Best Joe Fiore Podcasts (2025)

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444. World's Toughest Mudder 2025! (Part 2: Event Day Audio, Interviews, and Katelyn's Pit Audio) 3:47:43

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2d ago3:47:43

3:47:43

World's Toughest Mudder has found a great home at Belvoir Castle and as many of you know, this was Katelyn's first time running it! Episodes with lap by lap pit audio have been a listener favorite feature for the past 8 1/2 years of the show (WTM 2017, 2018, 2019, Ode to Laz, etc.) and as soon as Katelyn registered for this in November, I knew that…

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#448: Jennifer Davis | Bootstrapping Davisware to $20M+, Selling to PE, Raising 10 Kids, & Living Exponentially 1:28:42

6d ago1:28:42

1:28:42

Jennifer Davis is the co-founder and former CEO of Davisware, a vertical ERP platform she and her husband started at 17. Over two decades, they scaled it to $20M+ in revenue, built a team of over 200, and sold to private equity. She’s also the mother of ten kids and the author of two books, including Living Exponentially. Watch on YouTube In this c…

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443. World's Toughest Mudder 2025! (Part 1: Course Walkthrough with The OCR Report) 38:21

12d ago38:21

38:21

World's Toughest Mudder is tomorrow at Belvoir Castle and as many of you know, this will be Katelyn's first time running it! We have been really busy with pit set up, OCR Report live stream assistance, and etc so we pivoted to a short discussion episode again, this time released as a rare early Friday release thanks to staying up late and very mini…

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#447: Jeff Buettner | Q2 2025 M&A Update: What Buyers Want, What’s Holding Deals Back, and How Founders Can Prepare 45:15

13d ago45:15

45:15

What’s happening in the M&A market right now? Who’s buying, who’s selling, and how should owners think about timing, value, and optionality? Watch on YouTube In this episode, I sit down with Jeff Buettner from ButcherJoseph, an investment banker who specializes in founder-led companies in the lower middle market. We unpack the current state of deal…

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442. Katelyn's Pre-World's Toughest Mudder Thoughts! 36:42

17d ago36:42

36:42

World's Toughest Mudder is next weekend at Belvoir Castle and as many of you know, this will be Katelyn's first time running it! We have been really busy with Katelyn's last week of school, chaos at Mike's job, a wedding on Friday and our travel to England on Saturday so we pivoted to a short discussion episode! The next few weeks will be packed wi…

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#446: Joe Brown | What Every Owner Should Know About Inflation, Debt, and the Real Economy 1:00:28

20d ago1:00:28

1:00:28

Most owners rely on gut instinct, advisors, or market trends to make decisions, but few stop to ask: What’s actually happening underneath the economy? Watch on YouTube In this episode, I’m joined by Joe Brown—creator of Heresy Financial—for a macroeconomic breakdown that actually makes sense for business owners. We unpack inflation, interest rates,…

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441. World's Toughest Mudder in UK Prep with Wil Chung and Fran Chiorando! 1:35:00

24d ago1:35:00

1:35:00

World's Toughest Mudder is almost upon us ... which is a very strange thing to say in June since it has always been in either December or November! I met Wil Chung last year at WTM and discussed having him on the show to talk about the venue of Belvoir Castle since he has had a lot of experience there as a prominent member of the European TM commun…

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#445: Mark Cleveland | You Don’t Have to Sell or Scale—There’s a Third Option 1:10:36

27d ago1:10:36

1:10:36

We’ve all heard it: “Pick one thing. Focus. Go all in.” But what if that advice doesn’t apply once you’ve built real optionality? Watch on YouTube In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Cleveland—an experienced entrepreneur, investor, and self-described parallel entrepreneur—to rethink how owners can design the next chapter of life. Instead of scaling…

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440. Chainsaw Rick on Hildervat, Lionhearts Fitness, Cancer, and More! 1:35:34

30d ago1:35:34

1:35:34

We have heard about "Chainsaw Rick" for years but our paths had never crossed before with him mainly racing down south and us primarily running and covering the north. Between him dominating Hildervat podiums and his recent cancer diagnosis, we figured that we should go out of our way to change that! We discuss the reason for his nickname, how he f…

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#444: Clint Fiore | Understanding Main Street Valuations (Through the Buyer’s Lens) 1:36:06

