SharkPreneur

What if the biggest constraint in your business is not your strategy, team, or marketing, but the underlying beliefs that shape how you experience them all?

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Brian D. Ridgway and Abigail Morgan, who present the Level 5 Mentoring framework for examining deeper patterns that can contribute to recurring business struggles, including financial volatility, overwork, difficult clients, hiring challenges, and persistent stress. Brian explains his concept of 100% personal responsibility, the theory of constraints, and the five paradigms he uses to describe how people relate to themselves, their business, and the world around them. Abigail translates the framework into practical business terms, sharing her own experience with financial instability and explaining how greater awareness of underlying patterns can help entrepreneurs approach money, leadership, teams, and growth differently.

Key Takeaways:

→ Financial volatility, overwork, and team issues can signal deeper business trends.

→ Entrepreneurs may fear success because growth brings new responsibilities.

→ Addressing the core constraint can make other strategies more effective.

→ The Level 5 framework outlines five paradigms for viewing life and business.

→ Awareness is the first step toward changing recurring business patterns.

Beyond outdated self-help, endlessly rehashed, superficial “positive thinking” approaches, and incomplete, airy-fairy spiritual approaches lies the next level: The Level 5 Paradigm and “Spellbreak” Technology.

Based on years of personal research, Brian D. Ridgway has unlocked the door to immediate, deep, and lasting transformation. After an abusive childhood, Brian dove into self-help and personal development to improve his life. As program after program failed to deliver the promised transformation, Brian became a self-proclaimed “Self-Help Junkie,” eventually investing more than $300,000 and tens of thousands of hours in his desperate quest for a life that “worked.”

At his lowest, most hopeless point, homeless and suicidal, Brian experienced what he calls his “Miracle Moment,” a single blast of infinite awareness and insight in which he discovered “The Level 5 Paradigm.” His entire life transformed. He went from homeless to living in paradise in Hawaii and has dedicated his life to spreading the “LEVEL 5 TECHNOLOGY” and helping others attain true, lasting personal freedom.

If you’re looking for rehashed, new-age jargon, that’s not what you’ll find with Brian. But if you’re seeking an expert who has “been there, done that” and helps people eliminate the illusion of problems to access their Infinite Intelligence, Brian is the one to call.

Abigail Morgan is the founder of the OCM Method and a soul-led business consultant who helps coaches, therapists, and healers build profitable businesses that align with who they are and how they want to work. As a single mom, dog mom, violinist, intuitive Celtic Seer, and passionate practitioner of embodiment and mind-body-soul work, she brings a deeply holistic perspective to business growth and personal transformation.

She also partners with Maxine Haller, the creator of the MAP Whole Brain Balance Method, to help clients integrate embodiment, mindset, and alignment into how they live, work, market, and grow their businesses.

Connect With Brian:

Website: https://level5mentoring.com/shark.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrianDRidgwaySpellbreaker/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/level5mentor/

https://www.instagram.com/briandridgway/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/brian-d-ridgway

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrianDRidgway/videos

Connect with Abigail:

Website: https://www.abigailmorgancoaching.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abigailsteidley

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slackermagicsystem/

What does it really take to turn a borrowed cargo van and a catchy name into a $300 million franchise?

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Kevin Harrington and Seth Greene interview Nick Friedman, Co-Founder and Chairman of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, who shares how a college side hustle grew into a nationwide franchise system with roughly 200 franchisees and nearly $300 million in annual sales. He explains why the company expanded from junk removal into moving, what entrepreneurs often misunderstand about franchising, and how strong franchisee relationships helped the brand navigate challenges such as COVID and shifting housing conditions. Nick also discusses bringing in private equity, avoiding entrepreneurial distractions, building an investment thesis, and using books and podcasting to share what he has learned with the next generation of business owners.

Key Takeaways:

→ A simple business idea can become a major brand when entrepreneurs pair a memorable concept with consistent execution over time.

→ Franchising is not passive income because franchise owners rely heavily on ongoing support, coaching, training, systems, and leadership from the franchisor.

