From Founder To CEO

We learned a lot from our Founder podcast guests this past year. From a two time Olympian, 27 year veteran, Emmy award winner, New York Times best selling author, and many more, we learned that there is no one, perfect path from Founder to CEO. So,  in order to help you digest some of the biggest insights from our most downloaded episodes, I am happy to share with you:

The Top 10 Most Downloaded Episodes of 2017.

Let me know what you think.

Adam Braun may be best known for his New York Times Bestselling Book, "The Promise of a Pencil," and the incredible organization he and his team created, Pencils of Promise, where hundreds of schools were built around the world.

What you may not know is that Adam has set out on another mission with the similar theme of democratizing education. With his wife as an inspiration, Adam and his Co-founder have assembled an incredible team that hopes to reduce the burden of college debt and empower a new generation of men and women with an education built for the 21st Century.

In this interview, Adam and I talk about his continuing journey from Founder to CEO:

• how he is attempting to change education with MissionU
• how he approaches leading a very different type of organization
• how he has learned to trust a team of experts
• what he learned about himself during his most recent 360 degree feedback leadership evaluation and how this information is helping him scale MissionU

Paul Tasner, Co-Founder & CEO - PulpWorks

What can a 66-year-old first-time Founder teach you about scaling a company? A lot, it turns out. Paul Tasner will make you think more deeply about the impact you have a Founder & CEO and the legacy you'll have many years after starting your company.

Josh Haynam, Founder & CEO, Interact Quiz Builder

Ever had trouble hiring sales professionals? Josh has. Ever had trouble firing a friend? Josh has. Ever had trouble learning how to grow your company when you are an introverted Founder & CEO? Josh has. Ever declared victory over stagnant growth? Josh has.

If after listening to Josh Haynam's stories you aren't inspired to lean into your own leadership genius and use that more authentically, then you may want to listen again. For example, Josh's candid story and heart ache around firing early employees, including his friend, is something we can all learn from. And, his thoughts on Founder self-awareness are just spot on.

Plus, you'll learn about his fast-growing technology that is creating a BIG number of Sales leads for a growing number of clients. Let me know what you think about this interview with Josh Haynam.

Nick Sarillo, Founder & CEO, Nick's Pub & Pizza

One of the things that I value about speaking to Founders from around the world is the ability to learn from the diversity of experiences that many Founders bring to the table. Nick is no exception. After reading Nick's book, "A Slice of the Pie," I was very motivated to invite Nick onto our show and gain the benefit of hearing his moving story.

As a Founder & CEO, if you are struggling with shaping the culture of your growing company, you may want to take a page out of Nick's book: turn your startup into a school that uplifts, teaches, and grows leaders. That's what Nick did and that helped him weather many storms including the one he shares about how he almost lost it all. Listen and learn.

It's the beginning of a time period that I know too well. It's a quiet thing that happens behind the scenes with a Founder & CEO and a small number of people. It's usually a secretive process. I am talking about the end of the year decisions about who may need to leave your team.

For those of you who don't have regular talent conversations, end of the year financial issues often serves as a catalyst for conversations about team members that may be let go before the end of the year. I'm not suggesting this is good, I am suggesting it is reality.

In this episode I share 10 questions you may want to ask yourself before you fire a team member.

It's Thanksgiving Week in the United States. It's one of my favorite times of the year. And because of that I thought it might be a good time to interrupt our usual interview format with "10 Ways Founders Can Express Personal Gratitude With Little Or No Money Or Times." 

I thought of this because I've been keenly aware of the impact a little bit of gratitude can have on a Founder's team. And, I know how much it can transform your leadership. Great leadership starts with genuine gratitude.

I'd be curious what you think about my ideas...especially number 9 and 10.

Renee Wang, Founder & CEO, CastBox

Have you ever wanted to search INSIDE an audio product like a podcast or audiobook? Well, Renee (her real first name is Xiaoyu) and her team of 30 are tackling this huge opportunity. She personally brings an incredible resume to the founding of CastBox. A former Googler and admitted code geek, Renee's love for audio drove her to become a founder and start CastBox. I think her story about the loneliness of being a Founder & CEO may resonate with a lot of you. And, her tips to combat this all too common founder feeling will help you think more deeply about this.

Ryan Buckley, Founder & CEO - Toofr

This is Ryan's second guest appearance on the podcast. I was happy to have it back for an update since his interview in episode 182. Since we last spoke Ryan moved on from Scripted and is experimenting with the idea of a Founder & CEO becoming a "parallel entrepreneur." It's idea that he has thought about quite a bit and for which he is having a certain about success. 

In this interview he will explain:

• What is parallel entrepreneurship
• What needs to be in place to make this happen
• When do you know it's not working

Kent Gustavson, Founder & CEO - Blooming Twig

Kent has the distinction of a first on the podcast. So far he is the only guest Founder who has played the banjo on the show. And, wow, is he good. His talent is relevant to the show's topic. Kent discusses the challenges of scaling an award-winning publishing company that is focused on quality, not necessarily templates that other firms use. In the process he has learned a lot about:

• Leading a remote team of creatives 
• Replacing himself when his talents have been key to the company's success