Jake Huntley relaunches his show—now “Startup Systems”—with co-host Chase Budge. They outline a weekly format focused on building SMBs that run without the founder. Jake recaps growing two units to ~70 employees, stepping into an executive chairman role, and why most managers were promoted internally. They discuss frameworks for deciding what to delegate, the path from specialist→manager→executive, Jake’s 5-hour workweek, and his decision to skip VC and keep bootstrapping, plus resources like Kiyosaki and ChooseFI.

(generated by AI)

Discussion Points
[00:02]: Why relaunch now; moving to weekly episodes and a new focus.
[00:18]: From “Strategic Aspirations” to “Startup Systems.”
[00:44]: Five-year gap explained: business growth, marriage, deprioritizing the pod.
[01:13]: Today’s snapshot: two business units, ~70 employees; Jake now executive chairman.
[01:42]: The Chipotle lunch that sparked the new format.
[02:21]: New premise: helping founders build systems/processes so companies run themselves.
[02:39]: Meet co-host Chase Budge (UVU marketing; age context).
[03:18]: Kiyosaki’s influence: Rich Dad Poor Dad & Cashflow Quadrant.
[04:11]: How Chase connected to Jake and the show.
[06:07]: Core question: “How can 70 people be managed without the founder?”
[07:01]: Origin story: from wedding florals to two businesses (managed marketplace + preservation).
[09:25]: Fully managed marketplace model: sell, pair vendors, subcontract fulfillment.
[09:30]: Preservation unit: mail-in bouquets; press frames as top product.
[10:46]: “In vs. on” the business—Katie handles fulfillment; Jake builds systems.
[13:07]: Three layers to systematize: fulfillment (ICs) → management → executive.
[14:49]: Mapping every step: lead gen, sales, pricing, payments, production, shipping.
[16:40]: Alternative path if funded: hire senior leaders earlier; trade-offs.
[19:01]: Choosing what to delegate first: time audit + leverage/energy (Dan Martell’s framework).
[21:15]: First hire example: customer service to own comms/follow-ups.
[24:19]: Why promote internally (Good to Great insight); success of homegrown leaders.
[26:11]: Identifying manager potential vs star individual contributors; trial projects.
[33:13]: Promotion pacing: months between role jumps as needs emerge.
[34:41]: Example path: PA → sales/design → Director running a business unit.
[28:55]: Jake’s current load: ~5 hrs/week on the company; optional deep dives.
[37:01]: Revenue tripling ≠ profit; years of reinvestment and fixed-cost buildout.
[39:38]: Why he passed on VC: cultural fit, team profile, 10-year commitment not aligned.
[53:20]: Resources & CTA: ChooseFI for FI basics; invite listener feedback and questions.

View Episode Summary + Transcript: https://startupsystems.softr.app/episodes-details/official-podcast-re-launch-as-startup-systems/r/recRocR8ynNabtHTB