Podcasts about Eos

How to Attract A-Players as Employees Every quarter I open the books. My team sees the revenue, the profit, all of it.Most founders assume their people would head for the door if they saw the full picture, and mine treat those numbers like they belong to them. None of what keeps great people costs you a dollar. It comes down to four things: how you bring someone in, how much you let them own, how clearly they see where you're headed, and how you treat them on the way out. I'm walking you through all four, including the ownership shift that stopped me from doing my assistant's job with extra steps and the weekly check-in that catches burnout before it turns into a resignation. Every piece of it sizes down to one contractor and fifteen minutes. The team you'll have in three years is being shaped by how you lead the one person in front of you right now. RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Click here to try Manychat Pro free for 30 days with code AMYPORTERFIELD What the Heck is EOS? by Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer You want to hit your first million dollar year. I've watched a lot of women get close and plateau. My Free Training teaches the one framework that took me from half a million to my first million (and now $139M in revenue). If you're ready to break through that plateau, click here to save your spot. MORE FROM ME Follow me on Instagram @amyporterfield SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more entrepreneurs who need these insights.

Kyle Kargis sits down with Jim Vani to talk about his path from construction and real estate into SubTo and ground-up co-living development. Jim shares how his construction background shapes the way he approaches affordability, investor returns, Houston's development advantages, and purpose-built 14-bed, 14-bath co-living duplexes. They also discuss team building, EOS accountability, valuation challenges, and the long-term opportunity for branded co-living portfolios. Follow Jim Vani: https://www.instagram.com/jimvanibuilds/ https://www.facebook.com/JimVaniOfficial https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimvani/ ► Join The SubTo Community & Learn Creative Finance Directly from Pace Morby: https://subto.sjv.io/X42Y94 ► Learn How to Make Money on Other People's Deals - Join the FREE Live Training: https://gator.sjv.io/n4WL6o ► Turn Real Estate Transactions Into a Real Career. Learn How to Become a Top Tier Transaction Coordinator - Start Here: https://toptiertc.pxf.io/OYyrdz

https://youtu.be/B9j1nlRifHM Alex Fernandez, CEO of Synergy Orthopedic Specialists, is driven by a mission to help physicians Build a Multi-Site Medical Practice that creates wealth, equity, and independence beyond their personal labor. By bringing independent physicians together, building scalable organizations, and expanding access to integrated services, Alex helps doctors operate as entrepreneurs while delivering a more convenient and cost-effective patient experience. In this conversation, Alex introduces The Multi-Site Scaling Framework—Visualize Your Target EBITDA, Align With Your Partners, Remove Yourself From the Center, Build Systems, and Build Margin Around Your Core Business. He explains why starting with the desired enterprise value creates a clearer path for growth, why alignment must be a gate for every partnership or acquisition, and how strong systems allow a business to operate without depending on its founder. Alex also shares how vertical integration, company culture, geographic expansion, and AI-assisted processes can improve profitability while preserving independent medical care. — Build a Multi-Site Medical Practice with Alex Fernandez  Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here with the Management Blueprint Podcast, and welcome Alejandro “Alex” Fernandez, the CEO of Synergy Orthopedic Specialists, a team of surgeons and specialists that believes in providing patients with an integrated approach to musculoskeletal—I’m glad I could pronounce this—medical care through 15 locations throughout San Diego. Alex, welcome to the show.  Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate that. I’ve enjoyed your show, and I’m happy to be here.  Well, I’m always interested when I meet with medical provider companies or CEOs who have been doctors, because I grew up in a family of two doctors, and so I was exposed to some of the challenges of being a doctor and running a hospital. So that’s going to be interesting. So my favorite question that I ask recently to all our founders is, what is your personal why, and how are you manifesting it in your practice and in your business?  Yeah, for sure. And so my why, as you put it, comes from where I started. I actually don’t come from a family of physicians. I started not where I ended up. I’m a son of Cuban immigrants. My parents fled Castro in the ’60s, and I was born in Puerto Rico. Later on, my family took a lot of our family in the Mariel boatlift in 1981 and took hundreds of people out of Cuba. But in reality, the concept or the reality is that my parents didn’t have a lot of money. They had some connections, but they believed that I should have a college education.  But I had to work my way through eight years of college to get my bachelor’s. So I landed in healthcare as an accident. It was a small medical practice. I was basically doing front desk and medical records, and then later on learned how to do the billing, all by hand at that time. There were no electronic medical records. And I started basically at the front desk, and I watched something that I never really forgot, which is, you have these brilliant physicians, people that can diagnose patients and help them and cure them, but when it came to business, they were never taught anything about business.  So this is where I believe I have generated value over the years: basically, built companies that actually create wealth, and the wealth for the physicians in particular.Share on X I think physicians are very entrepreneurial. At least that’s the idea to begin with, is, “I’m going to go into the practice of medicine and have my own business.” But somewhere along the line, the business becomes almost like an ATM machine. It’s no different than any other entrepreneur that starts a business. They are the business. Without them, if they go away for a couple of days, the business doesn’t make any money, and they don’t really know how to do that. So what I’ve done over the years is I have gotten smaller groups of physicians to come together, form larger organizations, larger groups, and eventually built larger private businesses that can have EBITDA, equity earnings that can basically provide some additional wealth.  Particularly, I try to help them think of themselves as capitalists, not as day laborers. Because in reality, in most businesses, and particularly physicians, they’re cranking the wheel, and the more they produce, the more they work, the more they earn. But in some cases, they don’t understand how to get away from that. How to earn from all the other things that they control. Because physicians do control 80% of the spend in healthcare but earn probably no more than 5% of it.  Wow. That is shocking. So they’re not using the leverage properly, probably.  Yeah. Sometimes they know it’s there, but physicians in general are risk-averse. Just starting their own business is hard enough. Then having to figure out how to capitalize from all the levers that they have, that’s completely different. And they’re no different than, I would say, lawyers or accountants that start a small business. At some point in time, you have to figure out, how do you make the business big enough that it operates and works without you?  Yeah, I love that. I love that. And what makes you feel strongly for physicians?  Well, particularly independent physicians, I think it’s a dying breed. Years ago, I would hear the stories of my parents where they’d say, “Hey, we took you to the pediatrician,” and my dad would be friends with the OB-GYN that took care of my mom and the pediatrician. And I remember them naming them by first name or even meeting them at the social club. But nowadays, it’s very transactional. It’s very fast. There’s no connection.  So I think that’s why there’s been this whole surgence of concierge physicians where you pay extra. Because in truth, in order to make a living, the business of healthcare is compressed by downward pressures from the government and from other institutions that say, “We’re going to pay you less, but you have to have a significant amount of compliance, and you have to spend more money on this, and you have to do that.” And then at the same time, the cost of living goes up.  The employees need to make more money. Your rent goes up. The supplies continue to increase. So you have the static or lower reimbursement from the different payers, whether it’s Medicare, the government, or private institutions, and then an increase of expenses happening. That’s very strange to any business. In any other business, you say, “Well, if my costs go up, I increase my prices, and then maybe my margins are a little bit less, but I still have a significant margin.” In healthcare, you almost have to just work more in order to generate more revenue, and the expenses hopefully will increment a little bit more, but your earnings will be the same or less. So it’s a very tough situation for an independent physician.  That’s why more and more, especially physicians coming out of training, look for jobs with health systems, with the Kaisers of the world or the different large institutions in the United States, so that way they can go ahead and just go to work and take care of patients and not worry about the business of healthcare.  Yeah. But then these big hospitals turn into bureaucracies, and then they still have to worry about that in a different way.  And that’s personally the second part to that question you asked me. That’s why I like working with physicians and not necessarily with health systems. I’ve never held a job with a hospital. Not that I haven’t wanted to. It’s just, I think the nature of the bureaucracy of a health system creates some things that I’m not personally interested in.  Yeah. Well, I can see that. So Alex, this is a podcast of frameworks, as you know. So what’s a framework that has helped you build your business, maybe generate an insight, understand situations, maybe influence these physicians to come together in your roll-ups? Whatever framework you developed, could you share something with our listeners?  Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Most owners in a business—and I’ll talk in generic terms. I’ll try to make sure I don’t use any slang for healthcare—but most businesses build their business for income. They want to make income for their families, for themselves. They want to be able to take care of the people that they’re with. But they don’t really think about it from a perspective of, “Let me build a business that can multiply.” Maybe they want to, but in a lot of areas, it’s just hard for them.  I actually grew up in the bridal business. My parents had bridal stores. They basically did wedding packages, and that’s the business that I grew up in. Every summer, I would go and do the cash register or help rent tuxedos and things like that, or do filing and bookkeeping. So that’s where my entrepreneurial spirit comes from. It’s my parents. But I always saw them where maybe they built one or a couple stores, two, three stores, and they would kind of stop there. But I think I learned a lot from my dad in particular around multi-site operations in a retail industry, and I took that back into the healthcare business.  So one of the first things I think that a business owner has to do is they have to underwrite their own exit first.Share on X They have to think of growth and particularly of the value of the business if they were ever going to sell it. Figure out what your EBITDA or enterprise value is going to be, and then go from there. Then make the alignments first, but don’t make it the goal. Most people chase the volume, the customers, more locations, more deals, spend years fixing what they bolted on in order to flip it, but they don’t really take the time to align it. So I think the client, the partnership, the acquisition—you have to figure all that out at the beginning and then fix it later.  If I run into an acquisition that we’re looking at, and I don’t see the alignment from whoever I’m going to partner up with, I know it’s going to be a deal that’s going to go bad eventually. We all have to be thinking the same way. Then the other thing, like I already mentioned this a couple of times, but you have to take yourself out of the center. If you’re the CEO, you’re the business owner, and the business depends on you—you can’t go on your two- or three-week vacation to Europe or wherever you want to go, and when you come back, the business is in disarray or didn’t survive—you don’t really have a business.  You just have a job that costs you a lot of money to maintain. I think that’s where operating systems earn their keep. I haven’t really run the EOS program, but I’ve read the book, and I really like the idea of the scorecards, and I used it particularly when I came to this opportunity in San Diego. Getting everybody to row in the same direction. A business that runs with a founder and a single thing, it’s one that won’t get very far.  But on the other hand, if the founder figures out a way to build systems around them and bring in the right people, that’s going to make the business way more successful. And the last one I would say is own the margin around your core. Don’t just sell the core service. Figure out what else you have. And I think in healthcare in particular, I was mentioning this: doctors control a significant amount of what happens to a patient, but they don’t figure out ways to vertically integrate the business to have access or have the opportunity to earn some revenue and some earnings from the actual business they refer to.  So what I’ve done over the years, particularly in gastroenterology, I grew a medical practice of gastroenterologists. A couple of them came together, and it was around 50 million in revenue when I came in. And one of the first things I started doing was figuring out, how do we add, let’s say, imaging services? So we added CT. How do we add infusion services? Because back then, there were some significant drugs that were coming into market around infusion. But later on, we said, “Hey, we have an investment in an ASC, but why don’t we do the investment so the investment’s part of the group? So all the doctors can benefit from that.  And when we actually equitize the business in the future, that could be part of our exit if there’s equity there.” And then the next question was, “Well, why don’t we sell the prep that we give people before they get the colonoscopy?” So we got licensing around pharmacy, and then we said, “Well, what about anesthesia? What about pathology?” And so on and so on. So when I went to New York City and I ran a dermatology group, we built a path lab for the derms. When I came here to the orthopedic group, we had PT locations, expanded to multiple PT locations, improved the contracts around durable medical equipment, the bracing, even added anesthesia and started our own ambulatory surgical center.  So always trying to figure out, how can you vertically integrate the business to try to capture as much as you can from the client that’s in front of you? Not only just from a money perspective, but also from an experience perspective, being able to provide it all under one roof and being able to give the patient, the customer, a great experience. You want to provide outstanding medical care. Quality medical care is kind of like a base. If you go to a doctor, you expect to get better. But what we see in healthcare a lot is that people don’t think about it.  Like, in our offices, we say, “Thank you for choosing Synergy Orthopedics.” We know patients have a choice, so we have to develop a model that allows the patient to say, “Hey, I want to go here because these guys have it all under one roof.” But more importantly, that’s typically what the hospitals have. But hospitals charge for the same thing I provide two and three times more because they have a different type of leverage with the contracts. So I always say, “Why did the duck cross the road? Oh, because they went from the hospital to the ambulatory surgical center to get a colonoscopy to save 700 bucks.” I mean, it’s literally that simple.  And I don’t think patients in general know that, but I think the doctors have a great opportunity to control the delivery system, provide a great experience for the patients, and at the same time, make some money from things that they don’t physically have to do. They can hire the physical therapist, et cetera.  Yeah. Okay, so that’s great. So what I’m hearing, the framework is: think of growth first—what’s the EBITDA you want? Then create alignment, take yourself out of the center, build systems, and build margin around your core business. So that’s wonderful. Now, step two, I’m not 100% clear on. So you said make alignment with partners, but don’t make it the goal. What do you mean by that?  Well, because particularly I’ve been involved in private equity medical groups. So with private equity, you have cash, you have leverage, so you can go and buy, buy, buy, buy. In private equity, to a degree, they want growth. But I’ve been in deals where the thesis was, for example, we’re all going to be rowing in the same direction with the same flag, same brand, and we’re going to transfer from having—there were four medical groups, so four different, distinct medical groups—and we’re putting them together under what’s called a management services organization, a management company, and basically form one larger group.  But that was never aligned because the doctors, in their head, said, “You’re acquiring me, so you’re buying this magnificent, outstanding business. Now why do you want to change my electronic medical records? Why do you want to change the way we do our, let’s say, revenue cycle management or billing? Why do you want to change our brand? Our brand’s fantastic.” Even though they were all called Dermatology blah, blah, blah, something and something. So you have to make sure that the people that you’re going to bring on board, whether it’s through acquisition, merger, or just employment, that they really believe in your story, that they believe in the core vision of the business.  Not just try to put people in there and make more deals, get more locations, spend more years, and then you put all these things together and you bolt them up, but you spend more time trying to fix it. In my Gastro Health and in the ortho business, we always started with, “Let’s make sure we have our house in order before we go out and start growing the organization and adding more to what we have.” The last thing you want to do is add more and then find out that you have to spend more time fixing it.  No, that makes sense. But then you qualified it. You said, “Don’t make it the goal. Don’t make alignment the goal.” So how does it become the goal? What’s the risk there?  So no, make it the gate, not the goal. Meaning, alignment is extremely important, but you want the alignment to be the one thing that puts you together. But at the end, everybody has to be buying into the idea. It’s not the only goal. Their goal is also money. The goal is growth. But it has to be one of the key things. In healthcare, I tend to think, and particularly with private equity, that’s not perceived. It’s more about getting deals done.  Yeah. They don’t care about the mission. They don’t care about the vision, the alignment.  I think they do. In their thesis, they do, and they want it. But it’s kind of like, at the end, you’re looking at this business. They want to sell, you want to buy, you have money, they want money, and sometimes it’s just easier to say, “Well, we can grow from $30 million to $60 million, from $10 million of EBITDA to $20 million of EBITDA. We’re going to get, instead of a 10 multiple, we’re going to get a 15 multiple.”  So sometimes that gets in the way. And I would say, by the way, I worked with great and fantastic private equity firms, so I’m not saying they all think that way. But for sure, the perception is that they’re going to go in and try to make deals happen because they do have an end goal. Their end goal is to their investors that gave them funds, that they told them they were going to get them a four-, five-, seven-times multiple on their investment.  So in your own business, Synergy Orthopedic Specialists, is this a private equity-funded business or is it bootstrapped?  No. No, it’s bootstrapped. The physicians, when I came on board—at that time, I started with them six years ago in 2020, and the market was really hot still, ’21, ’22, ’23, and then the interest rates went up, and then things have softened. I think also they got softened for what we’ve been discussing earlier. There’s been a lot of deals that have been done where acquisitions were done in multiple states. There’s not a lot of synergy or a lot of things that were worked out to try to make sure that the organization was working together, the multiple organizations that were acquired.  And the idea was, if we buy four million-dollar businesses, they will be, instead of an eight-times multiple, they’ll be a 10- or 12-times multiple. So I think there’s a lot of deals that are stuck in the marketplace right now, and the groups are trying to figure out how to evolve the organization after five, six, seven years from, “Hey, we let you alone. We let you be. But now we need to start integrating. Now we have to start building an enterprise. Now we have to start building a real platform.” And I think that the organizations that did that earlier have been able to exit and done a much better multiple and growth.  And also the key is, in these transactions where people get together, a lot of times it’s all about the fun. “Hey, we go out to dinner, and everybody’s well, and everybody’s happy, and how much money we’re going to make,” and blah, blah. But nobody really asks the tough questions, or some people do because they actually don’t want the deals to get done. But I think it comes from the buyer. The buyer needs to be very upfront with what they want to accomplish with a transaction, whether, again, a merger or an acquisition.  You want to make sure that you’re extremely transparent about what the end goal is going to be. And if the end goal is like, “Hey, I’m going to leave you alone for a year, but in a year and one day, your name’s going to change, your software’s going to change, your HR is going to change. And by that time, we’ll figure out about your staff, and we might probably cut 25% of your staff because you’re bloated, and we actually have to make you a little bit more fit and trim so you can actually be able to grow and provide better care to your patients.”  So what I’m seeing is, it’s quite impressive. You have 15 locations, you have a huge service mix. You have, compared to the number of locations and service mix, a limited number of people. So how do you maintain the Synergy standard? And how do you manage this complexity with such low—low per— It took— How many people?  Yeah, it’s—right. Yeah, I agree. It’s taken some time. Again, I wouldn’t say that it’s perfect. We’re always evolving, changing. I mean, I always say the only constant thing in healthcare is change. But it started with the company culture. When I first got here, there were four or five organizations that came together, and they were still using their old names. Synergy Orthopedics was like this little kind of byline under their business cards. It wasn’t really the brand.  And then over time, we got people in the organization rowing in the same direction, using the same flag, and over time we started to dominate the market. We started to be perceived, and we are today, the largest independent medical orthopedic group in San Diego. So when people think of MSK, we take care of the hockey team, we take care of the soccer team, we take care of professional players. The larger organizations reach out to us about developing contracts, direct contracts to provide services to them.  So that took a long time, but it started with building that company culture. And along the way, some people left. Some people just didn’t fit what we were trying to build. And it wasn’t just me. I didn’t do this by myself, of course. The reality was we built a team around what we were trying to create. Physicians, in this case, are the leaders. Physician leadership was there, and this is what they wanted as well. So I think, yes, when we’re now in other counties we’re in Riverside County, so we’re north of San Diego. We’re all the way to Palm Desert and looking to grow into Orange County and L.A. County eventually.  So the goal is also in growth, and size allows leverage and negotiation power with the different payers. And that’s very different than in other industries where you have a payer, let’s say Blue Shield or Anthem or United, that kind of controls how you’re going to provide service, how much they’re going to pay you, et cetera, et cetera. So the only way to really have any type of seat at the table is that your organization has to be large enough and a market leader and basically be something, or an organization, that they can’t say no to, that they want to have in their network. So that’s how we’ve been able to do this over the last five, six years now.  So what drives the growth? Is it the acquisitions? Is it geographic expansion? Is it payers refer business? What’s the driver?  All of it. You have to do everything. It’s like that movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once. It’s like you have to do everything. We started by first creating the brand and the company culture, expanding that brand and company culture by figuring out who having the right seats on the bus, making sure the right people that wanted to be with us were there. And then we said, “Okay, we don’t have a spine program. Let’s figure out how we recruit a spine doctor. Let’s figure out how we recruit a pain doctor.  Let’s get a foot and ankle specialist because we don’t have one. Let’s expand our sports medicine program.” So we took over a fellowship training program in San Diego that was probably going to expire, and then we took it over and continued the legacy of the physician that started it from the beginning. We’ve done some mergers. We’ve done some acquisitions. We’ve done some new locations. We’ve expanded our physical therapy footprint. We built out an ambulatory surgical center. That was a big endeavor. These things cost millions and millions of dollars. Just in construction alone, it was like $600… I think our overall investment’s somewhere around $12, $15 million, so highly leveraged. We brought in a partner, a national partner, to help us run and fund the enterprise.  We started an anesthesia division. So I would say you have to do everything, and all of it together, as time goes by, creates that vision. As long as you have the vision, like I said, the beginning thing is you have to start with the end goal. And the end goal is we want to build a business that’s independent. That’s our goal. We don’t want to be sold or be part of the hospital system. So you have to build the end goal, work through the process, grow it, and do all the things at the same time, which is extremely hard, I would say.  Yeah. This is fascinating. So you have a lot of complexity. You have a lot of locations, a lot of services, 50 providers. I mean, sometimes doctors can be cats, hard to manage them. Eagles, eagles. I always say, try to get eagles to fly in a straight line. Impossible. Yeah.  But if you had a magic wand and you could fix one thing in your business in the next 12 months, what would it be?  I will be honest, it’s expenses. Expenses can and I’ve talked about this before the pressures in the healthcare industry really are driven around expenses. We just got an increase in minimum wage in healthcare, specifically in California, where a physician practice now has to pay $23 an hour for a minimum-wage job, where minimum wage is almost half of that if you’re in any other industry. So I think everybody should make more than $23, particularly in San Diego. It’s a very expensive place to live.  But I think it’s more around the pressures that are put on the industry, but the levers are not there to increase revenue to be able to support or subsidize those expenses. So, for all intents and purposes, we’re looking at how we increase revenue by keeping expenses the same, or fixed, or a little bit higher than what they are, by augmenting with AI, like every other industry is doing. Figuring out whether it’s using AI in your MRI to be able to process the imaging faster, clearer, better, and be able to add three or four more patients a day. That profit goes straight to the bottom line.  It might be before we had people that are scribes that basically did the documentation of the history, the notes, and the medical records. Now doctors are using—well, they’ve been using voice recognition for a while—but now you’re doing ambient AI, where basically it’s listening to the conversation with the patient, of course with the patient’s approval, and being able to document all that information into the record much faster, quicker, better, and more precise. And so on. Answering the phones, being able to—when the patient gets statements, we typically send out statements every two weeks.  But when we send them, we send thousands of statements, so we get thousands of phone calls. You can’t get all those phone calls when somebody says, “I owe $50, and I don’t know why,” and being able to have an AI that tells you, “The $50 is because you had a copayment or you had a deductible, and it’s due to your insurance program with whatever the insurance is.” And they’re like, “Oh, okay.” “You want to pay that right now?” “Yes.” It sends you a text to your phone, qualifies who you are, you click on it, you put your payment information. The information goes in, the payment gets posted. Nobody got involved. AI took care of the whole process. So we’re trying to figure out how to assist the staff without having to let go. At least my intent is not to let go of people.  My intent is to try to make sure that we do the best job possible and use AI to augment the process, not to replace the staff. I get very worried, in general, about what’s going on with AI as an industry, where people are saying, “Well, I use it as my assistant. I use it as this.” Well, I started at the front desk. If there are no front desk jobs, how could I have been CEO of this multimillion-dollar organization if I didn’t get a foot in the door to begin with? So I feel very worried for my kids that are growing up. One’s studying to be a psychologist, the other one’s in marketing. How are they going to learn and grow in an industry or a business if they can’t get their foot in the door?  Yeah. That is a concern. I don’t know if we can fix it, but I’m worried about it too. So Alex, who would you like to listen to this podcast and to take action? And what kind of action should they take?  Well, I think it’s generic. I always say, I have an MBA in healthcare administration, but I could have gone and done any type of business. Like I said to you, I grew up in the retail industry. So I think it’s more around, if you’re an entrepreneur and you have talent and you’ve worked really hard at doing something, you have to figure out how to hire the right people so that they can do a job that maybe you don’t know how to do, how to scale up a business by investing in it, making sure you don’t look at your business as an ATM machine or a salary that pays you every week or every period of time, but look at it as you’re an entrepreneur, a capitalist.  You’re building an organization. You’re providing jobs for people. But at the end, the business has to give you more than your salary. There has to be equity in the enterprise, and that’s the money you’ll be able to use to maybe have leverage or to use in order to add that next location or look at what’s the next opportunity, whether you’re, again, a doctor or you’re running a retail organization that wants to have multiple locations. The key is, think of the end goal. And the end goal, not necessarily that you’re going to sell, but what is it going to be? What is the business that you want to have valued at, and how have they grown?  Look and listen to other people like yourself, Steve, and all the different things that you do in regard to building that journey of the business, and figure out how to take the next step and the next step and the next step. It doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t get from a $50 million company to a $150 million company. It took me seven years to get there. But it’s done by augmenting and adding features and adding services, but doing it very intelligently, thinking it through, not just adding it for the sake of adding it, then, like I said before, having to bolt it on and try to fix more of the problems, creating more problems.  No. Fix your house, figure out where you’re at, make sure it’s earning equity. Maybe you have to reprice. Maybe you have to figure out how the business needs to run a little bit nimbler. Maybe you have to use technology, whether it’s AI answering the phone because you’re the guy that—you have a pizza shop. Why do you have to have people answering? Have the AI take the order, have the AI tell people to go to the website, and so on, so you can have pizzas going out of your store every five minutes. So for sure, there are great opportunities. And if you’re a business owner, I want you to think that you can. It’s not impossible. It can be done. You don’t need an MBA. You just need to work hard and think it through and come up with a business plan and an idea on how you want to get there.  Yeah. Well, this is very inspiring. So if you are a founder, you’re running a business, or you’re about to start a business, look at what Alex has done. He was a son of Cuban immigrants, came to this country, built from nothing a 15-location, 50-provider medical group, and works with private equity, advises companies as well. Follow his example.  So Alex Fernandez, thank you for sharing your wisdom on the show. And if you’re listening and you enjoyed this conversation, stay tuned because I have a couple of exciting entrepreneurs every week who come on the show and share their secrets and frameworks with you. So thanks for coming, Alex, and thank you for listening. Important Links: Alex's LinkedIn Alex's website

