Podcasts about strategic coach

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2026 38:33

What happens when you reach a certain level of success and realize the financial strategies you've been using may no longer fit where you are today?In this episode of Capability Amplifier, I sit down with Dana Cornell, founder of Cornell Capital Holdings, for a fascinating conversation about how successful business owners can think differently about taxes, investing, income, risk, and protecting what they've built.Dana has seen both sides of the financial world.He managed more than $1.4 billion at Morgan Stanley, served hundreds of clients, and eventually gained access to the advanced planning strategies being used with families at a very different level of wealth.What he saw changed the direction of his career.Dana realized there was an enormous difference between traditional wealth management and the coordinated approach available to ultra-wealthy families. Eventually, that gap became big enough that he decided to leave and build something different.Dana and I dug into what he learned behind the scenes, the mistakes successful founders often make with their own money, and why your financial strategy needs to evolve as your business and wealth become more complex.In this episode, Dana and I break down:Why Dana walked away from a $1.4 billion practice at Morgan Stanley?The 1% advisory fee that may actually be costing you closer to 20%Why do the ultra-wealthy keep most of their liquid capital out of stocks and bonds?What founders should understand about private and pre-IPO investing?Why the tax planning on a business or real estate sale has to happen before you sell?The risk most wealthy families overlook, and it isn't the marketEveryone has a CPA, an attorney, and an advisor. Almost nobody has a quarterbackOne of my biggest takeaways from this conversation is that financial complexity requires coordination.You can have a great CPA, a great attorney, and a great financial advisor. But if nobody is looking at the entire picture and taking responsibility for how all those pieces work together, opportunities can easily get missed.For successful founders and business owners, this is an important conversation about making sure the wealth you've worked so hard to create is being managed with the same level of intention you bring to your businessTake Dana's free financial diagnostic quiz (10 questions or less — get your wealth score and freedom score): https://cchquiz.comWant Dana's tax calculator? Email info@cornellcapitalholdings.com and he'll send it to you personally. Take the report to your CPA.DISCLAIMER: This episode is for educational and informational purposes only and is not financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. Dana Cornell is affiliated with Cornell Capital Holdings LLC. Nothing here is an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. Certain investments discussed may only be available to accredited investors. Consult your own CPA, attorney, and financial advisor before making any decisions.TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] Why Dana Cornell Left Traditional Wealth Management[00:03:42] Building a Career From Door-to-Door Prospecting[00:06:46] The Moment That Changed Dana's Career[00:09:31] How the Ultra-Wealthy Approach Financial Planning[00:12:04] Three Strategies That Move the Needle[00:14:10] Preserve, Produce, Protect, and Pass[00:17:21] Understanding the Real Cost of Advisory Fees[00:20:31] Alternative Investments and the Family-Office Model[00:25:08] Private and Pre-IPO Investing[00:29:47] Planning Around Business and Real Estate Sales[00:32:21] Building a Coordinated Team of Advisors[00:35:47] The Financial Diagnostic and Next Steps PS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Want to find the hidden revenue in your business? Grab a Cup of Coffee with me: AiAccelerator.com/1kReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and create “Your Next Act”? Watch this.Discover More

358: Stay Put in Your Convictions with Tanner Taddeo

Management Blueprint

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2026 30:31

https://youtu.be/jPTlkjF8M-c Tanner Taddeo, CEO and Co-Founder of Stable Sea, is driven by a mission to bring Wall Street-grade financial services to Main Street while embodying the principle Stay Put in Your Convictions. By combining blockchain technology, stablecoins, tokenized capital markets, and AI advisory services, Tanner helps businesses access investment opportunities, put idle cash to work, and move money globally with greater speed, transparency, and capital efficiency. In this conversation, Tanner introduces The Lionel Messi Startup Framework—Develop a High-Level Thesis, Talk With and Learn From the Market, Run 30-Day A/B Tests, Iterate Your Offering, and Stay Resolute With Your Convictions. He explains why founders should observe patiently, validate their ideas with customers, and act decisively when market opportunities emerge. Tanner also discusses balancing long-term conviction with continuous experimentation, unlocking 24/7 liquidity through tokenized capital markets, reducing friction in cross-border payments, and finding urgent “morphine” problems that customers cannot afford to leave unsolved. — Stay Put in Your Convictions with Tanner Taddeo Hello everyone. Steve Preda here, and my guest today is Tanner Taddeo, the CEO and Co-Founder at Stable Sea, an autonomous treasury management platform that helps finance teams and global businesses access capital market products and move money around the globe to 40 currencies with the cheapest FX rates. Tanner, welcome to the show. Steve, thanks for having me. Excited for the conversation today. It’s very interesting that this is how you position your business because most businesses in your industry, as I see them, position themselves with low transaction fees, but really their money is made on the FX. So if you do preferential FX rates or cheap FX rates, that can be a very transparent way of getting business. So I don’t know if that connects to your personal why, but I’d love to learn about your personal why and how you manifest it in your business. Yeah, definitely. At Stable Sea, we’re very mission-driven in terms of everything that we do. The team itself comes from Block, which was formerly known as Square. Yeah. And everyone on the team has been focused on building products for the real economy, for consumer use cases, for business use cases, et cetera, over the course of everyone’s career. And so when we started at Stable Sea, our primary thesis was, with blockchain, with stablecoins, with some of the tokenized capital markets products like money market funds, bonds, equities, et cetera, that are coming on-chain, how can you really take Wall Street-grade financial services and provision them out to Main Street for businesses that need them the most? And so the why for Stable Sea, for myself, for the team, is really around helping businesses drive greater capital efficiency in their operations. And we service businesses in the real economy that typically make widgets or some sort of physical hardware devices, and they need to send them around the world. We help them because we give them access to different types of capital markets products, so money markets and private credit and fixed-income products, et cetera. And then we help them move their money around the globe a little bit more efficiently than they could with either their state bank or their credit union or some third-party cross-border payments provider. Because our firm thesis has always been, if you and I ran Coca-Cola or a large organization, we would have the best-in-class transaction banks helping us put our idle capital to work at every point in time during the day. If you and I ran a steel manufacturing company in Missouri, you typically have a checking account and QuickBooks, and that’s about it. And so for us, it was always about helping businesses grow, save more money, and then operate more efficiently with some of the new technologies that are out there today.Share on X So that means, presumably, that what you focus on is more about the investment side of the business rather than crypto and blockchain, and helping people access financial products through the blockchain. Help me understand a little bit what you do and how it is different from what people can get from banks? Yeah. So everything that we do, all the technology that we build and provision, is on-chain. So all of the capital markets products are tokenized. So tokenized bonds, tokenized equities, tokenized fixed income, tokenized money markets. All of the payment services and settlement services that we offer are through the use of stablecoins, and we can send that around the globe, settle it instantly, and then have low FX rates off the back of that. And then we have some of our AI advisory services. But from a broad paintbrush perspective, at Stable Sea, you’ve got three products that hang off of our platform. You’ve got capital markets, you’ve got global settlement, and you’ve got advisory services. And then with all of that, we share a common architecture, and that architecture is built across many different blockchains. And then we utilize stablecoins and we utilize RWA tokens, or real-world asset tokens, to provision those use cases. So everything that we do is stablecoin-native, but we don’t lead with that from a messaging perspective. And the reason we don’t lead with that from a messaging perspective is that if you and I ran a bakery here in Brooklyn, New York, and we had a point-of-sale terminal that just got offered RTP access from the Fed for instant settlement, the bakery owner doesn’t really care about the technology underneath it. They just care, “Do I trust it? Is it going to get me my money quicker, and is it going to be cheaper than my current alternative?” How it happens, not very many people care unless you’re in the industry and you’re a builder, product manager, et cetera, and you want to nerd out on the actual mechanical nature of how the product works. But for us, it’s always been leading with the narrative of, what is the value proposition and how can we drive greater value to the businesses? So that’s how we lead. But to your point on what the difference is, with any new technological paradigm that occurs, rarely is it so disruptive in nature that folks can’t recognize it. Everything that happens in terms of the innovation paradigm is typically you stand on the shoulders of giants and you make things incrementally better. And so for us, what we do with capital markets is, the first value proposition is that many businesses in the United States just don’t have access to a diverse array of capital markets products. So the first thing that we have done is just provision access, which is an innovation in and of itself because in the traditional markets, if you want to access a money market fund or a fixed-income product, you typically have high hurdle rates, meaning that as a business, you need to invest at least $10 million at the asset manager in question. You need to hold that there so then you can get access to all these products. With us, you don’t. There’s only a $1 minimum to clear, so I think most folks can handle a $1 minimum. And then secondly, as things go on-chain, the value proposition there is that you have 24/7, 365 liquidity and tradability. And so what that means is that, just from a money market fund perspective, the interest accrues daily and it pays out daily. So you get this interest that is dripped into your account daily as opposed to waiting for a month. You also have the ability—so let’s say that you and I run this bakery in Brooklyn. Let’s say that we close our business on Friday, and we’ve got $100,000 sitting in our checking account, and we’re closed on Saturday, Sunday because it’s the July 4th holiday. So we know $100,000 is just going to be sitting in our checking account Saturday, Sunday, not being put to work. With Stable Sea, you can put that to work in a tokenized money market fund because it operates 24/7, 365. So what we see is businesses now that close their books on Friday can just do an auto-sweep into a money market fund, generate yield Saturday, Sunday, get back to U.S. dollars for their open of business. And again, it’s one of those things where it might not sound like the most revolutionary concept in the world, but if you can help businesses, especially in the mid-market, lower mid-market, operate a little bit more efficiently, I mean, saving an additional $20,000, $30,000, $40,000 a year is a big value-add to them in the real economy, right? If you’re a large Fortune 100 company, you probably don’t care, or it’s not as valuable. But for us, the companies that run on us, these small increments, standing on the shoulders of giants, a small derivation in innovation is actually really valuable for the end user.Share on X Well, I think it is because, looking at the inverse of it, I used to be in banking, and I know that one of the biggest moneymakers for banks is float. Yeah. So it’s basically the money that doesn’t earn interest, which they have access to just because they cash the check a day later or make the wire two days instead of one day. And essentially, what you’re doing is you’re taking this money from the bank and you’re giving it to the company that actually should have it in the first place, right? Yep. Then the question is, how are the banks going to survive if you take away their bread? Yeah. That is the debate that’s happening right now. I think if you’re one of your G-SIBs, your major banks, you’re going to be okay. So the top 25 banks in the U.S. are going to be just fine, and they make money in tons of different ways, and you’re not going to disrupt that trust ultimately. In the long tail is where I worry because a lot of credit unions and a lot of state banks, they just don’t offer—they’re smaller banks, right? So they’re not managing—they don’t have a ton of money by virtue of assets under management. So with the deposits that they receive, they need to turn around and recycle that because it’s fractional depository lending, meaning that if I have a checking account, I put 10 grand into it, the bank is then turning around with that 10 grand, making money on it somehow. And you have to think, how does the bank actually make money on that? Well, they typically make it through debt facilities, so mortgages, auto loans, student loans, cards, et cetera. They’re putting it to work in high-margin financial products back into the economy. They’re not taking that and then buying some money market fund from an asset manager where they make 10 basis points and provisioning that out to the businesses, right? There, I think that we’re seeing a lot of companies move off. They’re taking their money from their checking account, moving it to Stable Sea because we can put it in these capital markets products. I think that overall, that’s a net positive for the business because the business now has a higher degree of operating capital on hand that they can make money with. But by the same token, if the state banks and the credit unions don’t wake up and respond to this, their depository base will be, if not fully eroded, tarnished and diminished. And what that means for local community health, I’m not sure because banks do play a very important role, especially credit unions and local banks. You know your local community the best, and so you lend back into that community with the deposits that you receive from that community. So there’s a cyclicality to it which has some poetry in it. And so it’s not apparently clear to me that some of this stuff is going to be a net positive. But at the same time, living in one of the most capitalistic countries and markets in the world, there’s a clear demand for this, and if the banks aren’t going to wake up and serve it, we’ll be there to help businesses do what’s best for them. Yeah. It’s the invisible hand, right? You increase the efficiency, which will force the banks to also increase their efficiency. And yeah, the smaller banks might have to be more innovative. But they are more nimble, so maybe there are other ways that they can serve the community. So I’d like to switch gears here and talk a little bit about frameworks. So this is a podcast of frameworks, and 350 episodes in, I’m always looking for some kind of a framework, shortcut, a mental model that you have come across or developed yourself that helps you make more sense of the world around you, get something done. It can be explained in three to five steps, something like that, which the listeners might get some ideas out of and be able to improve their businesses. So what comes to mind for you? Yeah, two things. I’ll start with a high-level analogy and then go a little deeper. It’s the World Cup right now, so I don’t know if you or any of your listeners are following the World Cup. But if you watch Messi play, his playing style is a great analogy for startups. And whether that be a startup externally where you raise venture capital, or even just intrapreneurship if you’re inside of a big company and you’re on an innovation team, et cetera. From the outside, it looks like startups are always building things and they’re always moving fast, et cetera. But in reality, if you watch Messi play, Messi really doesn’t move that much on the pitch. He just sits around, he observes, he watches, and then when a hole opens up and some opportunity opens up, he breaks for it, and then he goes and executes. But he spends the vast majority of time just sitting there, tinkering, observing, watching. And then if you’re watching him, you’re like, “He’s not working that hard. He’s just sitting around.” And then he goes and executes. But he’s always observing, he’s always watching, and there’s a real learning in that. I feel like Silicon Valley, as it relates to startups, there’s this pressure that you always have to be building, you always have to be shipping, you always have to be constantly grinding. I think that wisdom is actually counterintuitive because you want to have a thesis in the market, and then you want to be able to test that thesis quickly. So in some respects, you do want to be shipping all the time. But you don’t want to be working for the sake of work. You want to have a thesis in the market. You want to be building towards that thesis that will happen in the next six months, 12 months, two years. And then you always want to be learning and talking to the market because when that hole does open up, you’ll have the right product at the right time to go and execute on. So I think that's something that we have learned: being patient and staying resolute in your conviction that what you're building is right.Share on X And it can’t just be a gut feeling. It has to be validated by the market. So we do a bunch of A/B tests every 30 days where we have an idea about a feature or a product or a direction we want to take it. And the thing is, if you can’t get five CEOs on the phone in 30 days to validate if a product is going to be interesting or not, then that’s a signal in and of itself, right? So for anything that we do, we always have a thesis on the market, and then we spend 30 days testing it. And at the end of those 30 days, we get some feedback. The reason why we do these A/B tests, just to drill down into one level further, is that the idea of a startup or a product that you have in your head, it’s a living entity. It’s always evolving on the basis of who you talk to, what your team is thinking, what you’re reading in the market, et cetera. And then you’re trying to take that living concept and plug it into a market. But the market itself is also living, right? You’ve got regulations, you’ve got different macroeconomic cycles, you’ve got companies that have budget, don’t have budget, people getting laid off in different organizations. The market itself is living and evolving. So you have this idea that is living and evolving, and you have a market that is living and evolving, and you need those two things to stick together. And so for us, we’re always wedded to this concept that product at time A is not going to be product at time Z. You need to constantly be doing A/B tests to figure out what that right fit is. And then when you have that fit, you need to double down on it and grow it into a line of business. But you also need to recognize that there are very few businesses in this world that have been around for more than 200 years, if at all. So whatever your original product idea is, or whatever the feature that gave you product-market fit is today, you have to consciously be aware that, “Hey, that’s not going to be the thing that gets us to IPO in five years’ time.” So you can’t be lulled into this false sense of security. You always have to be waiting, observing, testing, experimenting, growing, and then if you see opportunity, you strike. Yeah, this is fascinating. Especially now, things are moving very fast with AI creating capabilities all the time for people to test products or to create capabilities that then get disrupted in a couple of months. So it’s interesting that you say that you have to stay resolute in your conviction. So there is a tension there. You build a thesis and you stay resolute, but then you’re testing and the market might tell you not to be resolute. And then you also told me that companies don’t live forever. So how do you resolve this tension of being stable with your thesis and not letting your conviction be upended, but also being nimble in the changing market dynamics and everything to respond to? So how do you manage the tension? Yeah, it’s a good question. There has to be a high-level thesis, right? So for us at Stable Sea, it is as simple as: In 10 years from now, will more finance teams and businesses be on-chain or off-chain than today? And so our high-level conviction is, in 10 years’ time, more businesses will be running their treasury stack on-chain. So that’s our conviction. We know, come hell or high water, that is going to be where the puck is going to be in the future, and we’re going to skate to that future. So if you start with this high-level conviction that more companies are coming on-chain, that is what we’re building for. Now, how they come on-chain is a matter of debate, which is where the A/B test comes in, right? We originally thought it was going to be for payments. So we built all the stablecoin infrastructure to do global payments in 40 different markets. Turned out to be not the case, actually. And then we started tinkering as we saw the data coming in and were like, “Okay, some companies are using stablecoins for payments, but there’s a bunch of inefficiencies. That world’s still going to take two or three years to wake up. Where is the wedge in the market today?” And so when we started experimenting with capital markets products, we found that there was this massive opportunity that businesses just didn’t have access to a diverse array of yield-bearing strategies, and they wanted that. And so that was where we were like, okay, let’s get businesses into the on-chain economy through capital markets. And then what we’re finding is, as folks come onto the platform, everyone uses us today for capital markets, and then 20, 30% of our companies say, “Actually, I do have a cross-border payment need, and I already hold money with you. Can you facilitate that payment or that settlement to Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, South Africa, et cetera?” So for us, when I say you need to stay resolute in your conviction, our why is always: We want to take Wall Street-grade financial services and provision them out to Main Street.Share on X The conviction behind that is that you can do that through on-chain technology. And then in 10 years from now, more businesses will be on-chain than off-chain. How we get to that future in 10 years, who knows, right? And that’s where the fun of the startup is. You’re always testing. And so for us, we’ve waxed and waned on different product strategies, primarily because the market has changed. And as people start to educate themselves on what the value props are, you see where folks find value, and then you build to that value. And in theory, in three, five, seven years, we should be living in a world where more companies are operating on-chain, and then they might use that full product suite. But out of the gate, it’s kind of like, where is that value, that wedge? You charge as hard as you can into that wedge, and then you continue to expand your product set over time. All with that high-level conviction of, in 10 years from now, we believe that more businesses will be on-chain than off-chain. So basically, you want to find the point where you can penetrate that market opportunity, and then it’s a land-and-expand kind of thing. And then you expand from there as the market opportunities evolve over time. But you already have a customer, you’re already building trust with them, and now they’re going to be more disposed to buying from you. Yeah, that’s right. And I think it’s interesting from a mental place being a startup because you’re forced to think so short-term because you just need to generate revenue, get to the next capital round, et cetera. So you’re always building for the moment. But what we try to do at Stable Sea is we try to think as if we were already a Vanguard and a large company, to the extent that we have the luxury of planning for 10 years. If you think about it in that regard, it takes a lot of the day-to-day anxiety away. It’s a little bit like, if you listen to Warren Buffett, any time that there’s volatility in the market, he’s like, “Well, it doesn’t really bother me because I’m investing for 50 years.” So, is it up 20%, down 20%? Who cares? In 50 years, it’s going to be up 200%, so that’s all I’m worried about, right? And there’s a real luxury when you come and think about it that way. So that’s why I think if you’re founding anything, or if you’re starting something inside of a company as an intrapreneur, you need to have a strong conviction on where the market’s headed in five or 10 years, and then you need to test towards that future. But that also makes the day-to-day operations of the business a little bit more palatable. So often, you can get caught up in this whipsaw of, “Big Company A launched this product. Regulation came down, wiped out this company. This competitor raised a Series C, and they have way more money in the bank than we do.” And so you can get caught up in all this minutiae, but it doesn’t really matter if you sit back and you say, “I know that I’m going to find a way to make this business exist for the next 10 years.” In 10 years’ time, what does the future look like? Do I feel strongly that that’s going to be the case? Cool. I’m going to build towards that future. And then whatever the headwinds are in the interim, they’re just short-term temporal problems that kind of come and go along. Yeah. I mean, I totally agree with you. And interestingly, 20 years ago, or 25 years ago, I didn’t feel like I had enough time to think that long term. But now that I’m older, I actually am more patient to have the long view, which is very counterintuitive. And Dan Sullivan, who is a coach and the founder of Strategic Coach, he is now, I think, north of 80, and he has this thesis that even at his age, he has a 25-year plan, and that allows him to actually create more value. So that’s fascinating. So switching gears here, what drives growth in your business right now? Yeah. So we govern the business with an assets under management model. So we have USDC, we’ve got money market funds, we’ve got fixed-income products, we’ve got Bitcoin on platform. So we just look at overarching platform balance. And so that’s the primary, very simple heuristic for how we define success: Is that thing growing month over month, quarter over quarter? That’s how we define growth and measure our growth. But again, the value prop in terms of what drives that, why do companies actually sign up to Stable Sea? Primarily because they just don’t have access. Almost every business that we have talked to so far, and honestly every business that I’ve interacted with, has idle cash sitting in a checking account someplace. Full stop. And that idle cash could sit there for the weekend, i.e., two days, or it could sit for a quarter. If you’re gearing up for quarterly bonuses in Q1, you will escrow a million, $2 million in Q4 so you can pay out in Q1. Not just the U.S. economy, but every economy, there’s just cash sitting around at a bank, and it’s being underutilized. And so for us, when we go and finally chat to businesses in the mid-market, lower mid-market, even SMBs, we have a customer on platform that invests $2,500 every week. It almost looks like a checking account, or almost looks like retail behavior in some ways. But they do it because they say, “Hey, I don’t make a lot of money with my business, but if I can eke an additional two, three grand at the end of the year, that’s valuable to me.” And there’s a real poetry to that because they’ve never had access to it. They’ve always wanted it. But banks, large and small, won’t go build for the long tail of the economy. And so finally, we show up and we say, “Hey, here’s your menu of investment options. Here’s the risk profiles. Here’s how you should think of it. Based on the seasonality of your business, we can get you into the right products.” There’s real utility there, and that’s what kind of drives the value proposition and the growth of the business and the business’s assets under management overall. So you’re looking for opportunities where you can be additive to customers, where there’s a situation where maybe there’s a gap in the market or there’s friction that they are experiencing with investing their money, and you can be the wedge in that situation and offer them a 3X better solution. Yeah. Correct. Correct. And again, our tagline internally is, “Keep your bank, upgrade your capital.” Because we really don’t want to compete with the checking account. Where you run payroll, where your invoices land if someone pays you, your day-to-day spend, keep your banking relationships because it’s very difficult to usurp that. And also, we don’t want to get into that. That puts us squarely in this neobank realm where you’ve got great companies like Mercury and Rho and Ramp and Brex and a thousand other companies there. We don’t really want to go compete with that. We’re more of, if you had the privilege of working with some of the largest transaction banks in the world, that’s what we’re trying to be and essentially provision those services out to the real economy, which is typically access to capital markets, access to global foreign exchange for payments and settlement, and then advisory services, tax reporting, et cetera. Almost like a democratized private banking service. Yeah. Yeah. All of us at Stable Sea, we’re trying really hard to steer away from the banking narrative, but yes, in the future, if you take that 10-year perspective, yeah, we will most likely be a private banking solution, a democratized version of that. Yeah. Fascinating. So what’s one thing that you’re actively trying to figure out right now in your business? Yeah, it’s a great question. I mean, the one thing that we’re actively trying to figure out is two things, really. One is, so we build directly into ERP systems like QuickBooks or NetSuite or Oracle or SAP, and we have advisory services. So we take a lot of that data, we build our own model weights on top of it, and then we offer that out to our customers so that they can essentially query their own transaction data and use it for different services. Now, we’ve got strong signal on the first value proposition for that, but I’m curious mostly for owner-operators in the real economy: What are their biggest back-office pain points? And that’s something that we’re trying to figure out because we hear a lot, “Yes, we don’t have access to savings products.” Okay, we can solve that today. “Yes, cross-border payments are frustrating, slow, and expensive.” Yes, we solve that today. So we’re looking for that third pillar. One of our VCs always talks to us about morphine versus vitamins, where it’s kind of a crude analogy, but if you go to the hospital and you’re in dire pain, you don’t want to be sold vitamins. You want some morphine, and that’s what you’re going there for, right? And when you’re in a startup and you create products, you’re really looking for that morphine of, people just cannot live without this product. And then you can sell all the value-added services around it, which are essentially the vitamins. And so for us, we’ve found two morphine-like products where there’s a real pain point for accessing capital markets. Primarily, there is no ability to access that today. And then second, cross-border payments: slow, difficult, expensive, opaque, all the things. Solved that. So the third one that we’re trying to figure out now is: How do we A/B test quickly enough to figure out—we have a treasure trove of data building into ERP systems—what is the highest signal-to-noise product that we can build using a diverse data set to help owners operate their back office a little more efficiently? So you say highest signal-to-noise. Is it the ratio of signal to noise? So what is the product value which you can detect as being a need in the market? Is this what you mean by that? Yeah, yeah. It’s like, what is that one pain point that is so resolute that people are like, “I would do anything to have this thing solved”? There’s all these value-adds like cash flow reporting and automating some of your tax stuff at the end of the year, which are all nice-to-haves. We’re curious. We’re trying to figure out what it is that folks will say, “I’ve got all this data in my ERP system. I would love to know one, two, three things and have A, B, C automated so my back office can run a little bit more efficiently and my accountant doesn’t have to ask me every quarter-end, ‘Where is X, Y, and Z statement?'” Yeah. I mean, I’ve got some ideas, but I’m sure that you’ve already thought about most of it, so I’m not going to share them. So if someone is listening to this who is a small business or medium-sized business, and they’ve got some cash just sitting around, or they’d like to invest, but they don’t have big enough balances or the transaction costs are prohibitive for their size of investment, whatever the reason, but they are curious about exploring how to have access to better FX rates, more investment products, where can they learn more, and how can they connect with you? Of course. Well, connect with me on LinkedIn, Tanner Taddeo, pretty easy to find. And then the platform is stablesea.com. So, free to sign up, no cost whatsoever. Also, no cost to use the platform at all. So feel free to sign up right online, and then, yeah, typically it takes us two days to run through the KYB document requests, and then you’re up and running. So, pretty simple. Stablesea.com, free to sign up and start putting your capital to work. Awesome. We try and make it as seamless as possible. So I’m just wondering, the name of the company, is it something to do with stablecoin? Is it a sea of opportunities for stablecoin? It was stablecoin for sure. So we started with the word “stable” and then “sea” because we wanted to provide a sea of liquidity. Both for FX, because we do B2B settlements, which are typically large transactions, low volume. You’re not doing twenty $10 million transactions a day. You’re typically doing one $10 million transaction a week or every other week. But you need a deep pool of liquidity to service that. And then also, from a capital markets perspective, we wanted to be able to provide a sea of liquidity there for different investment options that companies could access based on the seasonality of their cash flow or the risk tolerance that they have as a business. So stable meets sea, so Stable Sea. Okay. Well, if you want to keep your bank but upgrade your capital, then reach out to Tanner Taddeo, the CEO and Co-Founder of Stable Sea. He’ll get you more investment opportunities that maybe you have not had access to. And if you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe and follow us on Apple Podcasts. Do not miss any episode with exciting entrepreneurs like Tanner. So thanks, Tanner, for coming, and thank you for listening. Thank you, Steve. Important Links: Tanner's LinkedIn Tanner's website

