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What if the difference between stalling at $8M and exiting at $55M wasn’t luck, but a set of repeatable choices about people, process, and stage-fit hiring? That’s the jump Ryan Hogan made, and we unpack exactly how he did it—from the hard lessons of a viral zombie race that crashed to the systems and recruiting moves that helped Hunt A Killer scale fast without losing its soul.

We start with the foundation most founders skip: vision, mission, and values that actually drive decisions. Ryan explains why talent sits on top of that foundation—and why mis-hires rarely come from bad resumes, but from poorly defined problems and vague expectations. We dig into the mistake of hiring a leader from a $100M company to run a $25M org, and how to find operators who have done the exact jump you need right now. You’ll hear how to set roles by outcomes, not titles, run a blank-slate org chart to reveal gaps, and reset expectations with early hires as the company evolves.

Then we get tactical on recruiting. Real recruiting isn’t posting and praying; it’s outbound sourcing, targeted outreach, and selling a meaningful mission to candidates who aren’t looking. Ryan shares why small and midsize companies need expert, stage-aware recruiting to win, how structured interviews and reference loops beat gut feel, and how EOS and peer groups like Vistage create the cadence and accountability to keep teams aligned as complexity grows. The result is a blueprint for building teams that scale, stay aligned, and deliver measurable outcomes under real-world constraints.

If you’re a founder, operator, or hiring manager who wants compounding growth without the cultural hangover, this conversation gives you the playbook: hire for the stage you’re in, design the org you actually need, and treat recruiting like the competitive advantage it is. If this resonated, subscribe, share it with a builder who needs it, and leave a quick review—tell us the one hiring move you’ll change this quarter.

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