Sponsors: ◦ Visit Buildertrend to schedule a demo ◦ Marvin Windows and Doors ◦ Sub-Zero Wolf Cove Showroom Phoenix ◦ CCS Registration Connect with Zach Patton:  ◦ https://blackwolfbuild.com  ◦ https://www.instagram.com/blackwolfbuild Connect with Brad Leavitt: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Houzz | Pinterest | YouTube

Gino Wickman, is one of the most influential thinkers in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He is the founder of EOS Worldwide and the creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System, a practical method for helping companies achieve greatness. He has delivered over 1900 trainings to help companies implement EOS into their organizations and has transformed thousands of businesses with his work. He is the author of multiple bestselling books, including Traction, Rocket Fuel and his latest, Entrepreneurial Leap. Gino joined Robert Glazer on the Elevate Podcast to talk about how the best companies get in alignment, and what separates successful entrepreneurs from the pack. Thank you to the sponsors of The Elevate Podcast Shopify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Masterclass: ⁠⁠⁠masterclass.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠ Framer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠framer.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Northwest Registered Agent: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠northwestregisteredagent.com/elevate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Whatnot: Search "Whatnot" in the app store to download Indeed: ⁠indeed.com/elevate⁠

Send us Fan Mail

Three months can change a lot. In this quarterly Conquer Risk update, Christopher Norton and Potomac CEO/CIO Manish Khatta sit down at Aventino to talk through what has actually moved since their last update. Potomac University is filling faster than expected, Remix is getting significantly bigger, and advisor interest in SDBAs is beginning to open doors across the industry. They also get into the less predictable parts of building a growing firm: refining the EOS process, putting new energy behind the Union TAMP, and preparing to launch a hedge fund that gives Potomac's investment team more room to operate outside the constraints of traditional products. It's a conversation about momentum, changing course when the opportunity demands it, and what happens when ideas that once seemed secondary suddenly move to the center of the business Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Spotify Learn more about Potomac: https://potomac.com/ Read our blog: https://potomac.com/blog Disclosure: https://potomac.com/disclosures PFM-215-20260811 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nathan Jameson explains why manufactured housing is America's most under-built asset class.Jack sits down with Nathan Jameson, founder of Arx Capital, to unpack why manufactured housing, RV parks, and self storage have become some of the most durable, under-built asset classes in real estate, even as the residents who need this housing most often get the worst financing available to them.Nathan explains how Arx buys existing mobile home communities, removes obsolete homes, brings in new ones, and repositions neglected properties for the long term. He also breaks down the operational mistakes he sees institutional buyers make again and again when they underestimate what it actually takes to fill a lot and sell a home, and why a mom and pop owner keeping rent too low can slowly bleed their own community into disrepair.Along the way, Nathan shares how adopting EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System) helped him step out of day to day operations, and tells the story of turning a Pittsburgh property with 35 abandoned homes into an institutional-grade community.Key topics:Why manufactured housing is one of the least subsidized, most under-built affordable housing categories in the countryHow a borrower with a 750 credit score still ends up paying 9 to 10% on a manufactured home loanThe operational mistakes institutional buyers make when they don't understand how to fill and sell manufactured homesWhy rent set too low can quietly destroy a mom and pop community over timeHow EOS helped Nathan remove himself as the bottleneck in his own businessGuest bio:Nathan Jameson is the founder of Arx Capital, where he and his team manage close to $200 million in assets across manufactured housing, RV parks, and self storage in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and now the Midwest.Links:

