Business Builder's Playbook

Most entrepreneurs treat their financials like a horror movie...

They close their eyes and hope the scary parts go away.

Spoiler alert: They don't.

In this episode, David Bush sits down with Alisa McCabe—founder of First Steps Financial and a fractional controller who's saved more businesses than she can count—to break down how to simplify, systemize, and scale your finances WITHOUT needing a PhD in accounting.

You'll learn:

• Why looking at your bank account to "check your finances" is the dumbest thing you can do (and what to do instead)

• The hidden fraud risks that are draining small businesses right now... and how to plug those leaks FAST

• How to automate your invoicing, payroll, and cash flow so you're not stuck doing data entry like it's 1997

• The financial habits that make your business actually SELLABLE (hint: if everything relies on YOU, you're screwed)

• Why profit margins matter more than revenue... and how to figure out where the REAL money is hiding in your business

• The exact first steps Alisa takes with new clients to bring clarity, peace of mind, and fat profit margins

David brings his signature energy and real-talk approach...

Asking the questions YOU'D ask if you weren't afraid of sounding dumb.

(There are no dumb questions here, by the way.)

If you're tired of the financial chaos...

Or you just want to stop avoiding your QuickBooks like it's your crazy ex...

This episode is for you.

Hit play. Take notes. And maybe—just maybe—finally get your financial stuff together in 2026.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/Alisa-McCabe

Sick of being the highest-paid prospector in your own company...

While also playing receptionist, bookkeeper, and tech support?

This episode is your wake-up call.

David Bush sits down with Mary Elaine Baker, founder of VAUSA and master of the "delegate to elevate" philosophy...

And she breaks down exactly how entrepreneurs can stop drowning in $40/hour tasks when their time is worth $150+.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The "Head, Heart, Hands" framework for hiring assistants who actually GET you (not just ones who can follow instructions)

• Why your "I can do it faster myself" excuse is literally bankrupting your future

• The 10-dimension "Pain Matrix" for understanding what tasks are killing your productivity (and your health)

• How to build trust with remote team members in 30 days or less

• The onboarding roadmap that prevents the "I hired someone and they're useless" nightmare

• Why your inbox isn't a to-do list (and what to do about it)

Mary Elaine shares real stories of entrepreneurs who couldn't attend their kid's baseball games...

Or take vacations without their laptop...

Until they learned to delegate strategically.

David brings his 30 years of experience helping leaders scale...

And together they walk you through the exact ROI calculation that'll show you whether you're wasting your genius on busywork.

If you're tired of grinding 60-hour weeks while your business holds you hostage...

This episode shows you the path to freedom.

Hit play. Take notes. Then go hire someone so you can get back to doing what only YOU can do.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/Mary-Elaine-Baker

If you're sick of the feast-or-famine client rollercoaster...

If you're tired of showing up to networking events with a pocket full of business cards and zero actual results...

This episode's gonna flip the script on how you get clients.

David Bush sits down with 40-year business veteran Kevin McCarthy (author of The On-Purpose Person and creator of My Referral Stream) to break down the EXACT system for turning your warm market into a consistent stream of high-quality clients.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Why most consultants and coaches are sitting on a GOLDMINE of untapped referrals (and how to activate them without being "salesy")

• The "Epiphany Threshold" — how to position yourself so people WANT to refer you

• Kevin's DoDo Dialogue method for answering "What do you do?" in a way that actually starts conversations (not kills them)

• The 3-phase system (Design, Build, Act) that can have you seeing results in 30 days or less

• How to price based on VALUE instead of hours (one conversation netted Kevin an $81 million problem... for a $1,200 speaking gig)

• The "wingman strategy" for introverts who hate traditional networking

• Why selling your "tools" instead of the "roof" is costing you clients

Plus David drops some FIRE on creating "wow moments" that turn clients into raving fans...

And why asking for business cards (not giving them) changes everything.

If you want volunteers, not hostages...

If you're ready to stop grinding and start building a referral ENGINE...

Watch the full episode now.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.BusinessBuildersPlaybook.com/Kevin-McCarthy

Want to stop chasing prospects and start attracting them instead?

In this episode, David Bush sits down with 33-year media veteran Jason Croft to break down how coaches, consultants, and business owners can build what Jason calls "Marketing Gravity"...

A simple system that turns interviews into collaborations, conversations into clients, and content into trust-building authority.

