"If you can't admit you need a turnaround, you're probably not going to make it."

In this episode of Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik sits down with Walter Simpson, a veteran business turnaround consultant with 40 years of experience and more than 60 middle-market company turnarounds under his belt.

Walter is the author of the newly released book Core Turnaround Strategy: The Indispensable Restructuring Guide, which challenges conventional wisdom around fixing distressed companies. Rather than starting with layoffs and cost-cutting, Walter advocates for something far more fundamental: telling the truth, identifying the core, and fixing strategy before expenses.

Drawing from real-world turnaround stories—including his very first engagement inside his family's business—Walter explains how leaders can diagnose problems through products, customers, execution, and measurement errors, and why credibility with lenders, employees, and partners is the most valuable currency in a turnaround.

Steven and Walter also revisit their own past work together, offering listeners an inside look at how turnaround principles apply not just to distressed companies, but to fast-growing businesses that need clarity, focus, and disciplined execution.

This episode is a masterclass for founders, CEOs, operators, and investors facing complexity, pressure, or stalled momentum—and for anyone who believes businesses can be fixed when leaders are willing to face reality head-on.

• A turnaround starts with telling the truth, not softening the message

• Strategy issues often hide behind financial symptoms

• Core products and core customers matter more than cutting headcount first

• Most struggling companies suffer from strategy, measurement, or execution errors

• Credibility with lenders is built by transparency and "showing your work"

• Turnarounds require partnership—between leaders, teams, and financial stakeholders

• The right team includes people beyond the executive suite

• Sustainable recovery comes from clarity, focus, and disciplined follow-through

• Book: Core Turnaround Strategy: The Indispensable Restructuring Guide
  •  https://a.co/d/04m8iPY
  • https://coreturnaround.com

• Firm Website: https://ventorconsulting.com

• Email: [email protected]

In this episode of Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik sits down with Jim Schleckser, a seasoned entrepreneur, CEO coach, and trusted advisor to hundreds of founders who are scaling companies, navigating complexity, and preparing for successful exits.

Jim has grown and exited multiple businesses himself and now serves as the Founder and CEO of The CEO Project, a peer advisory organization designed exclusively for growth-minded CEOs. Leaders seek Jim out when they hit the ceiling of what got them "here" — and need help building the systems, leadership habits, and decision-making frameworks to get them "there."

The conversation blends hard-earned operational insight with real-world leadership truth. Drawing from his experience coaching elite CEOs — and from moments as intense as conversations at Everest Base Camp — Jim breaks down what actually moves the needle for executives once the basics are no longer the problem.

• Why CEO effectiveness, not effort, becomes the constraint at scale

• The hidden leadership mistakes founders make as companies grow

• How to shift from operator to true executive leader

• Why peer accountability is essential for high-performing CEOs

• The difference between building a profitable company and a sellable one

• Decision-making frameworks that reduce noise and increase clarity

• Why founders must evolve faster than their organizations

• The "magic" that happens when strategy, leadership, and discipline align

• Preparing for exits long before a transaction is on the table

This episode is a must-listen for founders, CEOs, and operators who know their next level won't be reached by working harder — but by leading differently.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimschleckser

• The CEO Project: https://theceoproject.com

"We are not broken as humans — we're living in a culture that ignores how we actually evolved."

In this episode of Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik sits down with Tim Ash, renowned expert in evolutionary psychology, persuasion, and human behavior, for a wide-ranging and unapologetically honest conversation about what truly drives leadership, relationships, and modern society.

Tim is a best-selling author, international keynote speaker, and founder of a digital marketing agency that helped create over $1.2 billion in value for global brands including Google, Expedia, and Nestlé. Returning to the podcast as Steven's first-ever repeat guest, Tim brings a deeply informed evolutionary lens to topics most people are afraid to discuss openly.

The conversation centers around Tim's latest book, Primal Dating, co-authored with Dr. Lamour Gottlieb, and explores why so many modern challenges—from broken relationships to dysfunctional workplace cultures—stem from ignoring our evolutionary wiring.

Episode Takeaways:

• Why evolutionary psychology is foundational to leadership, marketing, and culture.

• How tribes, hierarchy, and initiation rituals shape high-performing organizations.

• The evolutionary differences between men and women—and why modern culture distorts them.

• Why most relationships fail (and why that doesn't mean you've failed).

• The myth of "happily ever after" and what humans actually evolved for.

• Loneliness, technology, and the unintended consequences of digital optionality.

• How sexual marketplace dynamics affect ambition, power, and self-worth.

• Why depopulation, polarization, and loneliness are accelerating—and what it means for society.

