Adam Hill, a professional EOS implementer, international keynote speaker, and CEO of the nine-figure family business, Hill Brothers Chemical Company, shares his incredible journey from a decade-long struggle with alcoholism and anxiety to becoming a world-championship qualifying Ironman triathlete. He details the turning point that led him to sobriety in 2012 and how the principles of community and mentorship in Alcoholics Anonymous became a blueprint for his success in endurance sports and business. Adam explains how he applied the same resilience and systematic approach to revitalize his century-old family company, implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to overcome a period of decline and lead it to unprecedented growth and profitability.

Takeaways:

• The Turning Point of Hitting Rock Bottom: Adam's journey to sobriety began in 2012 after a blackout drunk driving incident, which he considers his rock bottom. This moment forced a choice between self-destruction and seeking help, highlighting that recovery is possible even from the darkest of places.
• The Power of Community and Mentorship: After getting sober, Adam immersed himself in the community of Alcoholics Anonymous, attending a meeting every single day for his first year. He learned the value of having mentors who have walked the path before and a cohort of peers going through similar struggles, a model he later applied to his triathlon training and business leadership.
• Applying a Systematic Approach to Audacious Goals: To tackle the goal of completing an Ironman, Adam hired renowned coach Mark Allen and followed a structured training method. This success reinforced his belief in systems, which he later brought to his family's business by implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to solve deep-rooted issues and drive growth.
• Using Systems as the "Bad Cop": In a family business, making tough decisions about personnel who may be relatives or longtime employees is emotionally charged. Implementing a system like EOS can depersonalize these difficult conversations by focusing on objective metrics, core values, and the greater good of the organization, making the system, not the leader, the arbiter of performance.
• From Negative to Positive Engagement: Adam consciously decided to stop engaging with negativity on social media and instead began posting a daily pun or dad joke in 2015. This simple, creative act shifted his mindset, fostered a positive online community, and improved his overall well-being by replacing negative inputs with fun and creativity.
• Achieving Massive Business Growth Through EOS: After his first year as CEO saw the company barely break even and the second year resulted in a loss, Adam implemented EOS. Within two years, the company's revenues grew by 50%, transforming it into a nine-figure business with sustainable profitability and its best-ever financial standing.

Quote of the Show:

• “A lot of times, we immerse ourselves in the negativity of the world. And one of the best ways that we can get out of that is to stop engaging with the negativity and just do something creative and fun every day. And that drives us to the change that we wanna make in the world.”

Links:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adam.hill.39982/about/?_rdr
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamchill/
• Website: https://www.eosworldwide.com/adam-hill
• TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jepx2fiMq9s
• Book: The Longest Pun War: https://www.dailypunwars.com/the-longest-pun-war/
• Podcast: Fearless Family Business: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoQNmXXem1pr_wUgdBLKTtYcriZz4_OYH
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adamchill

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1ghmiiaRwVtQ9kqqqvmVQY
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/built-to-finish/id1781753842
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/665cacbf-79ed-4745-8856-1d8465943c65
• Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/built-to-finish-5907037
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/u2VwsHwQEHU