In this episode of Beyond the Tech, recorded at PropTech Connect Dubai, Dan Drogman sits down with Brad Jones, Managing Director of HDB Services — a family-run facilities management business he built from scratch in July 2024 after eight years running Jones FM with his brother. HDB is literally named after his three children (Harley, D'Arcy, and Billy), all of whom are already involved in the business — including his 18-year-old son, who Brad jokes is already planning to push him out.Brad talks through how HDB has grown across four service lines — M&A maintenance, fabric maintenance, refurbishment, and industrial doors — nearly all of it through word of mouth and organic LinkedIn growth, with almost 40 vans now running jobs from Glasgow to Bristol. The conversation also touches on the always-on anxiety of running reactive call-outs, and why HDB is now looking at expansion into Dubai and Abu Dhabi.Topics covered include:• Growing from 4 employees to almost 40 in under 18 months• Building a business named after — and staffed by — his own family• Why culture, for Brad, isn't something you design, it's something you breed• Managing quality and accreditation across four very different service lines• Why HDB is expanding into the UAE, and what "boots on the ground" actually looks like• Balancing 110% work ethic with family life when the office is your homeWhether you're building a family business, scaling fast, or just curious what it takes to grow national in a flat economy, this is a look at what happens when you hire on values first and let the work follow.

In this episode of Beyond the Tech, Dan Drogman sits down with Dominic Bruning, Director of Strategic Alliances (Mobile) at HID, recorded at PropTech Connect Dubai. Because Smart Spaces and HID are partners, the format flips halfway through — instead of Dan running the interview solo, Dom turns the questions back on him, making this as much about how Smart Spaces thinks about mobile access as it is about HID's view of the market.
They talk about why mobile access is no longer an unproven technology, the eight-plus stakeholders it can take to get a single building project signed off, and why 80% of the buildings that will exist in 2030 have already been built — meaning retrofitting is the real battleground, not new construction. The conversation moves from physical access into identity, why AI-driven deepfakes are accelerating that shift, and how an AI agent inside the Smart Spaces platform is already changing how customers use their own building data.
Topics covered include:
• Why "trial it and see" doesn't apply to mobile access anymore
• Getting eight-plus stakeholders aligned on a single building deployment
• Retrofitting the 80% of buildings that already exist
• The shift from access to identity, and what AI deepfakes mean for security
• Space Agent Max, the AI reshaping how customers use their building data
• Why cloud vs. on-prem is no longer a binary choice
• The strangest real-world uses of a mobile credential, from vending machines to waste tracking
Whether you're in proptech, security, or just curious how the buildings around you are quietly going digital, this is a look at what's replacing the keycard.

In this episode of Beyond the Tech, Dan Drogman sits down with entrepreneur and business leader Sam Malins to explore what it really takes to build and scale businesses across industries, markets, and continents.Recorded at PropTech Connect Dubai, Sam shares his journey from taking over a struggling family waste business to building global operations across waste management, fire suppression, manufacturing, and international markets.The conversation goes far beyond business growth. Sam discusses customer obsession, leadership, hiring, company culture, scaling teams, relocating to Dubai, and the lessons learned from growing businesses through both success and adversity.Topics covered include:• Growing a waste business from £10 million to £25 million during COVID• Building Reacton Fire Suppression into an international business• Why customer experience matters more than short-term profit• Hiring leaders and building high-performing teams• Creating a culture that scales across multiple countries• Moving to Dubai and expanding internationally• Why the best businesses eventually operate without their founderWhether you're a founder, business leader, investor, or entrepreneur, this episode offers practical insights on growth, resilience, and long-term value creation.