Sean sits down with childhood friend Cody Branham, who went from academic probation at nineteen to founding a third party logistics business that has more than quadrupled two years running. Cody walks through the whole arc, including a divorce, a federal regulatory phone call in an airport, and a first client who found him from a tweet with two likes. Then he gets honest about what the growth actually cost him. This one is for every business owner who has ever answered "how's business" with a number and quietly wondered what that number is buying.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

⚡️ Revenue gets celebrated publicly and regret never does, which is exactly why regret wins by default

⚡️ The real cost of growth is almost never money, it is time, and time is always taken from a specific person

⚡️ Every day you have one hundred percent to give, and if you do not allocate it on purpose, urgency will allocate it for you

⚡️ Build reminders into systems you cannot avoid rather than relying on willpower to remember what matters

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Cold Open

00:33 Meet Cody Branham

01:31 Growing Up in Pendleton

02:28 Flunking Out at Nineteen

04:15 Embrace the Suck

05:11 Learning Supply Chain by Fire

08:52 What Is Your Market Value

10:45 Whirlpool and the Bureaucracy Problem

13:36 You Work for Your Boss Not the Company

15:28 The Phone Call at the Airport

17:20 Chomps and the Next Low

18:48 Revenue Is Loud Regret Is Quiet

21:10 Build a Personal Brand

22:38 The Tweet That Got Two Likes

24:05 Just Google It

26:58 Becoming the Warehouse

31:03 Taking the Leap

34:18 The Chase Comes Back

35:17 The Dad Gang Hat

36:15 Sitting With It

37:12 November 22nd

39:03 If You Feel Stuck

40:25 The Cost Is Not Always Money

42:16 Hitting the Reset Button

43:41 Radical Acceptance

45:08 At What Cost

46:36 Wrap Up

CONNECT WITH SEAN:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

CONNECT WITH CODY:

👉🏻LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-branham-5894a1126

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Ego does not send you an invoice. It just quietly raises the price of everything. In this conversation, Sean Kirby and his father Mike Kirby break down why ego is the most expensive thing a leader owns, where it really comes from, and how to build deep rooted self confidence instead. If you run a business or lead a family, this one is worth your time.KEY TAKEAWAYS:⚡️ Ego is best understood as edging everyone else out of your story, and it quietly costs you your team, your family, and your business.⚡️ Ego usually grows from insecurity, not strength, which is why ego driven leaders cannot take coaching or feedback.⚡️ Swapping the word I for we is a fast and honest test of whether you are sharing success or hoarding it.⚡️ Real durability comes from a deep taproot of study, faith, commitment, and goals, not from a tall ego.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 — Why Ego Is Expensive 00:45 — Ego Means Edging God Out 01:20 — Ego Starts With Insecurity 02:50 — The Victim Mentality Trap 03:27 — The I Versus We Test 03:56 — The Cliff Before The Fall 04:54 — Servant Leadership Wins 06:00 — Leave Your Ego At The Altar 07:49 — The Taproot Principle 09:16 — Self Confidence Is Not EgoTHREE LINES WORTH REMEMBERING FROM THIS ONE:"Ego is edging God out.""If I'm the smartest guy in the room, I'm in the wrong room.""It's impossible to give more than you get."CONNECT WITH US:👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupINIf this episode landed for you:👍🏻 Give it a thumbs up⬇️ Drop a comment with the one line that hit you hardest.✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.HASHTAGS:#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #Leadership #BusinessOwners #Ego #Humility #ServantLeadership

Ego is one of the most expensive things a business owner can carry, and most never see the bill. In this episode, Sean Kirby sits down with his father and business partner, Mike Kirby, to break down how ego drains your business, your family, and your finances. You will walk away with a simple test for catching ego early and a sturdier way to build that actually lasts.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ Ego is edging God out, and the bigger it grows the harder it is to attract and keep good people

⚡️ A shallow taproot caps your growth, so build depth through study, faith, commitment, and goals before chasing height

⚡️ Taking the reward before the contribution creates debt you may never have enough hours to repay

⚡️ Serving first keeps ego in check, and it is impossible to give more than you get

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Cold open

00:36 — The big idea, ego is expensive

01:30 — What ego actually is

04:30 — The cliff that ends careers

07:00 — Leave your ego at the altar

08:00 — The tree and the taproot

14:00 — Ego purchases and keeping up

18:45 — The pool, the goal list, and a sign

22:00 — Time, hand me downs, and the repo truck

25:30 — Delegation and ego

28:25 — Why partnerships fail

31:00 — Serve first and the hardest word

THREE LINES WORTH REMEMBERING FROM THIS ONE:

"Ego is edging God out."

"If I'm the smartest guy in the room, I'm in the wrong room."

"It's impossible to give more than you get."