1M ago1:36:06

1:36:06

If you're running a mid-sized company and considering acquisitions—or you just want to understand how smaller companies get valued—this episode is for you. Watch on YouTube I sat down with Clint Fiore, a business broker who’s helped hundreds of Main Street businesses try to sell. And here’s the truth: most of them don’t get what they want. Not beca…

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439. OCR Podcast Eulogy: Remembering the Dead Podcasts of Our Sport! 1:10:05

1M ago1:10:05

1:10:05

We have done OCR eulogy episodes in the past but never a eulogy episode on OCR podcasts! Mike used his first hand experience, Podchaser, and his own podcast app to find as many podcasts as he could find whether dead or alive. He compiled the show names, descriptions, hosts, how many episodes released, date range of the show, and personal thoughts a…

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#443: Graham & Kyle | How to Value Your Business Without the Bullsh*t 1:46:35

1M ago1:46:35

1:46:35

You’ve probably heard that business valuation is more art than science. But what if the art is just smoke and mirrors—and the science has been hiding in plain sight all along? Watch on YouTube In this episode, I’m joined by Graham Stephen and Kyle McCulloch, the team behind Bizval, a company that’s quietly building a tool that may completely disrup…

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438. World's Toughest Mudder First Timer Questions with Josh Fiore! 1:24:36

1M ago1:24:36

1:24:36

With World's Toughest Mudder coming up soon and it being both the first time the event is taking place in Europe as well as Katelyn's first time tackling the event herself, we figured it would be a good time to both selflessly and selfishly have an episode focused on first timer questions! Josh Fiore had been answering first timer questions on the …

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#442: Alex McClafferty | What Happens When You Can't Outwork the Truth Anymore 1:08:27

2M ago1:08:27

1:08:27

What happens when the business you built no longer protects you from the parts of yourself you've been avoiding? Alex McClafferty co-founded and sold WP Curve to GoDaddy—but it wasn’t until after the exit that he found himself face-to-face with an identity crisis, emotional collapse, and a brutal confrontation with his shadow self. Watch on YouTube…

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437. Sabrina Buhagiar on the Spartan US National Series and Preparing for Spartan Ultra and Trifecta World Championships! 42:23

2M ago42:23

42:23

We admittedly haven't had any episodes covering the US Spartan National so far this year so we looked at the third of four series races which took place in Big Bear and decided to change that! Mike first met Sabrina Buhagiar when doing finish line interviews at Spartan Citi Field last year, he saw her again preparing before we started the Spartan N…

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#441: John Rood | What Happens After You Sell the Business? 1:10:08

2M ago1:10:08

1:10:08

What really happens when an entrepreneur sells their business? For John Rood, it was the start of a deeply personal reckoning with identity, purpose, risk, and time. In this episode, we go beyond the typical exit story and talk about what it actually feels like to step away from the company you built—and what comes next when you’re no longer busy, …

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436. Charity Borne on Hybrid Racing, Inspiring Siblings, and Winning Toughest Mudder Atlanta! 1:01:24

2M ago1:01:24

1:01:24

A benefit to reviewing the podiums for a variety of races during quick news each week is that is helps us keep a finger on the pulse of the change in the elite field in the sport! A name that has popped up more frequently and especially recently with the Toughest Mudder Atlanta win was Charity Borne so we reached out to have her on the show and lea…

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#440: Cash, Risk, and the Real Reason Most Deals Fall Apart with Elliott Holland 1:45:16

2M ago1:45:16

1:45:16

This episode is fire. Elliott Holland is a straight shooter who has seen hundreds of deals from every angle—searcher, investor, operator, and QofE provider. In this conversation, we cut through the noise to talk about what’s really going on in the acquisition market, why most self-funded searchers fail, and how owners can actually position their bu…

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435. Joe Rucco on Hybrid Racing, Winning Toughest Mudder Atlanta, and More! 1:07:10

2M ago1:07:10

1:07:10

When Mike was preparing to run his first Spartan Ultra he reached out to some elites to see who else would be there. Joe Rucco explained that he was going to miss it in order to take on Toughest Mudder Atlanta ... well, he won it! We have had him on the show a few times in the past ranging from hybrid racing to World's Toughest Mudder and Spartan S…

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#439: How to Build a Marketing Engine That Ties to Sales, Value, and Cash Flow with Kim Clark 1:25:39

2M ago1:25:39

1:25:39

Most business owners are exhausted by marketing that feels like a black box—random tactics, disconnected agencies, and no clear ROI. Kim Clark knows that pain—and she’s built the solution. As the former head of sales and marketing at ITR Economics, Kim helped transform the business from a founder-led consulting firm into a scalable company that exi…

