Beyond 8 Figures

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Lori discuss:

• Lori’s professional journey to becoming a pediatric radiologist
• Working with partners and competitors to better serve others
• Staying ahead of trends
• Having an alternative or a pivot point at any point

Key Takeaways:

• Discover the one thing around which your entire life revolves, your North Star. Make each decision by asking if this choice moves you closer to or farther away from your North Star
• There are ways to leverage money to make a bigger impact, even in academics
• Be a good partner with those you serve
• The job is not what’s important, it’s your relationships with the people you love

“It was critical that the CEO not view us as a commodity, as something to be sold, because we’re professionals, we own the practice, and we never wanted to lose that.” — Lori Barr

About Lori Barr: Dr. Lori Barr aka The Doctor’s Mentor, is an internationally recognized medical imaging expert and author of the international best-seller, Think and Grow Well. She assists about 18,137 patients each year in her 9 figure diagnostic imaging practice she owned with other Austin radiologists until they decided to sell it and become partners in a national practice, a win-win for both parties. An active community volunteer, she assisted the Children’s Hospital of Austin Foundation to leverage an imaging department renovation grant into 72 million in funding that built the Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin. She mentors those who seek more freedom and vitality on her podcast, in masterminds and on implementation getaways.

Connect with Lori Barr:

• Twitter: @DrLoriBarr
• Facebook: Money, Power & Time Off with Dr. Lori Barr
• Website: DrLoriBarr.com
• Book: Think & Grow Well: Create and Preserve Your Total Health & Money, Power, Time Off: The Luxurious Path to Better Patient Care
• Show: The Doctor’s Mentor Show
• Pinterest: The Doctors Mentor, LLC
• Youtube: Lori L. Barr, M.D.
• LinkedIn: Lori Barr MD, FACR, FAIUM
• Instagram: @drloribarr

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Kenneth discuss:

• Building a business around biotech from embryonic stages through exit
• Finding good investments
• Building out teams and advisory boards
• How Dream Toolbox got started and who it can best serve

Key Takeaways:

• Never look at obstacles as barriers to success, but as puzzles to be solved
• There is no multiple on future hopes
• The most critical factor to any company starting out is the people running it
• The greatest technology in the world is worthless unless you have the people to drive it to revenue or to an exit point

“By and large investment opportunities, if you’re known at all as being an investor, will come to you and then it’s a sorting process.” —Kenneth Aldrich

About Kenneth Aldrich: Ken Aldrich is an investor in start-up companies, a serial entrepreneur, and the author the Amazon best seller “Dream Toolbox: Building and Entrepreneurial Mind and Financial Abundance”. He was a first round investor in Green Dot Corporation (NYSE:GDOT), the world’s largest provider of prepaid debit cards and related financial services that provided investors a return of more than 100 times their invested capital. Ken was also a Founder, and for several years was Chairman and CEO, of a publicly traded regenerative medicine company and was a Founder of WaveTec Vision Systems, a maker of optical measurement systems used in vision corrective surgery that was eventually sold for 70 times the initial invested capital.

Prior to devoting full time to the investment business, Ken was a real estate developer and property owner in California, Arizona and Texas. He co-developed the first Wind Energy Park in the Palm Springs, California area and co-founded the company that designed and built the first major post-tensioned concrete high-rise building West of the Rocky Mountains, the first such building ever to meet California earthquake standards.

Currently, Ken is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Harvard Graduate School of Education and creator of DreamToolbox.com, which houses a series of audio blogs dedicated to helping young people realize their entrepreneurial potential.

Ken holds degrees from both Harvard University and Harvard Law School.

Connect with Kenneth Aldrich:

• Facebook: Dream Toolbox
• Website: DreamToolbox.com
• Book: Dream Toolbox: Building an Entrepreneurial Mind and Financial Abundance
• Instagram: @dreamtoolbox

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

For today's episode, we have the privilege of sitting down with a true industry titan, Dwayne Clark. As the founder of Aegis Living, a company with over $2.5 billion in assets, Dwayne has not only revolutionized the senior living industry but has also built an empire that stands as a testament to his leadership and unwavering dedication. Dwayne shares the importance of having employee-first culture and how he was to grow Aegis.