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

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HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #BusinessOwner #Leadership #Humility #EgoIsExpensive #ServantLeadership

Some of the most successful people can point to one childhood moment that explains their whole career. For Mike Kirby it was selling cantaloupes at 14 by cold calling grocery stores out of the yellow pages. In this segment he breaks down why it was never about talent, and why fearlessness is the trait that actually built his career.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ Fearlessness beats talent. The willingness to make the ask matters more than natural ability.

⚡️ A no is not a wound, it is a step. Get enough of them out of the way and a yes shows up.

⚡️ Confidence can be inherited and practiced, but the real engine is simply not being afraid to try.

⚡️ The trade can change. Farm, welding, insurance. The trait that carries you forward stays the same.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — The childhood moment that shapes a career

0:30 — Cantaloupes the size of basketballs

0:59 — Growing up on the farm

1:57 — Cold calling grocery stores at 14

2:55 — Where the sales gift came from

3:24 — Get the no's out and the yes shows up

3:54 — The Purdue graduation invocation

6:23 — Why farming was off the table

7:23 — From welder to a different path

7:53 — The leap into business

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

What is the one call you keep putting off? Drop it in the comments, then go make it. Subscribe for more conversations on building a life and a business worth your time.

HASHTAGS:

#Sales #ColdCalling #SalesMindset #FearOfRejection #Entrepreneurship #SmallBusiness #FamilyBusiness #InvestYourTimeWisely #PerformanceFinancial #SalesTips

Sean sits down with his father, Mike Kirby, the founder of Performance Financial, to trace a 40 year climb that most people would call an overnight success. From cold calling grocery stores at 14, to running an insurance company with thousands of employees, to walking away from it all and starting over with a single client, Mike breaks down what it actually takes to last in business. This is the long version of a story usually told in highlights.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The single rule that determines who succeeds in business is whether you last long enough to get there

⚡️ Writing your goals down and breaking them into a plan focuses your time on what matters most

⚡️ Growing faster than you can build your team is a trap, not a win

⚡️ People stay when they have opportunity, a good environment, and money, including ownership

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Cold open

00:42 — Why Mike came on the show

01:40 — Selling cantaloupes at 14 with no fear

05:33 — The graduation invocation that taught him to speak

07:50 — Why farming was off the table

09:01 — From welding to a first sales job

11:43 — Goal planning and the rule that changed everything

16:30 — Becoming a CEO too fast

18:55 — Walking away to be present for the kids

23:43 — Folding a farmer's laundry after flying private jets

25:52 — Starting over with one client

30:20 — How clients compound over time

34:48 — Opportunity, environment, and money

37:14 — Systems over telling people what to do

40:00 — You just have to last

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

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Sean Kirby unpacks what real wealth actually looks like, and why most family men get it dangerously wrong. Through the story of his grandparents working brutal swing shifts at Pittsburgh Plate Glass, a 92-year-old client who still carries the same battered photograph of his late wife from when she was sixteen, and a borrowed sermon framework that has reshaped how he thinks about legacy, Sean reframes wealth as something far bigger than your net worth. Walk away with a clearer answer to the question every busy leader should be asking before it's too late.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The most valuable inheritance is rarely money. It's the wisdom, character, and time that get passed down through stories and example.

⚡️ Eulogy qualities matter more than resume qualities, and you can only build one of them at full power. The math doesn't let you ace both.

⚡️ Robbing Peter to pay Paul with your time is the quietest and most expensive mistake high-earners make. It compounds until it's too late.

⚡️ Real wealth often hides in unglamorous places. A swing-shift job. A pocket watch. A battered photograph carried for seventy-five years.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — Pittsburgh Plate Glass Swing Shifts

1:00 — Trading Manure For Tax Prep

1:50 — Listening Through The Window At $11 An Hour

3:00 — The Day Grandpa Walked In And Got Me Hired

4:00 — The Coon Skin Cap And The Pocket Watch

4:40 — Time Is The Real Wealth

5:30 — The 92-Year-Old And The 16-Year-Old Photo

6:50 — Eulogy Qualities Over Resume Qualities

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

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HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #PerformanceFinancial #RealWealth #EulogyQualities #FamilyFirst #LegacyOverMoney #FinancialLegacy #FatherhoodAndBusiness #SeanKirby

What if a single sheet of paper could end most of the money fights in your marriage? Sean Kirby walks through the Master Dream List, the one-page tool his dad has used since 1982 to keep couples aligned on the long-term goals that actually matter. It's the document that stopped Sean from buying a pool he couldn't afford, and it's the same document he hands every young couple who walks into Performance Financial.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The Master Dream List is built on five prompts: I want to be, I want to learn, I want to do, I want to go, I want to achieve. Five lines. One sheet. Dates next to each item.

⚡️ Couples fill it out independently first, then merge into one shared list. The combined list becomes the burden of proof for every future spending decision.