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434. Mike's First DNF and reRUN of 17. Tri-State Spartan Ultra Beast and Tri-State Spartan Beast! 1:24:12

2M ago1:24:12

1:24:12

Part of being a weekly podcast and playing the role of media in a sport means that your own athletic goals need to be put more in the background (Jason Dupree doing live streams for The OCR Report, Brakken Krakker recording and producing The Running Public, Matt B Davis heading Hybrid Fitness Media, etc.). That being said, there are still a couple …

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#438: What a Great CFO Actually Does (And Why Most Owners Have the Wrong Expectations) with Pat Hobby 1:26:13

3M ago1:26:13

1:26:13

This episode sets the bar. Pat Hobby, my former business partner, is one of the best CFOs I’ve ever worked with. He’s not just a CPA or an operator—he brings an investor mindset and decades of experience managing financials with the purpose of building long-term value. In this conversation, we break down exactly what a business owner should expect …

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433. New England OCR Expo 2025! (Part 2: Athletes, Speeches, and Awards) 1:59:08

3M ago1:59:08

1:59:08

The New England OCR Expo returned for its 4th year and it was the second time being at the venue of Ultimate Obstacles! Katelyn spent the whole time at our table trying to get some more people to follow our social media and subscribe to the show. Mike spent the entire event interviewing all the vendors, some athletes, and plugged into the speakers …

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#437: He Did What Most Business Owners Only Dream About—Rob Dube’s Story 1:14:44

3M ago1:14:44

1:14:44

Many owner-operators begin their journey driven by the vision of personal and financial independence, only to find themselves entrenched in the daily operations, unable to step away without fear of chaos. In this episode, I talk with Rob Dube, co-founder of ImageOne and visionary behind The 10 Disciplines for Managing and Maximizing Your Energy™, a…

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432. New England OCR Expo 2025! (Part 1: Vendors) 2:22:27

3M ago2:22:27

2:22:27

The New England OCR Expo returned for its 4th year and it was the second time being at the venue of Ultimate Obstacles! Katelyn spent the whole time at our table trying to get some more people to follow our social media and subscribe to the show. Mike spent the entire event interviewing all the vendors, some athletes, and plugged into the speakers …

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#436: Integrating Strategy, Execution, and Financial Clarity with Shannon Susko 1:12:46

3M ago1:12:46

1:12:46

Today I'm talking with Shannon Susko, a serial entrepreneur who developed the 3HAG (3-Year Highly Achievable Goal) and Metronomics frameworks. What sets Shannon's approach apart is how directly it connects your strategic plan and execution rhythms to clear, measurable financial outcomes. It's an operating system built specifically for business owne…

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431. The Return of FIT Challenge with Athletes and Robb McCoy! 49:42

3M ago49:42

49:42

FIT Challenge had their final obstacle course race in 2023 but later announced that they would making a return in 2025! It was unfortunately the same day that we had scheduled the New England OCR Expo but we have been running his events since 2014 and it was going to take more than it being a double event coverage day to keep us from supporting New…

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#435: The New SBA Playbook for Acquisitions with John Thwing 1:35:53

3M ago1:35:53

1:35:53

SBA loans have always been a key tool for financing business acquisitions, but recent changes have opened up new opportunities for both buyers and sellers. If you're thinking about selling your business, acquiring one, or financing a transition, these updates could have a major impact on your strategy. Watch on YouTube In this episode, I sit down w…

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430. reRUN of 117. BoldrDash WinterDash with Lynn Hall and Crazy AF News! 55:25

3M ago55:25

55:25

We have been busy and didn't get the chance to do anything fun for April Fools this year, there also weren't any events that grabbed our attention that we could've done an episode on (other than maybe British OCR 3K Championship but time zone differences make it difficult)! Due to this we are releasing our third reRUN rerelease episode on the first…

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#434: Q1 Economic & M&A Update with ITR Economics, ButcherJosheph, & Joe Brown 2:12:57

3M ago2:12:57

2:12:57

The economy is shifting fast, and if you’re a middle-market business owner, the moves you make today will define your future—whether that’s navigating capital markets, securing financing, or making critical reinvestment decisions. Watch on YouTube In this Quarterly Economic & M&A Update, I bring together three powerhouse guests to give you real-tim…