Tune in to Dwayne Clark's extraordinary journey and gain insights into his strategies for business success.

About Dwayne Clark: 

Dwayne Clark is a visionary entrepreneur and founder of Aegis Living, the nation's premier assisted living communities. With over 60,000 residents served and 30 locations nationwide, Dwayne's expertise in senior care and business management is unparalleled. Alongside his achievements, his philanthropic efforts and support for over 70 charities demonstrate his commitment to making a positive impact on society.

In addition to his remarkable success in the business world, Dwayne is a published author. His books, including ‘A Big Life,’ ‘30 Summers More,’ ‘My Mother, My Son,’ ‘Saturdays with G.G,’ and ‘Help Wanted: Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining Exceptional Staff,’ provide practical strategies and inspiration for personal and professional growth. 

Browse our curated collection of Business Books for more enriching reads.

Best Advice I Ever Received: Love all, trust few, always paddle your own canoe.

Best Advice I’d Give To Someone Who Wants To Build A $10m+ Business: Assume all the risk and hire best talent possible.

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Dwayne discuss:

• Having an employee first culture
• Growing Aegis and raising capital through the embryonic stages
• The Potato Soup Foundation and having a community of sustainability
• Living at Aegis and the family culture

Key Takeaways:

• Love all trust few always paddle your own canoe
• You can wallow in the quagmire of your life, or you can turn it into rocket fuel and launch yourself out
• Accept ideas from your workers. Don’t just say no without consideration
• Take care of yourself, physically and mentally. Without your health, you cannot help others

“It’s the people that touch the clientele that make the difference.” — Dwayne Clark

Connect with Dwayne Clark:

• Twitter: @dwayneclark
• Facebook: Dwayne J. Clark
• Website: DwayneJClark.com
• Instagram: @dwaynejclark 
• Youtube: Aegis Living

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey. 

Best Advice I Ever Received: I was at a YPO forum meeting/retreat and a member asked why I wasn’t taking the approach of slowing down and focusing instead of being all things to all people. That coincided with my reading From Good to Great and it hit like a ton of bricks. The result was we built 19 more Mitchell’s Fish Markets and sold for $92M and I don’t think we would have done that without that comment.

Best Advice I’d Give To Someone Who Wants To Build A $10m+ Business: I was mentoring a Young Entrepreneur member who was talking about taking his business to $20M and I asked him “why not think big?” Every year, we set a goal and every year we don’t hit it. It doesn’t matter to me. $3.7B in 10 years is CMR’s goal and we may not hit that goal. So what if it takes 11 years, 12 years? If you don’t aim high, if you’re not driving your business hard, you won’t know what the possibilities are. Being a great restaurateur is difficult, if it was easy everyone would do it. It takes everything you have, inertia is behind you, and you’re going against the current. You have to set your goals, paint your vision and tell everyone. Believe in yourself. If you don’t, who else will? And it’s not even confidence, it’s belief. People can feel it. It runs to the deepest depths of your body. Run the walk. Having this core belief and the price you have to pay to get there, and then the commitment and resolve is where the rubber meets the road.

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Cameron discuss:

• His professional journey from Dishwasher to Restaurateur.
• His exits and the scaling of his past and current company.
• Deciding on appropriate locations and generational sites.
• What keeps Cameron up at night.

Key Takeaways:

• If you don’t aim high, if you’re not driving your business hard, you won’t know what the possibilities are.
• Keep your culture present and alive even as you expand your business or locations.
• Build something you want to make great.
• Live within your goals and your values and everything will be okay.

“A restaurant company is built buy its people for its people.” — Cameron Mitchell

About Cameron Mitchell: Cameron Mitchell is the Founder and CEO of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018, and Mitchell has enjoyed success as a lifelong entrepreneur, accomplished businessman, culinary expert and nationally recognized restaurateur.

