Amy Jo Martin built one of the first social media agencies because Shaq told her to. True story.

Seven years later, she shut it down. Not because it failed, but because it worked in a way that locked her into a life she didn't want. Walking away gave her the freedom to decide what to build next.

Since then, she's scaled multiple 8-figure companies, written bestselling books, and hosts the Why Not Now? podcast where she's interviewed countless celebrities.

This conversation is packed with value for entrepreneurs building at every stage. We also go deep on what building a social media agency in 2009 can teach us about AI today — and what that means if you're building anything right now.

Key Takeaways with Amy Jo Martin

(00:00) Intro

(01:25) Social Media in 2009 vs AI Today

(04:18) The Only Metric That Actually Matters

(06:38) Shaq Told Me to Quit My Job

(11:39) Is AI a Trampoline or a Trap?

(15:32) Why the Agency Model Keeps Breaking

(19:18) Can AI Improve Your Relationships?

(23:34) The LinkedIn Hack That Replaces Hours of Biz Dev

(28:03) This Kills The Traditional Brainstorm Meeting

(31:20) Taking Tony Hsieh's Money

(34:44) Why She Shut Down a Profitable Company

(38:34) When Personal Brand Becomes a Liability

(43:24) Why AI Won't Save Bad Marketing

(45:52) The Real AI Problem Is Organizational Culture

(51:06) The Renegade Reinvention Experiment

(57:41) Can AI Help You Feel More Alive?

(01:06:25) Action Creates Clarity

(01:07:49) Don't Raise Money Too Early

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kdos8mOBLgk

Let's Connect:

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Two years ago, Brian Luebben was doing $750K a year. Now he's posting million-dollar months.

In this conversation, we break down what actually changed. It wasn't a new tactic or growth hack. It was a shift in how he thinks about goals. That might sound a little woo-woo, but Brian explains why most entrepreneurs unknowingly limit their own growth, and outlines how a single shift in your thinking could completely alter the trajectory of your business.

Not only does this conversation challenge how you think about growth, it also unpacks the operational decisions he made that supported the jump from sub-seven figures to a true eight-figure business.

Key Takeaways with Brian Luebben

00:00 From $750K to $10M in 3 Years

04:34 The 3 People You Need to Be Around

09:55 Cashflow Investing vs Equity Investing

14:20 2 Frameworks from a $250M Mentor

17:45 Alex Hormozi Discipline

20:27 Long-Form Content To Scale Impact

22:51 How Career Capital Translates to Entrepreneurship

26:56 The Hires That Led to Million Dollar Months

32:00 Course Creation vs. Community Building

39:22 Expectations Matter More Than Price

44:52 Buy Businesses Then Learn To Run Them

49:53 Holding On Too Long Gets Expensive

56:33 Passive Income Is Mostly A Lie

59:18 Earn Your Summer

01:04:29 The Two Week Vacation Test

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GC3-ElhoKF8

Let's Connect:

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If you're running content and ads without proof of what converts, you're gambling.

Today I'm talking with Pedro Jerez, an entrepreneur and growth strategist who's led marketing for multiple 8- and 9-figure companies and spent years as a top 1% sales closer inside Tony Robbins' organization.

Pedro breaks down how a single, well-built offer can scale past 9-figures — and how to validate it in days, not months — instead of burning time and money on ideas that don't convert.

We get into the biggest content mistakes entrepreneurs make, the one metric algorithms use to decide what gets distribution, and how to use organic content to pressure-test creative before you ever spend on paid.

Then we go deeper — what working for Tony Robbins was really like, the inner work most founders avoid, and how to shift from just making money to building businesses that align with how you want to live and lead.

Key Takeaways with Pedro Jerez

01:45 Launching Too Many Offers Kills Scale

02:47 Validate Offers In Days, Not Months

03:51 Creative Is The Real Growth Lever

05:38 Media Buying Is Losing Its Edge

07:39 How Algorithms Decide What Content Wins

10:21 Which Platforms Should You Be On?