You'll learn:

• How to find your "differentiator" so you stand out in a sea of coaches and consultants

• The strategic approach to video podcasting that generates warm leads weekly (without needing a huge audience)

• Why interviewing your ideal clients and referral partners beats traditional prospecting

• The "Core Wound" concept that makes your messaging hit deeper

• Jason's 30-day roadmap to build authority from scratch (without spending a fortune)

• The exact follow-up strategy that converts interviews into paying clients

• How to turn one conversation into weeks of LinkedIn content that actually converts

Jason also shares the biggest mistakes people make with their LinkedIn profiles... and the subtle authority markers that make prospects WANT to hire you.

If your calendar's not as full as it should be...

And you've got a great offer but struggle to get in front of the RIGHT people...

This episode shows you how to build a content engine that does the heavy lifting FOR you.

David and Jason keep it real, practical, and actionable...

No fluff. Just strategies you can start running TODAY.

Hit play. Take notes. And let's turn your expertise into revenue.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/jason-croft

Kelsey Galarza just dropped a masterclass on making HubSpot actually work for you…

Instead of feeling like you're pulling a Ferrari with a horse.

In this episode, David Bush sits down with HubSpot expert Kelsey Galarza to break down the exact systems small to mid-sized businesses need to stop spinning their wheels and start closing deals.

You'll learn:

• Why your messaging beats your design every single time (and how to fix yours in under an hour)

• The 5-question messaging checklist that makes your website actually convert

• What to turn ON in HubSpot in the first 90 days… and what to ignore (even if it sounds cool)

• How to set up lead statuses so your sales team knows exactly who to call… and when

• The "minimum viable HubSpot" setup you can knock out before dinner tonight

• Where AI can save you hours (and where it'll make you look like an idiot if you're not careful)

• The dashboards that actually matter… so you stop tracking vanity metrics and start moving the needle

Kelsey's done nearly 150 HubSpot implementations…

And she's not here to sell you on bells and whistles.

She's here to show you how to build a system that captures leads, follows up relentlessly, and turns your CRM into a real growth engine.

David brings his signature "let's cut the BS" energy…

Asking the questions most business owners are too embarrassed to ask.

If you're tired of paying for HubSpot and not getting results…

Or you're "hub curious" and want to know if it's worth the investment…

This episode will save you months of trial and error.

Let's get to work.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/11

Most business owners are grinding themselves into dust going after WAY too many prospects.

In this episode of Business Builders Playbook, hosts David and Jeff Bush break down the exact 5-step playbook Jeff used to scale his direct mail company from $1M to $40M...

By targeting just 1% of his total market.

Instead of chasing 100,000 mortgage companies, Jeff laser-focused on the 1,000 that were ALREADY buying what he sold.

And then he hit them with everything he had.

Phone. Email. Direct mail. LinkedIn.

That's when his business exploded.

Here's what viewers will learn in this episode:

- How to identify your REAL target audience (not the one you think you should go after)...

- The "Right Data, Right Timing" framework that helped Jeff find prospects ready to buy NOW...

- How to craft a unique value proposition that makes the competition irrelevant...

- The CURSORS method for building irresistible offers (urgency, scarcity, social proof, and more)...

- Why omni-channel outreach crushes single-channel every time...

- The secret to selling high-ticket programs like $150K leadership coaching (hint: it's NOT cold outreach)...

- How to use AI and LinkedIn to generate referrals WITHOUT asking for them...

David and Jeff go deep on real-world examples from mortgage, leadership coaching, wedding venues, and even motorcycle graphics distribution.

Whether you're doing $100K or $10M, this playbook will show you how to stop wasting time on dead-end prospects... and start stacking wins with the right list.

Plus, David walks through how to use ChatGPT to build irresistible offers in under 60 seconds.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/10

Tired of "playing" with AI while your competition's actually using it to crush their numbers?

In this episode, host David Bush sits down with Thomas Ross - VP of Sales at Workplace.ai and AI sales implementation expert - to break down exactly how to turn AI from a shiny toy into a money-printing machine.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The biggest barriers preventing business owners from actually implementing AI (and how to overcome them fast)

• Why 98.7% of businesses say they use AI... but only a handful are actually making money with i

• The exact chapters you need in your AI Sales Playbook to connect all the dots in your sales process

• How AI eliminates the "drudgery" of prospecting so your team can spend ALL DAY talking to qualified leads (instead of chasing ghosts)

• The front-end AND back-end automation strategies that let sales reps focus on selling... not administrative BS

• Thomas's prediction for where AI is taking sales in the next 12-18 months (and how to stay ahead of the curve)

Plus... David breaks down the harsh truth from Jensen Huang (the $100 BILLION guy from Nvidia) about what happens if you're NOT using AI aggressively.

Whether you're a 52-year-old dude who went from a Rolodex to AI (like David)... or you're just tired of being overwhelmed by all the AI noise...

