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What does it take to go from struggling in school and working construction to becoming a COO, entrepreneur, and trusted advisor to growing businesses?
On this episode of Shaping Success: Treasure Valley, Wes Tankersley sits down with Will Anderson, an Idaho native, Air Force veteran, entrepreneur, and business operator who has built his career around one idea: keep learning, keep improving, and become so valuable that opportunities find you.
Will shares his journey from growing up in New Plymouth, Idaho, working construction with his dad and moving sprinkler pipe, to joining the United States Air Force, working on F-15 jet engines, transitioning into sales with Toll Brothers, moving into executive leadership, and eventually becoming a COO and business consultant.
But this conversation goes much deeper than career titles.
Will talks about struggling with reading when he was younger, discovering personal development in his 20s, reading 36 books in one year, and learning lessons from books like How to Win Friends and Influence People, Rich Dad Poor Dad, and Think and Grow Rich.
We also discuss:
• Why relationships and networking can completely change your career
• Growing up in small-town Idaho and how the Treasure Valley has changed
• Lessons learned from military service
• Transitioning from the military into civilian corporate America
• Why learning sales is one of the most valuable skills in business
• Going from entry-level sales to COO in roughly four years
• How self-improvement changed Will’s career trajectory
• Why business owners often struggle to let go of control
• Scaling a small business without destroying your quality of life
• Employee retention, company culture, revenue growth, and profitability
• Why successful entrepreneurs eventually need strong leadership around them
• Fractional COO services and helping owner-operated businesses scale
• Why becoming more valuable can be more important than chasing job titles
• Entrepreneurship, leadership, fatherhood, and building a life you actually want
Will also shares the powerful story of his young son’s cancer diagnosis and how his coworkers rallied around his family during one of the most difficult periods of his life—an experience that completely changed his perspective on loyalty, leadership, and the people behind a business.
Today, Will focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses bridge the gap between being completely owner-operated and becoming companies with leadership teams, systems, accountability, and structure that allow the owner to step away without everything falling apart.
If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, veteran transitioning into civilian life, salesperson, aspiring executive, or someone trying to figure out the next step in your career, this conversation is packed with lessons you can use.
Connect with Will Anderson:
🌐 awlimited.com
🎙️ Shaping Success: Treasure Valley tells the stories of the people, entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders, and personalities shaping Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton, Eagle, and communities throughout Idaho’s Treasure Valley.
If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe to the Shaping Success Network, leave a comment, and share the episode with someone working toward the next level in their career or business.
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Until next time, find the shape of your success.
#Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #IdahoBusiness #TreasureValley #Leadership
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