Cameron’s rise has been called “a dish room to board room story,” as he began his career in the restaurant industry almost forty years ago as a dishwasher at a local Columbus steakhouse in 1980 as a senior in high school. A few years later, when he was working as a line cook during a chaotic shift change, time stood still amidst the pandemonium and Cameron had an epiphany. He realized then he loved the restaurant business and set out to make it his lifelong career.

After that shift, he put pen to paper to map out his career goals, waking his mother in the middle of the night to share them with her. Those goals – to attend the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA), to become an executive chef by age 23, to be a restaurant general manager by 24, and ultimately to be president of a restaurant company by the age of 35 – eventually were the benchmarks that would set the course of Cameron Mitchell’s restaurant industry career.

At the age of 22, Cameron graduated from the CIA and started his professional career with the 55 Restaurant Group based in Columbus, Ohio. He rose through the company’s ranks until he was directing all restaurant operations of the six-unit restaurant company. But eventually, his corporate ladder ran out of rungs, and in 1992, he mapped out his ideal restaurant company, including first and foremost, an associate centered culture which provides guests genuine hospitality and extraordinary dining experiences. This set Cameron forth on his final career aspiration – to become the president of a restaurant company.

In October of 1993, after going 14 months without a paycheck and overcoming numerous obstacles along the way, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants began with the launch of Cameron’s, an intimate, contemporary American bistro in northwest Columbus. Through the development of new concepts and the expansion of several of his most popular concepts, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants grew to become a 33-unit, multi-concept operation with locations in nine states and sales exceeding $120 million annually in 2007.

In 2008, Cameron’s prominence in the industry increased exponentially when he guided the sale of two of his most popular concepts – Mitchell’s Fish Market and Mitchell’s Steakhouse, a total of 22 restaurants – to Ruth’s Hospitality Group for $92 million. Mitchell has spent the years since that sale continuing on his culinary journey to develop and introduce innovative dining concepts. Today, CMR remains independent and privately held, with 37 units and 16 different concepts in 12 states, as well as a separate and highly successful catering division, Cameron Mitchell Premier Events. Furthermore, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants also and manages the growth and development of its sister company, the rapidly expanding, Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern with 23 locations in six states.

With an entrepreneur’s energy, vision and passion, Mitchell’s sights are set on the development of new restaurant concepts, and the expansion of concepts currently in his company’s portfolio, particularly Ocean Prime (known in Columbus, OH, as Mitchell’s Ocean Club). Plans include the continued introduction of this concept in major metropolitan markets across the country such as Chicago, Houston, Boca Raton, Florida and more. Additionally, Cameron has published his new book Yes is the Answer! What is the Question? The book chronicles Mitchell’s rise in the restaurant industry from troubled youth to the highs and lows of growing his multi-unit, multi-concept, nationwide, associate-centered restaurant company.

Cameron Mitchell’s successes in business and keen understanding of the restaurant industry have earned him countless awards and acknowledgements. He has been recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, as a Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration and as one of 50 New Taste Makers by Nation’s Restaurant News. He also received the Richard Melman Concepts of Tomorrow Award in 2005; a prestigious Silver Plate award from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association; a Commitment to People Award from the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) in 2007, and in 2008, was inducted into the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame. Mitchell was honored to be named one of five Golden Chain Winners by Nation’s Restaurant News in 2009. Fast forward to 2015 and he was named CEO of the year by Columbus CEO.

Cameron is regularly sought after for speaking engagements and by national business and industry publications. He has been featured in publications including Restaurant Business, Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, Chain Leader, Restaurants and Institutions, and People. He also completed a “Behind the Brand” interview, which ran on Huffington Post and Entrepreneur.com.

Cameron is committed both to his profession and to the community he calls home. He completed a two-year term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the CIA, the first alumnus to do so, and actively recruits and mentors current and prospective students. Today, he i...

About Andres Pira:

Andres Pira, a Swedish billionaire entrepreneur, defied the odds and rose from being homeless on Thailand's beach at 20 to becoming a real estate tycoon in Phuket by the age of 36. As the founder of Blue Horizon Developments and a prominent figure in Southern Thailand, Andres has built a business empire of 19 companies with 249 employees and counting.