11:31 The Real Customer Buying Journey

14:00 Use AI To Pressure-Test Your Priorities

15:32 Reverse Engineer Where Demand Already Exists

18:17 Organic Content Predicts Paid Performance

19:25 How Targeting Actually Works In 2026

22:02 Fast Experiments Create Real Leverage

24:32 Consciously Rewire Your Reality

39:06 Tony Robbins Gave Him Frameworks, But Not Identity

44:27 Most People Underestimate What Mastery Takes

48:53 Obsessing Over Making Things Better

53:09 Move At The Speed Of Alignment

59:31 Miserable Millions to a Business that has Soul

01:05:37 What is Hum?

01:10:06 Advice for New Entrepreneurs

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZdwDxovY1q8

Let's Connect:

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Today, I'm talking with Jeff Walker—the creator of Product Launch Formula® and the pioneer behind the modern launch model that's driven over $1B+ in documented sales—to break down why product launches fail…

According to Jeff, it almost always comes down to one thing: the offer.

Not only does Jeff break down where failed launches miss the mark, but we pull on that thread to explore how launches have evolved over the years. What no longer works? What role does AI play? And how can entrepreneurs adapt as buyers get smarter and attention gets harder to earn?

Jeff's been doing online business for nearly 30 years, and he's watched tools, platforms, and tactics come and go—and still, he continues to produce results while others chase what's new.

This episode is not only about launches, it's about what actually holds up when you're building a business over the long game. Check it out!

Key Takeaways

00:00 Why Most Launches Fail

01:23 The Offer Is The #1 Lever

02:59 What Takes a Launch from Good to Great?

04:16 Delivering Value Before Reveal

05:28 The Origin of Product Launch Formula

14:43 The Core Elements of Product Launch Formula

20:10 What Launch Tactics No Longer Work?

25:54 The Challenge Model vs. Product Launch Formula

27:19 Why People Still Swear by the Product Launch Formula

31:20 Making a Difference in Peoples Lives

34:22 The Role AI Now Plays with PLF

37:33 Adventures as a Relationship Amplifier

47:21 Why Jeff's Leaving His Business to His Kids

48:21 Designing Wealth Around Freedom

56:45 Advice for New Entrepreneurs

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/T0f_WQkqEOY

Let's Connect:

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For a long time, being in rooms (masterminds, events, paid groups) were incredibly valuable for me. That's where relationships were built, perspective expanded, and a lot of growth came from.

But lately, I've been wrestling with whether that value still outweighs the cost—time, energy, relationships, broken routines, stepping away from the business, and more.

And I know I'm not the only entrepreneur who struggles with this. That's why I'm sharing this unreleased, behind-the-scenes footage from my interview with Stu McLaren.

In it, Stu explains the exact rules he's put in place to keep himself from being pulled in a hundred different directions when everything looks like a good opportunity. For him, this was critical, because without those rules, he knew he'd end up making WAY more money as an entrepreneur, but only at the cost of his family.

This conversation completely reframed how I decide what to say yes to. And I think it'll resonate if you're wrestling with the same thing. Enjoy!

Key Takeaways

(00:00) Intro

(01:00) Is Being In the Room Still Worth It?

(01:47) The Cost of Being Away from Family

(04:45) Why Travel Breaks Productivity

(06:01) Calling BS On Nomad Efficiency

(09:03) Stu's Framework for Deciding What to Say YES to

(14:26) Why Rules Create Freedom

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mCwcdH_Kpus

Let's Connect:

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If your revenue resets every month, growth is harder to predict, and harder to scale.

That's why so many companies are moving toward a membership model.

A lot of businesses assume recurring revenue doesn't apply to them. Today's guest has spent nearly two decades proving that assumption wrong.