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429. Bermuda Triple Challenge with Michael Kantor and Shannon Woodill! 1:01:19

4M ago1:01:19

1:01:19

Many years ago we remember the Burmuda Triple Challenge being advertized on Obstacle Racing Media's podcast. When we found out that a friend was doing it this year, we were surprised to realize that it was still around! This friend was Michael Kantor who went down to take on the events with his girlfriend Shannon Woodill. We figured that if we didn…

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#433: Designing Your Future Org Chart: How to Build a Scalable, Owner-Independent Business with Mike Frommelt and Rick Rittmaster 1:38:37

4M ago1:38:37

1:38:37

Scaling a business isn’t just about increasing revenue—it’s about building the right leadership team to support that growth. Too often, business owners get stuck because their team isn’t structured for the future, leaving them to fill the gaps instead of leading strategically. Watch on YouTube In this episode, I sit down with Rick Rittmaster and Mi…

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428. "Sober Up: Spartan Style" with Author Tara Pipia, Ph.D.! 1:14:38

4M ago1:14:38

1:14:38

"If we want more books written about the sport, we need to buy books written about the sport" is a phrase that Mike and many others have repeated for years regarding OCR! Due to this we have had a few authors on the show ranging from Des Linden to Gwendolyn Bounds! Tara Pipia reached out to us about her book "Sober Up: Spartan Style" which was publ…

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#432: Why More Growth Won’t Set You Free (And What Will) with Nick Bradley 1:45:46

4M ago1:45:46

1:45:46

More revenue, more employees, and more complexity can actually pull you deeper into the day-to-day grind—unless your business is structured the right way. Watch on YouTube In this episode, I sit down with Nick Bradley, a business growth strategist and private equity veteran who has worked on billion-dollar deals and now helps business owners scale …

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427. Boston Run Show and Outdoor Expo! (Part 2) 1:30:08

4M ago1:30:08

1:30:08

We have covered the Boston Run Show for the past couple years. This year, it combined with the Boston Outdoor Expo! We weren't sure if we were going to go and cover it this year since it was later in the year than usual and events are starting up but we made the trip and booked a hotel to just cover Saturday. Even though we just covered one day of …

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#431: Turning Crisis into a Scalable ESOP with Heather Braimbridge-Cox and Bill Mills 1:38:06

4M ago1:38:06

1:38:06

Many business owners dream of building a company that thrives without them, but few understand what it takes to make that a reality—especially when facing a leadership crisis. In this episode, I sit down with Heather Braimbridge-Cox, CEO of Windings, and Bill Mills, founder of The Leadership Process™, to break down how to transform a struggling cul…

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426. Boston Run Show and Outdoor Expo! (Part 1) 1:32:40

4M ago1:32:40

1:32:40

We have covered the Boston Run Show for the past couple years. This year, it combined with the Boston Outdoor Expo! We weren't sure if we were going to go and cover it this year since it was later in the year than usual and events are starting up but we made the trip and booked a hotel to just cover Saturday. Even though we just covered one day of …

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#430: Cash vs. Valuation: Why Entrepreneurs Get Trapped in the Wrong Financial Metrics with Patrick Donohue 1:26:08

4M ago1:26:08

1:26:08

I’ve spent the last handful of episodes diving deep into business valuations, M&A jargon, and how buyers think about value. But here’s the thing—most of it doesn’t matter unless you actually have cash left over at the end of the day. Watch on YouTube That’s why I brought Patrick Donohue back on the show. He and I have been in the trenches, working …

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425. The First DEKA ATLAS with Underdog Fitness! 1:21:57

4M ago1:21:57

1:21:57

Mike and Katelyn did their first DEKA event at Underdog Fitness in Wallingford, CT to support Kevin "Bubbles the Clowne" Gregory and his wife and co-owner Jess! Not only was Kevin a coach for Mike for about a year but Underdog Fitness is known to be a prominent gym in the DEKA community. Due to both of those reasons, Mike wanted to continue his sup…

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#429: How to Engineer Business Value: Scaling Smart, Hiring Right, and Creating Freedom with Rens Hayes 1:40:27

5M ago1:40:27

1:40:27

Most business owners go through a pivotal moment—their first real look behind the curtain at how buyers value companies. For Rens Hayes, that moment came when he went through a sale and due diligence process for his father’s structural steel business. What he learned from that experience completely changed how he approached building and scaling his…