→ Businesses considering franchising should ideally demonstrate the economics of multiple locations before attempting to scale through franchisees.

→ Private equity has become increasingly interested in home-service businesses because many essential physical services remain difficult to disrupt with technology.

→ A clear investment thesis helps entrepreneurs evaluate opportunities based on their skills, values, experience, and capacity to contribute more than capital.

Nick Friedman is the co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, an award-winning franchise he launched with his high school friend, Omar Soliman, in a beat-up cargo van. Today, the company has more than 200 franchises worldwide and generates over $300 million in annual sales.

Nick is a two-time Emmy Award-winning producer for Hunks vs. The Hurricanes, which documented the company’s hurricane recovery efforts. He has appeared on Shark Tank and Undercover Boss, and the brand has been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Hoarders, and Hoarding.

He is also an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and the 2024 International Franchise Association Entrepreneur of the Year. Through the company, Nick supports domestic violence survivors with free moves and has helped donate more than six million meals through US Hunger.

Connect With Nick:

Website: https://www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CollegeHunksHaulingJunkandMoving/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collegehunks/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-hunks-hauling-junk/

X: https://x.com/CollegeHunks

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-zo_ofBvBf5jTrjpvit_ow

The difference between a good exit and an extraordinary one may hinge on finding the buyer who sees value others overlook.

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Andy Harris, President, North America Strategies, and Managing Director at STS Capital Partners, who explains how entrepreneurs can maximize their businesses' value by looking beyond standard industry multiples and identifying buyers who recognize strategic value in an acquisition. He explains the difference between financial and strategic buyers, why a competitive sale process can yield dramatically different outcomes, and how the right strategic fit can generate a significant premium. Andy also discusses lessons from The Extraordinary Exit and why a successful sale should take into account an owner's financial goals, personal priorities, legacy, and the business's future home.

Key Takeaways:

→ Relying solely on standard industry multiples can cause business owners to leave substantial value on the table.

→ An experienced sell-side advisor can help identify and demonstrate strategic value that a seller may not recognize independently.

→ Running a competitive process can create leverage by giving multiple qualified buyers the opportunity to compete for the business.

→ The highest offer is not always the best when an owner also cares about the company's and its people's future.

→ A successful exit strategy should account for the owner's personal goals, including whether they want to remain involved or leave the business entirely.

Andy Harris is a seasoned M&A leader, CEO, and advisor with over 30 years of experience driving growth and value through strategic transactions. As President, North American Strategies at STS Capital, he advises clients and partners across all phases of the M&A process, with deal experience ranging from $20 million to $1 billion. He has helped business owners achieve premiums of 40% to 100% by identifying the right strategic buyers.

Andy previously served as CEO of Accella Performance Materials, where he grew revenue 6x and profit 8x through organic growth and 14 acquisitions before a successful exit. He also led Syrgis and Vantage Specialty Chemicals through significant growth and transformation initiatives. With deep expertise in industrial manufacturing and B2B sectors, Andy is an active member of YPO and a recognized leader in M&A strategy and execution.

Connect With Andy Harris:

Website: https://stscapital.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stscapitalpartners/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stscapital

What if the stories you tell about your past are quietly shaping your relationships, leadership, business, and future?

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Amanda Johnson, Co-Founder and CEO of Saved By Story Publishing, who shares how storytelling helps people recognize the narratives that shape their identities, choices, and relationships. She explains that revisiting and writing personal stories can reveal recurring patterns, deepen self-awareness, and help entrepreneurs and leaders communicate their experiences in ways that foster connection and impact. Amanda also explores the idea of story as medicine, the role storytelling can play in building a legacy, and her mission to help more people break generational narratives and use their experiences to move forward.

Key Takeaways:

→ Writing about personal experiences can reveal recurring patterns that continue to shape present-day behavior.

→ Entrepreneurs often need more than organization to turn their experiences into a clear, meaningful message.

