Scott Alexander — From Black Swan to Blueprint: ETA, SBA Reality, and the “People → Process → Tools” Playbook

When COVID hit, Scott Alexander (CEO/Owner, JIRUS Micro Marketing) lost 80% of revenue in two weeks—while carrying an SBA-backed personal guarantee. Instead of folding, he pivoted into B2B med-device demand generation and rebuilt bigger than before. In this candid episode, Scott walks through the decisions, frameworks, and hiring practices that actually moved the needle.

In this episode:

• Why he chose Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) over a from-scratch startup

• The fine print of SBA 7(a) financing and personal guarantees—risk, reward, and reality

• Culture change without “yelling leadership”: adults, accountability, and trust

• Hiring with case studies instead of canned interviews (and what he looks for)

• Unifying marketing + sales into one commercial motion, measured end-to-end

• The operating stack: People → Process → Tools (in that order)

Guest: Scott Alexander
Host: Nick Akers
Show: Leading In The Dark — real conversations about leading when the path isn’t lit.

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