How Entrepreneurs Can Publish Books Without It Being A Chore

entrepreneur books writing advertising publish dan sullivan benjamin hardy chore strategic coach

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2026 8:12

Dan Sullivan used to write books the hard way: long, lonely hours at the keyboard. In this episode, he explains the small‑book production system he created in 2014—focused ideas, a repeatable structure, and an editorial team that lets him produce a new book every quarter—and shows how entrepreneurs can adopt the same approach. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:What first got Dan writing books over 30 years ago.The commitment he made at 70 to write a different kind of book every quarter.Why his new book project stalled just four weeks in.Who the books are for and how they're meant to be used.How Dan selects each quarter's book topic. Show Notes: You can choose to write only about ideas your clients have already paid you for and that are proven in the marketplace. Long-term creative goals, like a book every quarter for 25 years, keep you active, productive, and future-focused. Advertising taught Dan to write succinctly by getting a complete message across in just a few seconds or inches of space. Strategic Coach® books are written specifically for Program members and for their associates who may want to join. Every quarterly book follows the same structure, with eight chapters, an introduction, a conclusion, and a consistent layout. Short, focused books can reveal which ideas deserve to become bigger, mass market books. Writing a book entirely on your own is often slow, lonely work that doesn't suit most entrepreneurs. If you maintain your health, you can keep doing meaningful creative work for your entire lifetime. When a company pays you to advise its people, your recommendations can be constrained by the organization's agenda. Most entrepreneurs get better results by collaborating with an interviewer or editor who can draw out their ideas. When you're stuck on a project, asking a capable team member to take over the “How” can instantly create momentum. Resources:The 21st Century Agent by Dan Sullivan The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time Management Wanting What You Want by Dan SullivanThe Impact Filter® Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Who We're Looking For

Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2026 28:13

For over five decades, Strategic Coach® co-founder Dan Sullivan has been coaching talented, successful, ambitious entrepreneurs. In this episode, Dan shares insights from his new book, Who We're Looking For, as he and business coach Shannon Waller define the kind of entrepreneur who gains the most from joining The Strategic Coach® Program. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How Dan discovered and describes the coaching instinct he was born with.Why The Strategic CoachProgram is designed exclusively for entrepreneurs.How Strategic Coach structures and processes can support an entrepreneur's lifetime growth.How an entrepreneur's ambition can create isolation—and what to do about it.How Strategic Coach and its members create a true collaboration, not a transactional relationship. Show Notes: Who you are is often easier for someone else to see, especially when they're watching you in action and noticing what consistently works for you. Your life is made up of hundreds and thousands of experiences, and the patterns of what works and what doesn't reveal your real talents and direction. The entrepreneurs who thrive in Strategic Coach are the ones who have chosen to base their income on their own effectiveness in the marketplace. Entrepreneurs have the strongest connection to their ambition because they've taken full responsibility for creating their own opportunities and results. Strategic Coach has coached over 25,000 entrepreneurs, and some members have been in the Program for more than 35 years, treating it as their entrepreneurial home. The ideal Strategic Coach member is talented, successful, highly ambitious, and never wants to stop growing their freedom and impact. When the right-fit entrepreneur hears about Strategic Coach, they recognize it immediately as the structure and community they've been looking for, which makes getting started simple and fast. In the Strategic Coach community, entrepreneurs collaborate rather than compete, contributing their experiences and insights so everyone grows faster. The biggest danger for entrepreneurs is loneliness, especially when they feel like no one around them really understands their ambition or experience. Most entrepreneurs have had to prove themselves on their own without a process, structure, or environment designed specifically for people who think the way they do. Strategic Coach gives entrepreneurs a space where they can be unabashedly ambitious and surrounded by peers who want them to think even bigger. Fundamental entrepreneurial thinking is different from knowing your industry; it's a way of seeing opportunities, taking ownership, and creating value regardless of the business you're in. There's no point in being a successful entrepreneur unless your success continually increases your sense of personal happiness and agency. Resources: Unique Ability® My Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan What Is A Self-Managing Company®? The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time Management The Impact Filter® Thinking About Your Thinking by Dan Sullivan

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Techno‑Spiritualism And The Myth Of Sentient AI

ai emotional myth enterprise techno dan sullivan spiritualism sentient strategic coach jeffrey madoff

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2026 55:57

Can AI ever become sentient? Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff unpack the fundamental differences between computer intelligence and human consciousness, and explain why emotional connection, meaning, and responsibility must remain human capabilities. Show Notes: AI, as we use it today, operates on very clever and very fast uses of language, not feelings. You can be conscious without sentience, but you can't have sentience without consciousness. Throughout history, when something new isn't fully understood, people tend to treat it as spiritual or even religious. Calling AI “magic” is brilliant marketing because it sidesteps the need to explain how it actually works. Emotional attachment to AI is risky because the system can't receive empathy or respond as a sentient being. AI tools continually get better at learning how you use language and mirroring your patterns. Many AIs feel complimentary and helpful by design, which is how they draw you in and keep you engaged. Enterprise‑level users want to push AI further and further because any profit depends on scaling these capabilities. Under the hood, AI is just math and code, which most people find neither intuitive nor very interesting. Much advertising, including tech marketing, plays on the idea that you're not yet the person you want to be and that their product will close the gap. Resources: Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Libros para Emprendedores

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2026 49:22

¿Llevas tiempo con una meta que no arranca? ¿Eres el cuello de botella de todo lo que pasa en tu negocio? La pregunta "¿cómo lo hago?" parece lógica, pero es una trampa que te condena a hacerlo tú solo, con tu tiempo y tu atención, que no son infinitos. En este episodio resumimos Quién, no cómo (Who Not How, 2020), de Dan Sullivan y Ben Hardy. Sullivan es fundador de Strategic Coach, la mayor empresa de formación para emprendedores de Estados Unidos. Hardy es psicólogo y coautor de varios libros sobre mentalidad y rendimiento. El "cómo" es lineal y lento: depende de lo que tú sabes y de las horas que le metas. El "quién" es instantáneo y exponencial: en el momento en que encuentras a la persona correcta, te conectas de golpe con conocimiento, contactos y capacidades que tú solo habrías tardado años en desarrollar. Michael Jordan no ganó ni un campeonato en sus primeros seis años en la NBA, no porque le faltara talento, sino porque le faltaba gente. Llegaron Scottie Pippen, Phil Jackson y Tim Grover, y ganó seis anillos. En este episodio vas a llevarte: ✅ Por qué la procrastinación no es pereza, sino una señal de que te falta un quién ✅ Cómo el filtro del impacto convierte tu visión en algo que otros quieren ejecutar sin que tú estés encima ✅ La historia del millonario que casi murió por no querer pagar 8.000 dólares en un aire acondicionado ✅ Por qué las personas correctas no solo te ayudan a llegar a tu destino, sino que pueden cambiar ese destino para mejor ✅ Cómo distinguir los problemas técnicos (que alguien puede resolver por ti) de los adaptativos (que solo tú puedes crear) Este episodio es el segundo de un bloque de cuatro semanas sobre sistemas de negocio. El anterior fue Un paso a la vez, de Mike Michalowicz. La semana que viene: Reclama tu tiempo, de Dan Martel.

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Aliens, Ai, and Human Potential: A Different Kind of Conversation

The Influential Personal Brand Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2026 52:07

Could the search for aliens actually tell us more about ourselves than life beyond Earth?In this episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and Mike Koenigs take on one of their most unusual conversations yet.Starting with a simple question - Do aliens exist? - the discussion quickly expands into science, human intelligence, Ai, consciousness, space exploration, and the remarkable abilities already found throughout nature.Drawing on NASA's Webb Telescope, SpaceX, psychology, philosophy, and emerging Ai research, Dan and Mike explore why humans are fascinated by extraterrestrial life and what that curiosity reveals about our own potential.Whether you're interested in entrepreneurship, technology, science, or simply enjoy exploring big ideas, this conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on one of humanity's oldest questions.In this episode, Dan and I break down:Why Dan remains skeptical about extraterrestrial visitorsWhat NASA and the Webb Space Telescope have - and haven't - discoveredWhy people naturally search for something greater than themselvesThe surprising intelligence found in animals and natureHow Ai is helping us better understand human thinkingConsciousness, psychedelics, and the limits of current scienceWhy curiosity may be humanity's greatest competitive advantageThe future of robotics and space explorationDan and I may not have solved the mystery of extraterrestrial life, but the conversation raises a bigger question:How much intelligence already surrounds us that we have not learned to recognize?TIME STAMPS[00:00:00] The Capability Amplifier Alien Edition[00:02:09] Dan's answer on extraterrestrial life[00:03:31] What the Webb Telescope has revealed[00:05:16] Why people want advanced beings to exist[00:09:02] Mike's childhood fascination with aliens[00:14:06] A SpaceX perspective on the evidence[00:17:08] Imagination, belief, and the afterlife[00:19:26] Psychedelics and expanded consciousness[00:22:22] Intelligence in animals and nature[00:34:09] Ai and the expansion of human intelligence[00:40:36] Beliefs Dan has abandoned[00:47:43] Robots, space exploration, and future alienPS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Want to find the hidden revenue in your business? Grab a Cup of Coffee with me: AiAccelerator.com/1kReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and create “Your Next Act”? Watch this.Discover More

Who Not How: Dan Sullivan on Building a Business That Sets You Free

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 40:26

What keeps an entrepreneur motivated after the money, recognition, and early goals have already been achieved? Rory sits down with Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach, to talk about the mindset and decisions that have kept him growing after more than 50 years in business. Dan explains why successful people often feel behind, how measuring backward changes your experience of progress, and why entrepreneurs should spend more time working inside their unique ability. They also discuss Who Not How, hiring people who create an immediate impact, using money to buy back time, and the role AI can play in simplifying a business. Dan also shares why he refuses to consider retirement at 82 and why entrepreneurs may need to rethink the deadlines they attach to their biggest goals.

ai building a business dan sullivan strategic coach

Grow Your Company By Growing Yourself, with Teresa Easler

Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 41:16

What does it take to build a business around only what you love doing? In this episode, Shannon Waller sits down with long-time Program Coach Teresa Easler to talk entrepreneurship, Unique Ability®, and designing a Self-Managing Company® that supports your best work. Teresa explains how better boundaries, courageous decisions, and seeing your business as intellectual property can change the way you lead and grow. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How Teresa first discovered Strategic Coach® through a surprise cold call from Shannon.How a move and lack of corporate options pushed her to start her own business.How she shifted from a gourmet cheesecake business into high-impact communication coaching.What big decisions she and her husband made to launch their company.What mindset shift led her to create Connect To The Core as a Unique Ability business. Show Notes: Most entrepreneurs can trace their roots back to childhood experiments in selling, serving, and creating value. Sometimes we choose entrepreneurship and sometimes life pushes us into it, but the result can be the same: freedom and growth. You can design a business where you do only what you truly love and are uniquely great at. Real communication isn't just data exchange; it's genuine connection and partnership with the person you're talking to. Entrepreneurs need strong communication both in the marketplace and inside the company with their teams. It's almost impossible to clearly communicate your value on your own because you're too close to your own business story. You can decide you won't work with anyone you wouldn't genuinely enjoy spending time with. Learning to say no is a courage muscle that keeps your life and business simpler and more profitable. Saying “yes” too quickly creates obligations without real commitment, which leads directly to messes and drama. Treating your ideas and frameworks as intellectual property lifts you out of just selling products and services. When you build a Unique Ability-focused team, you can take more time off while your company keeps growing. Resources: Unique Ability® The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time Management The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan What Is A Self-Managing Company®?

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The Repeating Pattern Behind Outrageous Tech Promises

founders ai tech promises pattern outrageous repeating dan sullivan strategic coach jeffrey madoff

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2026 58:06

Every new technology seems to arrive with a wild promise that it will “change everything,” and AI is no exception. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff explore how technological breakthroughs really create growth; why consumers, not inventors, capture most of the value; and how entrepreneurs can use AI as a practical multiplier instead of a magical fix. Show Notes: There have been about 10 major technological breakthroughs in the last 200 years, and each one arrived with big promises and bold predictions. When it's predicted that something's going to “change everything,” it usually changes only some things, in powerful but often unpredictable ways. The people who profit most from new technologies are usually consumers, not the inventors or platforms. Most consumers use new capabilities to improve what they're already committed to rather than reinventing their entire business or life. When most people start using a new technology, they tap into only part of what it can do, which leaves room for entrepreneurs to use it more strategically. Founders who bet everything on a new creation often push more extreme marketing claims that don't necessarily match what real customers want. Any new technology creates new kinds of problems, especially as you expand your number of locations, platforms, and touchpoints. It's not a bad thing when something gets replaced by something new; that's simply an evolving marketplace and shifting opportunity. Resources: The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

What I Learned from My 6-Week Immersion Trip

Modern Chiropractic Marketing Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2026 37:14

In this episode of Modern Chiropractic Mastery, Dr. Kevin Christie shares reflections from his transformative six-week immersion trip to the Cotswolds, England. He discusses the journey of planning and executing this ambitious family adventure, highlighting the importance of vision and preparation in achieving significant life goals. Dr. Christie delves into the concept of the R Factor question from Strategic Coach, encouraging listeners to envision their future and identify the necessary steps to reach their personal and professional aspirations. He emphasizes the value of creating self-managing companies to facilitate life-changing experiences, sharing insights on how to financially prepare for extended time away from practice.Throughout the episode, he reflects on two impactful audiobooks he listened to during his trip: Jim Collins' "What to Make of a Life" and Marshall Goldsmith's "The Earned Life." Dr. Christie draws parallels between the themes of these books and the challenges faced by chiropractors, offering actionable insights to help listeners align their ambitions with daily actions. Listeners will gain valuable strategies for navigating the 'cliffs' and 'fog' of their careers, and learn how to cultivate a fulfilling professional life through aspiration, ambition, and action.