Stu McLaren has helped more than 20,000 entrepreneurs to launch, grow, and scale membership-based businesses across nearly every industry imaginable—and in this conversation, he breaks down how to identify where recurring revenue already exists in your business and how to structure it into a membership that actually works.

Stu also shares the single biggest factor that determines whether members stay or leave in the first 30 days. Don't miss it!

Key Takeaways

(00:00) Intro

(00:45) Why Predictable Revenue Lowers Founder Stress

(02:40) Why "Passive Income" Is A Misleading Idea

(03:16) How To Tell If A Membership Will Actually Work

(06:26) You Only Need One Signal To Move Forward

(07:31) Why Subscriptions And Memberships Are The Same

(14:43) Turning One-Time Buyers Into Monthly Revenue

(17:34) The Real Reason Members Quit In 3–6 Months

(23:03) What Actually Matters In The First 30 Days

(24:12) Why Retention Is A Customer Experience Problem

(48:44) How To Lock In Retention By Highlighting Wins

(59:03) The Mindset That Keeps Entrepreneurs Moving

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J-qQWrV4AIg

Let's Connect:

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Physical security is a brutally competitive, commoditized industry. Most companies look the same, act the same, and sell for the same.

Will Duke did things differently. And when it came time to sell, buyers lined up.

He didn't just exit the core business. Along the way, Will built an internal software platform to manage and track thousands of security devices for customers. That platform eventually became its own SaaS company, and both businesses were sold as part of the same exit, at roughly double market value.

In this episode, we break down how he differentiated in a crowded market, what actually mattered during the sale, and his repeatable process for investing smartly after an exit.

If you want to understand what actually drives valuation, and why buyers were willing to pay a premium for Will's business, this episode is definitely worth your time.

Key Takeaways

(00:00) Intro

(00:45) Building a Business Over 20 Years

(03:00) Selling Outcomes, Not Security Hardware

(08:19) Using Data to Differentiate

(14:00) The SaaS Tool that Became a Competitive Advantage

(21:45) Video Surveillance for Small Business Owners

(26:20) Advice for Entrepreneurs Exiting a Business

(31:02) Exiting Two Companies at the Same Time

(33:46) How to Use AI Before Talking to Attorneys

(35:39) Maximizing Exit Value Through Culture & Core Values

(43:07) Learning How to Invest Post-Exit

(46:12) A Repeatable System for Vetting Investments

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XhpaE31zOg0

Let's Connect:

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Today, I'm sitting down with Larry Walshe, founder of Larry Walshe Studios, a global event design firm producing large-scale, luxury weddings and private events for ultra-high-net-worth families, celebrities, and royal households.

While Larry's roots are in floristry, his work goes far beyond flowers. His studio designs fully customized experiences—shaping the creative vision, transforming spaces, and defining how guests experience an event—while bringing together specialized artisans from around the world to execute complex, high-stakes productions.

In this episode, Larry breaks down what it actually takes to build and protect a premium brand at the top end of the market, how he orchestrates massive productions with a small team, and why learning to say no early was essential to attracting the right clients and scaling without lowering the bar.

If you're building a service business or premium brand and want a clearer sense of what it takes to operate at the highest level, this conversation offers a grounded look at how that kind of work actually gets done.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Intro

00:55 Why Saying No Builds a Luxury Brand

03:28 Don't Chase Revenue That Dilutes Your Brand

07:08 Consistency Is the Real Competitive Edge

08:20 Why High-End Clients Pay 10X More

13:07 Defining the Client You Actually Want

17:24 How to Shift Into a Higher-Paying Client Category

19:37 Inside Multimillion-Dollar Events

22:10 Running Global Operations With a Small Team

26:23 Becoming the Creative Director, Not the Doer

33:01 Managing Clients Who Want the Wrong Thing

35:03 The Sales Approach That Works at the Top End

40:02 When to Walk Away From Work

45:04 Handling Last-Second Client Demands

52:00 The Non-Negotiable's of Elite Client Work

57:15 Larry's Advice for Founders Moving Upmarket

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kmYqmgFjDIM

Let's Connect:

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Amy Simmons is the founder of Amy's Ice Creams—a beloved Austin institution with 19 locations built over 41 years—not through franchising or rapid expansion, but through deep community roots, creative culture, and an unshakeable commitment to people first.