Andres shares his incredible journey and 18 transformative principles for wealth attraction, opportunity creation, and personal growth in his inspiring book “Homeless to Billionaire“, guiding readers to conquer fear, dominate the competition, and create a lasting legacy.

For a comprehensive book review, check out this page.

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Andres discuss:

• How changing his mindset helped him move from Homeless to Billionaire.
• Andres’ habits that are non-negotiable in his day.
• The principles of Wealth Attraction.
• The importance of your business culture and how you lead your team.

Key Takeaways:

• Take action. Don’t give up at first sign of rejection.
• See what you want as it is happening – take your mind into the future and bring it back into the present.
• Plan small goals as well as big goals. As you accomplish small goals it makes the big goals feel more achievable.
• Study your competitors and learn from them and recruit them when they fit your culture.

“Today I know that we create our own reality outside of our self, with the images of our mind and the emotions that we bear inside of us.” — Andres Pira

Connect with Andres Pira:

• Twitter: @realAndresPira
• Facebook: Andres Pira
• Website: AndresPira.com
• Youtube: Andres Pira Official
• Instagram: @andrespira.official

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey. 

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Steve discuss:

• The role Primal Labs takes in addressing the health concerns of baby boomers.
• The starting days of Primal Labs in 2012 and its pivot point.
• The recurring revenue model and how it is working for Primal Labs.
• How the changing landscape in society affects marketing and advertising.

Key Takeaways:

• Be the board.
• Learn what you can and get better at your craft from every project you do.
• Hindsight is 20/20 – pivot from where you are when you realize it is not what is working.
• When selling, it’s not just about value, it’s also about vision and where you see your company going.

“I want to sleep at night. I want to know that the marketing I do, the products I make, and what we provide as a company are good for the consumer, they’re good products, and they give a result.” — Steve Gray

About Steve Gray:

• 42, married for 20 years, with two kids. 15, & 13. Live in Allen Tx.
• Went to UT Austin and dropped out in ’97 to work as 5th employee for Cybercorp, a day trading software firm. 3 years later we were bought by Schwab for $488M.
• https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2000/01/31/daily11.html
• Went back to school to finish my degree. 5-month study abroad in Europe. Hit 13 countries and 40+ cities.
• Broke by 27 (2004). Had to go back and work for my dad.
• Full time marketing online in 2007.
• Started Primal in 2012. Crazy growth. $600K – 12, $3.5M – 13, $5.5M -14, $11M – 15, $33M – 16, $30M – 17, $20M – 18.

Connect with Steve Gray:

• Website: PrimalLabs.com
• Email: [email protected]

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Jeff discuss:

• His professional journey through three companies that went public and were acquired.
• Lessons he learned from his first three companies and how he got started with StartUpNV.
• The business setup of StartUpNV.
• Spreading your bets when investing.  

Key Takeaways:

• Stay focused and manage your cash
• You don’t have to stay all the way to the end to get a payday from it.
• The importance of an early-viable product.
• You’re going to be distracted, be ready to pivot as needed, but stay focused.

“I want to stay long enough to have an impact, but not so long that I overstayed my welcome.” — Jeff Saling 

About Jeff Saling: 

Jeff is a start-up founder and early stage public company executive with more than 25 years’ experience. Since 1998, Jeff has been part of successful startup exits with 3 IPO’s and 1 private sale.

As an executive, Jeff’s experience includes running worldwide sales, professional services, SaaS operations, and product development. As a founder / angel, Jeff’s experience includes three B2B SaaS cloud companies and 1 business / tech incubator.

Connect with Jeff Saling:

• Website: StartUpNV.org  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffreysaling
• Email: jeff @ startupnv.org
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtzyQRccQ5tF4efOc571M2w
• LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsaling
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StartUp_Nevada (@StartUp_Nevada)

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Aaron discuss:

•         Fixing the culture to rejuvenate a business.
•         Steps to be taken if you are acquiring an existing company.
•         C-Corp versus S-Corp versus LLC.
•         How to set up a company for success.