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Why It's Worth The Entrepreneurial Risk, with Maria Callahan

risk entrepreneurial callahan dan sullivan strategic coach free days

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 22:07

Maria Callahan owns a tax advisory firm and has redesigned it around entrepreneurial freedom. Here, she shares how shifting from “professional accountant” to “entrepreneur,” pruning wrong-fit clients, and using Strategic Coach® tools helped her build a lean, right‑fit firm where tax season is calm, her time is protected, and the business supports the life she actually wants. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How boredom led Maria to entrepreneurship.The risks and sacrifices she made to start her own business.What first drew Maria into accounting.Why she enjoys working with taxes and tax planning.How Strategic Coach has been a pivotal part of her life over the past few years. Show Notes: Professional accountants tend to get hardwired to believe there's only one “right” way to do accounting. Strategic Coach members recognize how their industry operates, but deliberately design businesses that operate in a way that makes sense for them. Once you're credentialed, you can choose to be an entrepreneur whose specialty happens to be accounting. The joy of entrepreneurship is focusing on what you love doing, what you're best at, and the clients you love working with. Not every customer or client is right for you, and accepting that lets you eliminate wrong-fit work and stress from your business. Sometimes the best move is to stop offering products or services that distract you from what you do exceptionally well. Real leadership involves making time to think about your business, where it's going, and who will be on the journey with you. Focus Days™ are for money‑making activities, Buffer Days™ are for setup and support work, and Free Days™ are 24 hours with zero work. Either you take Free Days intentionally, or your body will eventually force you to take them. Doing everything yourself is one of the most exhausting and expensive habits an entrepreneur can have. If you never challenge your own beliefs about work and success, you'll never step outside the limits they create. Strategic Coach members learn from each other because they're in different industries but face remarkably similar challenges. Resources: Unique Ability®The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time ManagementWho Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy Tax-Free Wealth by Tom WheelwrightKolbeTransforming Experiences Into MultipliersThe Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin HardyThe Positive Focus®

How Founders Can Build Stronger Teams with Ai

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2026 74:31

Dan Sullivan turns the tables in this episode of Capability Amplifier by putting Mike Koenigs in the hot seat to explore a new methodology that's changing how founders introduce Ai into their businesses.Mike shares the evolution of his Ai Supersprint, a collaborative process designed to help companies rapidly identify opportunities, create new products, improve marketing, and accelerate team adoption of Ai. Through real-world case studies, he demonstrates how organizations have uncovered new revenue opportunities, built software prototypes, and reshaped their customer messaging in just a few days.Throughout the conversation, Dan challenges Mike to think beyond the technology itself. His coaching shifts the focus toward what really drives transformation: founders, teams, better storytelling, and creating an environment where people can grow alongside rapidly evolving Ai tools.The result is an insightful discussion about leadership, collaboration, and why the future belongs to organizations that humanize Ai instead of fearing it.In this episode, Dan and I break down:How the Ai Supersprint helps founders accelerate innovation and get their teams using Ai in practical, high-value ways.Why every transformation should begin by building on what's already working inside your business.How better storytelling can create stronger customer, investor, and team engagement.Real-world examples of using Ai to uncover new revenue opportunities, build software prototypes, and improve marketing.Why small, carefully selected sprint teams create faster momentum than company-wide initiatives.How Ai can amplify the capabilities of your existing team instead of replacing people.Why founder involvement is the key to successful Ai adoption throughout an organization.The importance of human psychology, collaboration, and leadership as Ai continues to evolve.How organizations can create a culture of continuous learning that grows alongside rapidly advancing Ai technology.If you're exploring how to introduce Ai into your business without overwhelming your team, I think you'll find this conversation valuable. TIME STAMPS[00:00] Introducing the Ai Supersprint[04:30] Building new businesses with collaborative Ai[17:00] The Route4Me transformation[24:00] Dan's framework for telling a better story[35:00] Finding hidden revenue opportunities[43:00] Building high-performing sprint teams[53:00] Why human psychology matters more than technology[59:00] The future of founder-led Ai adoptionPS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Want to find the hidden revenue in your business? Grab a Cup of Coffee with me: AiAccelerator.com/1kReady to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and create “Your Next Act”? Watch this.Discover More

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On the Eve of 500 Conversations, One Conclusion — The Problem Was Never Yours

The Impulsive Thinker

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2026 49:35

You already know the world doesn't get you, and it never will. ADHD isn't the problem — the world has a problem with your brain. This episode is confirmation you're not doing it wrong. In This Episode: Why ADHD entrepreneurs get stuck chasing chaos (and how it's actually safety) The cost of measuring yourself on society's measuring stick Building out-of-the-book businesses as an ADHD Entrepreneur What You'll Take Away: ADHD isn't your whole identity — it's just one part, and it's not the issue Chaotic systems feel like "home" for ADHD brains, even when they're burning you out People-pleasing + urgency can destroy your schedule (and energy) You can't outgrind burnout — boundaries win, guilt or not You're only failing on society's measuring stick, not yours GUEST BIONicole Solitar is a program advisor and team coach at Strategic Coach. She kicked The Impulsive Thinker® podcast into existence and returns to call out what matters for ADHD Entrepreneurs. Nicole Solitar appears courtesy of Strategic Coach®. Strategic Coach® is a registered trademarks of The Strategic Coach Inc. All rights reserved. ABOUT THIS EPISODE This episode of The Impulsive Thinker® blows up the lie that you need to fix your ADHD to succeed as an entrepreneur. The Impulsive Thinker® and Nicole Solitar rip into why boredom, chaos, and two-week time horizons shred neurodivergent businesses. You'll hear why the ADHD brain is wired for interest, not importance — and why that wrecks you when you measure progress by society's standards. The real talk covers time blindness, chaos as a "safe" place, and the burnout that comes from chronic people-pleasing. Listen if you're tired of pretending you're the problem. You're not. Hit play if you're done measuring yourself by a system that was never built for you. Email me about it at andre@theimpulsivethinker.com. Remember — ADHD failure is measured on society's measuring stick. Not yours. Your brain runs on interest, not importance. That's not a flaw. That's a different operating system. ADHD is not a deficit. It's a difference.

Is AI Really Replacing Filmmakers?

ai conversations disney filmmakers openai replacing sora dan sullivan strategic coach jeffrey madoff

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2026 51:35

Sora looked like it would change movies forever, until it didn't. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff walk through Sora's rapid rise and shutdown. They discuss why hype, guesswork, and bad business models caught up with it and reveal what growth‑minded entrepreneurs can learn about value creation, relationships, and using AI as a tool instead of a miracle solution. Show Notes: When OpenAI first demonstrated Sora's text‑to‑video capabilities in early 2024, the reaction was close to shock as filmmakers suddenly pictured an entire industry being upended. Disney's three‑year licensing deal in December 2025 made it look like Sora had gone fully mainstream and that traditional film was ready to partner with AI instead of fight it. By January 2026, new installs of Sora had already dropped 45 percent, revealing how quickly hype can fade when there's no sustainable business model underneath. On March 24, 2026, OpenAI announced it was discontinuing Sora, compressing an entire hype cycle—launch, disruption, and collapse—into less than a year. Behind the scenes, Sora was facing skyrocketing operating costs, legal headaches, union pushback, and an increasingly crowded field of competing AI video tools. Sora's short life shows that awe is not a business plan, especially when the promise is to replace human creativity instead of support it. If AI eliminates most entry‑level jobs, the big economic question becomes, who will have the income and confidence to keep buying what entrepreneurs are selling? If it seems like you're getting powerful AI tools for free, it usually means your data, attention, or behavior is the product being packaged and sold. Resources: The D.O.S. Conversation by Dan Sullivan Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Yesterday Creates Tomorrow, The Invention of Zero, and how AI is Rewiring the Entrepreneurial Brain: 10x Live with Joe Polish, Dan Sullivan, and Special Guests - 10xTalk Episode #248

10x Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2026 66:34

Dan Sullivan and Joe Polish go live in front of a live audience in the Zoom room for this 10x Talk, joined by Babs Smith and Dean Jackson and hosted by Paul Colligan. Dan compares AI to the invention of zero, a cognitive shift that took Europe roughly 300 years to absorb, and reveals the daily scoring system he has run for 217 straight days. Joe explains why the $2 million marketing archive sitting in his rented house has generated over $3 billion in tracked sales, and why no version of AI will ever replace a hug. Here's what you're about to discover in this conversation: Why Dan Sullivan says AI is the biggest cognitive disruption since the invention of zero, and how a concept dreamed up by philosophers in India took 300 years to reach Europe once it did. The $2 million marketing archive sitting inside Joe Polish's rented house, why it looks like hoarding from the outside, and how it has generated over $3 billion in tracked sales for his Members and Clients. Why Dan has scored every single day for 217 days straight on a scale of 1, 5, and 10, and what his highest day (250 points) actually looked like hour by hour. The direct mail letter Joe wrote for Bill Phillips back in 1998 that got reposted on Facebook decades later and pulled in $20,000 in sales in under an hour. Dr. Ned Hallowell's "right difficult" framework, and why finding yours might matter more than any AI tool on this list. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network® Event, apply today for your invitation to attend at geniusnetwork.com. Show Notes: AI as a Cognitive Disruption: The Invention of Zero Dan compares AI's arrival to the introduction of zero into mathematics, invented in India but not adopted in Europe until around 1200 AD, once Arab traders carried it west. Once zero arrived, it made double-entry bookkeeping possible and let European commerce and science take off. Dan's takeaway: it took 300 years for zero to become widely accepted, and nobody actually knows how fast AI adoption will play out. "It's all guesses and bets." The $2 Million Swipe File Living in a Rented House Joe describes the marketing library and swipe file he has collected over decades, roughly $2 million in courses, books, and direct mail archives housed in a rented property. Properly organized and applied, that archive has generated over $3 billion in tracked sales for Joe's Members and Clients. He compares it to a goldmine that, until AI came along, was nearly impossible to organize and distribute at scale. Digitizing Decades of Marketing History Joe used Claude to convert old Flip Video files from the early 2000s that would not open in QuickTime. He interviewed Mark Rukavina of iMemories, a media digitization company later sold to Ancestry.com, about digitizing consumer photos, film, and tape at scale. How a 1998 direct mail letter Joe wrote for Bill Phillips (Body For Life) generated $20,000 in sales in under an hour on Facebook. The Ocean Metaphor: You Cannot Get to All the Water Dan's analogy: you step out of the ocean, someone asks how the water was, and you realize you only touched a fraction of it. AI opportunity works the same way. It is vast, and no one will ever capture all of it. The real skill now is deciding which part of the water actually matters to you, instead of chasing every possible use case. Working Wiser: Quarterly Books and Claude 4.6 Dan has written a new small book every quarter since he started at age 70. This conversation covers book number 47. Structuring a book idea used to take about three weeks. With AI, the same process now takes about three hours. He started with Perplexity, then switched to Claude 4.6 for the quality of language it produces. The Hospitality Business: Humans for Hugs, AI for Thinking Joe's operating philosophy for Genius Network: let AI absorb everything that can be done with AI, finance, marketing, and calculations, so the Team is freed up to do only what humans can do. "Until I can figure out how to have AI give somebody a hug, I want a human that's actually caring to give somebody a hug." Handwritten Thank You Cards and the Return to Real Connection At recent Genius Network meetings, Members were asked to hand-write three thank you cards, no AI, and mail them from a mailbox outside the office. One Member in his mid-30s did not know how to address an envelope. Joe's point: as AI-generated content becomes ubiquitous, genuine human touch points become an unfair advantage. Yesterday Creates Tomorrow: The 217 Day Scoring System Dan's daily practice: score every activity 1, 5, or 10 points, built around one morning question. What can I do today so that tomorrow, looking back, this was a great yesterday? He has done this 217 days straight. His highest day scored 250 points. He credits it with reduced anxiety about the future and a near total elimination of what he describes as ADD-like scattering, chasing 20 imagined future outcomes that compete for today's attention. The idea anchors his next quarterly book, Yesterday Creates Tomorrow, due out the first week of September. Finding Your "Right Difficult" Joe reads Dr. Ned Hallowell's concept of a "right difficult," a creative outlet challenging enough to hold your attention and exciting enough that you actually want to return to it. Genius Network Team Members share their own: woodworking, oil painting, and sculpting with heavy equipment. Dean connects this to Steven Kotler's flow research: the activity has to sit just above your current skill level to produce real flow. The Jobs AI Will Not Replace Writing and communication is reportedly one of the hottest jobs in tech right now, with companies like Netflix paying up to $775,000 for people who are genuinely good with words. Robin Farmanfarmaian points to live events and in-person gatherings as a growing counterweight to screen time, and warns that over-reliance on AI is already measurably affecting cognitive skills people no longer exercise. Sales, influence, persuasion, and work requiring real empathy (a surgical practice is cited as one example) are flagged as durable, human-only domains. DOS: Dangers, Opportunities, and Strengths Joe revisits Dan's long-standing DOS framework: every market, community, or industry has its Dangers, Opportunities, and Strengths. The job of an Entrepreneur is to use their strengths to convert dangers into opportunities. Applied to AI: fear and disruption in a given space is often a signal pointing straight at the opportunity. Closing Wisdom: One Sentence Each Dan's closing tip for working wiser: "Focus on buyers and subscribers when it comes to making money." His final piece of advice for the group: "It's better to have happy days than unhappy days." Dean shares his own "1,000 minutes a day" time budget, built on the same idea that time is a currency you either spend proactively or lose by default. Resources: Zero Was Just the Beginning | Dan Sullivan's Strategic Coach article comparing AI's rise to the historical adoption of zero. The Hottest Job in Tech Is Writing Words | Amanda Hoover's Business Insider piece on six-figure writing salaries in the AI era. Mark Rukavina, iMemories Interview | Joe's conversation with the founder of iMemories, the media digitization company later sold to Ancestry.com. Body For Life | The fitness brand Joe helped scale from $60 million to $200 million in an 18-month period. Genius Network Annual Event | Apply to attend the event where Dan, Babs, Dean, and Robin will all be speaking this year. I Love Marketing Live | Joe and Dean's mid-year Wins and Roadblocks session. Strategic Coach Starter Kit | A complimentary starter kit for anyone wanting to learn more about Strategic Coach. 10x Talk Subscribe | Subscribe to future 10x Talk live episodes.

netflix ai europe talk entrepreneur opportunities zoom european brain sales focus team clients dangers creates strengths entrepreneurial special guests invention arab business insider roadblocks applied hugs wins ancestry structuring rewiring perplexity dan sullivan steven kotler quicktime strategic coach joe polish dean jackson genius network bill phillips ned hallowell paul colligan robin farmanfarmaian flip video 10xtalk babs smith genius network event

The Hidden Connection Between Zero and Modern Ai

The Life Planning 101 Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2026 42:31

What if the biggest breakthrough of our lifetime isn't simply another technology?What if it's a new way of thinkingIn this episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and Mike Koenigs explore a fascinating comparison between one of history's most important inventions - zero - and the rise of modern Ai.Dan explains how the adoption of zero transformed commerce, science, mathematics, and civilization itself. Together, they discuss why Ai may represent a similar cognitive shift, changing how entrepreneurs think, solve problems, and create value long before its full impact becomes obvious.The conversation explores why markets adopt transformational ideas faster than institutions, why entrepreneurs often recognize opportunity before everyone else, and why treating Ai as infrastructure instead of a novelty may shape the future of business, education, healthcare, and innovation.If you're building a company, leading a team, or simply trying to understand where technology is taking us, this episode offers an insightful framework for thinking about what's coming next.In this episode, Dan and I break down:Why Dan compares Ai to the invention of zeroHow cognitive breakthroughs reshape entire civilizationsWhy entrepreneurs adopt new capabilities before institutionsAi as infrastructure instead of just another software toolHow innovation accelerates when thinking changesWhy healthcare, education, and science may evolve rapidlyThe role of entrepreneurs in building the next generation of businessesWhy history offers clues about the future of Ai The future belongs to the people who learn faster, think differently, and build with Ai. Dan and Mike explore why that future has already begun. TIME STAMP00:00 - Zero was just the beginning03:00 - Why zero transformed civilization09:45 - Ai as a cognitive breakthrough14:10 - Why resistance always comes first19:00 - Ai, medicine, and scientific progress25:10 - Entrepreneurship and behavioral advantage31:20 - Innovation, competition, and global adoption36:00 - Why Ai is becoming infrastructure40:00 - What entrepreneurs should build nextDiscover More

ai marketing innovation modern entrepreneurship hidden reinvention reinvent dan sullivan strategic coach mike koenigs toolhow capability amplifier

The Secret to Multiply Your Success

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2026 24:04

This week, Angela discusses the true meaning of success, emphasizing that it's not about money but about focusing on what matters most, like faith and family. She shares insights from a coaching program called Strategic Coach, which encourages shifting from 'have-to's' to 'want-to's' and living in gratitude. The episode concludes with a tip to multiply success by 10 times. Key Takeaways

success power secret gratitude multiply delegating strategic coach

Financial Feedback Loops: How Better Systems Build Long-Term Wealth

The Prosperity Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2026 12:18

Executive Summary In this episode of The Prosperity Podcast, Kim Butler and Spencer Shaw explore how feedback loops, as a concept borrowed from technology and systems thinking, apply directly to financial success. The conversation begins with a timely warning about AI: when you feed a tool only your existing assumptions, it hands them back to you polished and amplified. Kim calls it an echo chamber. The fix, she explains, is intentional. Kim introduces the Strategic Coach 5% rule: the first 5% of any AI-assisted process must be your own thinking, and so must the last. That principle holds especially true with money. Without your own judgment anchoring both ends of the process, AI becomes a confident repeater of whatever you already believe, right or wrong. Kim and Spencer unpack how the same dynamic plays out in budgeting, savings, and cash flow tracking, and why most families stay stuck despite good intentions. The heart of the episode is Kim's cash flow control structure, a proven app-based system that functions as a financial feedback loop on its own. Families using it for as little as 60 to 90 days begin to see the momentum that consistent savings behavior, not investments, creates. Kim makes the case that savings as a behavior is the foundation most financial planners skip, and that a system designed to give real feedback can make a $2 million difference over a lifetime for the average family earning six figures. Links & Resources Mentioned The Prosperity Podcast - https://prosperitythinkers.com/podcasts/ Prosperity Parents - http://prosperityparents.com/ Kim Butler on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@KimDHButler Access the Cash Flow App: hello@prosperitythinkers.com Strategic Coach (mentioned): https://www.strategiccoach.com Keywords financial feedback loop, cash flow management system, whole life insurance, savings behavior, financial momentum, Prosperity Thinkers, Kim Butler, AI personal finance, cash flow app, financial freedom, Prosperity Economics, budgeting alternatives, wealth building, family savings, financial planning alternatives, cash value life insurance, savings as a habit, financial education podcast, feedback loop investing, wealth preservation Episode Highlights [00:00:00 - 00:00:40] Spencer introduces feedback loops as a tool for financial and personal growth [00:00:41 - 00:03:48] Kim explains AI echo chambers, the Strategic Coach 5% rule, and how feedback loops amplify results [00:04:04 - 00:06:33] Spencer shares his AI breakthrough tracking feelings alongside work tasks [00:06:34 - 00:08:57] Kim introduces the cash flow control structure and the $2 million lifetime impact [00:08:58 - 00:10:31] Spencer and Kim discuss multiplying feedback loops and access to the app [00:10:52 - 00:11:43] Closing thoughts on momentum and why money affects everything that matters

ai financial wealth families long term feedback loops strategic coach kim butler spencer shaw prosperity thinkers

The Shift That Happens When You Commit To Your Best Work, with Jane Pegg

Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 0:29

Dr. Jane Pegg is a veterinarian specializing in dentistry and oral surgery, and her ambition led her to build an enterprise that includes both a hospital and a school. In this episode, Jane shares how she went from feeling unhappy in traditional jobs to doing only the work she's best at and loves most. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:How you actually grow as an entrepreneur by designing your own future instead of following a prescribed path.The number one thing entrepreneurs learn in The Strategic Coach® Program.Why Jane's first year in Strategic Coach® was very different from what she expected—and why that turned out to be a good thing.The most valuable part of The Strategic Coach Program for Jane so far, and how it changed the way she thinks about problems and opportunities. Show Notes: Entrepreneurs learn at a very early age that they can't just follow along; they have to create their own path. Entrepreneurs create their own futures, and the best ones always see their futures as bigger than their pasts. Problems are raw material for expanding the usefulness of your business. If you do something only rarely, you have no ability to become truly proficient or truly exceptional at it. If you don't know where you want to get to, it doesn't matter which way you go. You won't get any closer to your next goal by sitting still. Entrepreneurs need the courage to say, “There's no other option. This is what we're doing.” Strategic Coach thinking tools aren't tied to a particular industry; they connect directly to your unique experience. Entrepreneurs have to figure out for themselves what they want their main area of focus to be. Resources: Unique Ability® Your Life As A Strategy Circle by Dan Sullivan

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Failure Is The Fuel To Power Your Next Breakthrough