Astronomy Daily · S05E163 · “The Long Way Home” · Monday 10 August 2026. Sources verified against primary / institutional outlets. Starship “lost at sea” (Flight 13) •    Flight 13 launched 24 July 2026 from Starbase, South Texas; the upper stage (“Ship,” Ship 40, ~52 m) made the softest Starship water landing yet in the Indian Ocean off Western Australia — and, in a program first, survived intact and afloat. •    SpaceX had not planned to recover it. Musk confirmed the salvage attempt on 28 July (“We're sending a ship out to recover Starship”); recovery ship Go Australis was joined by Norwegian tugs Normand Ranger and Skimmer Tide, with a tow line to the nose. •    On 7 August, Musk said recovery is “not looking good right now” in rough seas — but the team had already obtained close-up photos of critical heat-shield and engine regions for future upgrades. A saltwater-soaked Ship was never going to be reflown. •    Heat shield: on SpaceX's first quarterly earnings call (4 August) Musk said he'd “consider the heat-shield problem solved,” long the biggest hurdle to full reuse. •    The flight also deployed 20 next-gen Starlink V3 satellites; the Super Heavy booster had engine trouble and was lost in the Gulf of Mexico. Stacked, Starship stands ~124 m. Flight 14 is targeted for late August — its first attempt at operational orbit with production Starlink. •    Sources: SpaceX / @elonmusk on X (7 Aug); Space.com (Mike Wall, 7 Aug); CNN (3 Aug). Landspace Zhuque-3, second landing attempt •    Landspace (private, Beijing, founded 2015) targets liftoff ~7:45 p.m. EDT Mon 10 Aug (23:45 UTC / ≈9:45 a.m. AEST Tue 11 Aug) from Jiuquan, aiming for a propulsive first-stage recovery on legs (Falcon 9-style), landing downrange in Gansu. •    The methalox, stainless-steel Zhuque-3 (~66 m) is broadly a Falcon 9 rival. Its Dec 2025 maiden flight reached orbit but the first stage failed its landing burn and crashed. •    Accuracy note: this is China's fourth orbital-class recovery attempt. A Long March 10B already landed via net-capture on 10 July (China became the 2nd nation to land an orbital booster) — so tonight would make Landspace the first Chinese company to attempt a propulsive/landing-legs recovery, not “China's first.” •    Sources: Space.com (7 Aug); Yahoo/Space (7 Aug); launch trackers (NOTAM-based). Uranus's “breathing” bow shock •    New multifluid-MHD modelling shows Uranus's bow shock expands and contracts over a single ~17-hour Uranian day — driven by the planet's own extreme rotation and tilted, offset magnetic field, not by changes in the solar wind. •    The model is constrained by Voyager 2's 1986 flyby — still the only direct measurements ever taken inside the Uranian system (a nice callback to E159's Voyager 2 “Big Bang” lead). •    Implications for future ice-giant missions and for the many ice-giant exoplanets now being found. Cao et al., AGU Advances; surfaced via an Eos research spotlight this week. (Framed as newly-spotlighted rather than newly-published.) •    Sources: AGU Advances (Cao et al.); Eos research spotlight; phys.org (7 Aug). Total solar eclipse — 12 August 2026 •    The only total solar eclipse of 2026. Unusual over-the-pole path: Arctic Siberia → eastern Greenland → western Iceland → northern Spain (clipping NE Portugal) → the Balearics at sunset. •    Greatest eclipse ≈17:46 UTC; max totality 2 min 18 s just off Iceland's west coast, with the Sun only ~26° high. Iceland's first total eclipse since 1954 (Reykjavik's first in 593 years); Spain's first since 1905. •    North America sees a partial across the northern tier (Alaska to North Carolina) and most of Canada — deepest in the far north, a shallow bite (

AlabamaSen. Britt offers bill to close loophole on detention and deportation of illegalsSen. Tuberville talks about Fauci and his Contempt of Congress chargesTuberville wants to see data centers pay for their own electric and for AL Power to freeze rates further out than just 2027Social media posts reveal that new non profit in Prattville is taking cues from embattled founder of another LGBTQ advocacy groupA vigil was held in Boaz for 18 year old arrested and detained by ICEFDA says salmonella found in jalapeños from Mexico causing illness in 27 statesNationalPresident Trump signs 2 EOs to reign in citizenship and birth tourism industryFauci's attorney not happy with contempt of congress vote in SenateSenator Paul sets his subpoena sights on Bill Gates re: gain of functionStaff for Mitch McConnell "report" that he is home from rehabilitation (wink, wink) Moderate Democrats now prep for battle against Socialists infiltrating their partyTucker Carlson blasts the Uniparty for failing Americans, prepping the way for a third party

Accountability Without Micromanaging: How Great Leaders Create Ownership Delegating work should free leaders to focus on strategy, relationships, and growth. Too often, however, delegation swings between two unhealthy extremes: micromanagement and abandonment. In this episode of The Customer Service Revolution Podcast, Denise Thompson and John DiJulius explore how leaders can build accountability without micromanaging. The solution is not less communication—it is greater clarity, consistent checkpoints, and genuine employee ownership. Why Delegation So Often Turns Into Micromanagement Most leaders do not intend to micromanage. They want to protect the quality of the work, meet an important deadline, or ensure a strong customer experience. But when leaders dictate every step, employees become hesitant to make decisions without approval. John explains that leaders must clearly define the desired outcome and then give capable employees room to determine how to achieve it. Employees need to own more than the execution; they need to feel ownership over the approach and and the result. That means leaders must avoid "dropping an anchor" by presenting their preferred solution before employees have had an opportunity to think through the challenge themselves. How to Build Accountability Without Micromanaging Define What Victory Looks Like Before delegating a project, leaders must establish a clear objective, deadline, priorities, decision-making authority, and definition of success. A vague assignment followed by constant corrections is not accountability. It is confusion disguised as supervision. Establish a Consistent Check-In Cadence Accountability should prevent surprises. Weekly reports, one-on-one conversations, or structured operating systems such as EOS and Scaling Up allow leaders to identify obstacles before a commitment is missed. Instead of waiting until the deadline to ask what happened, leaders can ask: Where does the project stand? Are we still on track? What obstacle could prevent success? What support do you need from me? Give Employees Ownership of the Method Leaders should remain firm about the outcome while allowing employees flexibility in how they achieve it. When employees can contribute their ideas and place their fingerprints on a project, they become more invested in its success. Giving up control of the method can also produce a better result. John shares how The Customer Service Revolution Conference improved when the team took ownership of many aspects he had previously managed himself. Adjust Oversight to the Employee and the Risk Not every employee or assignment requires the same level of autonomy. New employees, emerging leaders, employees without a proven track record, and high-risk projects may require more collaboration and support. Closer oversight should be explained as coaching—not as punishment or a lack of trust. As the employee demonstrates sound judgment and consistent performance, the leader should intentionally step back. Why Leaders Must Let Employees Struggle Leaders who immediately step in to solve every problem unintentionally train employees to wait for answers. Failure, when handled constructively, gives employees an opportunity to learn, develop judgment, and become more capable. Instead of immediately providing the answer, ask the employee what they think should happen next. They may arrive at the same answer—or develop a better one. The goal is not to leave employees unsupported. The goal is to provide enough guidance for them to grow without making them dependent on the leader. Key Takeaways Accountability begins with a clear definition of the desired outcome. Employees should own the approach, not merely execute the leader's instructions. Weekly checkpoints help leaders identify delays and obstacles before deadlines are missed. Leaders should avoid changing priorities without explaining what happens to earlier commitments. New or inexperienced employees require more coaching until they establish a track record. Leaders should ask questions before jumping in with solutions. Failure can build confidence and judgment when it is treated as a learning opportunity. A company becomes stronger when its success does not depend on one indispensable person. Leaders create ownership by providing clarity, authority, support, and room to act. Memorable Quotes "Hire really good people, create what the outcomes need to look like, and then get out of their way." — John DiJulius "Besides just the execution, they need to own it." — John DiJulius "Your business is worth nothing if you're the most important person in the short term." — John DiJulius "You should never be surprised if you have a weekly cadence." — John DiJulius "Accountability doesn't require hovering. It requires clear expectations, agreed-upon checkpoints, honest feedback, and consistent follow-through." — Denise Thompson "Great leaders don't create people who wait for instruction. They create people who can be trusted to move the work forward." — Denise Thompson Episode Chapters 00:46 — Accountability versus micromanagement 01:32 — Why leaders must stop doing everything themselves 04:24 — What separates healthy accountability from control 06:40 — Developing inexperienced employees and future leaders 10:56 — Why capable leaders become micromanagers 13:24 — Establishing priorities through rocks and must-do commitments 17:21 — Managing the outcome without dictating every step 21:32 — How employee ownership improves the final result 23:30 — Building stronger leadership and service systems 24:13 — When leaders want employees to remain dependent on them 25:05 — Responding when an employee misses a commitment 27:33 — When closer supervision is appropriate 28:41 — A practical accountability system leaders can use 30:50 — Developing employees who are afraid to take risks 33:32 — What to ask instead of "Are you done yet?" 34:29 — Creating employees who can move work forward Resources Mentioned Entrepreneurial Operating System—EOS Scaling Up The Soul of a Start-Up—Harvard Business Review Build a Culture of Accountability and Ownership If your organization wants greater accountability, stronger leadership, and a more consistent employee and customer experience, The DiJulius Group can help. We work with organizations to build practical leadership and service systems that turn expectations into repeatable behaviors. Visit TheDiJuliusGroup.com or schedule a call at https://tdg.click/call. Links: ROX Dashboard:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/rox-dashboard/ The DiJulius Group Methdology: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/x-commandment-methodology/ Company Service Aptitude Test:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/c-sat-forms/individual-c-sat/ Schedule a Complimentary Call with one of our advisors:  tdg.click/claudia Ask John!  Submit your questions for John, to be aired on future episode:  tdg.click/ask Customer Experience Executive Academy: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/project/cx-executive-academy/ Experience Revolution Membership:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Books:  https://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/ Contacts:  Lindsey@thedijuliusgroup.com , Claudia@thedijuliusgroup.com If you want to learn how world-class organizations build cultures customers cannot live without, explore The Experience Revolution Membership. Inside the membership you'll gain access to livestream workshops, practical frameworks, and proven strategies used by organizations around the world. Learn more at https://thedijuliusgroup.com/membership/ Learn More If your organization is working to improve customer experience but struggling to connect it to measurable business outcomes, The DiJulius Group can help. Visit: https://thedijuliusgroup.com Listen to more episodes: https://thedijuliusgroup.com/the-customer-service-revolution-podcast/ Subscribe We talk about topics like this each week; be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

The biggest bottleneck in most businesses isn't a lack of leads—it's founders trying to do everything themselves. Real growth happens when leaders build systems, empower their team, and stop being the center of every decision. Brandon Carter explains how EOS, delegation, accountability, and strong leadership help entrepreneurs move from operator to CEO. Learn why visionary and integrator partnerships matter, how to avoid becoming your company's biggest bottleneck, and why AI should support your business—not distract it. If you're ready to scale without working more hours, this conversation is full of practical strategies you can apply immediately. If you need a VA so you can focus strictly on high-value tasks, pick a slot whenever you're ready: https://bit.ly/4gaEAgT #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #EOS #Entrepreneur #CEO #Delegation #BusinessSystems #TeamBuilding #BusinessOwner #Leverage

Midnighters, last week I told you we are bringing the groove back to Ibiza. Then Friday happened. The rooftop filled up, the sun went down over Playa d'en Bossa, and a lot of you told me you came through the show. That is the whole point of this project, and episode 218 picks up exactly where that night left off.We open with Per Hammar's "Shuriken" on Natura Viva Black. Sharp, stripped, straight into the pocket. Yes, that label again. Three weeks running now they have earned a spot in the show, and this one shows why. Victor Ruiz and Kaufmann follow with "Don't Mess With Us" on VOLTA, a collaboration that sounds exactly as confident as the title suggests.The middle of the hour is where it gets physical. JLuna's "Emergency SEQ," Teenage Mutants' "Conflicted Mind," and A.D.H.S. back for the second week in a row, this time with "Eos" on DCLTD. Then Pan-Pot land "Futoreno" on Second State, and right after it comes my favorite moment of the episode: Mark Broom's remix of "Tropical Melons" by 2000 And One on Rekids. A Dutch classic, rebuilt by one of the UK's finest. I have loved this record since my Amsterdam years, and hearing it come back around like this made my week.The back half runs from the YellowHeads' peak mode "Reboot.exe" into Giorgia Angiuli's "Light" on Terminal M, the melodic breath of the hour. Ilona Maras keeps it honest with "Don't Pretend," and JSPR closes on We Are The Brave with "Japan Air."Full track IDs are on 1001Tracklists, as always. Hit reply and tell me which track hit hardest. I read everything.And if you are on the island: I am back on the rooftop next Friday for Tomorrowland Rooftop Sessions Ibiza. Same foundation as this show. Groove first, sunset into darkness, no filler. Episode 218 is your warm-up.SebastiaanThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

