Cameron Herold – dubbed the CEO Whisperer – shares how he scaled 1800-GOT-JUNK? from $2M to $106M in six years, helped build billion-dollar companies, and founded the COO Alliance. He explains why company culture, premium pricing, and relentless PR were critical to success, and reveals why most CEOs misunderstand the COO role. 

Cameron also discusses his entrepreneurial upbringing, how ADD and bipolar traits are superpowers for leaders, and the power of crafting and executing a “Vivid Vision.” He offers practical insights on leadership, meetings, team alignment, and AI adoption. His core message? Hustle hard, care deeply for your people, and never stop aligning your vision with action. 

Takeaways 

• A vivid vision aligns teams, attracts talent, and drives momentum toward a shared future. 
• The right COO complements a CEO’s weaknesses and evolves with the company’s growth stage. 
• Most entrepreneurs underestimate how critical operational leadership is to sustainable business scaling. 
• Mental health traits like ADHD and bipolar can become entrepreneurial superpowers when understood and embraced. 
• Employees won’t care deeply about your company until you deeply care about their lives. 
• Great meetings don’t suck – people just haven’t been taught how to run or attend them properly. 
• Momentum beats perfection; ship fast, iterate often, and learn by doing instead of waiting. 

Follow Cameron Herold
https://cameronherold.com/
https://www.instagram.com/cameron_herold_cooalliance/ 
https://www.facebook.com/cameronherold/  
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronherold/ 
https://x.com/CameronHerold

Cameron’s books
Vivid Vision https://amzn.to/45hzdrb  
The Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO https://amzn.to/44M2r1k 
Double Double: How to Double Your Revenue and Profit in 3 Years https://amzn.to/4dmcYlW  
Meetings Suck https://amzn.to/3FlNEjm  
The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs https://amzn.to/4jd7mfk  
Free PR: How to Get Chased By The Press Without Hiring a PR Firm https://amzn.to/4dzmceU  

Books recommended on this episode
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing  https://amzn.to/43ySqU1  

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolutionPartners  

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Books – Learn more about our books https://evolutionpartners.com.au/books/  
Made to Thrive: The practical, prescriptive guide on how to be a great CEO 
Onboarded: How to bring new hires to the points where they are more effective faster. A business case for leaders on why you should commit to an effective onboarded process. 
Onboarded for Managers: Helping managers bring new hires to the point where they are more effective faster.  

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