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 20:32

Failure never feels good, but trying to dodge it or downplay it keeps you from learning what you most need as an entrepreneur. In this episode, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller explore why you should let failure be failure, fully feel the emotion, and then transform that energy into better thinking, better timing, and bigger progress. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why people sometimes avoid thinking about a failure.Why you should allow yourself to fully experience your first failure.Where entrepreneurs set themselves up for the most unhappiness.The new Strategic Coach® thinking tool that shows you how you handle your failures and your breakthroughs. Show Notes: If you don't learn from your failure, you'll fail the same way again. When you fail, let yourself feel the full negative emotion once, then use that energy to decide what you'll do differently next time. A person who keeps failing at the same thing with no learning and no change in behavior becomes a failure in that area. Repeated failures in the same way can start to erode your sense of who you are as an entrepreneur. Every failure is sending you a message about your thinking, preparation, or timing, and your job is to pay attention to it. How you handle your failures and your breakthroughs determines whether you're actually functioning as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurism is a daily back and forth between breakthroughs and failures, and both are raw material for new capabilities. Many people try to avoid intense emotion, but dodging the feeling of failure also cuts you off from the insight it could lead to. Most people measure their progress against an ideal, but an ideal is not reality; it's an unreality that guarantees disappointment. Often the “failure” is not the goal or project itself, but an unrealistic deadline or short game that ignores the actual capabilities and resources you have. Your emotions aren't attached to what happens outside you; they're attached to how you choose to think about what happens, which means you can respond creatively instead of reactively. Resources: The Gap And The Gain by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy What You Can Learn From Failure

failure breakthrough fuel dan sullivan strategic coach entrepreneurism shannon waller

How Timekeeping Shapes Your Wealth

united states time wealth shapes railroads dan sullivan strategic coach timekeeping early american jeffrey madoff

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2026 59:57

How you measure and manage time shapes every decision you make as an entrepreneur. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff explore the surprising history of time systems, why time and money are inseparable, and how clearer structures for time create more value, predictability, and profit in your business and life. Show Notes: The earliest timekeeping was based on people's direct experience of the sun, moon, and stars rather than clocks or calendars. Before standard time, the United States had more than 300 local time zones, which made coordination and commerce chaotic. Railroads forced the creation of shared time systems so people knew when to catch trains and move goods safely. Early American time zones were subjective and local, often set by the nearest town clock tower. Time as we know it is a manmade framework that lets us organize activity, collaboration, and value creation. Whatever system you choose, having a clear, shared structure for time is essential if you want to get things done with other people. Our drive to measure time comes from a desire for predictability, control, and fewer unpleasant surprises. In modern high-velocity trading, advantage is measured in thousandths of a second, showing how tightly time, technology, and money are now linked. Resources: The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs Time Management Strategies For Entrepreneurs (Effective Strategies Only) Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Dan Sullivan's Gap and Gain Framework for the Ai Era

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2026 61:40

What happens when founders adopt Ai faster than their teams?In this episode of Capability Amplifier, Mike Koenigs and Dan Sullivan explore one of the biggest leadership challenges businesses face today: closing the gap between the excitement of new technology and a team's ability to confidently adopt it.Using Dan's Gap and Gain framework as the foundation, the conversation moves beyond software and prompts into something much deeper - how entrepreneurs think, how teams think differently, and why progress is measured more effectively when you look backward instead of constantly chasing an ideal future.Mike shares how storytelling, visual communication, and modern Ai tools are helping founders compress time and communicate ideas faster than ever before. Dan explains why trust, implementation, and measuring meaningful progress ultimately determine whether innovation succeeds inside an organization.Together, they explore practical thinking tools that help entrepreneurs create alignment, build momentum, and lead their teams through change with greater confidence.In this episode, Dan and I break down:Gap vs. Gain Thinking - Learn why measuring progress from where you started creates more confidence, momentum, and long-term success than chasing an ideal.Leading Through Ai Change - Discover how founders can bridge the communication gap with their teams and build trust while introducing new technology.Turning Vision into Action - Dan explains how Strategy Circle and Impact Filter help entrepreneurs transform ideas into measurable results.Storytelling That Creates Momentum - Why visual storytelling and clear communication help teams align around a shared vision and move faster.Ai as a Thinking Partner - Mike demonstrates how Ai can compress time, accelerate creativity, and help entrepreneurs refine ideas into practical solutions.Building a Bigger Future - Learn why focusing on today's measurable wins creates lasting momentum and opens the door to greater opportunities tomorrow.Whether you're leading a growing company or exploring how Ai fits into your business, this episode offers practical thinking tools that help create momentum without creating chaos. TIME STAMPS00:00 - Why Ai creates a new leadership challenge03:00 - Understanding Gap and Gain07:00 - Why founders lose team trus12:00 - Opportunity versus security18:00 - Strategy Circle and Impact Filter24:00 - Storytelling as a leadership tool30:00 - Pixar, creativity, and communicating vision38:00 - Time compression with A45:00 - Measuring progress differentl52:00 - Dan's daily scoring system57:00 - Rules, commitment, and momentum59:00 - Final thoughts on time, value, and leadership PS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet my team for a 60 Minute, 1:1 Idea Deep Dive here: www.AiAccelerator.com/Ai1k Ready to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and create “Your Next Act”? Watch this.Discover More

time ai marketing building opportunities entrepreneurship storytelling pixar framework measuring gap reinvention reinvent dan sullivan strategic coach mike koenigs a45 capability amplifier

Dan and Mike Explore How Ai is Changing Ambition, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship

Clarity Generates Confidence

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2026 50:15

What capabilities does Ai amplify best?In this episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and Mike Koenigs explore how Ai is changing entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation.The discussion examines why some entrepreneurs are accelerating faster than ever while others struggle to adapt. Through real-world examples, Dan and Mike discuss how Ai can compress development cycles, improve storytelling, accelerate experimentation, and help entrepreneurs focus on higher-value strategic work.More importantly, they explore the relationship between capability and ambition - and why new tools often create entirely new possibilities for the future.In this episode, Dan and I break down:Which entrepreneurs benefit most from AiWhy storytelling is becoming increasingly importantHow Ai removes traditional barriers to executionThe role of experimentation in modern entrepreneurshipBuilding software and business concepts fasterThe relationship between capability and ambitionWhy collaboration creates larger opportunitiesLessons from previous technology revolutionsThe future of entrepreneurial innovationHow strategy becomes more valuable as execution acceleratesIf you're curious about how Ai can amplify your creativity, ambition, and ability to solve bigger problems, this episode is a must-watch. Time Stamps[00:00] Which Capabilities Does Ai Amplify?[03:45] Building A New Business Vision[07:40] The End Of Traditional Gatekeepers[12:00] Why Storytelling Matters More Than Ever[15:20] Lessons From Previous Technology Revolutions[19:00] The New Entrepreneurial Advantage[23:10] Faster Feedback And Better Decisions[27:00] Four Areas Of Capability Amplification[31:00] Why Capability Creates More Ambition[35:20] Creating Bigger Futures Through Collaboration[40:00] Removing Friction From Innovation[46:30] The Next Ten ExperimentsPS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet my team for a 60 Minute, 1:1 Idea Deep Dive here: www.AiAccelerator.com/Ai1k Ready to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and create “Your Next Act”? Watch this.Discover More

ai marketing explore creativity entrepreneurship ambition reinvention reinvent dan sullivan strategic coach mike koenigs capability amplifier

Episode 163: Rooted in Resilience - Trusting Who You Are Through Change

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2026 36:57

Season 9 begins with a meaningful conversation on resilience as Gary Mottershead welcomes long time friend and Unique Ability expert Julia Waller, founder of Unique Rabbit Coaching.Together, Gary and Julia explore resilience from several angles: Julia's own leap into a new chapter after 28 years with Strategic Coach, Gary's personal reflections on navigating difficult seasons, and the ways they've seen others demonstrate resilience by trusting their strengths, adapting through change, and staying rooted in who they are.This episode sets the tone for the season by reminding listeners that resilience isn't only about pushing through challenges. It's about self-awareness, courage, imagination, and following your heart when the next step isn't fully clear.

resilience trusting rooted strategic coach unique ability

Best Numbers, Bigger Story - Turning Your Past Into Your Future With AiBest Numbers, Bigger Story - Turning Your Past Into Your Future With Ai

Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2026 103:54

What if the key to your future isn't finding something newWhat if it's understanding what you've already built?In this episode, Dan Sullivan introduces a new Strategic Coach thinking tool called Best Numbers, Bigger Story. The framework helps entrepreneurs identify their most important achievements, understand the stories behind them, and use both as the foundation for future growth.Mike Koenigs takes the exercise one step further by running the framework through multiple Ai systems, revealing new opportunities, patterns, and possibilities hidden inside years of entrepreneurial experience.The conversation expands into intellectual property, innovation, competition, entrepreneurship, and why progress often comes from building on existing strengths rather than starting over.In this episode, Dan and I break down:Dan Sullivan's new Best Numbers, Bigger Story framework for creating a bigger future from your past successesHow Mike used multiple Ai tools to expand, refine, and amplify Dan's thinking processWhy entrepreneurs should focus on improving their own numbers and story instead of competing with othersThe role of intellectual property, innovation, and continuous reinvention in long-term growthHow Ai can help entrepreneurs think bigger, move faster, and uncover new opportunities hidden in their existing experience and expertisIf you're building your next chapter, this conversation will help you see your experience, expertise, and opportunities in a completely different way.Listen in and start creating your Bigger Story!!!Time Stamps00:00 - Best Numbers Bigger Story07:38 - Strategic Coach example15:34 - Building from past success17:35 - Ai amplification process22:19 - Lifetime thinking framework24:28 - Competition-free growth31:08 - Ai as a meta coach37:58 - Opportunity discovery41:05 - The future feels normal46:40 - Reinvention and growth53:43 - Energy and innovation01:26:40 - Entrepreneurs and changeDiscover More

ai marketing entrepreneur energy building opportunities turning entrepreneurship numbers competition lifetime reinvention reinvent dan sullivan othersthe strategic coach bigger story processwhy mike koenigs capability amplifier

What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food -- Dennis Bulani

Growing the Future

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2026 139:58

Somewhere between the farm and your plate, the story of how your food is grown got hijacked. Not by farmers. By people who have never touched a seed, never watched a crop fail, never had to explain to their banker why the weather won. Dennis Bulani is a fourth-generation Saskatchewan farmer, CEO of The Rack -- one of Western Canada's most respected independent ag retailers -- founder of the Trust Your Plate movement, and author of What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food. He sat in a room full of entrepreneurs in Arizona while a speaker told everyone that modern farming was poisoning the world. He went home and wrote a book about it. Nine in ten people trust farmers. One in five trust modern farming practices. This is the conversation about how that gap happened -- and what to do with it. Topics and Timestamps 0:00 -- Dan's open: "Somewhere between the farm and your plate, the story got hijacked" 1:07 -- Dennis on the farm right now: wheat year, 1,000 acres, single-crop rotation 1:28 -- The one-crop-per-year strategy and why it works for a busy CEO-farmer 4:15 -- Pulse rotation research: 15% average yield lift across all other crops 5:52 -- Solving phomyces root rot: 5-year research taking peas from 25 to 75 bushels 7:37 -- Published in the American Journal of Plant Science 8:49 -- The Rack's research program: PhD scientist, 6 agronomists, 12 field trials annually 10:00 -- The 100-bushel canola goal and what the "kitchen sink" trial actually proved 13:06 -- How "Rogue" was born: Dr. Bill Brown, manganese-zinc surfactant, and 10-12% yield lift 17:10 -- Rogue in Liberty Canola and what glyphosate actually does to manganese and zinc 18:36 -- Dennis's animal science degree: balancing plant rations is the same science as balancing cattle rations 22:13 -- From Eli Lilly to building The Rack: how an animal nutritionist ended up selling gas 26:00 -- Strategic Coach and the size of the problems Dennis is now willing to take on 30:00 -- The Arizona room: a speaker says modern farming is poisoning the world. Dennis goes home and writes a book. 35:00 -- The trust gap: 9 in 10 people trust farmers but only 1 in 5 trust modern farming practices 38:00 -- The MSG story: how one bad idea gets into the bloodstream of a culture and never leaves 39:39 -- Fertilizer supply chain: urea forecasting, import terminals, and the 2026 seeding sprint 41:13 -- Trump and geopolitics: the Straits of Hormuz theory and what it means for urea prices 43:05 -- Are farmers making money? The 2026 economics at $820 spring wheat 44:09 -- Why Canadian farmers are the most resilient in the world -- and the crow rate story that explains it 47:06 -- "The most advanced, educated farmers in the world" -- how adversity built Western Canadian agriculture 50:52 -- Biological products: the seaweed trial, what the research actually showed, and how to think about new claims 53:48 -- Zinc deficiency in 70% of soil tests -- the right form, timing, and strategy for zinc 59:27 -- Phosphate threshold: 20-25 ppm as the floor that separates good yields from great ones 1:04:29 -- The Rack spends $600,000 a year on replicated research -- and shares results with competitors for free 1:07:00 -- The retail landscape is changing: what separates partners from order-takers 1:08:53 -- AI and the future of ag retail agronomy 1:17:57 -- The novel: 60% true story, Kyrgyzstan, post-communist winter wheat, and Fibonacci numbers 1:20:07 -- Writing the book for "Aunt Nancy from Vancouver" -- and hiring four fact-checkers 1:22:13 -- "Never have we lived longer, never have we been healthier" -- Canada's 84-year life expectancy 1:26:07 -- Aunt Nancy from Vancouver: why farmers avoid the conversation -- and why they shouldn't 1:27:09 -- TrustYourPlate.com as a reference tool for farmers to use in the moment 1:30:42 -- The three biggest myths in consumer agriculture 1:31:15 -- The eyedrop analogy: one-third of one drop per square foot per year is all the chemical farmers apply Resources Mentioned What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food -- Dennis Bulani (book, available on Amazon, Kindle edition) Trust Your Plate -- trustyourplate.com (reference tool for answering food safety questions) The Rack -- Rack Petroleum, Bigger, Saskatchewan (ag retail, fuel, fertilizer, research division) Rogue -- The Rack's proprietary manganese-zinc surfactant product (developed from Dr. Bill Brown's research) American Journal of Plant Science -- published The Rack's pea phomyces root rot research Ultimate Yield -- The Rack's agronomy division AgLink Canada -- independent ag retailer association (Dean Falls, Director) Nutrients for Life Canada -- distributing the book to school teachers across Canada Dr. Aaron Corey -- PhD scientist, The Rack research division Dr. Bill Brown -- glyphosate and surfactant researcher, Ontario; Hellfire surfactant Strategic Coach -- Dan Sullivan's entrepreneurship program CAAR -- Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers University of South Dakota / University of Nebraska -- crop rotation and phosphate research referenced Connect with Dennis Bulani Website: trustyourplate.com Book: What a Farmer Wants You to Know About Food -- search Amazon LinkedIn: Dennis Bulani Connect with Growing the Future Website: growingthefuture.ca YouTube: Growing the Future Instagram: @growingthefuturepodcast LinkedIn: Growing the Future Register for the Convergence Conference at convergence.ag and stay updated by subscribing to the Growing the Future Podcast at growingthefuturepodcast.ca.

Unlock A Fourth Level Of Thinking That Elite Entrepreneurs Rely On

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2026 39:11

Everyone knows what cognitive thinking is, but what about metacognitive thinking? Dan Sullivan uses this term to describe the kind of thinking The Strategic Coach® Program develops in entrepreneurs. In this episode, Dan and fellow business coach Shannon Waller explore metacognitive thinking and how it helps the right kind of entrepreneurs achieve their biggest dreams with greater clarity and confidence. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:The three levels of thinking most people rely on in daily life.The fourth level of thinking that unlocks your best entrepreneurial ideas.Dan's first childhood experience of thinking about his thinking.The question that set Dan on a completely different life path from his peers.Why entrepreneurs gain an unfair advantage when they learn to think about their thinking. Show Notes: One level of thinking is thinking about things. People like things, and they often use shared things as common ground for conversation. The second level of thinking is thinking about people, which is why social media has become such a powerful phenomenon. For most people, thinking about things and thinking about people uses up almost all of their available mental time. The third level of thinking is thinking about thoughts, which is the focus of higher education and high-level media. In higher education, professors typically teach other people's thinking rather than developing and teaching their own. The fourth level of thinking, which very creative people—and especially entrepreneurs—can access, is thinking about your thinking. Thinking about your thinking gives you the ability to deliberately change how you're thinking about a situation or problem. Strategic Coach® provides hundreds of thinking tools to help entrepreneurs think about their thinking in structured, practical ways. Your emotions are not a direct response to what happens outside of you; they're a response to how you're thinking about what happens. Resources: My Plan For Living To 156 by Dan Sullivan Unique Ability®

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What Really Makes A New Technology Stick

money ai law innovation economic new technology dan sullivan strategic coach jeffrey madoff

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2026 62:58

Just about everyone is talking about AI, but very few are talking about the agreements that will actually make it useful. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff explore why every major innovation, from railroads to credit cards to AI, only works when humans reach consensus on the rules, the measurements, and the value behind the technology. Show Notes: Every new breakthrough, including AI, tries to reorganize the existing world so everything changes to conform to its progress. For decades, Moore's Law has meant more processing power every 18 months while costs drop, multiplying what's possible. Every major technological advance triggers an equal and opposite human reaction because human nature has to negotiate with innovation. Innovation is always in negotiation with tradition, eliminating what's obsolete while protecting what's truly valuable. The biggest champions of any new technology are usually the people who profit the most from it. AI is unusual because it doesn't yet fit neatly into existing party politics, which opens the door to a different kind of conversation. Behind-the-scenes lobbying around AI and other innovations is about securing funding and minimizing regulation while shaping the rules of the game. A new technology only becomes truly important when it acts as a multiplier, expanding human capability rather than just replacing it. Money only works when there is broad consensus about the standard; fungibility, reserve currencies, and trust are the real foundations of value. Across history, progress has depended on shared standards of measurement, whether it's time zones for railroads, currency systems, or digital payment networks. Economic systems are often the highest operating system, and when economics break down, societies drop to political, religious, or even tribal conflict. Resources: Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Architecting 100x Growth: A “How-To” From Legends Dan Sullivan and John Bowen

Mindy Diamond on Independence: A Podcast for Financial Advisors Considering Change