→ Stories can serve as a form of medicine by offering lessons, identities, and themes that people can apply to their own lives.

→ Personal storytelling can help leaders build stronger connections with their families, teams, clients, and communities.

→ Writing a book can help an author confront and change narratives that may have been holding them back.

Amanda Johnson alchemizes twenty-five years of transformative experiences through story literacy, writing, and narrative medicine to fulfill her mission through The Story Oracle and Saved By Story, equipping individuals to use humanity’s most innate tools to transmute the pain of their backstory into a more magically-ever-after for themselves, their loved ones, and those they serve.

Connect With Amanda:

Website: https://savedbystory.house/

https://the-story-oracle.com/

Links Mentioned in Episode:

You Can’t Make This St*ry Up: https://a.co/d/dK2naao 

Raised by Story: https://a.co/d/dToxbPd 

Upside-Down Mommy: https://a.co/d/7yskzcZ 

Upside-Down Messenger: https://a.co/d/glG7v9d 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thestoryoracle114

https://www.facebook.com/savedbystory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thestoryoracle114/

https://www.instagram.com/savedbystory/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thestoryoracle114/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/saved-by-story-publishing/

What happens when you achieve the money, cars, and freedom you wanted, yet still feel something important is missing?

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Daniel Krynzel, Founder of The Big Balls Brotherhood, who shares how achieving financial success without personal fulfillment inspired him to create the Big Balls Brotherhood, a leadership and accountability community for entrepreneurs, business owners, and executives. He explains how purpose, mindset training, supportive relationships, and gamified accountability help men follow through on their commitments and achieve higher levels of performance. Daniel also discusses overcoming entrepreneurial isolation, building a mission-driven life, and surrounding yourself with people who genuinely want you to win.

Key Takeaways:

→ Financial success doesn’t automatically lead to fulfillment.

→ Entrepreneurs need an environment that fosters action, accountability, and growth.

→ Group accountability helps entrepreneurs maintain momentum by establishing external expectations for their commitments.

→ Mindset training helps leaders focus on what they want to create rather than constantly reacting to problems and circumstances.

→ Consistent micro-decisions shape long-term results and help people become their strongest selves.

Daniel Krynzel is a serial entrepreneur, business leader, and founder of The Big Balls Brotherhood. He has built multiple million-dollar businesses, closed high-stakes deals, and developed a reputation for decisive action, fearless leadership, and the pursuit of ambitious goals.

After experiencing both extraordinary success and profound personal loss, Daniel redefined his purpose and committed himself to helping other men become stronger leaders. Through The Big Balls Brotherhood, he challenges men to move beyond mediocrity, lead with courage, and build lives grounded in strength, purpose, and intentional action.

Connect With Daniel:

Website: https://bigballsbrotherhood.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigballsbrotherhood

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigballsbrotherhood

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/big-balls-brotherhood/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bigballsbrotherhood

What if the reason your health plan keeps failing is not a lack of discipline but a strategy never designed for your body?

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Angelo Poli, Founder of MetPro and Author of MetPro: The Science to Transform, who explains why generic diets and standardized fitness advice often fail to deliver sustainable results. He explains how metabolic profiling uses individual data, ongoing feedback, and personalized adjustments to identify which nutrition and fitness strategies will produce the most progress. Angelo also reveals why busy entrepreneurs should rely less on willpower and instead build scientifically informed routines that yield the greatest results with the least wasted time.

Key Takeaways:

→ Every person responds differently to nutrition and exercise.

→ Metabolic profiling assesses a person’s starting point and identifies the specific adjustments needed to improve body composition, energy, and performance.

→ A perceived “slow metabolism” may be influenced by how the body has adapted to a person’s long-term habits.

→ Busy entrepreneurs are often derailed when their schedules become overwhelming, making a reliable routine more valuable than temporary motivation.

→ The most effective health strategy focuses on actions that deliver the greatest return without unnecessary effort.