My guest this week is Billy Potter, now CEO of Snellings Walters, and we spend this episode on "the Switch," his firm's process for moving employers from fully insured to self-funded. Billy explains why he thinks it has almost nothing to do with insurance and everything to do with changing who a business trusts to lead them.We get into why "does that make sense?" is the worst question in sales, why he asks prospects "where did I lose you?" instead, and why he believes most deals aren't lost on product, they're lost on communication. Billy breaks down how Culture Index reshaped how his firm hires, trains, and sells, why he tells skeptical prospects out loud that they shouldn't believe a word of his pitch, and why price-driven clients are usually being trained that way by their own consultant.If your presentation is technically correct but you keep losing deals anyway, this is the episode. Tune in."People don't buy what's best for them. They buy what they understand the fastest." - Billy PotterThank you to our 2026 sponsors!ParetoHealth: ParetoHealth empowers midsize employers with a long-term solution to reduce volatility and lower overall health benefits costs. Visit https://www.paretohealth.com/fully-insured-vs-self-funding-with-paretohealth-spencer-podcast/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=SelfFundedwSpencer to learn more.Samaritan Fund: A program that connects those who need help to the support they need. We are proud to offer the Samaritan Fund Program. Visit SamaritanFundProgram.com to learn more.Vālenz Health: We're Vālenz Health, your partner in improving health literacy, reducing plan spend, and delivering high-value healthcare. Visit ValenzHealth.com to learn more.Imagine360: Imagine360 helps self-funded employers save on healthcare with smarter health plans. Cut expenses by 20-30% with custom solutions. Contact us today at Imagine360.com.Chapters:(00:00:00) Intro: Grace, Truth, and Growth(00:03:19) Culture Index and Why It Blew Spencer's Mind(00:04:33) Billy's Background: Rugby, Sun Life, and a Borrowed ID(00:08:13) Partner vs. Vendor: Why "Supplier" Is a Dirty Word(00:12:52) What Drew Him to the Consulting Side(00:14:34) The Peanut Butter Fight and the Valley of Despair(00:16:19) Advice for Young Producers: Dream Big, Get Rejected(00:19:44) Spencer's Story: The Nursery Floor and Three Cases in a Morning(00:24:49) Becoming CEO and Learning to Manage His Emotions(00:29:08) Why He Loves Building Other People Up(00:30:44) EOS and Smoking Out the Real Issue(00:32:20) How Culture Index Runs Through the Whole Business(00:35:06) The Switch: Changing Who Gets to Lead(00:39:44) His First Big Sale: Telling a Client to Go Talk to Their Agent(00:43:02) "Billy Potter Is Gonna Mess Up, and I'll Be There"(00:45:44) Win and Lose the Same Way: The Anthony Russo Lesson(00:50:20) Why 83% of Employees Don't Understand Their Own Plan(00:53:17) The Fifth-Grade-Level Rule and Why Insurance Loves Jargon(00:56:31) "Where Did I Lose You?" and Other Pivot Questions(00:58:12) The Last Slide: "You Don't Believe Anything We Just Told You"(01:01:14) The "Oh, Damn It" Moment and Who's Really at Fault(01:03:37) Where Self-Funding Is Headed(01:05:11) AI, Robot Surgeons, and the Future of White-Collar Jobs(01:12:27) The Chick-fil-A Standard: Hospitality as a Differentiator(01:14:49) Retaining Our Humanity in an AI World(01:17:07) Closing ThoughtsKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

Have you ever had a student suddenly stop working for a favorite reward? Or wondered why a reinforcer works one day but not the next?The answer may not be the reinforcer at all. It could be a motivating operation (MO).In this episode of ABA Without the Jargon, we explain motivating operations using everyday examples like cookies after Thanksgiving dinner, Skittles at your desk, and why water tastes so much better after a hot day outside.By the end of the episode, you'll understand why motivation changes, how it affects behavior, and an easy trick to remember the difference between establishing operations (EOs) and abolishing operations (AOs).

My guest this week is Billy Potter, now CEO of Snellings Walters, and we spend this episode on "the Switch," his firm's process for moving employers from fully insured to self-funded. Billy explains why he thinks it has almost nothing to do with insurance and everything to do with changing who a business trusts to lead them.We get into why "does that make sense?" is the worst question in sales, why he asks prospects "where did I lose you?" instead, and why he believes most deals aren't lost on product, they're lost on communication. Billy breaks down how Culture Index reshaped how his firm hires, trains, and sells, why he tells skeptical prospects out loud that they shouldn't believe a word of his pitch, and why price-driven clients are usually being trained that way by their own consultant.If your presentation is technically correct but you keep losing deals anyway, this is the episode. Tune in."People don't buy what's best for them. They buy what they understand the fastest." - Billy PotterThank you to our 2026 sponsors!ParetoHealth: ParetoHealth empowers midsize employers with a long-term solution to reduce volatility and lower overall health benefits costs. Visit https://www.paretohealth.com/fully-insured-vs-self-funding-with-paretohealth-spencer-podcast/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=SelfFundedwSpencer to learn more.Samaritan Fund: A program that connects those who need help to the support they need. We are proud to offer the Samaritan Fund Program. Visit SamaritanFundProgram.com to learn more.Vālenz Health: We're Vālenz Health, your partner in improving health literacy, reducing plan spend, and delivering high-value healthcare. Visit ValenzHealth.com to learn more.Imagine360: Imagine360 helps self-funded employers save on healthcare with smarter health plans. Cut expenses by 20-30% with custom solutions. Contact us today at Imagine360.com.Chapters:(00:00:00) Intro: Grace, Truth, and Growth(00:03:19) Culture Index and Why It Blew Spencer's Mind(00:04:33) Billy's Background: Rugby, Sun Life, and a Borrowed ID(00:08:13) Partner vs. Vendor: Why "Supplier" Is a Dirty Word(00:12:52) What Drew Him to the Consulting Side(00:14:34) The Peanut Butter Fight and the Valley of Despair(00:16:19) Advice for Young Producers: Dream Big, Get Rejected(00:19:44) Spencer's Story: The Nursery Floor and Three Cases in a Morning(00:24:49) Becoming CEO and Learning to Manage His Emotions(00:29:08) Why He Loves Building Other People Up(00:30:44) EOS and Smoking Out the Real Issue(00:32:20) How Culture Index Runs Through the Whole Business(00:35:06) The Switch: Changing Who Gets to Lead(00:39:44) His First Big Sale: Telling a Client to Go Talk to Their Agent(00:43:02) "Billy Potter Is Gonna Mess Up, and I'll Be There"(00:45:44) Win and Lose the Same Way: The Anthony Russo Lesson(00:50:20) Why 83% of Employees Don't Understand Their Own Plan(00:53:17) The Fifth-Grade-Level Rule and Why Insurance Loves Jargon(00:56:31) "Where Did I Lose You?" and Other Pivot Questions(00:58:12) The Last Slide: "You Don't Believe Anything We Just Told You"(01:01:14) The "Oh, Damn It" Moment and Who's Really at Fault(01:03:37) Where Self-Funding Is Headed(01:05:11) AI, Robot Surgeons, and the Future of White-Collar Jobs(01:12:27) The Chick-fil-A Standard: Hospitality as a Differentiator(01:14:49) Retaining Our Humanity in an AI World(01:17:07) Closing ThoughtsKey Links for Social:@SelfFunded on YouTube for video versions of the podcast and much more - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfFundedListen/watch on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1TjmrMrkIj0qSmlwAIevKA?si=068a389925474f02Listen on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/self-funded-with-spencer/id1566182286Follow Spencer on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencer-smith-self-funded/Follow Spencer on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selffundedwithspencer/

In this solo episode of the Shared Practices Podcast, Dr. Andrew Clingan tackles one of the most insidious threats to sustainable dental practice growth: a lack of clear vision. Using a real-world example of a highly successful but directionless young practice owner, Andrew explains how relying purely on talent and willpower eventually leads to spinning in circles. When you lack clarity, it becomes impossible to make sound decisions about marketing, PPOs, or multi-practice expansion, ultimately stunting your long-term success.To excel as a dentist today, you must understand that the "floor" has risen; succeeding requires more intentional business strategies than it did a decade ago. Andrew emphasizes that you cannot simultaneously optimize for elite clinical mastery, aggressive scaling, and perfect work-life balance. Achieving sustainable dental practice growth requires picking a path and maintaining a disciplined clarity of vision.Here is your guide to finding focus for your practice:Ignore the Extremes: Do not let social media highlight reels push you into building a 30-practice DSO or becoming an elite cosmetic dentist if those paths do not align with your true desires. The "middle of the road"—such as a profitable group model with two doctors and four hygienists—is often the sweet spot for sustainable dental practice growth.Audit Your Time: Regularly sit down and write out everything you do throughout the week. Identify the tasks you hate (like managing staff drama) and delegate them to leadership, while doubling down on the things that actually fire you up.Build Optionality Early: Be highly conservative with your personal finances early in your career. Living below your means and aggressively investing in your clinical and business skills provides you with the freedom to pivot your career path in your 40s or 50s.Read "Traction": Implement the principles from Gino Wickman's EOS framework to align your team and ensure everyone in the practice is rowing in the exact same direction.Ready to take the next step in your dental practice journey? Visit https://sharedpractices.com to learn more about our Buyer Representation and Coaching services, designed to help dentists buy, grow, and optimize profitable practices. You can also use our Free Look to evaluate dental practice opportunities with real data before making a decision. For daily Dental Moneyball insights, strategy tips, and updates, follow us across our social channels.

In this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor is joined by Nathan James, Creative Director at The Attention Seeker, to share his honest story on the EOS® system that changed a creative agency, & the lessons every entrepreneur can learn from failure, resilience & growth.Nathan's career began in London's creative industry in 1995, where he worked with some of the world's leading advertising agencies, including Mother & R/GA, before taking his expertise across Stockholm, New York, Amsterdam & eventually Auckland. Along the way, he built an impressive career creating campaigns for global brands & later launched his own content production & advertising business.Despite his creative success, Nathan's business ultimately failed. Poor financial management, inconsistent cash flow & the absence of a reliable sales pipeline led to bankruptcy. Rather than allowing the experience to define him, Nathan chose to learn from it. He openly shares the hard lessons he discovered about cash flow, networking, business strategy & the importance of separating creative talent from sound business management.Nathan eventually joined The Attention Seeker, where implementing EOS® transformed the way the business operates. With clear accountability, structured Level 10 Meeting® rhythms, transparent communication & defined roles through The Accountability Chart®, the agency reduced politics, strengthened collaboration & built a more profitable, stable business. Nathan explains why structure does not limit creativity. It creates the freedom for creative people to do their best work.Debra & Nathan also explore the importance of company culture & core values, discussing how transparency, daily recognition of team members & hiring based on shared values have helped create a high-performing team. Nathan shares why reporting to someone younger than himself became a valuable lesson in humility, proving that great businesses are built on merit, not hierarchy or ego.Throughout the conversation, Nathan offers honest advice for entrepreneurs who are facing setbacks. He encourages business owners to never stop learning, let go of ego & remember that material possessions do not define success. Instead, lasting success comes from building a healthy business, maintaining strong relationships & creating a life that is fulfilling both professionally & personally. CONNECT WITH DEBRA:    ___________________________________________         ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer® | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner ►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/ ►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/ ___________________________________________       GUEST'S DETAILS: ► Nathan James – LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/nathanjames-cooper ► Website – attn:seeker : https://www.attnseeker.com Ep 283 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 00:38 – Nate's Background and Early Career 09:17 – Transition to Digital and Freelancing 17:27 – Joining The Attention Seeker 21:41 – Impact of EOS® on Business Structure 34:33 – Cultural Values and Team Dynamics 39:22 – Reducing Ego and Embracing Structure 47:37 – Lessons Learned from Business Failures 47:46 – Advice for Entrepreneurs

discover the key characteristics of high performing teams and what makes high performing teams succeed. Chris Hallberg, a U.S. Army veteran and leadership development expert, explains how military leadeship, team management, and the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) drive stronger business execution. Learn practical approaches to organizational culture, hiring strategies, talent curation, personnel management, and employee retention. This episode covers performance metrics, accountability standards, middle management alignment, command and control principles, veteran hiring, leadership training, management systems, business growth, workplace efficiency, corporate leadership, professional development, organizational design, business coaching, management styles, employee engagement, leadership principles, staffing solutions, and operational excellence. In this episode: Attributes of high performing teams and how to build high performing teams How military leadership translates into civilian business success Leading by example and the impact of frontline engagement on employee engagement Aligning middle management for better communication and business execution Culture curation and hiring for core wiring Tools for measuring performance and building elite teams Technology and visualization tools that improve team performance Navigating workforce commitment challenges Rigorous recruitment, staffing solutions, and firing fast to protect team excellence Leveraging veteran skills and military discipline in civilian organizations How high performing teams build trust and a practical high performing teams model Leadership and Execution Effective leadership requires moving beyond theory to consistent operational execution. Most businesses fail in the gap between strategy and daily implementation. Leaders must stay present, model the work ethic they expect, and demonstrate willingness to handle humble tasks. This sets a tone of mutual respect that becomes one of the core characteristics of high performing teams. Bridging the Management Gap A common problem is the disconnect between senior leadership and middle management. When executives announce changes without first aligning their managers, they weaken frontline authority and damage trust. Organizations perform best when they operate as one connected unit. Fully informing and empowering middle managers before initiatives launch prevents an “us vs. them” culture and supports the accountability standards that high performing teams need. Curating Elite Teams Talent acquisition works best as a deliberate curation process rather than a standard HR function. Most adults are already formed in character, so trying to fix uncommitted employees rarely succeeds. Focus instead on identifying people whose values and natural wiring match the team. This hiring approach prioritizes mission commitment over raw talent and strengthens long-term employee retention and organizational culture. Measurable Accountability Objective performance metrics and transparent scorecards remove guesswork. When results are visible, many team members self-correct without constant intervention. This method, drawn from military precision and systems like EOS, helps leaders quickly spot people in the wrong roles. It forms a practical high performing teams model that improves workplace efficiency and operational excellence while supporting sustained business growth.   Connect Chris Hallberg: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hallberg-01516315/?skipRedirect=true Website: https://bizsgt.com/   Connect With Tim Website: timstatingtheobvious.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timstatingtheobvious YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHfDcITKUdniO8R3RP0lvdw Instagram: @TimStating TikTok: @timstatingtheobvious LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-staton-04b41a271/ SKOOL Community: https://www.skool.com/timstatingtheobvious-9537/about?ref=de9c7e65d8ba4eeabc1a8eea413c125b Substack: https://realtimstatingtheobvious.substack.com

From generic implants to patient-specific solutions: how additive manufacturing is expanding what is possible across medtech. In this episode, Anekant Jain, Manager, Polymer Technologies at EOS, discusses how industrial additive manufacturing is transforming healthcare by enabling the production of customized implants, prosthetics, dental devices, and other patient-specific technologies. He explains why additive manufacturing extends far beyond traditional 3D printing, requiring scalable production, qualified materials, reliability, and repeatable outcomes. Anekant also explores how advances in sensors, materials, and manufacturing are creating more responsive prosthetics with haptic feedback and stronger integration with the human body. Finally, he examines the barriers to broader adoption, including qualification processes, reimbursement, cost, and access, and explains why the industry must rethink what is possible rather than simply reproducing traditional solutions. Tune in to learn how additive manufacturing, customization, and cross-industry collaboration are pushing the boundaries of medical innovation! Resources: Connect with and follow Anekant Jain on LinkedIn.  Follow EOS on LinkedIn and explore their website at eos.info.