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2026 58:36

With the Co-Authors of The Greater Game and Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach and John Bowen of CEG Insights Louis Diamond speaks with Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach® and John Bowen of CEG Insights about founder dependency, enterprise value, and the architecture behind scalable businesses. In Summary Many advisory firms grow successfully while remaining highly dependent on their founders. Dan Sullivan and John Bowen argue that the difference between a successful practice and a valuable enterprise comes down to architecture. Louis sits down with the co-authors of The Greater Game to discuss founder dependency, enterprise value, intellectual property, and why some businesses scale beyond their owners while others do not. The conversation offers advisors a framework for thinking differently about growth, succession, and long-term optionality. The Storyline Many advisors spend their careers helping clients build valuable businesses. Far fewer stop to ask whether their own firms are being built the same way. That tension sits at the center of Louis Diamond's conversation with Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Strategic Coach®, and John Bowen, founder of CEG Elevate Group and CEG Insights. Their new book, The Greater Game, challenges a common assumption about growth: that bigger businesses are simply the result of working harder, adding more clients, or improving existing systems. Instead, they argue that enterprise value is created through architecture—the deliberate design of a business that can scale, transfer, and thrive without its founder at the center. The discussion introduces a framework for understanding why some entrepreneurs remain trapped in optimization while others build enterprises that compound in value over time. Along the way, Dan and John explore founder dependency, intellectual property, succession planning, strategic partnerships, and the role advisors can play in helping entrepreneurial clients navigate each stage of growth. For advisors, the framework creates an important mirror. The same forces that limit enterprise value for entrepreneurial clients often exist inside advisory firms themselves. The result is a conversation that extends well beyond business growth and into questions of optionality, transferability, and what ultimately makes a firm valuable. Topics Covered Enterprise Value Creation Founder Dependency Risk Business Architecture vs. Optimization Intellectual Property & Scalability Strategic Partnerships & Leverage Succession Planning & Optionality Legacy, Impact & the “Greater Game” Mindset > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors What is The Greater Game—and why does it matter to advisors? (17:57) Dan and John introduce the framework behind their new book and explain why advisors should think about it both for entrepreneurial clients and for their own businesses. Why do only a small percentage of entrepreneurs create exponential enterprise value? (22:24) The discussion explores the difference between “architects” and “optimizers” and why most business owners remain focused on improving what exists rather than designing what comes next. Why is founder dependency such a significant valuation risk? (35:00) John explains how businesses that depend on a single individual often struggle to scale, transfer, or command premium valuations. How does expertise become intellectual property—and why does that matter? (35:00) The transition from expertise to transferable systems may be the most important bridge in the entire framework, creating leverage that extends beyond the founder. What prevents many advisors from fully serving entrepreneurial clients? (18:00) The conversation examines why most advisors are well-equipped for traditional planning needs but less prepared for the governance, succession, and enterprise-value challenges entrepreneurs eventually face. What does the next game look like after you've already “won”? (50:00) Dan and John discuss why many successful entrepreneurs and advisors eventually shift their focus from accumulation to significance, impact, and legacy. What's the single most important move an entrepreneur can make? (52:30) Dan shares the concept of Unique Ability® and explains why simplifying around your highest-value strengths often creates the greatest multiplier effect. Key Takeaways Enterprise value is created through architecture, not effort. Many successful businesses continue to grow while remaining highly dependent on their founders. The firms that command premium valuations are often built differently from the start. Founder dependency acts as a hidden valuation discount. The more a business depends on one person, the more difficult it becomes to scale, transfer, or sell at a premium. Intellectual property is often the bridge between a practice and an enterprise. When expertise becomes codified, transferable, and repeatable, value begins to exist independently of the founder. Advisors and entrepreneurs often face the same challenge. The same founder-dependency issues advisors help clients solve frequently exist within their own firms. Strategic partnerships create leverage that expertise alone cannot. Many of the most successful entrepreneurs grow through collaboration, ecosystems, and coordinated expertise rather than attempting to solve every challenge themselves. Most advisors are trained to solve early-stage problems. Entrepreneurial clients eventually require guidance around succession, governance, scalability, and enterprise value—areas that extend beyond traditional planning. The next stage of growth is often not about growth at all. For many successful entrepreneurs, the question eventually shifts from accumulation to significance, impact, and the legacy they want their business to create. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY5xOB8GTQY Quotable Moments “The exit multiple is downstream of the architecture.” “The difference between a three-times and a fifteen-times multiple is often whether the business depends on the founder.” “You have to simplify in order to multiply.” “We're not talking about a 10x game anymore. We're talking about a 100x game.” FAQs Why do some advisory firms command higher valuation multiples than others? Dan Sullivan and John Bowen argue that valuation is often determined long before a transaction occurs. Firms that reduce founder dependency, codify intellectual property, and build transferable systems typically command higher multiples than those built around a single rainmaker. What is founder dependency and how does it impact enterprise value? Founder dependency occurs when clients, revenue, and decision-making remain concentrated around one individual. While those businesses can be highly successful, advisors find they are often more difficult to scale, transfer, or sell. What is the difference between an architect and an optimizer? An optimizer focuses on improving an existing business model. An architect builds systems, intellectual property, and structures designed to create leverage, scalability, and long-term enterprise value. What does Dan Sullivan mean when he says “100x is easier than 2x”? The concept challenges entrepreneurs to stop thinking incrementally. Rather than working harder within the current model, transformational growth often comes from redesigning the model itself through better leverage, collaboration, and systems. How can advisors better serve entrepreneurial clients? Many entrepreneurial clients eventually need guidance beyond investment management, including succession planning, governance, intellectual property strategy, and enterprise value creation. Understanding where a client sits in their business journey can help advisors provide more relevant advice and coordination. What is the expertise trap and why does it matter for advisory firms? The expertise trap occurs when critical knowledge, relationships, and processes remain inside the founder's head. Until that expertise becomes transferable and repeatable, enterprise value often remains limited regardless of growth. Dan Sullivan and John Bowen argue that valuation is often determined long before a transaction occurs. Firms that reduce founder dependency, codify intellectual property, and build transferable systems typically command higher multiples than those built around a single rainmaker. Founder dependency occurs when clients, revenue, and decision-making remain concentrated around one individual. While those businesses can be highly successful, advisors find they are often more difficult to scale, transfer, or sell. An optimizer focuses on improving an existing business model. An architect builds systems, intellectual property, and structures designed to create leverage, scalability, and long-term enterprise value. The concept challenges entrepreneurs to stop thinking incrementally. Rather than working harder within the current model, transformational growth often comes from redesigning the model itself through better leverage, collaboration, and systems. Many entrepreneurial clients eventually need guidance beyond investment management, including succession planning, governance, intellectual property strategy, and enterprise value creation. Understanding where a client sits in their business journey can help advisors provide more relevant advice and coordination. The expertise trap occurs when critical knowledge, relationships, and processes remain inside the founder's head. Until that expertise becomes transferable and repeatable, enterprise value often remains limited regardless of growth. Related Resources The Greater Game by Dan Sullivan and John Bowen Strategic Coach® CEG Elevate Group The Greater Game Dashboard Diamond Consultants Advisor Transition Report Dan Sullivan The world's foremost expert on entrepreneurship in action, Dan Sullivan has spent the past five decades empowering business owners to reach their full potential in both their professional and personal lives. His strong belief in and commitment to the power of the entrepreneur is evident in all areas of his company, Strategic Coach®, and its successful membership community. Dan is married to Babs Smith, his partner in business and in life. They jointly own and operate The Strategic Coach Inc., with offices in Toronto, Chicago, and the UK Dan and Babs reside in Toronto. John Bowen John J. Bowen Jr. is the founder and CEO of CEG Elevate Group, the holding company that includes CEG Worldwide and CEG Insights. Through these companies, he helps elite financial advisors serve fewer, wealthier clients exceptionally well while building more valuable and scalable businesses. Before founding CEG, John spent 26 years as a financial advisor and built a $2 billion wealth management business. That firsthand experience grounds CEG’s work today across advisor coaching, enterprise programs, empirical research through CEG Insights, and practical frameworks for advisors who want to move beyond practice growth to enduring enterprise value. John is the author of 21 books on wealth management, entrepreneurship, and success. His newest book, The Greater Game: Your 100x Blueprint for Exponential Growth, Freedom, and Legacy, co-authored with Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach, will be published by Hay House Business in May 2026. Today, John and the CEG team work with leading advisors and enterprise firms — including some of the largest advisor organizations in the United States — to help advisors deepen relationships with affluent clients, build scalable practices, and design lives of greater significance. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… Architecting 100x Growth: A “How-To” From Legends Dan Sullivan and John Bowen A conversation with Louis Diamond and Co-Authors of The Greater Game, Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach and John Bowen of CEG Insights. Louis Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Architecting 100x Growth: A “How-To” From Legends Dan Sullivan and John Bowen, a conversation with the industry’s top coaches and co-authors of The Greater Game. I’m Louis Diamond, and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive, whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique, or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned. And each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships, starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at 908-879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual Advisor Transition Report. It’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Louis Diamond: Most entrepreneurs and many advisors spend years optimizing for growth without realizing they’re building a business that still depends entirely on them. Revenue and complexity grow; enterprise value, transferability, and freedom often lag far behind. Dan Sullivan and John Bowen argue that the issue isn’t effort or intelligence; it’s architecture. No doubt these are familiar names in the wealth management industry, but just to set the stage, Dan is the co-founder of Strategic Coach, and John is the founder of CEG Elevate Group and CEG Insights. Together, they spent decades coaching and studying high-performing entrepreneurs and advisory firms. Their latest book, one they joined forces on, The Greater Game, lays out a very different framework for thinking about growth, one built around scalability, transferrable value, and long-term leverage rather than incremental optimization. What makes this conversation especially relevant for advisors is that the framework cuts both ways. It applies to the entrepreneurial clients that advisors serve, as well as to the advisory firms themselves. And in many cases, the same founder dependency and expertise trap that limits a client’s enterprise value is quietly limiting the advisor’s business too. We talk about the difference between operators and architects, why 100 times growth can actually be easier than two times growth, where businesses tend to stall as they scale and how advisors can start thinking differently about their own firms, particularly when it comes to enterprise value, succession, and long-term optionality. It’s rare access to a conversation with two of our industry’s legends whose advice and counsel has not only helped to transform the business lives of many of our listeners, but also my own. So let’s get to it. Dan and John, thank you both for joining us today. Dan Sullivan: Thank you, Lou. It’s a real pleasure. John Bowen: I’ve had the privilege of joining you before, but never with my co-author, Dan Sullivan, and I’m excited to share what we’re doing because I think it can make a big impact in our advisor industry. Louis Diamond: No doubt about it. Yeah, this has been an interview I’ve been very excited to host. So let’s jump right in. Dan Sullivan, I think you are a man that needs little introduction. So many advisors in the industry are fans or clients of your firm, Strategic Coach, but for those who aren’t as familiar or need a refresh, can you just give some quick context into why you started Strategic Coach and what the company does today? Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Well, it goes back to 1974. I was a copywriter at BBDO, the Canadian branch of BBDO, big global advertising agency. It still is. But I’ve been sort of a lifetime coach. I remember once when my mother finally caught up with what I was doing in life and I was describing what I was doing, she says, “Well, you were doing that when you were a child. You were talking to adults and you were asking adults about their experiences.” And I said, “Yeah, I could do this when I was eight or nine years old, but it took me a long time to get a business model wrapped around it.” But I jumped out in 1974 and started coaching anybody, but it actually turned out that entrepreneurs were the best people to coach because they would write a check on the spot and they would make a decision on the spot and I needed cashflow and I did it. So I’ve been personally, as a Strategic Coach, which was named by someone else. You’re just out there trying to get cashflow to pay for the rent. So I started in ’74, and I was lucky and it really relates to your target audience, Lou. Right off the bat, I got what are called top-of-the-table life insurance agents. And that was really, really great because life insurance agents are purely a conceptual business. So someone can get a new idea at breakfast and they can have a new business by dinnertime just because they can change their mindset. And that moved on. And I did that for 15 years, just one-on-one, 1970s, 1980s. And then, I’d had enough experience that we turned it into a workshop program in 1989. We’ve been at it ever since. So I was at a talk. Joe Polish is a great friend of ours, Joe Polish with Genius Network. And he had a speaker there, and he says, “You’re one of the original gangsters, aren’t you? You’re one of the first people.” And I said, “I don’t know if I’m the original, but I think I’m the only surviving one.” So it’s 52 years that I’ve been doing what I’m doing. And I had the good fortune to meet John in around 2009. John, was that the year? 2009? John Bowen: Yeah, in the little economic downturn that everybody knows about here. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. And John had a great coaching program and we had a great coaching program. And over the years, we’ve talked a lot about what makes a entrepreneur exponential in their thinking. And finally, about two years ago, we decided, let’s write a book about this. And that’s the new book, which is called The Greater Game. That’s where this all started. It’s just been a great pleasure because we sync very well. Louis Diamond: Amazing. And Dan, I think a lot of people likely know you either from Strategic Coach. I know I’m personally a big fan of two of your books and I know of others, The Gap and The Gain and Who Not How. We’re going to talk about your new book, but I think it’d just be helpful. Can you talk about the key premise of some of your prior books, The Gap and The Gain and Who Not How? Dan Sullivan: As a result of my membership, I’m a member in other groups. And so Joe Polish of Genius Network fame, he’s been in my program for 28 years, and I’ve been in his program for 15 years. And there was a writer who was in one of the first Genius Network workshops, and he approached me. And I created a lot of books, but I create small books and they’re self-published. I do a book a quarter. I’m 82 in about three weeks. So when I was 70, I said, “I’m going to give myself a 25-year project. I’ll write 100 books in 100 quarters.” And this is quarter number 47, and I’m writing my 47th book. But they’re little books. They’re 60, 70 pages. They’re one-idea books. And Ben Hardy, who was, at that time, the number one writer on Medium, which is a blogging type medium, he approached me, and he said, “I know you don’t write big books and you don’t have publisher books. But,” he said, “if you ever did,” he said, “I’d like to collaborate.” And that was a great good fortune on my part. So we produced three books in five years. The first book was Who Not How. Who Not How basically says when you have a goal, the biggest problem with the goal, you’re excited about the goal, but you’re not excited about doing it. So you find “Whos” who help you and you build teamwork around it. And that was a big seller. And then, we had another concept which was called The Gap and The Gain that entrepreneurs, depending on how they measure their progress, can be perpetually unhappy or they can be perpetually motivated. And it all depends on how they measure their progress, how they measure their goal setting and their goal achievement. And then the third book, which has really turned out to be the big one, up until this book, this book will be bigger. It’s called 10x Is Easier Than 2x. So hence, Coach, everybody has a 10x game plan. Whatever number they want to choose, revenues, personal net worth, whatever, you have a framework of 10x, which is sometime in the future, but you use that future framework for deciding what you’re going to do today that will end up as a 10x result. I thought that was going to be our formula for the rest of my life until I met John. And then John is a great AI practitioner. And I began to realize that that 10x is now becoming 100x for really top-notch entrepreneurs, but the 10x is easier than 2x. And we just crossed the million mark with the three books, which is really good. And it’s great for lead… we’re having people show up and they’ve really bought into what Strategic Coach is. We have a good size company. We’re not a small company. We have 120 team members. We’re in five centers: Los Angeles, Vancouver, Chicago, Toronto and London, England. But it’s been really great because we’ve really grown with technological change and it’s basically, we teach people how to think about their thinking. And Lou, you were in for three years, both in-person and virtual. So you know what the starting structure of it is, but I’m in love with entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are crucial characters on the planet, but mostly they operate alone and what we’ve done is create a community for them. Louis Diamond: Fantastic. Thank you, Dan. And John, I think perfect segue to you, because I know you’ve spent your career serving and helping entrepreneurs as well, mostly within financial services or within wealth management. And you’ve been very kind to share some of your amazing research on advisors serving entrepreneurial clients in the past. But for anyone who’s missed those episodes, similar question for you, can you share what your companies do? CEG Elevate, CEG Insights, your new research, and then we’ll dive into your exciting new book. John Bowen: Thank you, Louis. And Dan and I are very excited about just entrepreneurs in general. Dan is, because he’s working with them directly. The best clients for financial advisors are entrepreneurs, largely, if you’re going to go high net worth, ultra-high net worth. So we have a company, CEG Elevate, which is our parent company. Two of the companies that are really interesting for this podcast is CEG Insights and this is our research arm. And we’ll study about 20,000 high net worth, ultra-high net worth clients this year in depth and 6,000 up to 7,000 we’ll do just of entrepreneurs. And this is in the partnership. Lou, I invited you up to… We were skiing two years ago in Park City and you couldn’t join us. But Dan and I made a deal to do a 25-year partnership studying entrepreneurship, one for Strategic Coach and his coaching clients, but really the opportunity for financial advisors. And it’s probably just as well because I came down, and I think, Dan, you were 80 at the time and I was 69. I’m 70 now. And I was skiing with a whole bunch of 40-year-olds, and they’re all going, “You guys are way too optimistic.” And Dan and I are just getting started on this. And the other company that’s applicable is CEG Worldwide, where we have the privilege of coaching and training some of the top financial advisors, those aspiring, and also working with the enterprises to really help move up market and do this great experience. Louis Diamond: Fantastic. Dan, question for you. What was the core problem you and John were trying to solve in your new book, The Greater Game? What is it that existing frameworks weren’t touching? And then John, I’ll have a follow-up question for you after that. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. Well, by the very nature of what we do, we’re not going for wannabes. We’re not going for entrepreneurs who hope to be really successful someday. We’re engaging with and we’re registering into both of our communities, people who, they’re already great. They’re already doing so many things right, but they’re kind of doing it unconsciously. They just have a unique ability for growth. They have a unique ability for networking and expansion, but the very, very core is they’ve done it on their own. And they’ve done it out of intuition and they’ve done it out of ambition and motivation. But their biggest problem is that they’re really lonely. I’m in my sixth decade now of coaching entrepreneurs, and people say, “Well, what’s the number one problem that entrepreneurs face?” And I said, “Loneliness.” They can’t explain themselves to the family they grew up with. They can’t explain themselves with their lifetime friends. They have thoughts about how they’re operating. And they take enormous pride in their ability to transform difficulties into breakthroughs, but they don’t have anybody to talk to. So what we’ve created is a community where when you walk in the room, everybody in that room immediately understands you. Everybody immediately applauds what you’ve done. Everybody is inspired by you. So my framework is I call, “What you’ve done on your own, you’re great. You’re a winner already, but who do you talk to?” You have to hide a lot of your success because they just won’t understand what it is that actually motivates you. And the beauty of the partnership with John is the vast majority of our clients are in 70 or 80 different industries, so they’re not peculiar. We start off with financial services, especially life insurance. But what I notice is that all the difficulty they get into life is they’re trying to communicate with people who don’t understand them. And what we’re saying is, “Stage one, you did it on your own, you’re great by any standard whatsoever. You check all the boxes for being a successful person, but you don’t really have any way to actually check out how other people are doing this.” And so we’ve created a community, and John has created a community where people, immediately, there’s understanding. And not only that, but there’s opportunity because they’re unique in their own ways. Every one of our entrepreneurs has created a very, very unique pattern of success that if they were with 10 other people, they could learn from this. If they were with 30 other people, they would learn even more. So that’s what we’ve done. So stage two is now joining a community where everybody gets you. Louis Diamond: Interesting. And that’s the premise of the book. We don’t want to have people not buy it, but what is the greater game? What’s the game that folks are playing and pursuing and how do you make it greater? Dan Sullivan: I tell you, what I’ve always been lacking, I’m sort of intuitive like most entrepreneurs are. We’ve done about 300 times growth since we started the program. But it’s intuitive. I don’t have any research to back this up. I’m low on fact finder. I find, generally speaking, the best facts are just the facts that I make up, but at a certain point, you’d like to have some actual research to back me up. So I’ve gone as far as I can go with our company without real research. Then John comes into the picture, and now we got some real research. And I will say this, this is generally true. It’s not just a problem with me that I don’t have research. I find that entrepreneurism is one of the least researched subjects on the planet. And John comes along and he’s done all the backfill for how entrepreneurs actually perform and I’ve got research to prove it. Louis Diamond: Perfect. Yeah, John, question for you. So what is The Greater Game? And then, how do you think it relates to what financial advisors have been missing? John Bowen: One of the things that we as financial advisors all want to work with people who have already won. And there’s no better group than entrepreneurs, successful entrepreneurs. If we look at people with 25 million or more of investible assets across all households in the US, 90% are entrepreneurs. And at the 5 to 25 million of investible assets, it’s three out of four. So at CEG Worldwide, we’ve always wanted to really understand advisors. And we said we’ll partner with Dan and his passion with entrepreneurs, we’ll go ahead and study them so that we can bring insights on how we can better serve them. And the very first thing we want to do is understand, yeah, there’s very different stages that we see of entrepreneurs and we talk about the whole concept of The Greater Game. And the idea here is we wanted to identify… And I’ll share some PowerPoint slides. I know a lot of us are listening and I just want to walk through this, but Louis will have it in show notes, his team will. We really saw four areas. The first one was level one, stage one was foundation for freedom. They had ambition, the vision, but they really needed security. And Dan calls this, and I love this term, “cash confidence.” But it’s really using a financial advisor to have security. And one of the things, the last time I was on with you, Louis, we talked about there’s 59.2% of entrepreneurs who want to switch advisors because they don’t believe they have that security. And that’s kind of the foundation. And this is why you’re never going to read a more friendly financial advisor book for entrepreneurs than this because in our coaching program, we’re developing workshops and so on to bring this message out. And then the second level is where now we saw… and there were four levels. Dan and I identified 5.4% of these entrepreneurs that were just killing it and they were going through all four levels. The second level was energy for expansion. They were very motivated, they were excited about getting up and really the intellectual property, and Dan’s been one of the big leaders in this, is so much of what we know… And as I go through this too, I want every one of the advisors to think about it’s not only your entrepreneurial clients, this is for you too, is having this intellectual property, getting it out of your head so that your business is not founder-dependent or personality-dependent. You’ve got this enterprise. And then, the third level where it really took off was collaboration and multiplication. And Dan talked about the power of community and this is so big. And for advisors, the community is often working with other professionals, the accountants, the attorneys, the investment bankers. Matter of fact, when we survey, we found that 40% of the people with 25 million or more that they invest with an advisor came through an investment banker. So creating that community, teamwork, having the right team and then autonomy. Can you step away from your practice? The entrepreneurs step away 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, making that independence, moving from the founder-dependent to the enterprise. And the last level was exponential. And this is all along the way, the AI opportunities to accelerate this and augment this is really real, but the agency where the blue ocean, creating new markets, then getting the commitment and courage. And at each of these levels, we saw different entrepreneurs just really taking off. And one of the things that’s so important, Louis, for what we’re talking about today is advisors all are ready to treat stage one, the foundation for freedom, but they don’t really understand the other stages, and that’s really what entrepreneurs want. So if you want to work in this market, it’s very important for you to understand what you can do to help. The difference is often for an entrepreneur, a three to five multiplier versus 15, the level one or stage one to stage four. And this is where it gets really exciting. Louis Diamond: This would be a question for John. You found, and he’s mentioned it, that only 5.4% of entrepreneurs operate as architects versus optimizers. Can you explain the difference between those two personas? John Bowen: Well, I’m going to set up the research and let Dan really bring it home. But Dan and I came up with this framework, The Greater Game and the 10 Multipliers, and we’ve got that and we’re putting it in order and we wanted to really confirm. And everything we do is empirical research. So we reached out to 1,000 very successful entrepreneurs, 1,016. And it became very clear that the 5.4% of them were actually executing on all these levels and they were just distancing everyone else. And what we came up with, and Dan mentioned it earlier, that his book, 10x Is Easier Than 2x, but we said, what we’re seeing… and we’ve got a whole bunch, I think it’s 26 stories in the book of entrepreneurs, we’re seeing so many people blow this out that 100x is easier than 2x, and it forces a whole different mindset where if you’re optimizing, you’re kind of looking incrementally. But when you step back as an architect, big picture, wow, huge opportunity, both for entrepreneurs and advisors that are entrepreneurs to make a real big difference. This is something you’ve really coached to and had the privilege of working with thousands of entrepreneurs helping them on that journey. