Grappling Growth

Most people think raising millions is the goal.

Dan Beck raised $45 million and said this was the easy part.

Dan Beck is the founder and CEO of 401Go, a venture backed fintech that has raised over $45 million to solve retirement planning for small businesses across the United States. Before that he spent over a decade bootstrapping 16 businesses from scratch with his brother Nate.

In this episode we cover:

→ How six months without a paycheck changed the way Dan thinks about money forever

→ Why he maxed out a credit card to place his first ever production order from China

→ How he built 16 businesses before raising a single dollar from investors

→ Why security is not a paycheck and what it actually is

→ Why curiosity is the real engine behind every business he has ever built

→ How he raised $45 million from a position of strength not desperation

→ Why the best thing you can tell an investor is that you do not need their money

→ Why startup is not a stage it is a mindset

→ What FOMO driven investors actually look for before writing a cheque

→ Why the thing holding most entrepreneurs back is themselves

→ Why painful moments are the ones that write your future

If you are still in the nitty gritty tactical phase of your business wondering if it is all worth it.

It is.

Most B2B funnels are built for the 5% of buyers who are ready to buy today. So what happens to the other 95%?In this episode, I sit down with Terry, partner and COO of The Nuance Collective, an AI-anchored ad agency startup about a year in. They get into why growth has no magic bullet, and why staying top of mind compounds in a way short-term campaigns never will.In this episode:Why growth is "elusive" and what an agency starting from zero actually does about itMental availability and the 95/5 theory, explained without the academic jargonEcosystems vs funnels, and why the deals you lost last year aren't deadWhy warm leads often come from the third outreach, not the firstHow LinkedIn content wakes up contacts who went quiet 18 months agoWhat McDonald's and a London steakhouse teach B2B about brand memory and delighting customersWhy discounting early is a trap you can't undoHow three partners with different remits stay fast without stepping on each otherConnect with Terry:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-seitz-57aa654/If you got something from this episode, subscribe for more conversations with founders and operators.

The wrong hire does not just cost you money.It costs you time. Momentum. And years of progress you can never get back.Tyrone Squires is a former US Navy veteran and founder of TransparentRx. 12 years into building his business he looked back and realised one thing. If he had identified the right people from day one his revenue would be double what it is today.In this episode we cover:→ Why bad hiring decisions set his business back by 6 years→ Why you need to take the emotion out of hiring completely→ How to build a system that leads you to the right decision→ Why once you know it is not a fit you need to make the call immediately→ What the US Navy taught him about accountability in business→ Why merit based systems outperform everything else→ How he fixed his revenue per employee problem with independent contractors→ Why a bigger team does not mean a bigger business→ Why desperate hiring is the most dangerous kind of hiring→ Why you have to be a little crazy to be an entrepreneurThis one is for every entrepreneur who has ever made a hiring mistake and wondered what could have been.

Are you unlocking your full potential?Most people think they are. Most people are not.Glynn Steele is the founder of Do Think Do, a coaching business that helps people unlock their potential through the lens of acting. His previous life was in film and TV as an actor and director. And his take on growth, creativity and human potential is unlike anything I have heard before.In this episode we cover:→ Why growth and change are not the same thing→ Why we stop being curious as we get older and what that costs us→ The psychology behind why we close down our own potential→ What actors know about connection that the rest of us are missing→ How Gareth Southgate unlocked the England team and what we can all learn from it→ Why creativity is not a big thing and how to practise it daily→ What the zone of proximal development means for how we grow→ Why we have to decide to decideThis conversation will make you look at your own potential very differently.

What if your morning coffee could change a kid's life?Leo Coates is the founder of Clinch Coffee, a specialty coffee brand built around one simple idea. Every cup should do good on your doorstep.In this episode Leo and I talk about:→ How he is using coffee to create employment pathways for young people in the UK→ Why he believes martial arts should be accessible to every child regardless of income→ The five year vision behind Clinch Coffee and what it could become→ How he is building a pipeline for youngsters in under affluent communities through coffee pop ups at martial arts gyms across the UK→ Why local impact matters more than greenwashing→ His journey from catering in Canary Wharf to founding his own coffee brand→ How judo, rugby and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu shaped the way he thinks about business and lifeLeo is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a father of two and someone who genuinely believes a cup of coffee can open a door for a child who needs it most.This episode will change the way you think about your morning coffee.Guest: Leo CoatesLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-coates-60908057/

On September 11th, 2001, Chuck Garcia was scheduled to speak on the 107th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

His speaking slot was originally 9:20am.

