CEO Podcasts: CEO Chat Podcast + I AM CEO Podcast Powered by Blue16 Media & CBNation.co

In this episode, Gresham Harkless welcomes Terance Redmond, Founder of IBI Marketing. Terance launched the firm to bring integrity and innovation to the digital marketing space, specifically targeting small and medium-sized businesses that lacked ethical and effective marketing partners.

Terance shares that his business is guided by his personal mission statement: to have a positive impact on everyone he meets, be kind, and constantly educate. This belief drives IBI Marketing to help everyone in its sphere of influence succeed.

Terance credits his “secret sauce” to his high-pressure experiences, including playing in three Rose Bowls and the NFL. His key takeaway is that preparation and effort are vital. He defines a CEO as a leader who wields their responsibility with the “utmost, loving, caring, non self serving aptitude possible”.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded.

Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Gresham Harkless opens the segment by discussing his current need to reconfigure and reboot his entire business. He notes that what brought him to his current level of success is not what will take him to the next level. This insight is driving him to look at things and operate differently, posing the challenge of "how to unlearn the things that you've been doing."

He introduces this content as a special episode and a snippet documenting his journey into starting a new venture called Blue Star Franchise, which will also lead to a sub-site/channel called Franchise CEO within CB Nation. His purpose is to document this building-out process to be helpful for others considering franchises or starting any type of business.

Harkless candidly shares that the journey has not gone the way he wanted, leading to a feeling of scrambling over the last three to six months. He realizes that while he has been testing things (like DMs) on a low scale, the core problem is the need to put more "gasoline on the fire"—to test things with enough energy/money to truly see if they work and then iterate.

He explains that he's had to reboot the entire business because things weren't performing at the desired level. This rebuild has required him to spend more time there, which has had a domino effect, pulling him away from dedicating sufficient time to the new broker business. Personal responsibilities, like having a new baby, further contribute to feeling "fractured and very split".

Harkless is at a crossroads, questioning how to do what needs to be done. He is wondering if leaning on his current team—including a good VA and his integrator—can help take the business to the next level. He acknowledges that scaling has been challenging and he has had to have difficult conversations to get where he needs to be.

He concludes that the central issue is not just direction, but the "figuring out part"—reconfiguring the entire operation. He recognizes that reaching a level of success requires asking, "How do I take it to the next level?" Moving forward, he must continue to ask himself, "What do I want and how do I make that happen?" and commit to taking it a day at a time.

Previous Episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2665-running-the-long%e2%80%91term-race-in-business/

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I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

In this special episode, Gresham shares the current challenges he faces, which involve a massive reboot and resetting of his existing digital marketing and web support businesses.

This phase requires exhausting work to undo old processes and establish a clear new direction for success, which he is exploring through updated strategies like testing smaller budget Facebook ads rather than relying on expensive, less successful lead portals. His goal is to organically generate opportunities, avoiding external lead dependence to ensure better alignment and a higher chance of ultimate success for his new business direction.

He recognizes that this is not a completely clean slate but rather an opportunity to approach an existing business with a fresh "CEO" mindset, acknowledging past mistakes to unlearn and correct processes. Although he sees significant excitement and opportunity, this reboot necessitates dedicated work to untrain himself and his team, creating an entirely different operational environment one step at a time. 

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE. 

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

The Journey and Vision

Challenges, Learnings, and Real‑World Results

Re‑Prioritization and Forward Momentum

Previous Episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2632-day-281-franchise-broker-journey/

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE. 

In this special episode, Gresh shares the challenges of building a strong business foundation, noting his initial attempt to hire others before the core systems were fully established led to difficulties.

Realizing the substantial opportunity in the franchise brokerage business, he is now prioritizing the crucial task of rebuilding and refining his digital marketing efforts to ensure long-term success.

Currently, he is working on a strategy that balances actively generating leads and converting customers with the necessary rebuild of his core systems, which include developing the websites for his different business segments.

Gresh emphasizes the importance of implementing some key systems, even if not all, to avoid taxing workdays and ultimately achieve the foundational stability needed to grow.

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE. 

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

In this episode, we have Shona Bell, a Certified Public Accountant and financial strategist, return to discuss an often-overlooked secret to funding major life goals, like starting a franchise or investing in real estate: a permanent cash balance policy.

Her focus is on educating business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs about setting up their finances the right way and strategically keeping taxes in mind, moving beyond basic CFO services to holistic financial planning and legacy building.

Shona highlights a major gap: many people lack a dedicated financial planner after leaving corporate life or simply aren't aware of advanced financial strategies. 

A critical takeaway from Shona is debunking the misconception that wealth building is something you do only after you become wealthy, or that it costs "so much" to start. She stresses that it takes intention, not a massive bankroll, and encourages people to overcome "money trauma" and apprehension. 

Website: www.beyondacountingtax.com

LinkedIn: shona-bell

Previous Episode: iam1383-accountant-helps-business-owners-accelerate-their-financial-mindset

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded.

Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!