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. One of the things that was confusing for me, Lou, when I first started coaching, because everybody who came in to coach, you remember when you came into your first Chicago workshop, that everybody in the room was motivated. I’m not a motivational speaker. I don’t have to motivate the entrepreneurs who are in Coach. They’re already motivated. The problem is the focus of their ambition and focus. And what we discovered was that there were two types that showed up. I didn’t really understand it, but they’re what I call status-oriented entrepreneurs. And what they are when they were a kid, they didn’t have anything. Their family wasn’t at the top of the pole. When they were born, they grew up in a certain community, but there were certain people who lived in the right part of town and they had really big houses and everything about their lifestyle was way above everybody else in the lifestyle. And they saw the lack of what they had, because of the way they were born, that they were going to match it. But the matching was based in not only what the big home looks like. They’ve got other homes, they’ve got vacation homes. They belong to clubs. There’s clubs for the winners, and the losers aren’t part of those clubs, golf courses and boating clubs and everything else. And what I noticed was their motivation was simply to get to that point where they had the same sort of status. And they’re interesting for a while, but once they’ve gotten to that level of status, they’re not interesting anymore. They go on cruise control at that point and they just want to stay within that framework. But the really interesting entrepreneurs, and we really highlight them in the book, it’s just about growth. So when they get to one level, they say, “That’s great. Okay, now I’ve got a new baseline and now I want to grow even further.” And we have one story, very, very interesting. When he came into my Chicago workshop, I met him and he said, “I’ve got a big engineering company.” This is Paul VanDuyne. He’s out of the Quad City area of Iowa. And he says, “My ambition for your program is for three years, I’m just going to plan my retirement.” And I said, “Well, we’ve got some thoughts about that.” So I said, “Just do your first workshop and we’ll talk about it 90 days from now.” And he came back and he had an entirely different game plan, and he’s grown basically 250 times in his last 13 years. He’s completely transformed the industry that he’s in and he had this growth. So what we’re looking for in The Greater Game, we’re looking for those entrepreneurs who are already successful, but they don’t see any stopping point. They’ll grow to one level and then they say, “Okay, that’s the new baseline. Now I grow to another level.” Meanwhile, three years ago, what happened is the world got a new capability called AI. AI, you’re not talking 10x. If you use it properly… a lot of people are in the very early stages here, but we can see the ones who are applying it for growth. John has set up an entire research structure just to measure the people, and what are the people who are just motivated by growth? They don’t see any stopping point. They don’t see any retirement age. They’re just growing. They’re in better health now than they were when they started their ambition. One of the great breakthroughs we’re having now is the impact of AI on physical fitness and health right now. And so you have 70-year-olds now who are way more ambitious at 70 than they were at 50. So we think a whole new world is being created in front of us, but there isn’t the research to measure what the real winners of this new game are actually doing. And The Greater Game is a lot of Strategic Coach thinking tools, but it’s also the phenomenal research that John is doing, and we’re measuring exactly what are these people who just constantly grow, what are they actually doing? John Bowen: Louis, if I can jump in, I want to go back to Paul just for a second because he was going to do something classical, and Dan is also my coach and I was going to do something similar. Paul told Dan that he was going to retire at 65, and his wife. And he were going to open up a little mom-and-pop coffee shop. And the reason so many of the entrepreneurs are caught in the 2x optimization is they’re grinding it out. They’re working harder to be more successful and the desire to do that isn’t very high. That’s why you retire. On the other hand, what we found, the ones working on 100x are building platforms and ecosystems. They’re architected. And as we were writing the book, CEG grew by 58%. I’m going to give a lot of credit to the book, because as Dan and I were working on the processes, I wanted to walk all the talks. This is where the world is changing. I want everybody to think as a financial advisor, you’re being served twice, one with The Greater Game, they don’t care about a few basis points on returns. That’s table stakes. So much of the level one is taking care of the investment side, mitigating taxes, taking care of the areas, protecting the assets, some charitable planning, maybe shoot in some succession planning. I can tell you only 6% of the entrepreneurs actually feel they’re getting that from you, but that’s only level one. If you can help them from each of the stages, stage one through four, and help them create that vision, they’re going to love you to death. Because many of them want to continue in this path and create tremendous value, bigger impact, not creating legacies in the sense of enduring legacies, but active legacies. Last year, my wife and I set up a private foundation. I called it The Greater Game Foundation. I just love this so much, the difference that you can make, and I want to do it while I’m living, not while I’m gone type of thing. I think that’s one Dan and I very much share. Louis Diamond: Awesome. You wrote the book 10x Is Easier Than 2x, but now you’re claiming 100x is easier than 2x. How can that be the case? Dan Sullivan: The interesting thing, one of my points of proof on the original idea, the 10x Mind Expander, I use a lot of what the entrepreneurs have already done to prove the future. In other words, I said… You’ll remember the exercise, Lou. And I said, “I want you to pick your best number.” Everybody’s got a best number. It’s revenue, it’s net worth, whatever. And I said, “I just want you to multiply by 10.” And immediately there’s this reaction. He says, “You know how hard it was to get to just where I am 10 times?” And I said, “Well, you’ve already done 10 times. You’ve probably done 10 times twice. So let’s go back to the beginning. When were you 1/10 of where you are right now?” And they can nail it. They can tell you the year, they can tell you the month when they were 1/10 of where they were. And I said, “Let’s write the actual structure that got you from 1/10 to where you are right now.” And there’s five stages, and usually it’s an event, it’s a new relationship and all of a sudden they get a big check. And we measure, as entrepreneurs, size of check is a good scorecard. When you’re first starting, you got a $10,000 check, that was the biggest check. But about five years later, you get a $100,000 check, and all of a sudden it seems strange at breakfast, but by dinner you’ve normalized the idea, “Well, I know what it’s like to get a much bigger check, a 10 times check.” And so I have them create five growth stages that took them from where they were 1/10 to where they are right now, and I said, “Now let’s go back and talk about doing 10 times more.” And what they recognize, 80% who’ve got them 10 times the first time is going to be the same. It’s relationship, it’s having a great team, it’s having a simple approach that always works and it’s about the kind end customer. It’s not about them. It’s about who is it that you’re being a hero to in the marketplace. Because the truth is people don’t want to have a lot of relationships as they grow. They’d like to have one relationship to grow. They’d like to have an advisor who’s growing with them. But then John introduced me to the whole world of AI and I said, “We’re not talking 10 times anymore. We’re talking 100 times.” I said, “If you apply this new form of thinking, because it is an entirely new form of thinking, to what you’re doing right now, you can see that 10 times is going to happen just by doing three or four things where you’re eliminating waste, you’re eliminating things that just don’t work anymore, changing relationships, changing teamwork, changing collaborations in the marketplace.” But meanwhile, this new world of thinking is making you healthier. It’s making you more fit. So where before you thought you wouldn’t have the energy at 70, you now have more energy at 70 than you had at 50. So you’re the only one who says when it’s going to stop. I’m 82 in three weeks. We’re having this… I’m 82 and I’m way more ambitious at 82 than I was at 52. And the world is, because the world outside in terms of technological capability and access is way, way bigger in my 82nd year than it was in my 52nd year, and I love the growth. I have to tell you that the greatest point where AI is going to have the impact is going to be making money. The big titans, the Metas, the Googles, the Nvidias, what do they have in common? It’s about the money and where AI is being applied most is how you do new things with money. So that’s where the 100 times now comes from. I’ve normalized it. I said, “We’re not talking a 10x game anymore. We’re talking 100x game.” But the number on the scoreboard isn’t the issue. The scoreboard is, are you actually having fun? Louis Diamond: Yeah, we call it living your best business life. That’s our major barometer in charge. John, I don’t know if you could pull up your slides again, but I want to talk about the bridge between stage two in your pyramid to stage three. So that’s from expertise into scalable property. Can you explain how this relates to a financial advisor or an independent business owner and why this concept is so important for the valuation of a business? John Bowen: The book, it’s written for entrepreneurs, but I wanted to create some bridges while we’re together with Louis on really what’s going on for financial advisors and how you can help them. So if they’re at our stage one, Dan and my stage one of The Greater Game, and they want to go to two, they’re kind of dreaming oftentimes, and we want to help them begin creating the architectural structure. And as an advisor, this is really going to encourage everybody to read chapter two, The Greater Security. It talks about really the VFO, Virtual Family Office structure that they want, and you got to help them get financially solid, building personal wealth outside of the business, tax, estate, insurance, business structure. That’s what we all do today. Then though, if they want to move from level two to three, what we find over and over again, advisors are not equipped to do this, because what we’re taking is that founder where everything’s in its head, we’re now helping them move from just having that expertise to having scalable property. This is that codifying the process of building IP that’s transferable. And this is where the real valuation changes. Now, I’m not asking financial advisors to be the IP experts, but what the entrepreneurs want is they want somebody to help them curate and then coordinate between each of these levels. We go from three to four that the founder is indispensable, oftentimes at three. Now we want the team there to be invincible. And it’s not just the individual team as Dan was talking about. It’s the community. The collaboration is where this really takes off. The noise of AI is making it harder to market, but by partnering, particularly as financial advisors, we can very quickly have groups. One of the reasons why I’m collaborating with Dan, I want to help our financial advisors to work with entrepreneurs. Dan wants that research. So this is the natural collaboration. But they’re interested here in governance, self-managing teams. One of the things that Strategic Coach is brilliant at, the pre-transaction they want. And what we find so often is the indispensable discount. So many businesses sell, if they sell at all, they’re selling for three to five times multiplier, not advisory, but traditional businesses. Well, if you can make it to four, all of a sudden you’re now talking to 10 to 15 times multipliers. And think of it as if I’m a buyer and I’ve been involved in 50-some transactions, what happens is if the business is the guy, the gal, they’re the business, then you’re buying a very expensive job type thing. So let’s just keep a simple one. They’re having a couple million dollars of EBITDA. And let’s say the high range of that, five times EBITDA is $10 million. Well, the difference at 15 times two million is 30. Now, a few basis points I don’t really care about. I really care about capturing that difference. And because there’s a machine working without, I can buy that machine and generate that cash flow and it’s also taking advantage of the vision. And then when we get to level four, this is where most advisors make the biggest mistake is, “I’ve won. I’m at level four. I’ve got tremendous wealth.” Okay, but I’m now looking at significance. And I do want to go, “It’s not enduring legacy I’m looking for. I’m looking for active legacy. I’m looking for family governance.” Do I want to continue to build it like Dan and I’m doing at 70? I’m building the business so I can continue doing it as long as I want to do it. At the same time, and I love the impact we have and I know you do too, Louis, for the impact you have. Why not build the platform that’s going to allow you to do that as long as you want to do that? And if you don’t want to do it, let’s create the most value to transfer. When you start having conversations like that with families, entrepreneur families, it just changes, and very few advisors can do that. And that’s what we’re finding. We have a coaching company, training company, we train those things. They’re winning, quite honestly, almost 100% of the time because entrepreneurs didn’t know that was available to them. Louis Diamond: Interesting. It seems like the difference between stage two in your pyramid, to leap to stage three or four, that seems like a pretty massive pivot point for valuation for building a scalable business, having a self-managing company, et cetera. Do you find or have you seen that advisors or entrepreneurs that are in stage two themselves, they kind of pattern-match when they’re working with their own clients and kind of manage their own clients into stage two, or is it not really connected? John Bowen: I think that once you get the bigger picture and see the greater game, you can help your clients. That is a very small percentage. Remember, it was only 5.4 of when we surveyed successful entrepreneurs were actually playing the greater game, all four levels, the 10 greater multipliers. So I think what we tend to do is we get stuck on what we can do. And all the training is for level one for financial advisors. We don’t know how to guide them through the other levels. And really, the big difference from two to three, Dan and I’ve talked about this a lot, and I think Dan’s one of the biggest champions of this, is collaboration, putting together strategic partnerships. It could be with your competitors. This is for entrepreneurs, competitors, it could be various vendor partnerships. But the ability to open up markets that way when you have now put together in level two your IP, value creation’s huge. For advisors, it’s putting together partnerships with centers of influence. When we survey top financial advisors, 70% of their best clients came through COI, Centers of Influence with accountants, attorneys, investment bankers, and so on. Well, let’s do it on purpose, be successful on purpose. Louis Diamond: Dan, question for you. In all your experience working with successful financial advisors, insurance producers, probably any entrepreneur, what do you feel are the most common things that folks do unintentionally to really hurt their enterprise value even long before, or if ever, they decide to sell their business? Dan Sullivan: Yeah, I think the biggest thing is they stay entirely within their industry. One of the first questions that we ask our entrepreneurs when they come into the program and where you see it most is in the professions: lawyers, accountants, engineers, architects. I’ll say, “Well, what is it that you are?” And they’ll say, “Well, I’m a lawyer. I’m a tax lawyer.” And I said, “Are you a tax lawyer or are you an entrepreneur who has a specialty in tax law?” Okay. It makes a big difference, because if you see yourself as a tax lawyer, then you’re saying that you’re a better paid factory worker. You’re a manual laborer. But if you’re an entrepreneur, it’s a fairly recent idea in human history. There’s always been entrepreneurs, but it wasn’t until about the beginning of the 1800s that you start seeing this really different class of people in the marketplace, who, it didn’t matter how they were born, they were taking advantage of some new multiplier technology. Steam power being a great example. Around 1800, steam power came on. And anybody who had a bright vision for themselves and had the wherewithal to figure out what needs could be satisfied with a new technology, all of a sudden they became rich. They became rich. And it was very disruptive, because up until then it was based on aristocracy and you were born into wealth or you were born into poverty. There was no crossover. So what we’re saying is anybody who comes into Strategic Coach, I said, “I’m not going to tell you anything about your particular industry.” I said, “You know all the best practice people in your industry and they have workshops and they have conferences and you go to them, but they don’t know how to be entrepreneurs. You know how to create a really well-paying job, but you haven’t created a company.” A company is a totally different realm and I would say the vast majority of entrepreneurs, 95% of entrepreneurs haven’t really created a company. They’ve just created a really well-paying job which requires their presence and their attendance. I said, “You don’t get any payout for your company. If you’re the company, you need to have a structure.” I’ll give you an example. We started the company in 1989, and we’re about 270 times what our first year revenues were, and that was a great year. I was very happy for the first year, but we’re about 270 times. Along the way, what I did is I created other coaches so it wasn’t just Dan, the coach. So we have 16 other coaches. And I’ll give you a little example. In 1994, that year our company did 144 workshop days, 36 per quarter. One coach: me. Last year we did 600 workshop days and I did 12. 588 were done by other coaches. And our coaches are great. They’re clients who have coaching instincts and they do it. So about four years ago, I met one of our clients who’s an M&A specialist, and I laid out all the facts just in conversation, “This is our revenues. We have no debt. It’s repeatable income, around 70% is repeatable for one year.” I put the whole structure together. And I said, “So right off the top, I don’t have any relatives on staff.” The first thing they look for, “Any relatives working for you?” And he gave me a number. It was a big number. It was probably four times revenue for that year. He said, “We got a lot of structures.” Then something happened in the marketplace, and this is a great breakthrough that the US Patent Office sometime in the last 10 years recognized that up until about 10 years ago, to get a patent, you had to have a technological component for what you were doing. Sometime in the last 10 years, the patent bureaus decided that the internet is the technological component. So they’ve introduced education and entertainment as patentable processes. So in the last three years, we’ve gotten 82 patents. 82 patents. And these are our thinking tools, Lifetime Extender, Free Focus and Buffer Days. You know the routine that you learn in the first three days, and we’ve got 82 of them. We’re averaging about 25. I get a new patent about every two weeks. So I saw this M&A specialist, and I said, “This has happened in the last three years.” And he said, “Immediately it doubles the valuation of your company.” So what John’s saying here, as you go through the four stages, more and more you get paid for your creativity, retail, you get paid for your retail. But if you structure it, you record it, you package it, it is even greater than what you got paid for your creativity. Louis Diamond: Super interesting personal anecdote, and I appreciate you sharing that because that definitely did drive the point home for me. I see the applicability to probably any industry, but especially to any financial advisor. Dan Sullivan: Oh, yeah. Louis Diamond: The best RIA firms, the best advisors, they pretty much all start off with a cult of personality founder who’s the rainmaker. And then the practices that really grow and scale and are valuable are more platforms. That’s what private equity wants to invest in. And those are the firms that get the higher multiples. Dan Sullivan: Yeah. So the big thing is there’s a really, really great IP lawyer. He’s in our program and he’s made the breakthrough, and he’s the first IP lawyer that doesn’t charge by the hour. He charges by the patent. If the IP lawyer charges by the hour, it’s a very slow patent. If he charges by the patent, it’s a very fast patent. But the big thing, he showed a slide that in just big corporations, 1980, you took big corp, Fortune 500, the S&P 500, more than 80% of their valuation was tangible. It was property, it was real estate, it was fleets, it was equipment. Last year, more than 80% were intangibles. It was your ideas, intellectual. If you look at Elon Musk, it’s all intellectual capital. If you look at Meta, you look at anything, it’s intellectual. It’s not tangibles. So we’ve entered into that new world and AI has introduced us to that new world. It’s new processes, new structures, new approaches and it’s really interesting. It’s hard for entrepreneurs to get their idea that your creativity is actually property. Louis Diamond: It sounds like the ultimate challenge for anyone listening is translate your process, your ideas, the stuff that you’re doing by instinct as you both had said, and turn it into something patentable or something repeatable that another advisor, another executive, another owner can pick up and deploy and scale. John Bowen: We share the process in chapter four. It’s the fourth greater multiplier. And we actually share Caldwell, the attorney that Dan’s talking about, his story and the value creation. He’s now the major player in that space. And this is where we as advisors, we’re given a twofer, Dan and Louis, is that you can help your clients, but you can do this yourself too. You’ve been involved in a number of large transactions. The difference, I had a $2 billion advisory practice I sold in ’98, and we sold for 16 times earnings. And a big part of it, we were in that blue ocean. We had agents that we created and strategic process that would run without me, and it did type thing. And it continued to grow and went for about 10 fold what I sold for a number of years later. This is something that’s very real. Louis Diamond: Absolutely. I got two more questions for you guys because I know you’re both busy. For an advisor who feels like they’ve won the growth game, they grow 10, 15, 20% per year, they’re charged up, they’re on the Barron’s list, the Forbes list, they’re hitting their AUM milestones, they built an amazing team, they have a family member in the business. They have everything that anyone could want. What does the next game look like for them? What’s the next frontier once you’ve achieved all those things that from the outside looking in, seems like you have it all? What’s the next game to play? John Bowen: Well, we’re going to both say The Greater Game, but the- Dan Sullivan: Well, tell them about the dashboard, John, because the book is just part of the deal here. It gives you the landscape. There’s a great tool that comes with the book. So tell them about the dashboard. John Bowen: Really what we wanted to do is to create kind of a community just around the book. Dan and I and team built a dashboard. We were very creative on naming, thegreatergamedashboard.com. You can go in and we’re now studying every month over 500 successful entrepreneurs. We have that data in here. You’ll be able to see how you compare at each of these stages, the four stages, the 10 multipliers. And you’re going to get specific recommendations. This is for entrepreneurs. But again, you should do it. If you’re a financial advisor, you have an equity ownership, you should definitely be doing it as well. And one of the things that we see over and over again, and Louis, you probably see this a lot in the conversations. They have advisors who have already won. They don’t know what the next game is. And it’s easy to check out at that point. It’s easy to frustrate the next generation of leaders and so on. If you take the time to really see what the opportunities are and architect to realize that vision, you can create, whether it’s selling the practice, creating tremendous value there or designing a role for yourself, maybe it’s executive chairman type for that business that you can guide it with the vision and what you’ve brought and strategy. But bring that team up. That’s going to create so much value, so much impact and you can design it for the life that you want. And that’s where I get very excited. Louis Diamond: I can hear the passion in your voice. Dan, let’s finish with you. Given all of your experience working with entrepreneurs, advisors, business owners, et cetera, what’s the one move that you’ve seen the most successful entrepreneurs in your orbit make that’s changed the trajectory of their firms and their life more than anything else? Dan Sullivan: I’ll answer it in a little roundabout way. Periodically, I have a thinking tool. I said, “If everything was taken away from you as an entrepreneur and they moved you 1,000 miles away, what’s the one thing that you would take with you? It has to be portable. So what is the most portable thing that you have that you would start over again with the greatest value that you had created previously? What would it be? And then you would rebuild what you’ve already created, but you would do it much faster. What would be the one thing?” It’s an interesting thought. But in our concept, it’s called unique ability, that there’s something about you, as an individual, that first of all gave you enough confidence to become an entrepreneur because it’s risky. It’s a risky proposition. It’s guessing and betting and it’s risky business and it’s unique ability. So the starting point for all growth in Strategic Coach is that there’s something about you that’s absolutely unique. You don’t have any competitors on this and it has two qualities. One is that you’re so good at it, you don’t take it seriously. You’ve done this since you were a child and it just comes to you naturally and you don’t see the significance of it. When you’re in Coach, you start seeing the significance of it. And the second thing is you just absolutely love doing it. It’s what you love doing most of all. It comes to you naturally. You don’t even have to think about it. And then you begin to realize that anything else you’re doing as the founder and the owner of your company, probably somebody else can do. So you’re doing 20 things, but really you should be doing three things. The other 17 things still need to be done but not by you. And that’s the breakthrough. You have to simplify in order to multiply. Louis Diamond: I absolutely love that. I know when I was in Coach, that was my biggest takeaway or realization was figuring out what my unique ability was because I think the two components,