In this conversation, Amy shares how she grew the company without franchising, avoided national rollout, and even allowed each store to operate with its own personality. We get into the role theatrical customer service plays in the brand, how open-book management teaches financial literacy and strengthens decision-making, and why staying regional became a strategic advantage.

We also talk about real estate, vertical integration, and how hyper-local partnerships helped turn Amy's into a fixture of Austin rather than just another ice cream shop.

If you're interested in the kind of business that grows deeper instead of wider, Amy's story offers a very different—and very successful—approach to scale.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Intro

01:10 What Makes Amy's Ice Cream Different

02:54 Small Community Gifts That Drive Big Returns

04:01 Why 350 Rotating Flavors Actually Work

08:39 Prioritizing Customer Feedback Over Sales Data

11:32 The Secret Behind Amy's #1 Top-Selling Flavor

13:52 Managing Supply Chain Shortages Without Losing Quality

15:14 The One Flavor Austin Refused to Let Her Remove

16:05 Hiring With Creativity: The Paper Bag Application

19:14 How Amy Identifies the Right People for Her Culture

21:15 The Experience Matters More Than the Ice Cream

21:47 How Showmanship Became an Amy's Trademark

24:44 The System Behind Amy's Creative Culture

27:55 The Power of Open Financials in a Small Business

33:53 The ROI of Teaching Money Skills to Employees

36:27 Why Amy Refused to Franchise or Expand Globally

46:35 Growing Deeper, Not Wider: Amy's Approach to Expansion

52:59 How Your Business Can Increase Real Estate Value

57:22 The Moat That Protects Amy's From National Chains

58:43 Advice for Entrepreneurs Facing Imposter Syndrome

1:00:00 Amy's Take on Austin's Growing Pains

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gU5eigqFtns

Let's Connect:

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Most founders dream of selling their company once. John Arrow sold the same company twice.

He bootstrapped a mobile product development firm (Mutual Mobile) in college, scaled it to 300 people, and pushed nearly $50M a year in revenue.

But the real unlock came from one bold decision: moving upstream into enterprise clients. Prior to that, his model was unsustainable. He and his co-founders made the decision to fire all of their customers and only work with companies with a spend of at least $1M/year. That's when their company took off.

In this episode, John breaks down the decisions that unlocked explosive growth, the typical traps most founders never see coming, and why selling a services company is far more about timing and terms than topline revenue.

You'll hear why he and his co-founders turned down a $100M offer, the minority deal that allowed him to take chips off the table, and how John was able to come back as CEO years later to orchestrate an 8-figure exit.

Key Takeaways

00:00 Intro

01:05 How He Started & Scaled Mutual Mobile

02:55 Why Shifting to Enterprise Clients Changed Everything

07:48 What Uber Taught Him About Testing Ideas Fast

09:34 The Pros & Cons of Using AI and No-Code to Prototype

11:04 The Life-or-Death App That Validated Their Model

14:20 How Mutual Mobile Found Its Identity Along the Way

16:47 The 2nd Dumbest iPhone App of All Time

20:22 An Unusual That Attracted Enterprise Deals

24:56 Why Austin's Tech Scene is a Recruiting Goldmine

29:22 The Real Economics of Owning a Private Plane

44:47 How He Ended Up Selling the Same Company Twice

53:06 The Earnout Terms That Actually Matter

55:43 Creating AI Software with Zero Censorship

57:42 Why Operators Make Better Investors

58:57 When (And When Not To) Invest in Side Ventures

01:01:50 John's Advice for Entrepreneurs in the AI Era

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zHnqoPxen0k

Let's Connect:

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