• Lessons Tim would give his son vs. his daughter about life, relationships, and long-term strategy.

• Writing books with conviction: why AI should assist, not replace, original thinking.

• How leadership, dating, and corporate culture all follow the same primal rules.

• Salsa dancing as a metaphor for fully expressed living.

Links:

• Website: https://primaltim.com

• Primal Dating: https://primaldating.com

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timash

• Social Media: @primaltim

In this episode of the Built to Finish podcast, Steven Pivnik sits down with Lisa Kirchenbauer, Founding Partner and Senior Advisor at Omega Wealth Management, to unpack what really happens before and after a liquidity event.

Recognized by Newsweek and Money.com, Lisa shares how her firm has challenged the traditional, investment-first wealth management model for more than 25 years — putting life planning, psychology, and human behavior at the center of financial decision-making. Together, Steven and Lisa explore the hidden realities founders face after "winning the game," including loss of identity, lack of structure, and the emotional whiplash that can follow sudden wealth.

They dive deep into what "enough" actually means, why most founders get the number wrong, and how preparing years in advance — both financially and personally — can dramatically change outcomes. From identity shifts and post-exit mistakes to routines, goals, and the future of wealth management in an AI-driven world, this episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs planning an exit or navigating life on the other side.

Takeaways:

• Investment management was the primary focus in traditional wealth management.
• A human approach to wealth management is essential.
• Many entrepreneurs experience a loss of identity after a liquidity event.
• Establishing structure and goals is crucial post-event.
• Defining 'enough' is more complex than just a number.
• Life planning questions can help clarify personal goals.
• Choosing the right wealth advisor involves understanding their process.
• Lessons learned from early mistakes can guide future decisions.
• Personal insights from endurance sports can improve business performance.
• The future of wealth management will focus on holistic approaches.

Quote of the Show:

"If you dont deal with the human side of wealth, the money doesn't fix anything... it just amplifies what was already there."

Links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaakkirchenbauer/
• http://www.omegawealthmanagement.com/

What if the only thing standing between your current reality and your ultimate potential is a gap you created yourself? 

In this episode of the Built to Finish podcast, host Steven Pivnik sits down with globally recognized leadership coach and author Margie Warrell to explore the intersection of courage, leadership, and personal growth. Warrell shares her journey from growing up on a small dairy farm in rural Australia to advising leaders at Fortune 500 boardrooms and NASA. She defines the "courage gap" as the space created by a fearful mind between what we are capable of doing and what we actually do, emphasizing that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to move forward despite it. 

The conversation dives deep into the psychology of "insecure overachievers"—high-performing individuals driven by a deep-seated need to compensate for a fear of being inadequate. Warrell provides actionable advice on re-scripting self-limiting stories and "embracing the suck" of discomfort to achieve significant goals, such as her personal experience training for the New York City Marathon. They conclude with a look at modern challenges, where Warrell encourages leaders to combat the "fog of uncertainty" by taking small, deliberate actions rather than waiting for perfect clarity.

Takeaways:

• Identify Your "Insecure Overachiever" Patterns: Recognize if your drive for achievement is fueled by a fear of not being enough. Use self-awareness to transition from being run by these patterns to leading with purpose and contribution.
• Re-Script Your Personal Narrative: Identify labels or stories you have internalized (e.g., "I'm not a runner" or "I'm just a worker bee") and challenge their truth. Replace them with stories that empower your agency and align with your values.
• Apply the Three P Litmus Test: Evaluate your internal narrative by asking if it makes you feel more Powerful (agency), more Purposeful (aligned with values), and more Positive (optimistic about the future).
• Start with the "Next Small Decision": Don't wait for massive, bold resolutions to break stagnation. Take small, repetitive actions—like sending one email or reaching out for coffee—to build momentum and "cast a vote" for the identity of the person you want to become.
• Embrace Productive Discomfort: Distinguish between unnecessary risk and the "worthy discomfort" required for growth. When things get difficult, revisit your "Big Why" to sustain motivation through the hardest parts of the journey.
• Practice the 70% Rule in Uncertainty: Instead of waiting for the "fog to clear," make decisions with the information you have (roughly 70%) and move forward. Constant movement provides the feedback necessary to adjust your strategy.

Quote of the Show:

• "The fearful mind creates the gap between what we can do and what we do. And it takes really a brave/courageous heart to close it."