Core values only matter if leaders are willing to use them. In this episode of Sales & Cigars, Walter Crosby sits down with EOS Implementer Jim Coyle to talk about culture, accountability, leadership, and the challenges founders face when trying to step out of the sales seat. Jim shares his journey from entrepreneur and bar owner to becoming one of the earliest EOS Implementers. He explains why core values should be discovered rather than created, how EOS gives organizations a common language, and why companies must be willing to make difficult decisions when employees do not align with the culture. The conversation also explores why the best salesperson is rarely the best sales manager, how founder-led companies become too reliant on the CEO to close deals, and why accountability must apply to culture as much as performance. If you are still the best closer in your company—or your core values only live on the wall—this episode will give you plenty to think about. Episode Highlights Why Traction remains one of the most transformative books for entrepreneurs How Great by Choice helps leaders test ideas before making major bets Jim's journey from entrepreneurship to EOS implementation Why EOS works through simple tools and shared language Why core values should be discovered, not invented How leadership teams can uncover values from their best employees Why core values must be used as a business tool How to address employees who perform well but damage the culture Why a "moldy blueberry" can quickly affect the rest of the team The danger of promoting top salespeople into management without support Why founders struggle to step away from the sales seat How accountability conversations help people improve Key Takeaways Simple does not mean easy. EOS provides straightforward tools and language, but leaders still have to do the hard work of implementation and accountability. Core values already exist inside the business. The goal is not to invent impressive words. It is to identify the behaviors shared by the people who best represent the company. Values are only useful when they guide decisions. Core values should influence hiring, coaching, promotions, performance conversations, and terminations. Culture must apply to top performers too. A salesperson who hits their number but damages the team cannot be exempt from accountability. It may be better to have no core values than fake ones. When leaders tolerate behavior that contradicts the stated values, they weaken trust across the organization. The best salesperson is rarely the best sales manager. Selling and managing require different skills, including coaching, patience, process, and accountability. Founders get pulled back into sales because it feels natural. They built the company through relationships and selling, but long-term growth requires developing a team that can perform without them. Accountability is an act of support. Clear feedback gives employees the chance to improve, align with the culture, and become more successful.   Who Should Listen This episode is especially valuable for: Founders who are still the primary closer in the company Entrepreneurs considering EOS Sales leaders building accountability across their teams Companies reviewing or redefining their core values CEOs dealing with high-performing employees who damage the culture Leadership teams trying to create consistency across the organization Business owners who want the sales department to run without them   Links & Resources EOS Worldwide https://www.eosworldwide.com Contact Jim Coyle jim.coyle@eosworldwide.com Traction by Gino Wickman Great by Choice by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen Enshittification by Cory Doctorow   Continue the Conversation If this episode made you think differently about accountability, leadership, culture, or how to get the sales department running without everything flowing through the founder, join the Sales Integrator Community. The community is built exclusively for salespeople and sales managers who want an edge and practical support from someone who has learned the hard way over 40 years in sales. Inside, members can access coaching insights, sales tools, practical resources, and ongoing conversations designed to help them improve their craft and lead more effectively. Free forever. Special founding member badges are available for the first 250 members. Join the community here: https://helix-community.circle.so/join?invitation_token=8b6622d942c852339d856b2af3504123cf9476e2-8b78b151-d94f-46df-a26b-ec4a6df24460   Subscribe to Sales & Cigars Sales & Cigars is hosted by Walter Crosby, the Sales Integrator with Helix Sales Development. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. The only smoke we blow is from cigars.

In this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor is joined by Certified EOS Implementer® Jeff Starin to share the remarkable story of how he grew his business by 484% after implementing EOS® & transforming the way he led his company. Jeff's entrepreneurial journey is anything but ordinary. After leaving college to become a professional pool player, he started an auto parts business with the simple goal of earning enough money to one day open a pool hall. Over the years, he built the company into a successful business, but after reaching around $5 million in revenue, growth completely stalled. For four consecutive years, sales remained virtually unchanged, leaving Jeff searching for a better way forward. Everything changed when Jeff discovered the Entrepreneurial Operating System®. Like many business owners, he initially chose to self-implement after reading Traction. While the tools helped, he quickly realised that trying to facilitate the process himself limited the results. Bringing in an experienced EOS® Implementer became the turning point, giving his leadership team the accountability, structure & objective guidance they needed to gain real Traction®. One of the biggest breakthroughs came through redesigning The Accountability Chart® & clearly defining the Visionary & Integrator roles. Jeff explains how understanding his natural strengths as a Visionary & finding the right Integrator to drive execution allowed him to stop being the bottleneck in the business. By learning to delegate effectively & empowering others to lead, the company experienced dramatic improvements in both performance & culture. Debra & Jeff also discuss the power of EOS® tools such as Level 10 Meeting® & IDS®. Jeff shares why helping leadership teams identify the real issue, instead of treating symptoms, transforms the quality of conversations, accelerates decision-making & creates a stronger culture of accountability. They also explore why difficult conversations become much easier when leadership teams have clear data, defined expectations & a proven framework for solving problems. Throughout the episode, Jeff shares practical leadership lessons that extend beyond EOS®, including why businesses move at the speed of their decisions, the importance of understanding what customers are truly paying for, & why happiness often lies on the other side of the difficult conversations leaders avoid. This episode is essential listening for entrepreneurs who want to grow their business, overcome the plateau many companies experience, & discover how EOS® can help build a stronger leadership team, create greater accountability & unlock sustainable long-term growth. CONNECT WITH DEBRA:    ___________________________________________         ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer® | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner ►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/ ►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/ ___________________________________________       GUEST'S DETAILS: ► Jeff Starin – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffstarineosimplementer ► Website – Entrepreneurs Organization - Los Angeles Valley: https://eolavalley.com Ep 282 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 00:57 – Building a Business by Accident02:02 – Discovering EOS and Achieving 484% Growth06:03 – Visionary vs Integrator: Finding the Missing Piece08:02 – The Difference Between Visionaries and Integrators22:20 – Helping Businesses Grow Is the Greatest Reward44:34 – Jeff's Top Three Business Lessons

"Being an excellent husband, father, friend & entrepreneur is a choice. Easy to say, hard to do." That's how Corey describes himself on his LinkedIn Profile & when you listen to this podcast you'll understand how he achieves all of these.Corey works as the Co-Owner & President of All Volleyball Inc - a family-owned business that has been running for many years.Just 2 years ago, after trying to implement many other business systems, the family business decided to go with EOS & use a professional implementer to help them.In that time they have survived & thrived throughout a pandemic & grown the business to 5x its revenue. However, it hasn't been without its challenges.Find out why they chose to go with EOS, what it has done for the business & how they went from 5 family members on the leadership team down to just one but how they still all get along & love each other.Their story is VERY inspiring & if you're a family business owner or part of a family business, you will take a lot from this episode.

Jim Robinson breaks down what the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework gets right about leadership, and the gaps it doesn't address.Jim and co-host Lori Prust dig into how Jim built his company to 18 states using the same "departmental" thinking EOS would later put a name to. They unpack his "Olympian level" framework for finding your strengths and delegating everything else, why letting go of control is the real unlock for scaling a business, and the leadership gaps EOS never talks about: inspiring your team, staying aligned with the right clients (not just the right hires), and carrying the psychological weight of always being the one who has to believe in a brighter future.⏱️ Chapters0:00 – Introduction 0:49 – Jim's growth story: building to 18 states with a global vision 1:38 – What EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) actually is 3:17 – How Jim uses EOS5:50 – Where EOS falls short: learning to let go of control 7:58 – Building leadership from within vs. hiring from outside 10:13 – Was EOS a discovery or just an affirmation of what Jim already knew? 13:22 – Finding your business's "sweet spot" and the growth abyss between $3M–$8M 16:54 – The cost of hiring "survivalists" instead of "Olympians" 18:45 – The visionary's ongoing job: refining who's in the seat 20:19 – Why good performers still get you a poor result 21:02 – The gap EOS misses: aligning with the right clients, not just the right team 26:13 – Olympian level, imposter syndrome, and the weight of leadership 28:57 – Who actually benefits most from the EOS framework ---ABOUT VISIONARY LEADERLeadership insights for executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners who want to lead with real influence. Not just authority. Jim Robinson is an executive coach, leadership speaker, and author of Leading with Empathy. Every week, Jim & Lori Prust share practical frameworks and honest conversations on visionary leadership, emotional intelligence, building high-performance teams, and the psychology of leadership.Work with Jim: https://www.visionaryleader.com/ Leading with Empathy (book): https://a.co/d/0bD1SpOPConnect with Jim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-robinson-18211918/Connect with Lori on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-prust-309898195/#leadership #executivecoaching #EOSleadership #entrepreneuroperatingsystem #leadershipdevelopment #visionary

On this episode of Inside The Wolf's Den, Shawn and Joni Wolfswinkel put their younger operator selves on trial for the business decisions that looked responsible in the moment but quietly cost them later. From bargain hires that became expensive lessons to loyal team members kept too long, they unpack why “safe” choices can drain cash, morale, client trust, and momentum. This is not a highlight reel or a polished success story. It is a candid, self-deprecating performance review of the calls they would fire themselves for today, complete with the real cost and the fix they would make now. As a married couple building property management companies and a virtual staffing agency, Shawn and Joni dig into the people, systems, money, growth, and marriage mistakes that shaped the way they lead. They talk about hiring for cheap instead of fit, being the bottleneck, delegating chaos, taking work back too quickly, and finally building accountability through EOS-style tools like scorecards, Rocks, and clearer seats. They also examine the trap of chasing door count over profitability, underpricing to win business, saying yes to the wrong clients, and confusing top-line growth with a healthier company. The most personal lessons come from the intersection of marriage and business: late-night decisions made on the couch, blurred roles, dinner-table conflict, and the boundaries they now protect so the relationship stays bigger than the companies. If you lead a team, own a business, work with your spouse, or suspect one “smart” decision is costing you more than you admit, this episode gives you the questions to ask, the numbers to watch, and the hard-won reminders Shawn and Joni wish they had received sooner. Much sooner.

Want to launch a premium, high-margin consumable brand and work with us to bring it to market? Get on the waitlist for our next cohort: ► Capitalism.com Bootcamp: https://capitalism.com/bootcamp I sat down with Djamel, the co-founder of Organifi, who grew a superfoods brand from $1 million to $100 million in about four years. We break down exactly how it happened: a premium, high-margin product, affiliates paid 75% commissions when the rest of the industry paid 5%, customer data poured into Facebook ads, and the team and systems that turned a scrappy launch into a nine-figure business. None of this was an accident. It was manufactured, and you get the whole playbook. (0:00) The $1M to $100M question, with Organifi's co-founder (1:00) Where it started: Drew Canole and the done-for-you green juice (3:00) Going out of business: the data-driven Hail Mary launch (4:00) The decision that set them apart: making it actually taste good (6:00) Sold out in three days, and presales became a crowdsourced capital raise (7:00) Building the whole thing on Infusionsoft, before Shopify existed (8:00) The takeaway so far: build a small audience and aim for a $10K launch (9:00) The first million saves the company, then the audience taps out (11:00) ClickBank comes calling: first supplement, and the launch that blew up (14:00) Influencer marketing before it had a name, and the TikTok Shop parallel (15:00) The 75% commission unlock: pay affiliates like digital, win on the back end (17:00) How aggressive commissions took them to $5 million (18:00) Turning customer data into Facebook ads that scaled them toward $20 million (20:00) Why did everything work? The numbers made sense (22:00) Why margin matters: build a premium brand and race to the top (23:00) The hate for a $70 greens powder, and why premium customers are easier (25:00) Building the movement: community as the premium moat (29:00) From $20 million to $100 million: becoming a real operational business (30:00) Stacking traffic channels, and the podcast-ad advice that opened a new one (33:00) The systems behind the scale: EOS, OKRs, KPIs, and dashboards (34:00) Becoming a leader: from wrecking ball to human (37:00) The two hires that mattered most: his CMO and COO (41:00) Incentive plans: phantom stock valued against the future goal (44:00) Walking away from capital three times, and the "bladder rule of finance" (46:00) The chaos behind the scenes: algorithm swings, lost influencers, tight cash (48:00) Exiting without selling: replacing himself, burnout, and rediscovery (50:00) His $1M-to-$100M playbook: data, team, problem-solving (52:00) The belief you have to manufacture (55:00) Why the entrepreneur bug never leaves DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this podcast and the resources available for download/viewing through this podcast for educational and informational purposes only.