Angelo Poli is the founder of MetPro and the author of MetPro: The Science to Transform. For more than 20 years, he's helped entrepreneurs, executives, professional athletes, and high performers optimize energy, body composition, performance, and longevity.

His work centers on a simple idea: performance isn't just about training harder. It's about understanding how your metabolism adapts to stress, recovery, fueling, and workload over time. That's why strategies that work at one stage of training often stop working at the next.

After a serious injury left him walking with a cane for nearly a decade, Angelo became obsessed with understanding what truly drives lasting transformation. That pursuit ultimately led to the creation of MetPro and a methodology that has helped more than 20,000 people achieve sustainable results.

Connect With Angelo:

Website: https://metpro.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetabolicProfiling/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metproco/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@metabolicprofiling

The right six words can do more for your brand than 60,000 forgettable words.

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Kevin Harrington and Seth Greene interview Bill Schley, CEO and Founder of The Brand Titans USP Master Programs, who explains how microscripts help businesses communicate their unique value in a sentence or fewer. Drawing on lessons from the legendary advertising agency Ted Bates, Bill shares the five rules for an effective unique selling proposition and how to turn that positioning into a memorable problem-solution story. He also reveals why the most powerful brand messages are concise, believable, repeatable, and clearly differentiated from the competition.

Key Takeaways:

→ An effective brand must clearly communicate what the business does that no one else can.

→ Branding has little value if it fails to meaningfully differentiate a company from its competitors.

→ The differentiating benefit must be important to the customer and relevant to a real need.

→ Microscripts are short, memorable phrases that are easy to understand, remember, and repeat.

→ A strong brand story should clearly present a problem, introduce the solution, and explain how the world changes as a result.

Bill Schley is an award-winning branding expert, New York Times bestselling author, and lifelong entrepreneur. He is the originator of the Micro-Script concept in brand communications and is credited by celebrated marketers as the #1 USP expert in the world. His USP-centered brands have generated over $1.5 billion in documented new-business valuation and brand equity across companies ranging from global giants to acquired startups.

Bill began his career as a writer at the legendary Ted Bates Advertising Agency, the original Mad Men agency in New York, where he won a National Effie Award for sales-effective advertising. His highly acclaimed books on branding and marketing are taught by experts worldwide. In addition to his latest book, The Micro-Script Rules: How to Tell Your Story and Differentiate Your Brand in a Sentence or Less, he is the author of The UnStoppables, a New York Times bestseller; Why Johnny Can’t Brand, which won Strategy+Business Magazine’s Top 5 Marketing Books of the Year award; and The Power of 10, an Amazon bestseller.

Connect With Bill

Website: https://brandtitans.com/

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

You do not need a massive PR budget to earn meaningful media coverage, but you do need to give journalists the right response at the right time.

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Dan Simon, CEO and Co-Founder of Qwoted, who explains how Qwoted connects journalists, podcast producers, writers, and other media professionals with credible expert sources. He also explains how business owners and professionals can improve their chances of securing media coverage by responding quickly, building complete profiles, offering authentic insights, and providing concise, usable quotes. Dan also discusses how the platform is democratizing media access while helping journalists verify sources and find perspectives they may not encounter through traditional PR agencies.

Key Takeaways:

→ Qwoted was created to give journalists access to a much broader and more diverse range of potential sources.

→ Experience in a particular profession, industry, location, or life situation can offer a valuable perspective for a story.

→ Sometimes journalists need personal experience and authentic opinions rather than formal credentials or advanced expertise.

→ Speed is one of the strongest predictors of whether a journalist will use a source’s response.

→ Concise, memorable quotes and unique perspectives are more useful to journalists than lengthy explanations or full white papers.

Dan Simon is the founder and CEO of Qwoted, an online network connecting journalists with expert sources and used by reporters across major newsrooms. He serves on the U.S. Board of Advisors for Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and has built Qwoted's work around press freedom, newsroom economics, and journalists' working conditions. Dan is also the founder and Chairman of Vested, one of the largest financial communications firms in the world.