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margiewarrell/ 
• Website: https://margiewarrell.com/
• YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=xIoF0_be5WQ 
• The Courage Gap - Book Link: https://a.co/d/hPLZtMi 

In this special holiday episode of the Built to Finish podcast, host Steven Pivnik reflects on the past year, expressing immense gratitude to the audience for their support during his first full year of podcasting, which included over 52 released episodes. He shares the personal success he has achieved through a newly implemented morning gratitude routine, noting that listing things you are grateful for helps minimize the impact of bad news when it inevitably occurs. He also previews the episode, mentioning it will include free giveaways, an offer, and a request for listeners.

The core of the recap focuses on the three "Big Hairy Audacious Goals" (BHAGs) he set for 2025: delivering a full keynote at a legitimate conference, climbing Mount Everest, and delivering a TEDx talk. He achieved the keynote goal at an international franchisee conference for GJ Gardner Homes in Houston, which he found incredibly rewarding. While he didn't summit Mount Everest after getting sick near the end of the trip, he has "no regrets whatsoever" and considers the journey itself and the lessons learned to be incredibly valuable. Finally, after submitting 69 applications, he accomplished his third BHAG by being accepted to and delivering a TEDx talk, with the video set to be released soon. Looking ahead, his BHAG for 2026 is to begin work on a new book.

Takeaways:

• Implement a Morning Gratitude Routine: Start your day by listing everything you're grateful for to create a "huge bucket of great things" that helps you brush off bad news and prevent a spiral.
• Set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs): Take the time to set a few challenging personal and professional goals for the year, like the host's goals to deliver a keynote, climb Everest, and give a TEDx talk.
• Value the Journey: For ambitious goals like climbing Everest, remember to value the training and preparation journey—such as trips to Ecuador, Colorado, and Utah—as much as the final destination.
• Persevere Through Rejection: The host received 69 rejection emails for his TEDx talk before being accepted; if you are pursuing a goal like public speaking, be ready for the long process and continue to submit applications.
• Write Down Your Goals: The simple act of writing down your BHAG for 2026, even just in a comment or DM, will increase your odds of completing it.
• Seek Advisory Services: If you are a founder, consider seeking advisory services for one-on-one consulting, peer group work, or guidance toward an exit, as this work has proven rewarding for the host and his clients.
• Claim Free Resources: Download the host's favorite chapter, "Envisioning the Finish," and the key takeaways from his entire book for free at https://stevenpivnik.com/downloads/. 

Quote of the Show:

• "When you start your day by listing out everything that you're grateful for, any bad event is gonna have a hard time competing with a huge bucket of great things that are happening in your life." 

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenpivnik/ 
• Personal Website: stevenpivnik.com/ 
• Company Website: aipadvisory.com/ 
• Book Link: https://a.co/d/dk1P4kG 

In this solo episode, Steven tackles a fundamental question for every entrepreneur: "How much should I sell my company for?" He argues that the answer shouldn't start with market valuation, but with a deeply personal assessment of the lifestyle the founder wishes to maintain post-exit. Assuming a worst-case scenario where the founder is unemployed after the sale, the first step is consulting with a wealth manager to determine the principal needed for conservative or aggressive investments to generate the required ongoing cash flow, thus maintaining the founder's current lifestyle.

Once this necessary takeaway number is established, Steven introduces a crucial planning tool: the "Proceeds Waterfall." This detailed breakdown tracks every expense that reduces the final proceeds, starting with the enterprise value paid by the acquirer and accounting for everything from legal and accounting fees to payouts for minority shareholders, advisors, and, critically, tax liabilities (including federal and state taxes). By working backward from the desired bottom-line number, entrepreneurs can determine the necessary enterprise value and create a strategic game plan to bridge the gap between their current valuation and the required sale price. Doing this homework minimizes surprises and stress when the transaction finally closes.

Takeaways:

• Define Your Target Lifestyle First: Before looking at market comps, sit down and define the exact lifestyle you want to lead post-exit. Your desired number should be based on your personal financial needs, not just market trends.
• Consult a Wealth Manager: Work with a financial professional to determine the exact lump sum (principal) needed to generate the ongoing, required cash flow to sustain your lifestyle after the sale.
• Create a Proceeds Waterfall: Develop a comprehensive spreadsheet that starts with the hypothetical Enterprise Value and meticulously tracks all outgoing payments, including legal fees, accounting costs, board member payouts, minority shareholder distributions, and stock option holder expenses.
• Factor in Taxes Realistically: Do not underestimate the tax burden. Include estimates for both federal (Uncle Sam) and state taxes, especially if your business has nexus in multiple states, as this will significantly reduce your net proceeds.
• Calculate the Required Enterprise Value (Work Backward): Use the Proceeds Waterfall to determine the minimum top-line valuation (Enterprise Value) needed to achieve your non-negotiable bottom-line number (the cash you walk away with).
• Build an Exit Game Plan: Once you have the required Enterprise Value, compare it to your company's current valuation. Create a strategic plan focusing on growth and profitability metrics to bridge that gap and reach the necessary sale price.