Growth doesn't happen by accident. It's built through accountability, transparency, and the willingness to challenge conventional thinking. In this rebroadcast of the Rainmaker Podcast, Dakota Founder & CEO Gui Costin sits down with Potomac CEO/CIO Manish Khatta to discuss the systems, leadership principles, and content strategies fueling Potomac's rapid growth. From implementing EOS and creating a culture of accountability to building a sales organization powered by CRM data and consistent communication, Manish shares the lessons he's learned as a CEO and business builder. Gui and Manish dive into one of the most overlooked opportunities in wealth management today: content creation. They explore why most firms get content wrong, how authentic storytelling outperforms product pitches, and why creating content at scale can become a firm's greatest competitive advantage. The conversation covers leadership, transparency, company culture, hiring, sales execution, CRM best practices, and the mindset required to grow both people and businesses in an increasingly competitive industry. Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Spotify Learn more about Potomac: https://potomac.com/ Read our blog: https://potomac.com/blog Disclosure: https://potomac.com/disclosures PFM-212-20260626 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when leaders stop leading from silos and start leading as a true first team? The First Team is defined by Patrick Lencioni in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team as the team you prioritize over the team you manage. In this episode, Amanda sits down with the leadership team from Catherine's Health Center to explore how intentionally investing in trust, vulnerability, and shared accountability transformed the way they work together. Rather than operating as individual department leaders, they've built a culture where the executive team puts the success of the organization ahead of their individual department's priorities—creating stronger relationships, better decisions, and a healthier workplace for everyone.Together, they discuss the practical habits that have strengthened their leadership team, the challenges they've overcome, and why building a "first team" is foundational to organizational excellence. Whether you're leading a health center, a department, or any mission-driven organization, this conversation offers practical insights into creating a leadership culture where collaboration isn't just encouraged—it's expected.Books Mentioned in This EpisodeMastering Leadership the Coleman Way by Melissa StratmanWhat the Heck is EOS? by Gino Wickman & Tom Bouwer (EOS®)Creativity, Inc. by Ed CatmullThe Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick LencioniStrong Ground by Brené BrownGuests:Megan Erskine, CEOSara Brooks, COODustin Maynes, CFOMark Contreras, CMOHost: Amanda LaramieThanks for listening!  Check us out on: FacebookInstagramLinkedInOur WebsiteTikTokTwitterYouTube 

On today's episode, recorded live at the Dental Success Summit 2026, Dr. Mark Costes sits down with Gino Wickman, creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System and author of Traction, Rocket Fuel, and Shine. Gino shares the lessons behind building EOS, the six essential traits of an entrepreneur, and why the right visionary-integrator partnership can transform a growing business.  They discuss how to find and evaluate an integrator, the five rules that keep the relationship strong, the most overlooked components of EOS, and the foundational tools dental leaders can begin implementing immediately. Gino also opens up about the deeper message behind Shine and why lasting success requires more than achievement alone. Be sure to check out the full episode from the Dentalpreneur Podcast! EPISODE RESOURCES https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

Welcome to HALO Talks, where host Pete Moore sits down with Rich Drengberg, CEO of EoS Fitness and a seasoned leader in the fitness industry. In a rare podcast appearance, Rich shares his journey from Gold's Gym SoCal to transforming EoS into a powerhouse of high-value, low-price gyms across the Sunbelt. Listeners will get an inside look at EoS's disciplined growth, the importance of industry relationships, lessons from private equity partnerships, and why knowing your brand's identity is crucial, straight from someone who's helped steer one of the fastest-growing health club chains in the country.  Whether you're an operator, investor, or fitness enthusiast, this episode offers invaluable insights on building teams, scaling strategically, and staying ahead in a competitive landscape. Regarding chosing the right partner when looking to sell, Rich states, "We were in a great situation when we went to market that we didn't have to sell, and we were able to kind of pick who we wanted to partner with. And it was an interview process both ways. And because of that, we were able to have our cake and eat it too." Key themes discussed Transition from Gold's Gym to EoS Strategic and disciplined growth decisions Importance of experienced teams and industry relationships Private equity influence and operational mindset shift Real estate strategy and anchor tenant positioning Staying true to brand identity amidst trends Partner selection and aligning with TSG for expansion A Few Key Takeaways 1. The Power of Sticking to a Clear Identity: Staying true to the company's vision and brand identity was emphasized as vital for long-term success. EoS avoided "chasing every trend" and only adopted changes that matched their strategic direction, which helped them avoid diluting their brand and losing their core audience 25:23. 2. Disciplined, Focused Growth Strategies: EoS's growth was marked by a disciplined approach to new markets and acquisitions. Opportunities were critically evaluated, and only those fitting their model (right location, box size, and alignment with EoS values) were pursued. This sometimes meant saying "no" to enticing deals that didn't fit the vision 05:10. 3. Mentorship and Learning from Experience: Rich credited much of his development and EoS's success to mentors like Bob Giardina and Bruce Bruckman. Their guidance helped shift his mindset from operating a handful of gyms to building a scalable platform, and highlighted the importance of focusing on real estate and bigger picture growth rather than getting bogged down in minor operational optimizations 12:29. 4. Building Relationships is Key to Expansion: Entering new markets and securing prime real estate depended heavily on building trust and relationships with landlords, developers, and REITs. Early on, EoS was not the first choice for many landlords, but through perseverance and relationship-building, they became a preferred anchor tenant 15:28. 5. Industry Know-How Over Outsider Expertise: The episode stressed that having a team with deep industry experience ("gym rats" as described) was critical. EoS's management came from fitness, not coffee chains or hardware stores, enabling them to make better, faster decisions pertinent to the unique demands of the fitness business 17:26. Rich Drengberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-drengberg-5923046/   EoS Fitness: https://www.eosfitness.com  Journey To A Billion Dollar Deal-2 Minute Financial Drill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQtaGUQIyxY  Integrity Square: https://www.integritysq.com Prospect Wizard: https://www.theprospectwizard.com Promotion Vault: https://www.promotionvault.com HigherDose: https://www.higherdose.com  

Matt Putra, managing partner at 8X, shares insights on leveraging AI in e-commerce, the importance of organizational frameworks like EOS, and strategic financial management for growth and exit readiness.AI's impact on marketing and product developmentUsing EOS to organize and prepare for exitFinancial hygiene and data organization for acquisitionStrategic use of AI in ad creation and testingScaling and managing growth in consumer goodsChapters00:00Introduction and Guest Introduction03:44AI in Product Prototyping and Marketing Acceleration07:10Challenges and Limitations of AI in Content Creation08:49Role of 8X as Fractional CFOs and Data Management11:11Upstream Metrics and Data Organization for Growth13:28Using EOS for Business Operations and Exit Preparation15:35Case Study: Two Large Exits and Preparation Strategies17:55EOS and Strategic Frameworks for Large-Scale Growth20:06Financial Habits for Scaling to 8X and Beyond21:49Monitoring and Optimizing Conversion Funnels23:25The Future of AI in CFO and Financial Roles26:03Governance and Security in AI-Driven Financial Processes28:45Automation, Testing, and Human Oversight in AI Systems32:44Lessons from Metal Recycling and Business Resilience36:36Killing Underperforming SKUs and Product Management39:22Retail Strategies and Entry Points for Brands41:50Trends in Global Trade and Market Expansion44:21The Role of Research Content and AI45:02Soccer in Vancouver and Local Sports Culture46:09Contact and Closing Remarks

In this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor is joined by Kris Snyder, Chief Advocate at Ninety.io, to explore how EOS® Powered by AI is helping leadership teams work smarter, run better meetings & build scalable businesses.Kris shares his journey from building five software companies & surviving the dot-com crash to becoming an EOS® Implementer & one of the driving forces behind Ninety.io. Today, the platform supports more than 18,000 companies & over 300,000 users, while staying grounded in the core principles of EOS®.A major focus of the conversation is how AI is transforming the way businesses use EOS®. Kris explains that AI is not replacing the EOS® process or the role of the EOS® Implementer. Instead, it removes administrative work, surfaces insights & helps leadership teams spend more time solving real business issues.Debra & Kris discuss how AI-powered tools within Ninety.io can improve meeting preparation, identify patterns, provide visibility into team performance & help leaders ask better questions. They also explore how Ninety.io is balancing innovation with the simplicity that makes EOS® so effective.Beyond technology, Kris shares why exit planning should begin long before a business owner is ready to sell. He explains how EOS® helps businesses become less dependent on the founder by building stronger leadership teams, clearer accountability & systems that allow the business to thrive independently.Throughout the episode, Debra & Kris reinforce that while AI can improve productivity & efficiency, lasting business success still depends on clear leadership, disciplined execution & meaningful human relationships.This episode is essential listening for entrepreneurs & leadership teams who want to understand how EOS® Powered by AI can improve meetings, strengthen accountability, simplify operations & build a business ready for the future. CONNECT WITH DEBRA:   ___________________________________________        ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer® | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/___________________________________________      GUEST'S DETAILS: ► Kris Snyder – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krissnyder/► Website – Kris Snyder: https://krissnyder.com/ Ep 281 Chapters:00:00 – Introduction47:04 – Transition to EOS and Ninety.io47:19 – Changes in Ninety.io and EOS Purity47:33 – Impact of AI on EOS and Ninety.io47:47 – Challenges and Opportunities in EOS Implementation50:11 – Planning for Exit and Personal Growth50:44 – Advocacy and Community Building53:26 – Final Thoughts and Tips

Welcome to episode 340 of Grow Your Law Firm, hosted by Ken Hardison. In this episode, Ken sits down with Brooke Lively, Founder of Scaling Law, and author of Scaling Law. Brooke works exclusively with law firms to help them gain clarity, accountability, alignment, and traction as they grow. The conversation focuses on why many law firms struggle to scale, even when they have access to the right numbers, advice, and strategy. Brooke explains how execution separates firms that grow quickly from firms that plateau, and why EOS gives law firm owners a practical framework for vision, people, data, issues, process, and traction. Ken and Brooke also discuss delegation, leadership bottlenecks, right people in the right seats, quarterly priorities, and why getting your firm's house in order can create more freedom, more value, and more options for the future.   What you'll learn in this episode: 1. Why Execution Determines Growth - Why some firms grow quickly while others plateau with the same advice - How EOS helps law firms turn strategy into consistent action 2. How EOS Helps Law Firms Scale - What the Entrepreneurial Operating System brings to law firm leadership - Why vision, people, data, issues, process, and traction matter for growth 3. Why Delegation Is So Difficult for Attorneys - How perfectionism and professional responsibility make letting go harder - Why firms cannot scale when everything depends on the owner 4. How Process Creates Freedom - Why scalable firms need documented systems and clear expectations - How process reduces rework, confusion, and leadership frustration 5. Building a Firm That Creates More Options - Why getting your house in order can support a future sale, acquisition, or better lifestyle - How a firm that runs without total owner dependency becomes more valuable and more enjoyable         Resources:  Website: scalinglaw.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brookelively Facebook: facebook.com/scalinglaw         Additional Resources:  https://www.pilmma.org/the-mastermind-effect https://www.pilmma.org/resources https://www.pilmma.org/mastermind

There is no shortage of founders who have read Principles or Traction. Far fewer have built their business around what those books teach, week after week, when it is inconvenient to do so. In this episode, Marcus Cauchi speaks with Keith Gillispie, founder of REI Automated, about the discipline of turning ideas into working systems, and why that discipline is harder than the ideas themselves. Why this conversation matters Most conversations about business systems focus on tools. This one focuses on behaviour. Keith didn't just read about principles, operating systems and delegation frameworks. He applied them, tested them, and kept refining them long after the novelty wore off. For founders who are drowning in advice but starved of consistent execution, this episode offers something more useful than another framework: a working model of what it actually looks like to follow through. Major discussion points Discipline over information. Keith names two books that fundamentally shaped his business: Principles by Ray Dalio and Traction by Gino Wickman. What sets his account apart is not the reading list but what he did with it: he built explicit, testable principles into daily operations, and adopted Wickman's Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS) as the structural backbone of how his business runs. Writing and testing SOPs. Keith's method for creating a standard operating procedure is deliberately unglamorous. Do the task. Write down exactly what you did. Follow your own instructions the next time and notice everything you missed. Repeat this three to seven times until the gaps close, then record a video walking through the process. Only then does a task become fit to hand to another person, or to an AI agent. Where AI should not go. Keith runs a company that sells agentic AI voice agents for real estate sellers, so he has a commercial incentive to promote automation. He was candid about its limits. When he tested his own AI on a negotiation for his own property, reaching the point where the AI pressed him on price, he found the experience uncomfortable. His conclusion: AI handles information well, but emotional, high-stakes conversations still need a human. Hiring as a discipline, not an event. REI Automated filters candidates roughly one hundred to one. Keith uses the GWC framework from Traction (get it, want it, capacity for it) to decide not just who to hire, but who to keep, and applies a consistent SOP-based interview and onboarding process across every role. Cadence over intensity. Rather than reviewing performance monthly, Keith's team submits short daily and weekly reports, which are read and responded to using Claude, and quarterly goals ("rocks") drawn from EOS. He argues that weekly management gives a business fifty opportunities a year to course-correct, against twelve for a business run monthly. The absence test. Keith takes one week off every month with no calls, texts or Slack messages. During a recent house move that disrupted his usual routine for roughly a month, revenue held within a thousand dollars of the prior month. He was candid that the business currently sustains itself well in his absence, though he is less certain it grows without him. AI as a thought partner, not a shortcut. Keith's team members are expected to bring Claude fully into their process, including drafting their own SOPs when Keith does not have time to write one himself. He was clear this only works because the AI has deep context on the business and because his people bring genuine critical thinking to the exchange, rather than treating it as a way to avoid thinking. A moment of disagreement. Marcus challenged Keith's use of performance improvement plans, arguing that everyone should effectively be on one from day one, and that needing to formalise one is often a sign management has let something slide. Keith pushed back, drawing a distinction between personal development and performance accountability, and defended his position with a clear rationale. Practical takeaways Before automating or delegating any task, do it yourself first and write the SOP from direct experience. Follow your own SOP repeatedly until you have found and closed the gaps, then record it on video. Review your business weekly, not monthly. You get roughly four times as many chances to correct course. Keep team communication in shared channels rather than direct messages, so ideas get scrutinised by more than one person. Test whether your business can run without you before you assume it can. Use AI to draft and challenge your thinking, not simply to execute tasks you have not fully worked out yourself. Memorable quotes "Sometimes in order to be helpful, you have to say the hard thing." "When we're dealing with information, AI is fine. When we're dealing with emotion, that needs a human touch." "You always have to take away before you can add." Books and resources mentioned Principles by Ray Dalio Traction by Gino Wickman Essentialism by Greg McKeown The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Guest biography Keith Gillispie is the founder and CEO of REI Automated, which provides education, software and coaching to real estate investors on building automated, systemised businesses. He spent eight years on active duty with the US Marine Corps, during which he began investing in real estate and developed the systems-first approach that now underpins his companies. Subscribe If this conversation was useful, subscribe to TheInquisitor Podcast for more conversations that challenge conventional thinking on selling, leadership and building businesses that last.