Two months earlier, another speaker, Scott, asked Chuck if they could switch times.

Chuck agreed.

Scott took the 9:20 slot.

Chuck moved to 3:20pm.

Scott lost his life that morning.

Chuck survived.

For several hours, Chuck's wife believed her husband was dead. When Chuck eventually returned to Bloomberg's offices, he discovered four colleagues had been listed as unaccounted for and presumed dead.

He was the only one who came back.

Chuck was then given an unimaginable responsibility: calling the parents of three young Bloomberg colleagues who had lost their lives that morning.

What followed wasn't simply a story of survival.

It became a 25-year search for meaning.

In this deeply personal episode of the Grappling Growth Podcast, Chuck shares how the events of September 11 changed the way he viewed life, eventually leading him towards mountaineering, Stoic philosophy, teaching and what he describes as moving from the "mountain of self" to the "mountain of service."We recorded this conversation with enormous respect for the thousands of people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and for the families, friends, colleagues and communities whose lives were changed forever.

We chose to release this episode on September 11 as a moment to remember those who were lost, while sharing one man's deeply personal account of surviving that day and the responsibility he has carried with him since.

This episode is about grief, survival, purpose and what we choose to do with the time we're fortunate enough to have.In memory of all those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Connect with Chuck Garcia:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-garcia-015128

Website: https://chuckgarcia.com/contact/

Most business owners don't fail because they lack ambition. They fail because they lose visibility — over their finances, their people, and the decisions that actually move the needle.If you have ever felt like you are the bottleneck in your own business, making every twenty dollar decision, watching your energy drain into the grind instead of the growth, this conversation will hit home.

Jennifer Scott, co-founder of Higher Effect and advisor to owner-operated businesses across the US, shares the framework that changes how founders lead, scale, and protect what they have built.

You'll discover why cash flow matters more than revenue, how to know when aggressive growth will hurt you more than help you, what Jennifer calls the messy middle and how to navigate out of it, and why the right client mindset matters more than the size of the deal.

Ep Guest: Jennifer ScottLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferscott/

Most people chase high performance in the wrong order. Adam Smith shows why the real edge comes from getting honest about your habits, your thoughts, and the stories you tell yourself before you ever try to optimize your output.

Adam, co-founder of A Game Consultancy, works with founders, high executives, and Premier League footballers to build the kind of daily discipline that actually holds up under pressure. In this conversation, he breaks down the non-negotiables that keep him grounded, the mindset shifts that helped him go alcohol-free nearly six years ago, and the brutal life event that still affects him today through severe migraines.

If you want more than motivation and you're ready for a sharper, more honest conversation about growth, sobriety, identity, and what it actually takes to stay aligned, this episode will hit hard. Essential listening for founders, high achievers, and anyone who knows they’re capable of more but wants a better way to get there.

Your business problem might not be tech, people, or culture - it might be that you're solving the wrong problem entirely. Wes Flores, former Verizon leader and co-founder of Symmetry, reveals why the fastest path to growth starts with asking better questions, zooming out from the symptoms, and rebuilding around the customer.

If your company keeps adding systems, policies, and AI tools without seeing real improvement, this conversation will challenge the way you think about scale. Joe Testouri and Wes break down why so many organizations get trapped in tech-first thinking, why “quality over quantity” changes decision-making, and how business leaders can stop confusing busy work with progress.

EP Guest: Wes FloresLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-flores-4139aaa/

He sold a company for $61 million, but the real lesson from Vince Bianco is not about wealth. It is about what happens after success, when the money is in the bank and you still have to decide what actually gives your life meaning.

If you have ever felt trapped in quarterly thinking, obsessing over revenue, or chasing the next financial milestone, this conversation will hit home. Vince Bianco, a founder, operator, advisor, and Catholic CEO, shares the perspective that changed how he leads, sells, and lives.

You’ll discover how Vince went from startup exit to a deeper reset around faith, purpose, and long-term thinking. He explains why growth is bigger than sales, why stepping back from chaos creates better decisions, and how Catholic principles shaped the way he approached business, leadership, and family life.

Ep Guest: Vince Bianco

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincebianco/