BusinessCake

Patrick and Will review the book First Generation Wealth and what it means to build a life that lasts beyond you. This conversation, like a good cake, is layered, moving from money and entrepreneurship into deeper, more flavorful questions of family, communication, risk, purpose, and legacy. It is a thought provoking conversation for anyone building something. It is about who you are, who you are bringing with you, and whether what you leave behind will be a blessing or a burden.

Will and Patch are joined by Seb Moran to talk about creativity, inspirations, and what it really takes to bring an idea to life. Seb shares his path from tinkering in Photoshop and making early design work to building Sandgrain and developing a more mature creative process. This is a reminder that great work is never born fully formed. The gap between your taste and your skill closes the more work you produce. Repetition, constraints, collaboration, and the willingness to keep making are all ingredients in this process of BusinessCake Making.

If your work isn't profitable, it's not bad luck—it's bad strategy. Patrick and Will unpack Michael Porter's core ideas and why most founders misunderstand what strategy actually means.
This episode reframes strategy as a disciplined set of choices—centered on profitability, shaped by industry structure, and defined by what a business chooses not to do. It's a candid look at how misunderstanding strategy leads to weak outcomes—and how applying it correctly can change everything.
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Patrick and Will are joined in this episode by executive coach Robert Mallon. Robert shares the lessons he's learned from more than two decades of coaching business owners and leaders. After starting his career in the restaurant industry and experiencing the uncertainty of companies shutting down, Robert found himself at a crossroads. A mentor helped him see something he couldn't see himself: his real gift was helping people grow. That realization launched a 23-year journey as an executive coach and advisor.
Robert explains why most entrepreneurs don't fail because of bad ideas—they fail because of a lack of clarity, structure, and accountability. Through stories from his coaching work and practical examples from clients building businesses today, he breaks down the systems he uses to help founders focus: clear priorities every 90 days, disciplined time management, and the power of having someone who will ask the hard questions.

Don't compromise. Discover and learn about the other person. Get what you actually want. Simple. Negotiations don't just happen for big deals or hostage situations. We all engage in negotiations every day.
Patrick and Will share their takeaways from Chris Voss' book: Never Split the Difference. Chris has written the most practical book on knowing what you want, discovering what the other party wants, and negotiating to get everything you want. It sounds audacious, maybe even selfish. It's not either. Finally, Dillon Simpson joins to share how he has applied this in running his electrical company.

In this conversation, Patrick shares his decade-plus journey building accounting services, building up his coffee shop Tchin Tchin's and their razor-thin margins, and the moment he chose to be an entrepreneur and who helped him get there.
Intent has to be tied to action. We all want to eat the cake, but few want to take to the time or make the sacrifice to get into that kitchen and bake what your heart desires.

BusinessCake is back with Season 2! Will gives an in-depth update on ETLA Distilleries. He talks about the landscape and alcohol industry, launching a business in two countries at the same time, the crises they are navigating, and more.
Bringing an idea to life, bringing a product to market, that is what we serve up in this episode.

This is a show for people like you who are building their ideas.
This is our third round of recapping conversations with four previous guests. It's a plug for those interviews, and if you hear something that strikes your fancy, go check out the full interview. Today we spotlight: Josh Schairbaum, Sandeep Misra, Elizabeth Yarbrough, and Danielle Laughlin.
I am thrilled that Andrew Rahrig joins us for this recap. Andrew is an entrepreneur himself and runs a cocktail company called Nightcap Social in Tampa, FL. His wife is also an entrepreneur and runs an interior decorating company called Freshly Minted Living. So Andrew shares his perspective both as a builder and as a champion of what his wife is building. He does all this while raising two beautiful kids.
Regardless of the phase you find yourself in - whether imagining what you want to build or iterating on that idea - you'll pick up tips and inspiration in this conversation.

Danielle's passion is to eliminate "entrepreneurial poverty". She does this through her law practice at Sage Business Counsel, where she works with founders and business owners in planning and navigating the complexities of running a business.
Danielle grew up in rural Alabama, worked her way through law school as a single mother, helped her dad navigate bankruptcy for his business, and finally decided to launch out on her own to start her own practice.
This is a story of grit, determination, and a healthy dose of optimism. Hope you enjoy this slice of BusinessCake!

Patrick and Will dive into the stories and symbols behind both innovation and commitment — from the invention of the potato chip to the legendary line in the sand at the Alamo.
Join us as we explore how moments of decision, motivation (even spite!), and character shape not just history, but the way we build our businesses and lead our lives.
Whether you're an entrepreneur or just love a good story, this will get you thinking about what it really means to commit and will encourage you to keep going in your own journey as you build your ideas.