Not Being Normal Is Your Biggest Advantage, with Andy Howard

social freedom discover normal formula advantage clarifying dan sullivan strategic coach

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2026 20:21

Andy Howard always knew he didn't think like everyone else, and school confirmed it. Today, he runs Karuna Impact, a niche property business that converts underused commercial buildings into homes and channels a third of its profits to fight child bed poverty. Discover how Strategic Coach® helped Andy transform discomfort and loss into clarity, confidence, and a powerful freedom of purpose. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why Andy's entrepreneurial mind didn't fit formal education.What Andy started doing after school that finally felt energizing.How a neglected niche in property became a huge growth opportunity.How Andy has gained confidence and clarity through Strategic Coach.What sparked Andy's renewed sense of purpose as an entrepreneur. Show Notes: Many successful entrepreneurs don't thrive in school, so they use their own experience as their real education. Most coaching programs focus on goals and tactics; Strategic Coach focuses on expanding your freedom. Freedom isn't handed to you—you earn it through the entrepreneurial journey. To be free in any area of life, you first need freedom over your time. As you grow your personal freedom, you naturally create greater value for others. For many entrepreneurs, work loses its energy once it feels routine. Big opportunities often live in niches that most people overlook. Social impact and company profitability aren't mutually exclusive; a well-designed business can achieve both. Strategic Coach thinking tools help you get crystal clear on your vision and the people needed to achieve it. Every Program Coach is an entrepreneur, so they coach from real-world experience, not theory. Finding a community of like-minded entrepreneurs makes it easier to take risks and pursue bigger freedoms. Clarifying your freedom of purpose gives you the motivation to keep growing long after you've hit your initial goals. Resources: Karuna Impact The Kolbe A™ Index The Impact Filter® The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs Everything Is Created Backward by Dan Sullivan

How Ai Helps Entrepreneurs Build a Better Future

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2026 66:33

What if the smartest path to your future runs straight through your past? In this episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and I dig into how Ai is reshaping the way entrepreneurs think, create, and build.I share what I have been doing in live workshops. I use Ai to study a person's body of work, then help them shape a clearer, more exciting future, often inside a single session. We look at the tools that make this possible and why a rough working prototype can do more than a polished plan.Dan brings the strategic lens. He explains why so many entrepreneurs try to escape their past, and makes the case that their history is their biggest asset. He also walks through his free-day system, how he plans and protects his time, and why he comes back from time off with what he calls a new brain.We get into the mindset behind all of it: structure that creates freedom, the kind of client who is the best fit for this work, and why collaboration is the part of Ai that excites us most.The core idea is simple. Your past is your edge. Use it well, and Ai can help you build what's next faster than you thought possible.In this episode, Dan and I break down:How Ai can turn your past work into ideas for your next moveThe tools that make fast prototyping possible, and what each one doesWhy a rough working model beats a perfect planThe paid conversation that attracts people who are ready to actDan's free-day system and how he guards his timeWhy structure in one area of life creates freedom in anotherThe traits that make someone a great fit for this kind of workKEY TAKEAWAYSTreat your history as an asset - your past projects, content, and clients are raw material Ai can shape into your next offer.Prototype before you commit - a rough working model can teach you more in a day than a perfect plan does in a month.Add a small barrier to entry - asking people to invest a little upfront attracts the ones who show up ready to act.Decide your time off first - set the number of days you will not work this year before you fill the rest of the calendar.Guard your free days with a plan - hand work to your team in advance, and protect the time the way you protect a key meeting.Use Ai to filter, not just create - point it at your inbox to surface dropped balls, and at your calendar to match your days to your goals.Build structure so you can be creative - predictability in one part of life frees you to take bigger swings in another.Choose clients who like themselves - the best fit are ambitious people who value their own growth and have invested in it before.Time Stamps00:00 Why entrepreneurs have a real edge01:37 Mike's early-morning Ai workshop02:56 Building a member's future self, live08:55 Turning years of episodes into a book11:36 A faster way to build a business15:14 The paid coffee chat that finds better clients18:19 Dan's Bill of Rights book and faster writing with Ai25:00 Mapping Dan's capabilities with Ai35:16 Schedule your free days first36:44 How Dan guards his free days48:03 Using Ai to clear your inbox and calendar56:44 Your past points to your better futurePS – When you're ready, here's how I can help: Want to discover your next big opportunity? Meet my team for a 60 Minute, 1:1 Idea Deep Dive here: www.AiAccelerator.com/Ai1k Ready to reinvent yourself, your business, and your brand, and create “Your Next Act”? Watch this.Discover More

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The Greater Game: Your 100x Blueprint for Exponential Growth, Freedom, and Legacy With Joe Polish, Dan Sullivan, and John Bowen - 10xTalk Episode #247

10x Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2026 71:26

Joe Polish sits down with Strategic Coach Founder Dan Sullivan and The CEO of CEG Worldwide John Bowen to explore the research-backed framework behind their new book, The Greater Game — a 100x blueprint that reveals why only 5.4% of Entrepreneurs are playing a completely different game than everyone else. Together they unpack the shift from Founder-dependent businesses to scalable ecosystems, the finite-vs-infinite game divide, and why AI is less a technological revolution and more a cognitive one. Here's a glance at what you'll discover in this episode: The number that reveals whether you're winning or losing the only game that matters... and why 94.6% of Entrepreneurs are optimizing a game that's already coming to an end (you've probably already done 10x without calling it that — what you do next is the whole point) Dan Sullivan's quiet observation after 52 years and 7,000+ Entrepreneurs... the exact moment a successful person stops growing isn't failure — it's something far more seductive, and almost no one catches it in themselves (the first exercise he runs at Strategic Coach is designed to show you you've already crossed the line once) Joe typed a question into AI and got back the most brutal case study in modern business history... Blockbuster, Kodak, Borders, Toys "R" Us — and the one invisible shift every company on that list missed before it was too late (this isn't a technology story — it's a thinking story) Why John Bowen started three new companies on his 70th birthday... and the dashboard he and Dan built for roughly $2,000 that a top vendor quoted them $50,000 a year to provide (his tech team called after the first meeting and said "we'll just build it and give it to you tomorrow") The four-hour version of something that used to take Dan Sullivan four weeks... and what it reveals about the only AI upgrade that actually changes your trajectory (this isn't about using AI more — it's about using it in the right direction entirely) What Joe Polish teaches Genius Youth Members that no business school has ever covered... and why writing handwritten postcards in an age of AI might be the single highest-leverage thing you do this week (the killer app of 2026 is not what anyone is selling you) If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com. Show Notes: The Book: The Greater Game and the 5.4% Dan and John's new book — published by Hay House and instantly a #1 Amazon bestseller — grew out of a 25-year research partnership to study what separates the highest-performing Entrepreneurs from everyone else. Their research across 7,000+ Entrepreneurs found that 94.6% are still optimizing the game they're in — while only 5.4% are architecting a completely different one. The book maps out exactly what those 5.4% are doing. The book's central premise: "Every system that got you here is optimized for a game that's coming to an end." From 10x to 100x: Dan's Framework Dan has been coaching Entrepreneurs to 10x since the 1990s — starting with an exercise where he had Clients identify when they were one-tenth of where they are today. Everyone in his program had already done 10x without labeling it that way. When he challenged a Client who said they couldn't go 10x in three years, the Client responded they could do it in 15 — and then voluntarily suggested doing it again. That's when the 100x idea crystallized. Dan's thesis: give yourself a long enough time horizon, use AI as a genuine collaborator, and constant growth becomes the natural state — not the exception. The Four Levels of The Greater Game Level 1 — Foundation for Freedom: Vision, security, and financial confidence. Getting off the couch. Level 2 — Energy for Expansion: Motivation and IP development. Dan has built an extraordinary amount of intellectual property; John and Joe have too. Level 3 — Platform / Ecosystem: Moving from Founder-dependent to a scalable system. John's own company grew 58% while writing the book — by walking the talk of this level. Level 4 — Agency: Creating markets. Courage, commitment, and building an ecosystem where you're generating the category itself. Finite vs. Infinite: What the Game Shift Really Means Finite game: competing for market share, managing dependencies, staying indispensable personally, reacting to market pressure. Business value: 3–5x EBITDA. Infinite game: designing an ecosystem, multiplying unique genius through others, engineering your own absence, redefining the market. Business value: multiples that reflect systems, not the Founder. Joe's examples (finite → infinite): Blockbuster → Netflix, Kodak → Apple, Borders → Amazon, taxi companies → Uber, Toys "R" Us → Lego. The pattern: finite players optimize the current game; infinite players keep changing what the game is. Dan's real-world example: Paul Van Dyne came to Strategic Coach planning to retire at 65. He went on to take his engineering firm from #40 to #1 nationally in nine years through M&A — and now plans to build his gourmet coffee shop inside one of his medical centers. AI as a Cognitive Revolution Dan's framing: AI isn't a technological revolution — it's a cognitive revolution. He compares its impact to the introduction of zero in mathematics, which made economics, double-entry bookkeeping, and science possible. Practical example: Dan used to need four weeks to structure a new book. With AI, the same work takes four hours. He now writes a new book every quarter. John's vibe-coding story: his Team built the entire Greater Game Dashboard for roughly $2,000–3,000 using Lovable — after being quoted $50,000/year from a top vendor. They own the code and iterate freely. Joe's counterpoint: the killer app today is being fully human — knowing how to bond, connect, and think for yourself. "Write with your hands, think with your brain." The Greater Game Dashboard John built this free interactive tool at TheGreaterGameDashboard.com to put the book's framework into action. The 15-minute assessment shows you exactly where you stand relative to peers and the 10 Greater Multipliers. The dashboard automatically calculates what your company is worth to a buyer today — and shows how each improvement raises that number. Dan calls it the greatest tool he's seen in 52 years of coaching Entrepreneurs. Monthly updates include an Entrepreneur Pulse confidence index. Useful whether you ever intend to sell or not — knowing your number changes how you invest in your business. Building Great Teams: Cast, Don't Hire Dan's principle: Strategic Coach treats itself as a theater company — with backstage and front-stage roles. They don't hire for jobs, they cast for roles. Every new hire is there to free up someone already in the company. Babs Smith built the Strategic Coach Team around Dan from the start — several Team members have now been with the company 20–30+ years. Beware the Founder-as-salesperson trap: if you're great at selling, you'll hire the wrong people — you'll confuse their excitement for the role with fit for the role. John, Joe, and Dan all find talent primarily through communities — mastermind groups, Genius Network, Strategic Coach — rather than ads. Great people seek out great people. Dan's upcoming book (Hay House): Casting Not Hiring. IP as a Strategic Asset Dan has had 82 thinking tools patented by the US Patent Bureau (none rejected), with 75 more pending. Each patent is a borrowable asset — you can borrow up to half the appraised value, creating a private intellectual property bank. Joe Polish's company operates as an ESOP — all Team members become equity owners after a vesting period, creating a true ownership culture without requiring employees to buy in upfront. Genius Youth and the Human Connection Advantage Joe's Genius Youth program focuses on skills AI can't replicate: human connection, handwritten notes, cold plunges, cooking and hospitality, ethical influence. Joe's 2026 Genius Network Annual Event — features Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler (Authors of We Are as Gods), live robots, and a mystery musician on 300M+ albums. Resources: The Greater Game (Book) — Dan Sullivan & John Bowen The Greater Game (Audiobook) — narrated by Gord Vickman, Hay House Business TheGreaterGameDashboard.com — free 15-minute assessment & company valuation tool 10xTalk Podcast — Subscribe — 10xTalk.com 10xTalk on Apple Podcasts Strategic Coach — Dan Sullivan's coaching program Genius Network — Joe Polish's community for elite Entrepreneurs Joe Polish's Genius Network Annual Event CEG Worldwide (John Bowen) — research and coaching for financial advisors Cleator Ghost Town, Arizona — Joe's 40-acre ghost town & the Cleator Bar and Yacht Club Inside Strategic Coach Podcast — Episode on Hiring — Dan Sullivan & Shannon Waller AI Killed the Modern Company (Video) — Peter Diamandis & Salim Ismail Why Microsoft AI Chief Predicts AI Automation of White-Collar Work in 18 Months — Fortune / Mustafa Suleyman

ceo amazon founders game ai business freedom entrepreneur energy foundation courage team write clients gods uber practical blueprint ip infinite blockbuster borders kodak toys r us ebitda dan sullivan hay house 300m lovable finite 100x exponential growth esop peter diamandis strategic coach four levels joe polish genius network john bowen 10xtalk genius network annual event babs smith genius network event

The $48 Film Studio: What Ai Can Build Overnight

Building The Billion Dollar Business

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2026 41:00

What happens when an Ai agent is given one goal, trained on the right inputs, and left to run for 13 hours?In this episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan and I walk through exactly that. While sitting in the audience at Abundance360, I built an Ai agent designed to win Peter Diamandis's $3.5 million sci-fi film competition. The agent produced five fully edited three-minute trailers - complete with original scripts, character designs, mood boards, voiceovers, soundtracks, sound effects, and final edits. Total production cost: $48.Dan watched every film live during the conversation. His reactions - and his observations about the timeless nature of storytelling, Shakespeare's technique of starting in the middle, and why asking "who does this hurt?" is the fastest way to kill creative opportunity - give this episode a depth that goes well beyond the technology itself.We also cover the broader picture: what this speed and accessibility means for entrepreneurs, creators, and anyone who has ever had a story to tell but thought the barrier to entry was too high.The core message from both is clear: the tools are no longer the obstacle. Great storytelling is still the moat. And the window to get ahead of this is open right now.In this episode, Dan and I cover:How Mike built an Ai agent at Abundance360 with a single mission - win a $3.5 million film competitionThe "cheat code" of training an agent on the judge's known preferences before startingA full walkthrough of all five Ai-generated film trailers with Dan reacting in real timeWhy Dan says Shakespeare's storytelling technique shows up in all five filmsThe $48 total production cost reveal and what it signals for the future of filmmakingThe five-day production of a full one-man musical show using Ai and real performance combinedDan's warning: the question "who does this hurt?" stops creativity before it startsMike's 10% time compounding framework and how it changes decision-makingWhy the moat in creative work is now the storytelling and the wrangler - not the toolsWhat comes next with Ai agents - breakthroughs Mike previews for a future episodeNote: The observations and experiments shared in this episode reflect Mike Koenigs's personal experience with Ai filmmaking tools. Results will vary based on tools used, prompts, and creative direction applied. This is not a guarantee of any specific outcome.TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Introduction and the Abundance360 setup explained02:40 - Why the barrier to professional filmmaking has collapsed04:58 - How Mike built and trained the Ai agent to win the competition08:50 - Automated mood boards, character design, and pre-production09:55 - Film 1: "The Seed" - a Studio Ghibli-style story about growth and hope12:03 - Film 2: "The Memory Weaver" - memory, loss, and preserving legacy14:37 - Film 3: "The Star Maker" - grief, space, and building light in the dark17:07 - Film 4: "Symphony of Life" - learning to hear what nature has been saying19:24 - Film 5: "Architect of Dreams" - finally building something worth keeping21:59 - The $48 total production cost reveal and what it means27:22 - Why consumers with new capabilities disrupt every industry35:38 - The 10% time compounding framework and Dan's three wins a day method Discover More

ai marketing dreams film entrepreneurship seed shakespeare results architects symphony overnight reinvention automated reinvent studio ghibli dan sullivan peter diamandis strategic coach mike koenigs starmaker competitionthe capability amplifier

The 168 Hour Leadership Reframe

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2026 10:56

One hundred and sixty-eight. Financial advisor coach Ray Sclafani has been hearing the same thing from high performers across the industry: I am overwhelmed, I feel overcommitted, I have too much to do and not enough time. In this episode of Building the Billion Dollar Business, Ray offers the leadership reframe that changes everything about how the best leaders think about those 168 hours. The question is not how do you manage your time. The question is what should no longer require it.What you will learn in this episodeWhy time blocking is not a productivity hack but a way of telling the truth about what actually matters to you as a leaderThe critical difference between responsiveness and effectivenessWhy the real multiplier is not another app, another list, or another early morning, it is developing others who can develop othersWhat real delegation looks like versus task dumpingHow themed days, energy blocks, meeting clusters, decision blocks, and delegation blocks change the quality of leadership over timeThe five dimensions of the 168 hour self-assessment: focus, preparation, recovery, delegation, and team multiplicationKey insight from this episodeThe question is not how do I manage my time. The better question is what should no longer require my time. That is the leadership reframe. Time blocking is not about filling every square on the calendar. It is about protecting time for the work only you should do while creating room for others to grow into the work they should be doing. Because the future of your business cannot be built on your personal endurance alone.The 168 hour self-assessmentFocus: are you spending enough time on your highest contribution?Preparation: are you creating the conditions for better work or reacting all day?Recovery: are you protecting your energy or borrowing from tomorrow?Delegation: are you handing off meaningful work or simply assigning tasks?Team multiplication: are you developing others who can develop others?Resources and references mentionedDavid Allen — Getting Things Done: The GTD MethodDan Sullivan and Strategic Coach — the entrepreneurial time system: free days, focus days, and buffer daysFrancesco Cirillo — the Pomodoro techniqueSession app — focus timer for named, bounded work blocksCoaching questions for reflectionIf your calendar became a visible expression of your highest priorities, what would need to change or shift first?What work are you still holding on to that could become a development opportunity for someone else on your team?One year from now, what would be different in your business and life if you invested your time more intentionally for each of the next 52 weeks?Building the Billion Dollar Business is hosted by Ray Sclafani, founder and CEO of ClientWise, the financial services industry's leading executive coaching and team development firm for elite advisors and wealth management teams.Find Ray and the ClientWise Team on the ClientWise website or LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

ceo time leadership building team recovery financial preparation delegation reframe timethe strategic coach billion dollar business

He Failed Treatment 7 Times. Then He Built One That Works | Jimmie Applegate

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2026 53:19

Get Jimmie's book free: JimmieApplegate.comBook a conversation: BeaconTreatmentCenter.com Email Jimmie: Jimmie@LiveSober.us What if everything you thought you knew about recovery was built on a broken foundation?In this episode of Capability Amplifier, I sit down with Jimmie Applegate, founder of Beacon Treatment Center in Arizona, author of Addicted to Failure, and a man who spent 30 years in the grip of addiction before finding what actually works. What he built on the other side of that journey is one of the most thoughtful, science-backed, and genuinely human approaches to recovery I've ever come across.Jimmie's guiding principle is simple but powerful: there are as many doorways to recovery as there are people. The moment you force everyone through the same door, you start losing them. Addiction is customized to the individual, and so recovery has to be too.We go deep on the 4 doors every person in recovery moves through, the real neuroscience behind why 30-day programs fail, what it takes to reach someone who hasn't admitted they have a problem yet, and the vision Jimmie is building toward, including a new facility in the Black Hills to serve the Lakota Nation, where the average adult male dies at 47.The people you'll hear from in this episode - Ryan, Travis, Sheldon, and Talbot - all came through Jimmie's program and now work inside it. They are proof the doors exist.In this episode, Jimmie and I break down:Why the traditional recovery system keeps cycling people through failure - and what the alternative looks likeThe 4 doors to recovery and what each one actually means in a person's lifeReal stories from men who hit every kind of rock bottom, and what finally changedWhy rock bottom is not always required, and why waiting for it is sometimes fatalThe science behind brain rewiring and why 6 to 8 months is the real minimumHow intentional stress, nature, and brotherhood are built into the treatment modelThe role of multi-generational trauma, especially in Native American communitiesWhat Jimmie is building next - the app, the Black Hills facility, and the $7 million askNote: The experiences and recovery stories shared in this episode are real accounts from individuals who went through Jimmie's program. Nothing in this conversation constitutes medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you or someone you love is dealing with addiction or a related mental health challenge, please reach out to a qualified professional or contact Jimmie's team directly.Time Stamp00:00 - Introduction and the 4 doors framework overview02:47 - Door 1: The event that changes everything04:02 - Door 2: Surrender vs. just recognizing the problem06:18 - Door 3: Hope and purpose - the campfire story08:48 - Door 4: Transformation - you won't recognize their eyes11:32 - Jimmie reveals: Alex from the book is him13:44 - Jimmie's son and the neuroscience pivot that changed everything19:49 - Real stories: Ryan, Travis, Sheldon, and Talbot40:59 - The science: why 30 days is where brain repair is just starting44:41 - The app, the Black Hills facility, and the $7 million missionDiscover More

marketing real arizona failure transformation entrepreneurship addiction built treatments surrender failed addicted reinvention reinvent sheldon dan sullivan talbot jimmie black hills applegate strategic coach mike koenigs lakota nation capability amplifier