⚡️ "Plans are in pencil. Goals are in ink." Reassess plans yearly. Keep the goals constant.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — The Pool Question That Saved Us Thousands

00:55 — Robbing Peter To Pay Paul

01:24 — The Master Dream List Explained

02:20 — Why Couples Fill It Out Separately

03:12 — What's Our List Say

04:41 —Point To The Document Not The Person

06:25 — The Generation Shift From Stuff To Stories

07:20 — Reassess Every Year

07:49 — Goals In Ink Plans In Pencil

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Email: [email protected]

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations

📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

⬇️ If this episode hit home, leave a comment with the one item on YOUR dream list this year. We read every one.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #MarriageAndMoney #GoalSetting #FinancialPlanning #DreamList #FamilyFinance

Wealthy was always the word we used. The older I get, the more I think the word is wrong. Sean and TR get into what real wealth actually looks like for business owners and family men, why the budget conversation at home is harder than the one with your contractors, and the one-page document Sean's dad has used since 1982 to keep families aligned through every major decision.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️Real wealth is independence, not income. The money is just the mechanism that buys the choice.

⚡️Every business owner has a moment where they're tempted to "sell their way out" of a tight month. That's robbing Peter to pay Paul, and it always costs you on the back end.

⚡️The Master Dream List is a free one-page document Sean's dad has used since 1982 to align husbands and wives on what actually matters before any big decision.

⚡️ Goals are in ink. Plans are in pencil. Re-evaluate the plan every year. Don't erase the goal.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Cold Open

01:00 — What Wealth Actually Looks Like

04:00 — The Sabbatical That Saved a Career

06:30 —Robbing Peter to Pay Paul as a Business Owner

09:00 — The Hard Conversations at Home

11:00 — The Sacrifice You Have to Make

12:45 — The Master Dream List

14:45 — The Pool That Didn't Happen

18:30 — Goals In Ink, Plans In Pencil

21:30 — TR's Grandparents and the Lifestyle Business

26:30 — The Pocket Watch

31:00 — An Object In Motion Stays In Motion

34:30 — Mike-ism Close

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one block of time you are protecting this week

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HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #SmallBusinessOwner #FinancialFreedom #TimeManagement #FamilyFinance #Entrepreneurship #WealthBuilding #BusinessOwnerLife

Twenty years ago, Sean Kirby's dad put a clock inside the letter O of the Performance Financial logo. Nobody ever asked why. Last year Sean finally did. The answer is the reason this podcast exists, and the reason a 4 out of 10 spelling test from his six year old daughter hit him harder than any business problem ever has.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The clock has been hiding inside the Performance Financial logo for 20 years for one reason nobody noticed

⚡️ The five to nine after the nine to five used to be free. With kids in the picture, it's a sprint

⚡️ Your calendar tells the truth about what you actually value, regardless of what you say

⚡️ The simplest survival tactic is two named blocks. Production time and collaboration time

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — The Clock In The Logo

1:00 — Time Is The Only Asset

2:15 — The Five To Nine Sprint

3:11 — The 4 Out Of 10 Spelling Test

5:00 — The Feedback Loop Problem

5:48 — One Calendar Tactic That Holds Up

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

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HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #EntrepreneurDad #TimeManagement #BusinessOwner #WorkLifeBalance #SmallBusiness #FinancialAdvisor #FamilyMan

Sean Kirby grew up looking at the logo for Performance Financial and never asked why there was a clock inside the letter O. Last year he finally did. The answer his dad gave him is the reason this podcast exists. In this pilot episode Sean sits down with his outsourced CMO TR to break down what it actually costs a family man to keep grinding through the five to nine after his nine to five, and what changes when you start treating time the way the most successful people quietly already do.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

⚡️ The clock has been hiding inside the Performance Financial logo for 20 years for a reason most people never noticed

⚡️ Red time, green time, and yellow time is the simplest calendar framework you will use this year

⚡️ There are exactly three ways to make money, and most people only ever experience one of them

⚡️ Your calendar is your confession. It tells the truth about what you actually value

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 — Cold Open

0:38 —The Clock In The Logo

3:04 —Meet TR

4:44 —The Five To Nine Sprint

6:13 —The 4 Out Of 10 Spelling Test

9:51 —Calendar Blocks That Actually Work

10:49 —Red Green Yellow Time

13:34 —Three Ways To Make Money

14:33 —Control Is An Illusion

18:06 —Health Is Wealth

24:33 —Faith Persistent Not Perfect

27:42 — What This Podcast Is Really About

CONNECT WITH US:

👉🏻 Website: https://performance.financial/

👉🏻 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PerformanceGroupIN

If this episode landed for you:

⬇️ Drop a comment with the one block of time you are protecting this week

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📲 Share this with a friend who is grinding through their five to nine.

HASHTAGS:

#InvestYourTimeWisely #SeanKirby #PerformanceFinancial #EntrepreneurDad #TimeManagement #BusinessOwner #WorkLifeBalance #SmallBusiness #FinancialAdvisor #FamilyMan