Quote of the Show:

• "The more homework you do on truly understanding... where every single penny is going to go and how much and when, the fewer surprises and less stress the transaction will result in." - Steven Pivnik

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenpivnik/ 
• Personal Website: stevenpivnik.com/ 
• Company Website: aipadvisory.com/ 
• Book Link: https://a.co/d/dk1P4kG 

Nick Evans, a world-renowned executive advisor, thought leader, and Founder of Thinkers360, shares insights from his time advising influential organizations like Amazon, NASA, and Intel, highlighting the fun and challenge of diving into different industries as a consultant. He recounts his work with NASA, which involved running hands-on, design thinking-style innovation workshops. The conversation pivots to the fragility of the internet, triggered by a recent massive outage, where Nick stresses the need for businesses to be highly agile and adaptive, like the military's DEFCON system, to handle constant disruption from new technology and global events.

Nick offers his expert perspective on the current state of AI, discussing the market hype versus the tremendous long-term value, drawing parallels to the internet bubble of 2000. He details how Thinkers360 uses AI for internal operations, including a chatbot and an agent trained on their influencer community, and the development of "AI personas" for thought leaders. Nick also shares a fascinating, albeit painful, story about being one of the original pioneers of the "buy now" concept on the web in the late nineties, but losing out on an estimated $50 million due to bad legal advice not to patent "just a button". He wraps up by discussing his amateur triathlon accomplishments, including two championship finishes, and his preparation for the challenging Ironman 70.3 in Cartagena.

Takeaways:

• Prioritize Business Agility and Adaptability: Design your business to be highly agile and adaptive to disruption, whether it's new technology (like AI) or external events (like pandemics and weather). Have a backup plan and an agile approach for when unexpected changes occur.
• Identify and Strengthen the "Weakest Link": Continuously monitor your business vulnerabilities. This could be reliance on a single customer, one supplier, or a single point of failure in your technology infrastructure. Have duplicate systems and backup plans to diversify risk.
• Treat Technology Outages as Inevitable: Accept that major outages, like the Amazon DNS mistake, will happen. Have a plan prepared—don't just assume it's a cyber attack—and be prepared for ripple effects that impact vendors.
• Investigate Intellectual Property (IP) Protection Diligently: If you have a differentiated or unique business idea, talk to an experienced IP attorney to explore patent and trademark protection. Do not rely on one opinion, especially for something that seems simple but involves a complex process (like the "buy now" button).
• Use AI to Amplify Expertise (AI Personas): Explore the use case of creating an AI agent or "digital twin" trained on your personal thought leadership content (books, blogs, videos) to create an accessible, knowledgeable persona for others to interact with.
• Look Beyond the AI Hype: While AI is creating tremendous long-term value, recognize that the market may currently be overhyped and overvalued, similar to the 2000 internet bubble. Focus on finding tangible ROI and practical applications.
• Seek Out Robust Measures of Expertise: When hiring or partnering, look for thought leaders whose credentials are based on "hard to fake" content (like books, executive experience, and media interviews), as platforms like Thinkers360 do, rather than easily gamed metrics (like social media spam).

Quote of the Show:

• "What I say nowadays is, you know, really try and design your business to be highly agile and adaptive, like the military with the DEFCON system... They can jump from [level] two to three or whatever the numbers might be. They don't have to think about how to do it, right? It's already, they're trained, they're rehearsed."

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasdevans/ 
• Website: https://www.thinkers360.com/ 
• Book Link: https://a.co/d/hA3EpAF 

In this inspiring and candid episode, Steven welcomes his first in-person guest, Matt LeBris, host of the globally top 1% ranked Decoding Success Podcast and a Brand Strategist with Brand Builders Group. Matt shares his incredible career journey, beginning with a cold pitch to Shark Tank's Damon John that turned a five-minute conversation into a multi-year internship and job. This experience taught him that proximity is power and the value of surrounding yourself with high achievers.

The conversation dives deep into the philosophy of personal branding, which Matt defines as the art of differentiation and owning who you truly are. He breaks down how Brand Builders Group helps clients in four key tracks: lead generation, new revenue development, author track, and public speaking. Matt and Steven also tackle the common struggles of discipline, balancing their love for fitness with a love for junk food (especially pizza), and the necessary role of AI in brand strategy. Ultimately, Matt emphasizes that social media is merely a vehicle to deliver a brand, not what builds it, and that focusing on impact for one person is more fulfilling than chasing virality.