Want our guidance to build and run your own marketing engine? Book a call with our team: https://call.contractordynamics.com/yt?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=7.16.26Get our FREE marketing course for contractors here: https://course.contractordynamics.com?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=7.16.26If you're a roofing company owner asking "what is my marketing actually doing for my business," this episode is for you.In this episode, Joseph breaks down what Contractor Dynamics is building for a new client: a Utah roofing company spending $5,000 to $15,000 a month on marketing with zero visibility into what's working. He walks through the exact onboarding process, how to find wasted ad spend fast, and the three things every roofing company should demand from their marketing.Key Takeaways for Contractors✔️ Why spending based on "how business feels" instead of data is costing you money every month✔️ The deep dive questions we ask before touching a single ad: revenue goals, product mix, ideal client avatars✔️ How a 12-month marketing plan gets broken into 90-day EOS quarters and weekly action items✔️ Why most roofing companies are wasting half their ad spend, and how to find it in the first 30 days✔️ The three things we guarantee inside 90 days: a custom playbook, weekly clarity, and a real-time ROI dashboardKey Timestamps00:00 Why untracked marketing spend is a guessing game01:39 What we build for every new client in year one02:39 The onboarding deep dive: goals, verticals, client avatars05:20 The weekly playbook and hands-on implementation support06:46 Finding wasted ad spend and quick wins in 30 days09:57 The 90-day guarantee: playbook, clarity, ROI dashboardIf you want to learn how Contractor Dynamics helps roofing companies build systems that connect marketing activity to revenue, watch this free video that walks through our entire system:https://www.contractordynamics.com/training/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=7.16.26Ready to put this into action for your company?Schedule a Marketing Demo with our team and we'll show you exactly what needs to be built inside your roofing company to make the most of your marketing.

We have some more of our great conversation with EOS Master Jim Socci! They discuss difficulties in changing accountability as an owner with EOS, the idea of "good turnover and much more!    This Episode is Sponsored by Construction, Credit and Finance Group. You can get in contact with them and learn more information in our Associates Tab of our website and at the link below! Construction, Credit, & Finance Group — PEER EXECUTIVE GROUPS

In this episode of Shed & Shine, Gino got a call. One of the original EOS implementers was moving on. As he drove home processing it, one thought led to another, and then another, until he landed somewhere he didn't expect.What does it mean to lose people, over and over, across a life that stretches to 120 years? Coworkers, friends, maybe even a spouse. His friend's 90-year-old mother has buried two husbands and found a third. His dad has watched entire social circles come and go from an independent living facility. Can you actually build that kind of resilience? And if you can't, what's standing in the way?He doesn't know what to call this one. But it did something for him. Maybe it will for you too. Timestamps00:00 Coping with Departures03:59 Long-Term Living Perspective07:28 Resilience in Relationships09:25 The Unnamed Episode's Point ABOUT THE 10 DISCIPLINES:The 10 Disciplines, founded by Gino Wickman and Rob Dube, is on a mission to help one million drivel leaders realize it's possible to be driven and have peace while making a bigger impact. We want to help you shed the barriers and layers that prevent you from creating the balance between impact and peace, and your True Self. Are you ready to be fully yourself, without the burnout? This space is for driven leaders ready to stop chasing and start aligning. If you're done hiding behind hustle, achievement, and expectations… and you're ready to reconnect with who you really are, you're in the right place. CONNECT WITH US❤️ https://www.instagram.com/the10disciplines❤️ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the10disciplines/ MORE RESOURCES TO HELP YOUR INNER WORLD JOURNEY❤️ https://www.the10disciplines.com/blog❤️ https://www.shedandshinepodcast.com ⭐️ https://www.the10disciplines.com/shine ✨ Find where you are in your True Self Journey: https://www.form.jotform.com/Developer763/true-self-mastermind-quiz

We sit down with Josh Sprague, founder of Orange Mud and Seven Clay, to unpack the hard pivot from jack-of-all-trades operator to disciplined builder. He shares how a simple birthday joke at his office turned into a serious wake-up call, and why implementing EOS, org charts, and SOPs let him stop being the bottleneck without lowering standards.From there we go deep on the craft behind endurance gear. Josh explains the biomechanics that drive a truly stable hydration pack, why stability prevents chafing, and how fabric choices, breathable spacer mesh, ripstop nylon, and YKK zippers add up to durability you can trust for long trail runs, ultramarathons, gravel rides, and adventure races. He also tells the unfiltered startup story: ugly early prototypes, the mystery of tech packs, factories that will not call you back, and how one good connection can change everything.We also tackle the complicated economics of “Made in USA” versus overseas production, plus the exact kind of frustration that sparks new companies. When local shops could not deliver quality embroidery, Josh built Seven Clay and scaled it nationwide. If you care about product design, manufacturing, small business scaling, customer feedback loops, and endurance performance, this conversation delivers real decisions, not vague motivation. Subscribe, share this with a founder or athlete friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: where are you still being the “fixer” in your own life?Website:https://www.orangemud.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorJsXpTkD5q-ZFa8rT3EU-qgw4jKNmhh79Eo2LUkrk3otAxOc5RInstagram: @orangemudhttps://www.instagram.com/orangemud?igsh=eXhiNWxyZXVvazI1@sevenclayhttps://www.instagram.com/sevenclay?igsh=eGNoYzIzY2NrZmIwShoutout to:Josh SpragueThe Sprague FamilyAg-Gear Store https://www.aggearstore.com/Use Code: Milesmountains For 15% Off Raising Awareness:Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)Mental Health Send us Fan Mail

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital. News sources for this episode:  Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, “Stopping the Loss of Rural Maternity Care,” June 2026, https://chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Maternity_Care_Crisis.pdf. Stephanie Armour, “New Disease Threats Follow Trump Administration's Health Program Cuts,” July 2, 2026, https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/new-disease-threats-follow-trump-administrations-health-program-cuts/, KFF Health News. Grace van Deelen, “Trump Administration to Remove Hundreds of Deep-Ocean Observation Instruments, Dismantling $368 Million Program,” June 3, 2026, https://eos.org/research-and-developments/trump-administration-to-remove-hundreds-of-deep-ocean-observation-instruments-dismantling-368-million-program, Eos. U.S. Department of Agriculture, “USDA Confirms Presence of New World Screwworm in the United States,” June 3, 2026, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-confirms-presence-new-world-screwworm-united-states.  Nikhil Ranadive, M.D. Et al., “CDC Operational Guidance for Investigating Locally Acquired Mosquito-Transmitted Malaria,” May 21, 2026, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/rr/rr7501a1.htm.  Sarah J. Topping, “Statement from the Southampton Town Trustees Regarding Vibrio Vulnificus,” April 23, 2026, https://www.southamptontownny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/46859/04-23-2026-Trustees-Press-Release---Statement-from-the-Southampton-Town-Trustees-Regarding-Vibrio-vulnificus, Town of Southampton Board of Trustees. Rick Mayer, “Florida is up to eight cases of Vibrio vulnificus – so-called 'flesh-eating bacteria' – in 2026,” June 12, 2026, https://www.wusf.org/health-news-florida/2026-06-12/florida-is-up-to-eight-cases-of-vibrio-vulnificus-so-called-flesh-eating-bacteria-in-2026, WUSF.  Amy Maxmen, “‘We Live With Fear': In Congo, Doctors Face Ebola With Little Protection,” June 5, 2026, https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/ebola-congo-virus-outbreak-drc-africa-health-workers-bundibugyo/, KFF Health News. U.S. Agency for International Development, https://oig.usaid.gov/. Molly Castle Work, “Minnesota's ‘sprint medic' pilot program aims to get paramedics to rural emergencies faster,” July 1, 2026, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/06/30/minnesotas-sprint-medic-pilot-program-aims-to-get-paramedics-to-rural-emergencies-faster, Minnesota Public Radio News. Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.

In this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor sits down with Niki Wilson, founder of Snapline Systems and Professional EOS Implementer®, to explore the challenges of attempting to self-implement EOS and why many leadership teams ultimately realise they need external support.Niki shares her journey as the first employee of a fast-growing software company, where she worked closely with an inspiring Visionary owner to help scale the business. As the company grew, clarity around roles, priorities & accountability became increasingly difficult.Together, Niki & the owner recognised that EOS® was exactly what the business needed. Like many leadership teams, they initially chose to self-implement, believing they could learn & apply the tools themselves.While self-implementing EOS® created significant improvements, Niki explains that it also revealed its limitations. Leadership time that could have been focused on growing the business was instead spent facilitating sessions, learning the process & keeping everyone aligned.Eventually, they realised that bringing in an objective EOS® Implementer could accelerate progress, challenge assumptions & allow the leadership team to focus on leading rather than facilitating.A major theme throughout the conversation is the power of the Accountability Chart®. Niki describes it as one of the most transformational EOS® tools because it creates clarity around roles, responsibilities & expectations. Rather than organising people around job titles, the Accountability Chart® helps leadership teams build the structure the business actually needs to achieve its vision.The discussion also covers the impact of the Level 10 Meeting®, the EOS® Proven Process & why consistent execution is far more valuable than trying to customise or shortcut the system. Throughout the episode, Niki emphasises that EOS® is not simply a collection of business tools. It is a complete operating system that delivers the greatest results when followed as designed.This episode is essential listening for entrepreneurs considering self-implementing EOS®, leadership teams looking to create greater clarity & accountability, & business owners who want to understand when bringing in an experienced EOS® Implementer can dramatically accelerate their journey towards Vision, Traction, Healthy™. CONNECT WITH DEBRA:    ___________________________________________         ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner ►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/ ►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/ ___________________________________________       GUEST'S DETAILS: ► Niki Wilson – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niki-t-wilson/ ► Website – EOS Worldwide: Niki Wilson, EOS Implementer, New Orleans | EOS Implementer | EOS Worldwide Ep 280 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction00:51 – Nikki Wilson's Background and EOS® Journey 03:22 – Challenges of Self-Implementing EOS® 03:36 – The Role of the Accountability Chart® 05:22 – The Impact of EOS® Tools and Meetings 10:55 – Focus Day and the EOS® Proven Process 18:59 – The Role of an EOS® Implementer 21:39 – The Visionary–Integrator Dynamic 27:36 – The Power of the Issues Solving Track (IDS) 31:33 – Top Tips and Tools for Success

Before he built one of the biggest names in youth sports training, Will Bartholomew was a walk-on at the University of Tennessee trying to survive fall camp with a quarterback named Peyton Manning. In this episode, the D1 Training founder sits down with Eric Malzone to trace the whole arc — training athletes in an open field back in 2002, opening a patio-carpet-and-turf gym with racks he screwed together himself, and slowly turning that into a franchise system now closing in on 220 locations nationwide. Will gets honest about the messy middle: no point-of-sale system at location two, why D1 doesn't open on Sundays, selling off 27 real estate properties and a physical therapy business to go all-in on the gym he actually loved, and the advice from his father that changed everything — "never scale anything until you've scaled it yourself." He also digs into what makes a great youth strength coach today, how D1 uses radical transparency and scorecards to keep coaches bought in, why he thinks the $115 billion youth sports market is still in its first inning, and the balance every sports parent is chasing between competing hard and keeping the game fun. Whether you're a gym owner thinking about franchising, a coach trying to build a real career in strength and conditioning, or a parent navigating the youth sports world, this conversation is packed with hard-earned lessons from someone who's lived every side of it.

If you listened to Part 1, you got the foundation. You heard what EOS is, how it works, and why so many companies are using it to bring clarity and structure into their business. But now… We're going to get real. Because here's the truth—everything we talked about in Part 1 sounds great… until you actually have to live it. Until you're the one being asked to: • Let go of control • Trust your team in ways you're not comfortable with • Sit in meetings that demand accountability • And follow a system that, at times, can feel… restrictive And I'll be honest with you… That's where I've struggled. So in this episode, I'm doing something a little different. I'm not just hosting—I'm pushing back. I'm asking the questions that every CEO, every visionary, every leader is thinking but doesn't always say out loud. Questions like: • Is EOS too rigid? • What happens when your team doesn't fully buy in? • What if you don't have the right people yet? • And am I—the leader—the one actually getting in the way? We get into delegation and the reality of letting go… we talk about fear, ego, and why leaders hold onto things way longer than they should… and we unpack what it really looks like to build a business that doesn't depend on you for everything. So if Part 1 helped you understand EOS… Part 2 is going to challenge you. And I'll tell you right now—this is where it clicked for me.