Key Takeaways:

•         Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
•         You don’t have to be a one-stop-shop.
•         Begin with the end in mind, don’t just grab whatever company type you think is best.
•         Keep score in a very visual way so everyone knows where they are at every day.

“I’m a big believer in not trying to be everything to everybody in one place. I’m not a superstore. We have had success by remaining a boutique operation that has a lot of technology behind the high touch.” — Aaron Young

About Aaron Young:

Aaron Young is chairman of Laughlin Associates and a renowned entrepreneur with more than 35 years experience building companies and over a dozen multi-million dollar companies under his belt. Aaron has made it his life’s work to arm business owners with success formulas that immediately provide exponential growth and protection. Fully embodying the concept of the unshackled business owner, he inspires others to create wealth and freedom by empowering them to build strong companies while proactively protecting their dreams.

Connect with Aaron Young:

• Twitter: @aaronscottyoung
• Facebook: Aaron Scott Young
• Website: LaughlinUSA.com & AaronScottYoung.com
• Youtube: The Unshackled Owner

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]

About Michael Coles:

Michael Coles is a business expert, serial entrepreneur, and education advocate. He co-founded Great American Cookie Company and served as the former CEO of Caribou Coffee. From starting three businesses to setting transcontinental world cycling records and running for public office, Coles' journey is defined by true grit and perseverance.

In his captivating memoir, “Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee, and a Crash Led to Success in Business and Life,” Michael reflects on his life, recounting both failures and successes, and showcasing his personal and professional journey of resilience and growth.

Browse our curated collection of Business Books for more enriching reads.

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Michael discuss:

• The growth to exit of The Great American Cookie Company.
• Being disruptive in your industry to be standout.
• Hiring based on where you want to go, not where you are.
• Finding ways to change the game and get a brand following.

Key Takeaways:

• Success in business is about taking risk. Take as many risks as you can while you’re young. As you get older, life gets more complicated and your ability to take risk gets complicated.
• You will make mistakes, just learn from them and grow.
• Make sure you’re happy with what you get on the exit, you never know what the future will bring.
• Finding the answer doesn’t necessary change the dynamic that you need changed.

Best Advice I Ever Received:

Success in business is about taking risk. Take as many risks as you can while you’re young. As you get older, life gets more complicated and your ability to take risk gets complicated.

Best Advice I’d Give To Someone Who Wants To Build A $10m+ Business:

If you want to build a great business, surround yourself with really smart people who are experts in their area of expertise and learn from each other.

Connect with Michael Coles:

• Facebook: Michael Coles
• Website: MichaelColes.com

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast

Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey. 

In this episode, Steve, Mary, Richard, and Nathan discuss:

• How and why he started Freee Up and how it compares to competitors.
• Levels of hires to help scale their business to $10M and proactive hiring.
• The future of Freee Up and freelancer marketplaces.
• Always trying to improve as a manager and a leader.

Key Takeaways:

• Work hard, play hard.
• Build a solid referral system that will help do your marketing for you.
• Turnover crushes business – do everything you can as a business owner to crush that turnover.
• Hire people before you need them – you don’t want to miss out on big opportunities!

“The number one way to really protect yourself is to just build relationships with the people that you work with. There’s no substitute for that.” — Nathan Hirsch

About Nathan

Nathan Hirsch is a 29-year-old long-time entrepreneur and expert in remote hiring and eCommerce. He started his first eCommerce business out of his college dorm room and has sold over $30 million online. He is now the co-founder and CEO of FreeeUp.com, a marketplace that connects businesses with pre-vetted virtual assistants, freelancers and agencies in eCommerce, digital marketing, and much more. He regularly appears on leading podcasts, such as Entrepreneur on Fire, and speaks at live events about online hiring tactics.

Connect with Nathan Hirsch:

• Twitter: @Nathan Hirsch & FreeeUp
• Facebook: Nathan Hirsch & Nathan Hirsch & Freee Up & Outsourcing Masters
• Website: FreeeUp.com
• Youtube: FreeeUp
• LinkedIn: Nathan Hirsch & Freee Up
• Instagram: @realnatehirsch & @freeeup_

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]