Takeaways:

• Don't Wait for Perfection, Just Start: If you have a big goal, don't wait until the plan is 100% perfect or you feel perfectly ready. Take the first step, learn from the process, and know that your start isn't where you'll finish.
• Embrace Curiosity for Longevity: Lifelong curiosity is what kept Matt's podcast running for seven-plus years. Use curiosity about others and the world as the fuel for your biggest initiatives.
• Proximity is Power: Intentionally put yourself in environments where you can be near people who motivate you and inspire you. Access to high-level success is often the most inspiring thing.
• Personal Branding is the Art of Differentiation: Your brand is owning your unique experiences and perspective. Since no two people have the same fingerprint, focus on how you solve a problem, not just what problem you solve.
• Social Media is a Vehicle, Not the Foundation: The actual building of your brand is the work done behind the scenes—identifying your audience, problem, message, and unique process. Social media (or a podcast) is simply the fast vehicle to deliver it.
• Fill Gaps with Purpose (The Boredom Cure): When you experience a "gap" of boredom, fill it with an activity that relates to the person you want to become (e.g., reading a book, going for a walk), instead of choosing something that provides immediate, comfortable gratification like an unhealthy habit.
• Focus on Impact, Not Virality: Instead of shooting for a viral hit, aim to post something aligned with your brand with the intention of moving or impacting just one person. That one connection is where the fulfillment—and often the business—is made.

Quote of the Show:

• "I think the minute we're born, we're all gifted with a personal brand, whether we like it or not. And ultimately... if you're not taking ownership of your brand, you're giving the power to someone else to craft your message for you."

Links:

• Free Strategy Call with Matt: https://freebrandcall.com/mattlebris/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt_lebris/?hl=en 
• Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@MattLeBris/podcasts 
• Personal Website: https://mattlebris.com/ 
• Company Website: https://brandbuildersgroup.com/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlebrisnyc/ 

Paul Pacun, CEO & Founder of Meiotic and its flagship sales enablement platform Vablet, joins the show to discuss his 26-year journey in tech, starting with taking a company public during the 2000 dot-com bubble. He shares the origin story of Meiotic and its eventual pivot from marketing to individual dentists to targeting the highly compliant Life Sciences and Medical Device industry. Paul details how the platform, Vablet (short for 'video tablet'), was purpose-built to solve the "hard stuff"—guaranteeing seamless content synchronization and presentation offline, a critical requirement for sales reps in places like hospital operating rooms or remote villages.

A major theme of the discussion is the trade-off between raising capital for velocity and choosing to "sell your way through." Paul shares that while the latter approach ensured financial discipline and ownership, he realized in hindsight that external capital would have allowed them to scale faster against competitors. He also delves into the secrets of Meiotic's long-term employee retention, which centers on fostering a culture of trust, flexible hours, direct programmer-to-client interaction, and actively hiring "makers" and "lifetime learners." Finally, Paul offers crucial advice for modern entrepreneurs, stressing the importance of pivoting when necessary, quickly addressing team performance issues, and ensuring robust financial expertise (the "blood to the company") on even the smallest teams.

Takeaways:

• Design for the Worst-Case Scenario: Paul built his sales enablement platform to work flawlessly offline because medical device reps often present in highly constrained environments (like an OR or a remote area) with zero connectivity. Design your core product to be reliable in its most challenging environment; it will work everywhere else.
• Regret the Lack of Velocity, Not the Lack of Capital: While Paul is proud Meiotic sold its way through, he noted that capital buys velocity. Analyze your market and competitive landscape; if speed is paramount, be willing to take a measured raise to scale faster.
• Validate the "Lifetime Learner" with "The Five Whys": To ensure strong long-term hires who enjoy tinkering and growth, go beyond surface-level answers in interviews. Ask follow-up, probing questions—like what hobbies they pursue or how they solve broken systems—to determine if curiosity and a desire to learn is truly "in their psyche."
• Embrace the Small, Diverse, High-Impact Team: In the age of AI and modern tools, Paul advises that you no longer need an "army." Focus on a small, diverse group of skilled individuals, ensuring you have strong sales/marketing, tech, and, critically, robust financial expertise.
• A Bad Hire Kills Morale—Act Quickly: As CEO, Paul learned the hardest job is letting someone go, but waiting too long for a non-performing employee to turn around is detrimental. One person can significantly bring down the morale and productivity of the entire team.

Quote of the Show:

• "Money to a company is like blood to the body. If we run outta blood, we die."

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulpacun/ 
• Website: https://www.vablet.com/