Engineering Your Future: Embrace Learning, Not Just Winning with Chris Sutton, Sutton Engineering

Building Scale

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2026 59:03

Chris Sutton, CEO of Sutton Engineering, shares his journey in MEP engineering and founding his company. He discusses expanding to New York, the importance of mission-critical work, and transitioning from a hustle mindset to structured growth. Chris highlights leadership challenges, personal development through Vistage, Strategic Coach, and EOS, and emphasizes defining a company's 'why' and building strong relationships. The episode covers strategic hiring with tools like the Culture Index and Kolbe assessments, payment challenges in commercial projects, and using technology for growth. Chris concludes with insights on automation, process improvement, and advice for young professionals.

ceo new york winning engineering eos kolbe mep vistage strategic coach chris sutton embrace learning

Why Legacy Brands Lose Their Edge

netflix real entrepreneur nations brands dan sullivan strategic coach jeffrey madoff

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2026 50:46

The media landscape has changed completely, but many companies are still playing by old rules. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff discuss how streaming, brand value, speed, and niche thinking are reshaping business. They also explore what today's entrepreneurs can learn about adaptability, confidence, and creating lasting value. Show Notes: A brand only has real value when it stands for something clear and relevant. Netflix succeeded by adapting to each new delivery system instead of trying to reinvent the world. The smaller the niche, the bigger the opportunity when you become the clear choice. What used to feel like a luxury can become an expectation very quickly when technology changes the standard. A college degree may still carry social meaning, but it is no longer a guarantee of financial payoff. Entrepreneurs tend to build their lives around ambition, curiosity, and relationships with other highly driven people. Real entrepreneurial success requires confidence, courage, and the willingness to keep moving after setbacks. Most “overnight” industry collapses are really the result of years of ignored warning signs. The real risk is not change itself, but refusing to invest in new capabilities while the world moves on. The most valuable part of college is often the network, not the diploma. Successful entrepreneurs redefine failure as feedback and use it to sharpen their next opportunity. Resources: The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard Learn more about Jeffrey MadoffDan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

Interview with Scott Edelman Founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group Discussing His 30 Year Anniversary in Business

Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saunders, MBA

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2026 22:14

Scott is the founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group and manages all aspects of financial planning and employee benefits, providing products and services for investing, retiring, insurance, and estate conservation for individuals, families, and businesses. He has a strong commitment to giving uncomplicated advice and unparalleled service and puts an emphasis on creating lasting relationships with his clients and within his community.A natural teacher and mentor, Scott is a member of Strategic Coach, an entrepreneur business coaching program. He is a thought leader in the financial field and a regular speaker at conferences. Scott is also active with local charities and is on several boards. Scott lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife and children.Learn more: http://www.edelmanwealthmanagement.com/1 Disclaimer: Securities and investment advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Wealth is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, product or services referenced here are independent of Osaic Wealth.2 The Hall of Fame was an elite group of financial representatives of former broker-dealer Signator Investors, Inc. and the John Hancock family of companies. To be included in the HOF, inductees need to qualify for the ACE award 15 times. The Achieving Client Excellence Award (ACE) was granted by former broker-dealer Signator Investors, Inc. and the John Hancock family of companies. The ACE award was granted to the top 250 advisors each year based on total weighted premium from the sale of both proprietary and non-proprietary protection and wealth products. No other factors are considered. Third-party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client nor are they representative of any one client's evaluation.3 The Practice of the Year Award was granted by former broker-dealer Signator Investors, Inc. and sponsored by Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions in recognition of an advisor's excellence in practice management. Candidates were evaluated by Business Health, an independent international management consulting firm specializing in the financial services industry, for client service, internal planning and structure, external relations, staffing and technology capabilities and overall practice performance. Sales production was not a criteria for winner selection. The competition was open to all advisors and of the applicants, 5 were selected to be interviewed and one winner was selected from that group by an independent panel. Advisors did not pay a fee to apply, to accept or to purchase materials related to advertising the award. Third-party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client nor are they representative of any one client's evaluation.4 Qualifying membership in the MDRT is based on minimum sales production requirements and gross business generated within a year. Each MDRT status designation is granted for one year only. All members must apply every year to continue their affiliation with the Million Dollar Round Table.Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-scott-edelman-founder-of-edelman-wealth-management-group-discussing-his-30-year-anniversary-in-business

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Interview with Scott Edelman Founder of Edelman Wealth Management Group Discussing His 30 Year Anniversary in Business

Business Innovators Radio

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2026 24:23

Find Your Fellow Gritty, Courageous Entrepreneurs, with Eric Hansen

Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2026 32:34

Eric Hansen built his business the hard way—decades of grit, risk, and going it alone. But he hit a ceiling he couldn't break through by himself. In this episode, Eric shares how joining The Strategic Coach® Program helped him multiply his business, reclaim his time, and design a more balanced, purposeful entrepreneurial life. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why entrepreneurs talk about completely different things with one another than anyone else in their lives.The two crucial stages that signal you're ready to join The Strategic Coach Program.Why Eric said no to Coach for years—and what finally changed his mind.The kind of wireless telecommunications company Eric has been growing for nearly three decades.How Eric has actually gained more free time and freedom as his company has scaled. Show Notes: When corporate executives meet, they share wins. When professionals meet, they discuss problems. When entrepreneurs meet, they trade stories about their biggest failures and comebacks. Entrepreneurs routinely put themselves into situations where they have to grow as people in order to create the solutions they need. Great entrepreneurs are always acquiring new capabilities, and that continual growth is what builds their confidence. The most successful entrepreneurs can go through almost any kind of trouble and still find a way to come out stronger on the other side. In the Strategic Coach® community, you never have to explain yourself because everyone has lived through their own version of the challenges you're describing. It's a powerful advantage for a new entrepreneur to admit they don't know everything and be open to learning. Companies, like people, move through distinct phases of growth, and each phase demands a different kind of leadership. When you're staring down potential business ruin, you quickly discover who you are and what you're really made of. Grit is a crucial entrepreneurial capability that never shows up neatly on a resume and is almost impossible to judge on the surface. Most small businesses don't survive beyond their first few years, which makes staying power and resilience a serious competitive advantage. The willingness to be vulnerable, especially after major setbacks, can become one of an entrepreneur's greatest superpowers. Resources: The 4 C's Formula by Dan Sullivan Grit by Angela Duckworth The 4 Freedoms That Motivate Successful Entrepreneurs The Self-Managing Company by Dan Sullivan From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brook The Impact Filter®

coach entrepreneur happiness companies formula fellow grit courageous second half gritty strategic coach deep purpose eric hansen strength finding success strategic coach program

How to Turn 25 Years of Business Knowledge Into Recurring Revenue With Better Systems

Inside Strategic Coach: Connecting Entrepreneurs With What Really Matters

Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2026 47:21

What if your biggest competitive advantage is already sitting inside your business, untapped?In this episode of Capability Amplifier, I sit down with Michael Rozbruch and Isaac Park to talk about how they built AutoDrive CRM, the nation's only marketing CRM designed specifically for tax resolution professionals.Michael spent 16 years growing a tax resolution firm from a dining room table startup into a $23 million company. After exiting in 2014, he launched Roz Strategies with his wife and business partner Rosalind, and went on to coach and train over 14,000 tax professionals. But his members kept running into the same wall: they couldn't automate the follow-up the way Michael had.Isaac Park came in as a digital marketing and automation specialist and helped Michael do something remarkable,he took decades of proven IP and packaged it into a scalable platform that any tax resolution pro can use.One beta user, CPA Toph Sheldon, went from struggling to convert leads at $400K-$600K to projecting $1.8 million in 2025, without spending more on marketing. Just better follow-up.This conversation is a masterclass in mentor-to-implementer partnerships, turning intellectual property into leverage, and why the niche you ignore might be the biggest opportunity in your market.In this episode, we cover:Why the best tech partner is probably already inside your business - and how to spot themMichael's 11-touch, 180-day follow-up system that converted 67% of unconverted consultationsHow Isaac learned to listen for the outcome first and fill in the technical details secondWhy most tax pros (and professional practice owners) have a case management system, not a real marketing CRMThe difference between a yes-man and a true problem solver - and why it matters for any partnershipHow Michael and Rosalind earmark a monthly budget specifically for testing and learningWhat the AutoDrive beta rollout taught them about building scalable software from proven IPWhere Ai fits into the future of AutoDrive - and what "solo millionaires" could look like in this industryTIMESTAMPS00:00 - Introduction: packaging decades of expertise into a scalable product02:14 - Michael's origin story: from fired on the 405 to $23M firm05:05 - Discovering the IP: how a tax resolution business became a coaching empire07:12 - Isaac joins the story: from implementation to partnership09:14 - What to look for in a tech partner (and where to find them)14:26 - Isaac's approach: submit to the authority, earn the freedom21:05 - The 11-touch, 180-day follow-up system that converts 67% of leads25:30 - Toph Sheldon: from $600K to $1.8M using AutoDrive38:01 - How to decide what to build next - and what to leave alone43:30 - Advice to their past selves: move faster, solve the big problem soonerDiscover More

marketing advice entrepreneurship discovering ip crm reinvention reinvent 8m dan sullivan 600k recurring revenue strategic coach 23m mike koenigs business knowledge michael rozbruch autodrive capability amplifier

How To Create A Company That Top Talent Never Wants To Leave

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2026 35:44

Every great entrepreneur wants (and deserves) to have a dependable team around them so they can be freed up to develop new ideas and focus on growing their business. But how do you get one? After all, the first question most entrepreneurs ask when they join The Strategic Coach® Program is, “Where do you find such great team members?” In this episode of Inside Strategic Coach, Dan Sullivan and Shannon Waller finally answer this question in-depth. From identifying and nurturing Unique Ability® within a team and creating a positive and collaborative work culture to investing in team members' growth, Dan and Shannon share everything that makes Strategic Coach® a magnet for skilled and passionate talent—and how to become one too.Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode: The number one tool necessary for building and maintaining a great team.How to determine if an activity is right for a person.Why Strategic Coach team members don't really need to be managed, monitored, or motivated.How Strategic Coach creates an incredible sense of safety for its team members.The two things that team members are looking for.Why you should think of hiring someone as an investment, not a cost. Show Notes: At Strategic Coach, you're always either winning or learning. There are a lot of Coach tools that support having a great team. Everybody's on their own unique growth path in terms of who they are and the kind of work they're most likely to enjoy and excel at. Strategic Coach team members can continually focus their time at work on doing what they're excited about. The moment someone is hired, Coach invests in learning about who that person is and how they can grow their skills. At Strategic Coach, if something doesn't work, the system gets blamed, not the individual. The four core values of Strategic Coach (PAGE) are: positive and collaborative teamwork, being alert, curious, responsive, and resourceful, getting results, and providing an excellent first-class experience. Strategic Coach has uniformly very helpful and very positive staff. Some Coach clients have been with the company for 15, 20, 25 years, and so have some team members. The educational system generally disparages successful business people. Almost all Coach team members are directly in contact on a person to person level with the company's clients. A team member can't be at their best if they don't feel safe. If you want great team members, you have to be a great entrepreneur. And that also includes being a great person. Great team members who want a bigger future aren't interested in being with someone who doesn't have any future. If you're going to be able to attract and retain the best people out there, you can't have an entitled attitude. Resources: Unique AbilityⓇ Article: Your Business Is a Theater Production: Your Back Stage Shouldn't Show on the Front Stage The Team Success Handbook by Shannon Waller Everyone And Everything Grows by Dan Sullivan Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

coach dan sullivan top talent benjamin hardy strategic coach unique ability shannon waller strategic coach program

Why Wasting Energy Is the Secret to Human Progress

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2026 47:27

What if wasting energy is the most productive thing humanity has ever done? In this episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and I explore the radical idea that conservation holds progress back - and that every breakthrough civilization has ever made came from consuming more energy, not less.Dan introduces the work of Mark Mills from the Manhattan Institute and his book "The Bottomless," which argues that using energy to create higher forms of energy is the engine of all human advancement. From the laser to nuclear power to Ai, the pattern is the same - massive energy input produces exponential capability output.We also get into how Ai is already running out of human-generated data to train on and is now producing its own synthetic training data. Mike draws a parallel to drug development, where Ai-powered simulations could eventually compress decades of human trials into hours. Dan connects all of it to his own life - at 81 years old, his biological age tests at 59, which he attributes entirely to regular and comprehensive medical testing over the last two decades.The conversation also touches on SpaceX's first-principles approach to building rockets, the real state of nuclear energy in 2025, the energy limitations of solar in places like Germany, and two separate moments in history where individual decisions by Soviet officers may have prevented nuclear war.At the close of the episode, Mike demos a new Ai-powered tool he's been using to compress hours of content into minutes each morning - and explains how anyone can use the same approach to accelerate their own learning.The core idea running through all of it: you can't build lasers by conserving candles.In this episode, Dan and I break down:Why conservation slows progress and strategic energy use is what drives human civilization forwardThe four high-density energy sources - coal, oil, gas, and nuclear - and why Dan says Ai is now a fifthHow SpaceX's willingness to burn a million gallons of fuel per launch compressed 50 years of NASA progress into threeDan's view that people don't die of disease - they die of late testing or no testingWhy Ai generating synthetic training data is a logical and necessary next step, not a gimmickThe "Available on Monday" filter Dan uses to evaluate any new technology or ideaWhy only 5% of the population being entrepreneurs is exactly the right numberHow Mike is consuming 20 to 30 hours of content per morning in 20 to 30 minutes using Ai toolsTIMESTAMPS00:00 – Introduction to creating a great yesterday01:11 – The power of simple tools03:09 – Dan's 63-day time experiment05:02 – Focus on today for a better yesterday06:22 – Creating consciousness in daily activities08:52 – Nostalgia vs. creative momentum10:15 – The impact of focusing on the present12:30 – How Dan's scattered thinking quietly disappeared14:00 – Why the point system works16:00 – Tracking conscious actions for momentum17:30 – How nostalgia limits progress19:10 – The role of Ai in amplifying creativity21:00 – Ai as a creative multiplier for entrepreneurs23:00 – The freedom of time and what it brings24:45 – Dan's final thoughts on his experiment and methodDiscover More

When Technology Becomes Politics And Opportunity

ai technology politics entrepreneur opportunities dan sullivan strategic coach jeffrey madoff

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2026 68:11

AI is about to move from a tech debate to a political battleground in the U.S., shaping regulation, jobs, and public opinion. Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff discuss how parties, voters, and leading tech companies are likely to respond—and why this friction is setting up a new golden age for entrepreneurs. Show Notes: There's always a pause before politics fully catches up to a breakthrough technology like AI, but once it does, the debate quickly becomes intense and adversarial. Around AI, three early camps are emerging: build as fast as possible, emphasize safety and oversight, and resist on populist grounds that cut across party lines. We've seen this pattern before with industrialization—massive change first, political sorting later. Big institutions are still trying to figure out AI while individual entrepreneurs are already running hands-on experiments. A smart move is to keep a sharp human brain between you and the technology so your judgment stays in charge. Wherever big organizations are slow, confused, or scared to move, entrepreneurs can step in and create new value. Many business owners are using AI to automate repetitive, low-value activities so their teams can focus on higher-value thinking. Even when jobs change or disappear, every person is still a buyer and a voter, so backlash is guaranteed. Entrepreneurs who help clients think clearly about AI and their real problems will become the most important partners in their lives. When services aren't being delivered and problems aren't being solved, that's where entrepreneurs can build new kinds of value. Resources: Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Great Meltdown by Dan Sullivan Learn more about Jeffrey Madoff Dan Sullivan and Strategic Coach®

The #1 Conversion Copywriter and Messaging Strategist in The World

NETWORK MARKETING MADE SIMPLE

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2026 28:05

Nicole Elliott is a conversion copywriter and messaging strategist who crafts human-sounding, non-salesy sales copy for entrepreneurs who want to sell without the sleaze (or excessive exclamation points). Over the past decade, she's developed launch campaigns, sales pages, and websites for industry-leading brands like Strategic Coach, Hello Audio, and Entreprenista. Her signature 3-Step Human-First Messaging Approach weaves together strategic audience insight and authentic brand voice to create copy that connects and converts. When not writing for clients, Nicole is probably getting lost somewhere on the globe (she's visited 100+ countries and territories and lived in half a dozen), learning languages (she speaks somewhere between 3 and a 1/2 and 5, depending on the day and on how much coffee she has had), or teaching the occasional English as a Second Language class.Connect with Nicole here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-elliott-copywriter/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-elliott-copywriter/https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-elliott-copywriter/https://www.nicoleelliott.co/Don't forget to download our free LinkedIn High-Impact Post Template Guide here:https://www.thetimetogrow.com/ecsposttemplates

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Yesterday Creates Tomorrow: Dan Sullivan's Most Productive Experiment Yet

Play Episode Listen Later May 6, 2026 44:37

What if building a better future starts by focusing on today, not tomorrow? In this episode of Capability Amplifier, Dan Sullivan and I discuss his time experiment that helped him eliminate future-based anxiety and unlock a profound sense of productivity and calm.Instead of stressing over the future, Dan committed to creating a "great yesterday" every day. This shift in focus reduced his mental scatter and distraction, something he personally attributes to ADHD tendencies, while helping him become more conscious and present, getting more done with less effort.Dan walks me through the mental shifts he experienced, how he tracks daily progress through a unique point system, and why staying in the moment is the key to both personal and professional growth. We also get into how Ai is amplifying Dan's creative process, and how this simple method can help anyone stuck in the anxiety of what's next.The core message is clear: create a great yesterday, and you'll unlock your best tomorrows. This goes beyond productivity - it's a way of being that eliminates distractions and allows for peak creativity and clarity.In this episode, Dan and I break down:Dan shifted his focus from future worries to present actions, creating calm, clarity, and momentum.Creating a great yesterday builds a foundation for today and tomorrow, replacing distraction with intention.Dan's point system tracks conscious actions throughout the day, turning small wins into compounding results.Nostalgia traps you in the past and blocks you from embracing what's possible right now.Ai accelerates creative action, helping us speed up decision-making and idea execution.By mastering time, Dan's method has given him freedom in time, money, and relationships.Note: The experiences shared in this episode reflect Dan Sullivan's personal observations from his own time experiment and daily practices. Nothing in this conversation constitutes medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing symptoms related to ADHD or any other condition, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Introduction to creating a great yesterday01:11 – The power of simple tools03:09 – Dan's 63-day time experiment05:02 – Focus on today for a better yesterday06:22 – Creating consciousness in daily activities08:52 – Nostalgia vs. creative momentum10:15 – The impact of focusing on the present12:30 – How Dan's scattered thinking quietly disappeared14:00 – Why the point system works16:00 – Tracking conscious actions for momentum17:30 – How nostalgia limits progress19:10 – The role of Ai in amplifying creativity21:00 – Ai as a creative multiplier for entrepreneurs23:00 – The freedom of time and what it brings24:45 – Dan's final thoughts on his experiment and methodDiscover More

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The Scary Decisions That Fuel Top Entrepreneurs, with Zack Oliva

decisions scary fuel oliva dan sullivan benjamin hardy strategic coach top entrepreneurs is easier than

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2026 28:36

From the start of his career, Zack Oliva has deliberately moved toward where he sees the next wave of growth. Now co-owner of a national energy law firm, he shares how he makes major career and business decisions, builds a focused niche, and uses entrepreneurial thinking to stay in the right position for long-term expansion. Here's some of what you'll learn in this episode:Why Zack says he “wasn't a real person” when he started his firm in 2013.How focusing on the right people allowed Zack's company to grow exponentially.Zack's attitude toward every person who comes through his organization.How The Strategic Coach® Program has helped Zack and his business partner grow their company 3-4x.Why Zack thinks joining Strategic Coach® is one of the best investments you can make in yourself. Show Notes: Becoming a professional takes years of study, but becoming an entrepreneur starts with choosing to keep growing beyond your credentials. Most professionals follow best practices, while entrepreneurs create their own rules and go where the future growth will be. Entrepreneurs are people who want to grow. Your personal growth as an owner sets the ceiling for how big and how fast your company can grow. Choosing a growing niche creates a powerful platform to multiply opportunity. Casting for roles, not hiring for generic jobs, helps you find A‑players who fit your vision and teamwork standards. Treating your team members as whole people, not just employees, creates loyalty, creativity, and staying power. A business becomes more valuable when it runs increasingly well without the founder at the center of everything. Trusting your intuition is a learnable skill that gets stronger when you pay attention to past decisions and meaningful coincidences. Entrepreneurship is largely a game of confidence, and protecting that confidence is one of your key responsibilities. Strategic Coach thinking tools and workshops give entrepreneurs and teams a shared language that accelerates connection and progress. Investing in your team's development produces more creative, capable people who free you up for higher-level work and a fuller life. Resources: Casting Not Hiring by Dan Sullivan and Jeffrey Madoff Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy The Entrepreneur's Guide To Time Management

The Vision Gap - One Photo That Fixed Everything