Startup Systems

This episode of Startup Systems features hosts Chase Budge and Jake Huntley discussing personal development, financial literacy, and business strategy. They cover the importance of continuous learning, how to discern quality business advice, the role of financial statements, transparency about money, and balancing passion with strengths when building a business. Jake shares his approach to financial planning, asset building, and leveraging time, with practical examples from his own entrepreneurial journey. Future episodes will include guest interviews.

(generated by AI)

Key Questions

[02:04]: How much time per week did you spend on financial literacy and self-help before and during the early stages of your business?

[05:33]: Would your business have started the same way if you hadn’t invested so much time in passive learning?

[11:47]: How do you differentiate good business content from clickbait or scams?

[15:25]: How crucial is it to review your business’s financial statements, and how often do you do it?

[22:45]: Do you have a financial plan, and what do you recommend for new business owners regarding retirement accounts and planning?

[32:08]: Should entrepreneurs pursue their passions or focus on their strengths?

[38:38]: Was expanding your means through building assets and businesses your plan from the start, or did it develop over time?

View Episode Summary + Transcript: https://startupsystems.softr.app/episodes-details//r/reca3b3mFtEgxHnKT

Jake Huntley and Chase Budge discuss the financial and operational strategies behind their wedding industry businesses, focusing on cash conversion cycles, debt management, and the evolution of their business models. They cover logistics of flower preservation, early challenges, scaling, and the complementary roles that enabled their growth. The episode highlights practical lessons in prioritizing problems, adapting plans, and building systems as the business matured.  

(generated by AI)

Key Questions  

[00:00:48]: What debt have you incurred in your business, and how are you working to reduce it?  

[00:17:25]: How do the logistics work for your flower shop businesses, especially regarding sourcing and shipping flowers?  

[00:22:37]: Do you buy the flowers yourselves, and how is shipping handled for perishable items?  

[00:28:14]: What were some early fires or challenges you had to fix right away when starting out?  

[00:42:25]: Did you have a clear plan when you started, or did it develop over time?  

[00:35:42]: At what point did Katie start to feel overwhelmed and need help or to hire additional florists?

Chase Budge and Jake Huntley discuss the importance of understanding the ""language of business,"" referencing insights from guest speaker John Linford, who specializes in pitch decks. They explore how business vocabulary, academic learning, and practical experience shape entrepreneurial success. The episode also covers business structure, the rationale for umbrella companies and sub-brands, and how solving customer pain points drives value. Key takeaways include the need for foundational business knowledge, continuous learning, and validating assumptions with real customers.

(generated by AI)

Key Questions

[03:15]: How has your understanding of business language evolved over the years, and how has it helped your success and networking?

[08:18]: How have audiobooks and podcasts impacted your education in business language?

[15:08]: What do you mean by ""umbrella company,"" and how does that relate to LLCs and sub-brands like White Poppy and Rosie Rue?

[19:48]: What is the purpose of having an umbrella business versus just one brand?

[25:01]: Are your sub-brands, White Poppy and Rosie Rue, essentially ""painkillers"" for customer problems?

Jake and Chase record a shorter Halloween episode, focusing on how business owners should track market trends and competition, with Jake emphasizing customer focus over macro trends in early-stage businesses. Jake shares his late-night creative process and discusses the founding of his and Katie’s companies, detailing early client acquisition, order orchestration, and fulfillment strategies, including collaborations, platform use, and scaling with paid ads. The episode concludes with reflections on learning through experience and adapting to seasonality.  

(generated by AI)

Key Questions

[02:34]: What helps you keep up to date with the market in Provo and with your company?

[08:51]: Do you focus solely on customers and building what they want in the early years?

[18:46]: How did you start finding clients, orchestrate orders, and fulfill them for your companies?

View Episode Summary + Transcript: https://startupsystems.softr.app/episodes-details/micro-vs-macro-4-am-ideation-sessions-evolution-of-our-marketing/r/recEXKMjf86KVlKGF

Chase Budge and Jake Huntley discuss the role of emotional intelligence in business systems, balancing perfectionism with progress, prioritizing tasks and resource allocation, and practical steps for launching a new product. Jake shares personal growth insights, examples of letting non-critical issues wait, and advice on validating business ideas before building.

(generated by AI)

Key Questions  

[00:00:54]: How have you seen emotional intelligence play a factor in building business systems?  

[00:06:56]: What other skill sets, besides EQ and IQ, did your college professor mention?  

[00:11:48]: In which area have you grown the most since starting your business, and how confident were you at the beginning?  

[00:19:22]: What are some examples of “fires” you let burn in your business, and how do you decide which issues to prioritize?  

[00:26:08]: When improving your website, did you learn the skills yourself or bring someone on?  

[00:34:41]: Why haven’t you prioritized fixing your website—leverage, lack of need, or resource allocation?  

[00:39:13]: How would you approach launching a new product, like a protein shake in a can?

View Episode Summary + Transcript: https://startupsystems.softr.app/episodes-details/let-those-fires-burns-eq-perfectionism/r/recTmKcA40qQ3esDw

Jake Huntley relaunches his show—now “Startup Systems”—with co-host Chase Budge. They outline a weekly format focused on building SMBs that run without the founder. Jake recaps growing two units to ~70 employees, stepping into an executive chairman role, and why most managers were promoted internally. They discuss frameworks for deciding what to delegate, the path from specialist→manager→executive, Jake’s 5-hour workweek, and his decision to skip VC and keep bootstrapping, plus resources like Kiyosaki and ChooseFI.