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424. Christian Brown-Johnson on Hannibal Race, Hybrid Racing, His Magic Mirror, and More! 1:07:29

5M ago1:07:29

1:07:29

We have had Evan Perperis on the show multiple times and he frequently traveled to compete at Hannibal Race, and we had Rachel Watters on to talk about her first time traveling and competing at the event. This year Christian Brown-Johnson went for the first time and did well in both the 8K and 300 meter races! I wanted to have CBJ on for his own ep…

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#428: Cutting Through the Noise: Why Free Cash Flow Is the Only Metric That Matters with Ken Sanginario 1:20:13

5M ago1:20:13

1:20:13

In a world full of business jargon and complicated metrics, free cash flow stands out as the foundation of value creation for both owner-operators and investors. kXVm3nQBij8 Watch on YouTube Ken Sanginario returns to focus on this core principle, unpacking the noise around financial metrics and zeroing in on sustainable free cash flow—cash availabl…

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423. Winning West Coast Spartans, Carrying Kayaks, Wolf’s Den and More with Chloe Melikian! 58:47

5M ago58:47

58:47

In the last episode (and a few before that), we kept talking about having an athlete on the show who we've mentioned a lot in Quick News because she's always popping up on the podium! We finally reached out to Chloe Melikian, who's been a major podium contender at West Coast Spartan Races. We chat about her athletic background, her thoughts on chan…

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#427: Navigating Deal Structures: The Hidden Factors That Impact Your Net Proceeds with Dave Diehl 1:22:10

5M ago1:22:10

1:22:10

Most business owners focus on the offer price when selling their business—but the deal structure is what ultimately determines how much you walk away with, when you get it, and how much risk you take on. Watch on YouTube In this episode of Independence by Design™, I sit down with Dave Diehl, CEO of Prairie Capital Advisors, to demystify the complex…

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422. reRun of 4. Blizzard Blast with Fred Smith! 46:43

5M ago46:43

46:43

We planned to finally give Abominable Snow Race some well deserved attention with a couple guests but we were unable to find a time that worked out after 2 attempts at rescheduling. So after panicking for a while Mike resorted to another reRun episode, this time reairing our 4th episode which originally came out on January 29th, 2017! Long ago when…

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#426: Understanding Buyers: How Ownership Structures Shape M&A Goals with Jeff Buettner 1:16:07

5M ago1:16:07

1:16:07

Most business owners think a high offer price is the ultimate goal in selling their business—but the truth is, every buyer has their own game plan, and not all offers are created equal. Watch on YouTube In this episode of Independence by Design™, I sit down with Jeff Buettner from ButcherJoseph to explore how private equity firms, strategic buyers,…

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421. The Disney Dopey Challenge with Sarah Hetzel! 59:11

5M ago59:11

59:11

Sarah Hetzel took on the Dopey Challenge which is completing all of the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend events! This consists of the 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, half marathon on Saturday, and the marathon on Sunday! We discuss her running background, Disney Favorites, how long she has been wanting to do this multi day event, how it went, and …

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#425: Unlocking Business Value: Practical Tools for Growth and Ownership Goals with Ken Sanginario & John Lawlor 1:52:17

6M ago1:52:17

1:52:17

As a business owner, you’ve likely heard terms like EBITDA, working capital, and Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)—but do they feel relevant to your day-to-day decisions? In this episode, I sit down with Ken Sanginario and John Lawlor to demystify these concepts and show how they directly impact your ability to grow, scale, and transition you…

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420. Accountability Corner with Darren Martin, Morgan Maxwell, and Chris Shipley! 1:27:35

6M ago1:27:35

1:27:35

Accountability Corner is a podcast created in May 2023 by 3 athletes (Darren Martin, Morgan Maxwell, and Chris Shipley) in England who wanted to keep themselves accountable! Darren, Morgan, and Chris have progressed to also helping their listeners stay accountable! Hear us discuss a bit about how they found the sport of OCR, origin of their podcast…

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#424: Scaling for Sanity: Jimmy Fritz on Balancing Growth, Cash Flow, and Life 1:40:22

6M ago1:40:22

1:40:22

Running a business often feels like juggling flaming torches—especially when cash flow, growth, and operations clash with your personal goals. Today, I sit down with Jimmy Fritz, a good friend and second-generation business owner of The Wedding Shoppe and Kennedy Blue, to unpack his journey from being entrenched in daily operations to becoming a tr…