Phil Neil scaled a business to $70M in ~8 months—then watched a warehouse fire erase uninsured inventory. 

Phil is a serial entrepreneur and former pro football player. 

He currently coaches founders on "the middle layer" between intellect and tactics. 

Sri and Phil tackle founder-mindset essentials:

• Overcoming fear
• Balancing family and a startup
• Finding a great cofounder
• Recovering from loss
• How to be strategic

Key takeaways

• Speed can hide fragility. Scaling fast doesn’t mean the foundation is stable.
• Risk isn’t just financial. There’s “risk of purpose” and “risk of identity,” too.
• Shadow patterns show up under pressure (burnout, reactivity, ego defense, avoidance).
• Frameworks reduce drama. Naming thinking styles (DISC / color archetypes) creates shared language.
• The “Courage Compass” idea: create a gap before action so intuition can speak.
• Rock bottom can be a reset—especially when your nervous system stops cooperating.
• Sales = human connection + precision. Listening and situational questions beat scripts.
• Influence vs persuasion: some deals are closed in a day; others are earned until they ask you.

Keywords

entrepreneurship, startup scaling, business pivot, decision making, courage, fear of failure, imposter syndrome, shadow work, cognitive preferences, DISC personality, leadership under pressure, emotional mastery, risk tolerance, identity, purpose, cofounder, partnerships, negotiation, sales psychology, listening skills, situational questions, persuasion vs influence, founder burnout, resilience

📌 Want to crush 2026? Book a free clarity call with Sri to get your priorities in order and start getting unstuck.

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Connect on Instagram: @andrewsridhar + @sri_actually

Intro and/or outro music in most episodes is by Paul Sridhar. 🎧

Disclaimer: Any audio clips are included with every intent and steps taken to abide by Fair Use and serve the purpose(s) of illustration, education, augmentation, or promotion of source content.