This episode gives you a clear, actionable roadmap to implement AI in your sales process TODAY.

Because opportunity is NOW HERE.

Not "nowhere."

Let's build.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/9

Most service professionals, consultants, and coaches are grinding out content for strangers on the internet...

Hoping those likes and comments will magically turn into high-ticket clients.

Stefan Lubinski is here to tell you why that's a losing strategy.

In this episode, David Bush sits down with his friend of 20+ years to discuss why 80% of service professionals are following the wrong playbook entirely.

Stefan reveals his "relationship acquisition strategy" that flips traditional content marketing on its head.

Instead of creating content to attract strangers, Stefan shows how to use interview-style content as a trojan horse... to build relationships with high-value referral partners who can send consistent business your way.

Here's what gets covered:

• Why "who knows you" is infinitely more powerful than "who you know"

• How interview content creates immediate relationship opportunities (not slow audience growth)

• The difference between prospects (one deal) and referral partners (an engine of deals)

• Why your content should be valuable "exhaust" rather than your primary strategy

• The simple tech and process needed to start an interview show (no fancy equipment required)

• How to identify and approach high-value targets who will actually move your business forward

Stefan also shares his "Hot Seat for the C-Suite" show format and explains how the interviews themselves ARE the business development activity... not what happens after the content goes live.

David and Stefan challenge the status quo of content marketing and offer a practical alternative for professionals who sell high-ticket services requiring deep trust to convert.

If the content hamster wheel isn't producing the clients you need, this conversation offers a completely different approach worth considering.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/8

Sick of grinding 12-hour days just to hit quota?

In this no-BS episode of Business Builders Playbook, host David Bush sits down with sales legend Jeffrey Gitomer (yes, THE Jeffrey Gitomer) and AI expert Thomas Ross to expose the harsh truth about AI in sales...

And spoiler alert: If you're not using it daily, you're already losing.

Here's what you'll learn:

- How to leverage AI to 10X your productivity without sacrificing quality (including Jeffrey's own conversational AI that answers your toughest sales questions in real-time)

- The "Give Value First" strategy that generated millions in sales and 17 books for Jeffrey... and how AI makes it stupid-easy to replicate

- Why cold calling is dead (and what to do instead to get prospects calling YOU)

- The exact AI tools Thomas uses to automate follow-ups, personalize outreach at scale, and close deals while spending 70%+ of his time actually talking to customers

- How to stop being your company's highest-paid prospector and start using AI agents for research, content, and pipeline building

- Why "sales enablement" is basically obsolete now that AI can answer your questions faster and better than any manager

Plus... Jeffrey drops some controversial truth bombs about Netflix binges, why you need to spend an hour a day mastering AI (yes, every single day), and how to turn AI into your personal sales coach.

David keeps it real, asking the tough questions and sharing actionable prompts you can steal today to upgrade your LinkedIn game, automate your outreach, and build a pipeline that doesn't require you grinding yourself into dust.

Bottom line?

AI isn't coming for your job.

But the salesperson using AI better than you? Yeah, they're coming for your commission checks.

Ready to level up? Hit play and let's get to work.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/7

Want to know the REAL difference between speakers who get standing ovations... and ones who get politely ignored?

David Bush sits down with legendary speaker and sales trainer Don Hutson to unpack 40+ years of platform secrets...

Including the "signal moments" that changed Don's life forever.

(Spoiler: It started with goosebumps at a seminar... and ended with him sharing stages with Zig Ziglar, Norman Vincent Peale, and Paul Harvey.)

Here's what you'll learn:

• The "Epiphany Threshold" – Why your sales pitch is either boring (level 2)... interesting (level 7)... or straight-up unbelievable (level 9+)

• Don's "Success Formula" – Vision + Skill + Discipline x PASSION = Results (and why passion is the force multiplier most teams are missing)

• Why "prescription before diagnosis is malpractice" – and how to run a needs analysis that makes prospects help YOU design the winning presentation

• The power of the PAUSE – How Don went from "rapid fire exhaustion" to goosebump-inducing delivery

• Collaborative vs. Competitive Negotiation – And why 95% of people have NEVER been trained on this critical skill

Plus... Don reveals how he pivoted during the pandemic...

Became COO of an AI-powered healthcare software company...

And why his "real world" experience is making him MORE valuable as a speaker today.

Whether you're leading a sales team, booking a keynote, or just trying to close more deals without the grind...

This episode's packed with signal moments YOU won't forget.

Hit play. Take notes. And get ready to level up.

Find all the show notes and links here: https://www.businessbuildersplaybook.com/6