(generated by AI)

Discussion Points
[00:02]: Why relaunch now; moving to weekly episodes and a new focus.
[00:18]: From “Strategic Aspirations” to “Startup Systems.”
[00:44]: Five-year gap explained: business growth, marriage, deprioritizing the pod.
[01:13]: Today’s snapshot: two business units, ~70 employees; Jake now executive chairman.
[01:42]: The Chipotle lunch that sparked the new format.
[02:21]: New premise: helping founders build systems/processes so companies run themselves.
[02:39]: Meet co-host Chase Budge (UVU marketing; age context).
[03:18]: Kiyosaki’s influence: Rich Dad Poor Dad & Cashflow Quadrant.
[04:11]: How Chase connected to Jake and the show.
[06:07]: Core question: “How can 70 people be managed without the founder?”
[07:01]: Origin story: from wedding florals to two businesses (managed marketplace + preservation).
[09:25]: Fully managed marketplace model: sell, pair vendors, subcontract fulfillment.
[09:30]: Preservation unit: mail-in bouquets; press frames as top product.
[10:46]: “In vs. on” the business—Katie handles fulfillment; Jake builds systems.
[13:07]: Three layers to systematize: fulfillment (ICs) → management → executive.
[14:49]: Mapping every step: lead gen, sales, pricing, payments, production, shipping.
[16:40]: Alternative path if funded: hire senior leaders earlier; trade-offs.
[19:01]: Choosing what to delegate first: time audit + leverage/energy (Dan Martell’s framework).
[21:15]: First hire example: customer service to own comms/follow-ups.
[24:19]: Why promote internally (Good to Great insight); success of homegrown leaders.
[26:11]: Identifying manager potential vs star individual contributors; trial projects.
[33:13]: Promotion pacing: months between role jumps as needs emerge.
[34:41]: Example path: PA → sales/design → Director running a business unit.
[28:55]: Jake’s current load: ~5 hrs/week on the company; optional deep dives.
[37:01]: Revenue tripling ≠ profit; years of reinvestment and fixed-cost buildout.
[39:38]: Why he passed on VC: cultural fit, team profile, 10-year commitment not aligned.
[53:20]: Resources & CTA: ChooseFI for FI basics; invite listener feedback and questions.

View Episode Summary + Transcript: https://startupsystems.softr.app/episodes-details/official-podcast-re-launch-as-startup-systems/r/recRocR8ynNabtHTB

A short bridge episode updates listeners five years after “So I Started a Business.” The host (Jake Huntley) explains exiting day-to-day operations to become executive chairman of a 70-person company doing ~$3M in revenue and growing ~3x YoY. The revived show will focus on systems that free founders in $0–5M SMBs. He previews co-host Chase Budge, plans to start a new venture in ~8 months as a Sandbox Fellow, and his current work as a fractional COO helping founders remove themselves as bottlenecks.

(generated by AI)

Discussion Points
[00:00]: Purpose of a “bridge” episode connecting past shows to the new series.
[00:00]: Status update: first two episodes recorded, third scheduled.
[00:00]: Title callback: from “So I Started a Business” to “So I Exited My Business.”
[01:01]: Origin story: wife’s wedding-florist business sparks the venture.
[01:13]: Spotting a cash-flow opportunity; decision to jump into entrepreneurship.
[01:17]: Leaving prior career to go all in.
[01:20]: Recent transition to executive chairman; business now runs itself.
[01:27]: Team size (~70 employees) and momentum.
[01:32]: Revenue snapshot (~$3M) and ~3x YoY growth.
[01:40]: Show’s aim: share five years of learnings for small business owners.
[02:05]: Focus area: building systems so the company operates without the founder.
[02:08]: Target audience: SMBs in the $1–5M range.
[02:35]: Co-host preview: friend Chase Spudge; lunch convo sparked the format.
[03:17]: Next venture timing: ~8 months aligned with Sandbox Fellowship.
[03:48]: Teaser: future episode on the fellowship and new business plans.
[04:05]: Current role: fractional operations/COO for several clients.
[04:34]: Core engagement: removing founder bottlenecks and enabling scale.
[05:03]: Framing the podcast as a “give back” while still learning.
[05:21]: Candid note on tradeoffs vs. traditional career paths.
[05:37]: Goal: help others move faster with fewer mistakes.
[06:14]: Expect a deeper intro in the next episode; sign-off.

View Episode Summary + Transcript: https://startupsystems.softr.app/episodes-details/so-i-exited-my-business/r/recKx9qLtLTiuMzke

This episode is a bit different from others. Jake will be describing the come-up of him and his wife's business Rose + Thyme Floral and the strategies that have helped them in their success thus far.

Within this hour we'll dive into how to provide order to our tasks while living in a world of chaos. Topics conversed include the importance of keeping a routine, balancing urgency and priorities, and much more!

In today's episode, we switch up the format a bit:  from more of a self-reflective perspective to a question and answer based discussion.  Tune in to hear our perspectives on how to achieve success without sacrificing relationships, get paid according to the value you provide, and utilize networking / teams to accomplish more than you could on your own.