He is the author of The Money Hackers (HarperCollins, 2020), which explores how technology has transformed our relationship with money. The book was named the best small-business book by the Axiom Awards. He has been a regular columnist for Forbes, Markets Media, and CoinTelegraph, and he co-chairs the Communications Advisory Board of the Museum of American Finance. 

Connect With Dan:

Website: https://www.qwoted.com/

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

What if every webinar registrant received a personalized call at the exact right moment without adding another salesperson to your team?

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Sam Chang, Founder and CEO of VTM Group, who shares how his journey from door-to-door sales and virtual staffing led him to build AutoCaller AI, a voice AI platform that automates sales conversations. He explains how an AI webinar concierge can contact registrants before, during, and after an event to improve attendance, engagement, follow-up, and overall conversion rates. Sam also discusses drop-off recovery, personalized conversations, AI-powered sales agents, and his vision for helping more businesses build scalable webinar funnels.

Key Takeaways:

→ AutoCaller AI automates sales calls while maintaining a realistic tone, personalization, and conversational engagement.

→ Webinar operators often lose potential revenue because they lack the staff to contact every registrant personally.

→ Calling registrants shortly before an event can improve attendance and reduce missed opportunities.

→ AI can contact no-shows five, ten, or fifteen minutes after a webinar starts, encouraging them to join.

→ Post-webinar calls can deliver replays, promote upcoming events, book appointments, or present special offers.

Sam Chang is the founder and CEO of VTM Group, which includes VTMEMBER, a virtual staffing company, and AutoCaller AI, an AI-powered appointment-booking platform. He scaled VTMEMBER from zero to 250 employees in three years, serving clients across North America.

Through AutoCaller AI, Sam helps businesses automate speed-to-lead calling, follow-up, appointment booking, and pipeline reactivation without adding headcount. The platform integrates with GoHighLevel and combines AI voice agents, paid advertising, automated nurture, and trained closers to improve show rates, close rates, and revenue growth.

Before founding VTM Group, Sam helped expand TELUS’s door-to-door sales operation from 25 to 350 representatives and contributed to more than $750 million in revenue. He later developed a nationally adopted sales curriculum and brought advanced sales psychology into AI voice technology.

Connect With Sam:

Website: http://vtmember.ca/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vtmember/

X: https://x.com/vtmemberteam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vtmemberteam

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vtmember

Your professional expertise could become a scalable asset that generates revenue without requiring more hours from you.

In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Justin Montgomery, Founder of The Elite Nurse Practitioner, who shares how he went from working as a nurse practitioner to building cash-based medical practices and an eight-figure online education company. He explains how professionals and entrepreneurs can turn specialized knowledge into continuing education courses, build an audience, and create a scalable marketing engine. Justin also reveals why valuable content, strategic outsourcing, and separating income from personal time are essential to building a business that supports financial and location independence.

Key Takeaways:

→ Business ownership does not automatically create freedom if the owner must personally deliver the service.

→ Cash-based business models provide owners with greater control than those dependent on third-party payers.

→ Early failures can provide the experience and insight needed to build a successful, repeatable business model.

→ Building an audience before launching a course creates a stronger foundation for generating initial sales.

→ A scalable education business can create financial independence, location flexibility, and a lasting impact on customers and their families.

Justin Allan Montgomery is the founder of The Elite Nurse Practitioner, a thriving business he launched in 2019 to teach nurse practitioners unique clinical and business skills, empowering them to start their own practices and break free from traditional work environments. With a background that includes a bachelor’s in biology and chemistry, a bachelor’s in nursing, and a Master of Science in nursing, Justin scaled his business to 7-figure annual revenue in just three years. By providing valuable content and addressing a major issue in his profession—lack of autonomy and underpayment—he built a scalable online course business that helped him achieve an 8-figure net worth. By working part-time while still seeing patients, he achieved financial independence before age 40, demonstrating the power of automation and passive income.

Connect With Justin:

Website: https://procoursestart.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574146510784

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/procoursestart/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ProCourseStart