communities.
• Scaling a physical business requires different strategies than scaling digital.
• Educational content creates scalable, de-risked growth opportunities.
• Market research should come before user research when validating ideas.
• Finding your “sweet spot” means aligning business potential, customer need, and personal excitement.
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