Dismantling the "Heroic Lawyering" Trap: Architectural Systems and Financial Scaling with Brooke LivelyIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Brooke Lively, the founder of Scaling Law, to unpack the structural vulnerabilities that routinely stall the valuation and equity growth of independent legal practices. Brooke, an elite financial strategist, operational consultant, and corporate author, details how traditional legal founders succumb to "heroic lawyering"—a destructive operational loop where the firm's owner acts as the centralized bottleneck for every legal document, administrative choice, and frontline client interaction. This conversation serves as an essential strategic manual for law firm owners and mid-market professional services executives who want to leverage the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to eradicate micromanagement, build automated workflow pipelines, and transition their firms into self-sustaining corporate assets.The Operational Architecture: Standardizing Legal Governance and Scaling Non-Founder Dependent FirmsThe primary constraint holding back a boutique or mid-market law practice from scaling past its current revenue ceiling is almost always an educational and cultural mismatch: attorneys launch firms because they possess premium legal acumen, yet they rarely inherit the systems-engineering background required to run an efficient enterprise. Running a professional service firm without explicit structural guardrails naturally breeds a culture of learned helplessness across the labor infrastructure, as staff members routinely abandon individual initiative when they assume the owner will manually review or redo their work. This centralized workflow reliance introduces massive administrative debt and severe executive burnout, which ultimately caps client capacity and compromises long-term enterprise valuation. True operational scale is achieved only when an organization implements a clear corporate playbook that transitions the business from a stressful, solo-led environment into a highly structured, data-driven system.Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) within a law practice effectively decentralizes authority by establishing an ironclad Accountability Chart that separates functional roles from subjective job titles. Rather than allowing trivial micro-tasks to consume executive cognitive capacity, leadership must establish a weekly scorecard to track leading performance indicators—such as new client acquisition velocity, active billable hour production, and ongoing collection rates. Replacing intuitive, gut-level management choices with visual data dashboards allows cross-functional legal teams to solve internal operational bottlenecks independently during structured Level 10 Meetings. When an organization standardizes its core legal workflows into repeatable checklists and digital templates, it removes personal bias from daily client delivery, ensuring the firm maintains its premium brand consistency even when the founder is completely absent from the boardroom.Sustaining a premium, high-valuation legal practice over multiple decades demands that firm owners actively look past revenue milestones to focus fiercely on baseline profitability, succession frameworks, and peer accountability. Building an intentional legal community designed specifically for firms self-implementing or optimizing their structural governance enables visionary owners to exchange localized operational templates and insulate their bottom lines against marketplace shifts. Shifting the executive mindset toward building a sellable, transferable corporate asset increases the firm's open-market equity while actively reducing the extreme systemic stress often associated with the legal sector. When data-driven financial leadership, automated workflow pipelines, and supportive peer networks are synthesized into a single architecture, a firm safely expands its market share and functions as a predictable, high-performance wealth vehicle.About Brooke LivelyBrooke Lively is the Founder of Scaling Law, a premier corporate financial consultant, an international speaker, and an expert system implementer specializing in law firm optimization. Drawing from a deep analytical background in corporate valuation, fractional executive leadership, and organizational design, Brooke focuses on helping attorneys transition from stressed-out practitioners into visionary business CEOs. She is the author of Scaling Law: How Visionary Law Firm Owners Use EOS to Build Value and Plan Their Exit, providing legal executives with clear, actionable strategies to eliminate administrative debt and scale profitability.About Scaling LawScaling Law is an elite professional services consultancy and leadership advisory firm engineered to guide law firm owners through rapid organizational and financial transitions. The company specializes in delivering comprehensive business posture assessments, custom EOS implementation frameworks, litigation workflow engineering, and strategic succession planning resources. Through specialized multi-unit data analysis, peer mastermind ecosystems, and structural accountability blueprints, Scaling Law enables small-to-mid-sized legal enterprises to remove operational scaling debt and predictably command premium market authority.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeScaling Law Official Website: scalinglaw.comBrooke Lively on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/brookelivelyKey Episode HighlightsThe Heroic Lawyering Trap: Identifying the hidden operational friction points and administrative bottlenecks that emerge when a founder handles all daily business decisions.The Data-Driven Legal Scorecard: Transitioning away from subjective gut-level management to track weekly metrics covering billable hours, customer acquisition, and cash collections.Eradicating Learned Helplessness: Building an EOS Accountability Chart to foster absolute psychological ownership and clear team responsibility across all management tiers.The Structure-First Success Mandate: Standardizing and documenting recurring case workflows into clean, repeatable digital checklists to insulate business margins.The Succession and Exit Playbook: Designing an autonomous professional services infrastructure to maximize enterprise value for future investors, buyers, or partners.ConclusionThe conversation with Brooke Lively reinforces that scaling a law firm sustainably requires an intentional balance of operational standardization, precise financial metrics, and a total shift in executive philosophy. By standardizing internal corporate governance, shifting daily decision-making rights to specialized management tiers, and ruthlessly protecting automated system infrastructure, legal leaders can successfully transform a volatile practice into a highly structured, self-sustaining corporate asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Your team is leaving money on the table. Let's fix that. For 8 years, Weaver Sales Academy has helped 17,000+ insurance professionals sell more and close better. Ready to level up your team for Q3 & Q4?

The dear leader has actually bleated out some not-dumb executive orders (EOs) to accelerate adoption of post-quantum crypto for the US government! This looks to be in response to a flurry of advancements in quantum computing and quantum attack algorithms a few months ago. We cram legalize into our eyeballs— plus, ECDSA.fail!Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZwQpN_F6P8Transcript: https://securitycryptographywhatever.com/2026/07/02/trumps-golden-post-quantum-eosLinks:- The EO https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/securing-the-nation-against-advanced-cryptographic-attacks/- CNSA2 https://media.defense.gov/2022/Sep/07/2003071836/-1/-1/0/CSI_CNSA_2.0_FAQ_.PDF- https://media.defense.gov/2025/May/30/2003728741/-1/-1/0/CSA_CNSA_2.0_ALGORITHMS.PDF- https://www.ecdsa.fail/- https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/safety-security/cryptography-migration-timeline/- https://blog.cloudflare.com/post-quantum-roadmap/- https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/technology/research/neutral-atom-quantum-computers/- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedRAMP- https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/ushering-in-the-next-frontier-of-quantum-innovation/- https://blog.trailofbits.com/2026/04/17/we-beat-googles-zero-knowledge-proof-of-quantum-cryptanalysis/- https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=9861"Security Cryptography Whatever" is hosted by Deirdre Connolly (@durumcrustulum), Thomas Ptacek (@tqbf), and David Adrian (@dadrian)

From buying his first fourplex in Albuquerque for $117,000 to helping build a portfolio of more than 2,700 apartment units and 100,000 square feet of industrial real estate, Jens Nielsen shares why hiring property management on day one, picking the right investors, and getting visionary owners out of their own way matter more than chasing the next deal. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Jens Nielsen, a commercial real estate investor, operator, and business coach based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jens spent 27 years in IT and telecom before transitioning to full-time real estate investing, raising over $10 million in private capital across more than thirty deals. He now works with entrepreneurs across industries to improve execution, leadership, and scalability. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why hiring property management before closing your first deal can save your sanity, how to spot the wrong investor before money changes hands, and why the visionary owner refusing to let go is the biggest blocker to growth in most companies. Jens also explains his pivot from multifamily to light industrial when rates climbed in 2022 and 2023. JENS' JOURNEY: After 27 years in corporate IT and telecom, his mother's passing at age 52 became the catalyst for Jens to seek freedom and disconnect his time from his income. In 2016 he bought his first commercial deal, a fourplex in Albuquerque, New Mexico for $117,000, and hired property management on day one because he lived four hours away in Colorado. His first syndication followed in 2018 with a 38-unit property and five partners. He and his partners have since built a portfolio of more than 2,700 apartment units and over 100,000 square feet of industrial real estate across multiple states. KEY INSIGHTS: Pay attention to investor temperament before money hits the account. One of Jens's first syndication partners wanted more control than he had and freaked out at every financial report. After six months, Jens bought him out so they could both sleep at night. His lesson is direct. If you have to convince someone to invest, that is not a yes. Do enough deals to let the law of large numbers work for you. One of his properties returned 350 percent. Another lost money entirely. If you put everything into one deal, you are gambling, not investing. The visionary owner not letting go is the biggest growth blocker in most companies. Jens has applied the same operational fix across gyms, property management firms, bakeries, a law firm, and an auto shop. The industries change. The bottleneck does not. Perfect for first-time real estate investors trying to avoid the second-job trap, experienced syndicators thinking through investor selection, and entrepreneurs who have hit a growth ceiling because they cannot get out of their own way. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/jensnielsen FOR MORE ON JENS NIELSEN: https://www.jensnielsen.us https://www.facebook.com/coachjenshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jenswnielsen/ FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps [00:00:00] - Introduction and overview [00:03:06] - First fourplex in Albuquerque for $117,000 [00:04:10] - Mother's passing at 52 as the catalyst [00:08:03] - Hiring property management on day one [00:10:37] - The first 38-unit syndication in 2018 [00:15:02] - Buying out a nervous investor partner [00:26:31] - The visionary owner not letting go [00:40:36] - Pivoting into light industrial and flex space [00:44:24] - What freedom means to Jens Guest Bio Jens Nielsen is a commercial real estate investor, operator, and business coach based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After a 27-year career in IT and telecom, he transitioned to full-time real estate investing and helped build a portfolio of more than 2,700 apartment units and over 100,000 square feet of industrial real estate. He has raised over $10 million in private capital and has firsthand experience navigating acquisitions, operational scaling, investor communications, and market downturns. His focus is on what happens after the deal closes. Originally from rural Denmark, Jens moved to the United States thirty years ago. He bought his first commercial property, a fourplex in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2016 and built his portfolio through more than thirty per-deal syndications across multiple states. Today he works with entrepreneurs and operators across industries, including gyms, property management companies, bakeries, a law firm, and an auto shop, helping them improve execution, leadership, and scalability so growth creates freedom instead of chaos. Host Bio Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Show Description Do you want your business to grow faster? The DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer reveals how successful entrepreneurs and business leaders use strategic deals to accelerate growth. From large mergers and acquisitions to capital raising, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate deals, and more, this show discusses the full spectrum of deal-driven growth strategies. Get the confidence to pursue deals that will help your company scale faster. Related Episodes Episode 338 - Joel Miller: Real estate investing, rental property wealth, and hard money lendingEpisode 328 - Richard Manders: Free Scale Coaching and helping founders build businesses that scale beyond them Episode 336 - Devan Gonzalez: The visionary and integrator dynamic in growing entrepreneurial companies Episode 350 - Tom Dillon: Capital strategy, alternative funding sources, and when not to take venture money Keywords/Tags:commercial real estate, real estate syndication, multifamily investing, light industrial real estate, flex space, property management, raising private capital, accredited investor strategy, IT career transition, working on the business, visionary bottleneck, EOS implementation, E-Myth, business coaching, scaling small businesses, Albuquerque real estate, Pennsylvania real estate, owner-operator real estate, real estate fundamentals, entrepreneurial freedom

Chris Hallberg, CEO and Founder of Business Sergeant and President and Founder of GoExpand, joins ROI Podcast® #511 to talk EOS, business operating systems, military leadership, veteran-powered recruiting, accountability, execution, and the small-business disease known as "we're agile," which is sometimes just Latin for "we made a new excuse every two weeks." Chris is an Expert EOS Implementer who helps leadership teams stop winging the business like a drunk magician at a sales conference. He explains EOS in plain English: vision, people, data, issues, process, and traction. Or, as we prefer to call it, "the six things that keep your company from turning into a group project where Todd from sales has opinions and no follow-through." Law and Chris get into why most meetings are lawless little hostage situations, how scorecards make accountability less emotional, why "right people, right seats" is not a motivational poster, and why energy vampires and brilliant jerks need to be traded to another team like a locker-room problem with a LinkedIn Premium account. They also hit veteran leadership, Business Sergeant's mission, GoExpand's agentic AI platform, project management, critical thinking, UFOs, control being an illusion, and why you should not be the smartest person in the room unless you are teaching kindergarten or holding court at a Chili's bar after one weird Tuesday. Hosted by Law Smith and Eric Readinger, ROI Podcast® is the #1 entrepreneurial-business-meets-comedy podcast for founders, operators, marketers, and executives who want useful business thinking without the corporate anesthesia. Guest: Chris Hallberg CEO & Founder, Business Sergeant President & Founder, GoExpand Expert EOS Implementer Hosts: Law Smith - @LawSmithWorks - www.LawSmithWorks.com  Eric Readinger - @EricReadinger Tocobaga Consulting - www.SolvingHow.com 

What if the real reason your business cannot scale is not your people, your market, or your effort, but that everything still depends on you? In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Hector Alvarado, Co-Founder of Optimize Business Systems, who explains how small and mid-sized businesses can reduce founder bottlenecks by building stronger systems, clarifying roles, improving leadership, and ensuring consistent execution. He also explains why business owners must shift from day-to-day firefighting to strategic leadership if they want to build companies that can grow without being in constant emergency mode. Key Takeaways:→ Owner-dependent businesses struggle to scale because too many decisions flow back to the founder. → A business is harder to sell when its value depends entirely on the owner's day-to-day involvement.→ Second-line leaders are essential to building a scalable company. → Business owners need regular time away from the weeds to see the bigger strategic picture. → Strong systems are more than SOPs; they encompass leadership, execution, accountability, and clarity. Hector Alvarado is an entrepreneur, operations executive, and business consultant with 27+ years of experience transforming companies across the logistics, transportation, construction, and home-service industries. His expertise isn't theoretical—it's built on decades of diagnosing operational chaos, fixing broken systems, and leading organizations through high-stakes growth. One of Hector's most notable accomplishments was the complete turnaround of Willy's Trucking. As VP of Operations, he led the company from a $1.3M annual loss in 2018 to a profitable sale exceeding $25M in 2021—a feat that earned him industry-wide respect. Today, he serves as VP of Operations for the largest NGL and Butane hauler in Western Canada, overseeing large fleets, operational excellence, and strategic expansion. Hector is also a Lean Black Belt, Continuous Improvement Master Trainer, and EOS implementor, bringing a rare blend of tactical expertise and strategic leadership. Beyond his corporate roles, he runs three successful businesses under Family Legacy Industries and manages a growing real estate investment portfolio, providing firsthand insight into entrepreneurship and wealth-building. Connect With Hector:Website: https://optimizebusinesssystems.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimize_business_systems/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Optimize-Business-Systems/61574764979478/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/optimize-business-systems/

Jonathan Wang is the founder and CEO of EOS Investors, where he has built three real estate investment platforms totaling $2 billion in assets under management across the hotel and residential sectors. Jonathan also created a wholly owned hotel management company that oversees 60 properties for the EOS funds and five core partners.     Our conversation covers Jonathan's path to hotel investing and EOS' hotel investment process across market selection, property type, underwriting, vertically integrated operations, and managing through cycles. We also discuss extensions into residential real estate, hotel credit, and opportunities and risks going forward.     Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠)   Learn More Follow Ted on Twitter at @tseides or LinkedIn Subscribe to the mailing list Access Transcript with Premium Membership

EOS and other business systems can create clarity, structure, and alignment, but they cannot make people execute. I explain why having the right framework is only part of the equation and why results break down when people stop following the process. The real problem is rarely the system itself. More often, the missing piece is enforcement, accountability, and consistent execution. Whether you're running a business or managing yourself, the human element is usually the variable that determines the outcome. Show Notes: [06:11]#1 Installation is mistaken for implementation. [10:20]#2 Accountability is defined but not applied. [17:26]#3 Leaders expect process to replace discipline. [25:43]Recap Next Steps: --- Execution is not a talent.   It is a standard. If your results don't match your ability, something in your approach is out of alignment. Most people do not have a motivation problem.   They have a consistency problem. Power Presence is the system for operating with greater discipline, clarity, structure, and execution under pressure. Learn more: → http://www.PowerPresenceProtocol.com  — This show is the public record of standards. All episodes and the complete archive: → http://WorkOnYourGamePodcast.com