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LEVEL 6: $50M – $150M 
GOVERNANCE, DATA & SERIOUS INFRASTRUCTURE 

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Barry Patel, Founder and CEO of Galt Pharmaceuticals, a company redefining how pharmaceutical businesses are built, scaled, and distributed. 

Starting with no outside investors and bootstrapping his way through one of the world’s most heavily regulated industries, Barry shares how he built a pharmaceutical company using an unconventional franchise model, why he believes founders should avoid raising capital for as long as possible, and the surprising leadership lessons that came from realizing he had become the bottleneck in his own business. 

We also dive into the realities of scaling in healthcare, navigating FDA regulations, building systems that create competitive moats, and what it takes to lead a company where every decision carries significant financial and human consequences. 

Whether you're building your first business or leading a company through rapid growth, Barry’s insights on leadership, resilience, systems, and long-term value creation offer a masterclass in playing the business game at a high level. 

Let’s dive in,
with Barry Patel:
 
• How Barry bootstrapped a pharmaceutical company without investors 
• The unconventional franchise model powering Galt Pharmaceuticals 
• Why founders often become the bottleneck to growth 
• The hidden challenges of scaling in highly regulated industries 
• Building systems, structure, and competitive moats 
• Why creating value matters more than chasing money 
• Barry’s philosophy on leadership, stoicism, and long-term success 

If business truly is a game, Barry Patel’s approach to winning might surprise you. 

The Business Game is proud to partner with HighLevel, the all-in-one CRM and marketing platform built for growing businesses High Level’s software will drive your customer retention and your profits through the stratosphere - so click here for your 14-day free trial:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/?fp_ref=ribu88 

This episode contains affiliate advertising. The Business Game Group is a GoHighLevel affiliate. If you sign up through the link in the show notes, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. 

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

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LEVEL 2: $1M – $3M
FIRST TEAM, FIRST SYSTEMS 

Most founders think scaling is about working harder... but Michael Barbarita learned the opposite. 

In today's episode of The Business Game, Michael shares lessons from more than 30 years building and operating businesses across retail, manufacturing, finance, and service industries. From growing a retail company from $2.5 million to $8 million in under five years to serving as a CFO, Treasurer, board member, and business advisor, he's seen what actually drives sustainable growth. 

We discuss delegation, systems, the 80/20 Rule, strategic partnerships, and why many founders accidentally become the biggest obstacle to their own growth. 

Whether you're building your first team or trying to create a business that can grow without relying on you for everything, this episode is packed with practical insights. 

Let’s dive in 
with Michael Barbarita: 

• Why most founders struggle with delegation 

• The 80/20 Rule in business 

• How to stop being the bottleneck 

• Systems that support growth 

• Strategic partnerships and joint ventures 

• The biggest scaling mistakes business owners make 

• Lessons from building and advising multiple companies 

Connect with Michael: 

Website: www.nextstepcfo.net 

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

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

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What if the best software developer for your business isn't an agency, a freelancer or even an employee? 

According to Paul Salvage - Chief AI Officer & founder of Productly - the best developer for your business is... you. 

In this episode of The Business Game, Paul explains why AI is fundamentally changing software development, why traditional agencies are becoming obsolete, and how founders can now build products themselves with the help of tools like Claude.

With over 30 years of experience in product development, Paul has seen every major technology shift firsthand. He shares how AI has compressed development timelines from months to weeks, why owning your technology is becoming critical for startups, and how business owners can use AI to gain a competitive advantage.  

Let's dive in
with Paul Salvage:

• Why agencies are being disrupted by AI  
• The new "build with you" model for software development  
• How founders can create products without coding  
• The role AI agents are playing inside modern businesses  
• Common mistakes businesses make when adopting AI  
• What happens to companies that fail to adapt

If you're building a startup, running a service business or simply trying to keep up with the pace of AI innovation, this is the episode you want to hear!

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

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It's time to Level Up!

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LEVEL TWO: $1M to $5M
FIRST TEAMS, FIRST SYSTEMS STAGE 

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Robyn Anderson, Founder of JAM AI and creator of Club JAM. One of the fastest-growing AI communities helping small business owners actually understand and implement AI into their day-to-day operations. 

After building 17 different AI courses around tools that quickly became obsolete, Robyn realized the real opportunity wasn’t selling information… it was building a community that could evolve alongside the speed of AI itself. 

Now, with hundreds of members inside Club JAM, Robyn helps entrepreneurs use tools like Claude, ChatGPT, NotebookLM and AI agents to save time, streamline operations, and scale smarter, even while balancing motherhood, consulting, speaking gigs, and building the business mostly between 4:30AM and school drop-off. 

If you’re trying to understand AI without getting overwhelmed, build smarter systems, create leverage in your business, or simply keep up with how fast technology is changing...  this episode is for you! 

Let’s dive in,
with Robyn Anderson: 

• why she almost gave up trying to keep up with AI 
• the biggest mistake she made building 17 AI courses too early 
• why Claude is becoming the go-to AI tool for business owners 
• how she creates custom AI-generated podcasts for herself every day 
• the simple prompt every business owner should try immediately 
• how AI can help build systems, SOPs, marketing, and operations 
• why community became more valuable than selling courses 
• the truth about AI “slop” and fake AI content online 
• why personal brands should stop relying on AI avatars 
• how she built a growing AI business while raising two kids 
• the hidden challenge of hiring people into AI-powered businesses 
• how she uses AI to save massive amounts of time every single day 
• the emotional AI interview process that made members laugh and cry 
• why speaking for free became the growth engine for her business 
• how to start using AI without feeling overwhelmed 

The Business Game is proud to partner with HighLevel, the all-in-one CRM and marketing platform built for growing businesses  High Level’s software will drive your customer retention and your profits through the stratosphere - so click here for your 14-day free trial:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/?fp_ref=ribu88 

This episode contains affiliate advertising. The Business Game Group is a GoHighLevel affiliate. If you sign up through the link in the show notes, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. 

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
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It's time to Level Up!

We’ll see you at the next level. 

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LEVEL 3: $3M – $8M 
DELEGATION & EARLY LEADERSHIP STAGE 

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Chad G. Bauer, owner of SR&B Advertising, a second-generation agency leader navigating the pressure of modernising a 60-year family business without losing the legacy that built it. 

After stepping into the company founded by his father, Chad realised the biggest bottleneck wasn’t the market... it was himself. In this episode, he shares the hard lessons around delegation, building a leadership layer, letting go of control, and evolving from founder-operator into a true CEO. From difficult conversations with his father to creating systems that allowed the business to run without him being involved in every decision, this episode is packed with practical insights for founders stuck in the messy middle of growth. 

Let’s dive in
with Chad G. Bauer: 

• Why self-awareness changed Chad’s leadership style  
• The moment he realised he was the bottleneck  
• Building managers and leadership structure for the first time  
• Hiring systems that filter out the wrong people fast  
• The pressure of inheriting a family legacy business  
• Why “scaling isn’t about doing more”  

If you’re trying to step out of the day-to-day, build a stronger team, and grow without carrying the entire business on your back... this episode is for you.

The Business Game is proud to partner with HighLevel, the all-in-one CRM and marketing platform built for growing businesses  High Level’s software will drive your customer retention and your profits through the stratosphere - so click here for your 14-day free trial:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/?fp_ref=ribu88

This episode contains affiliate advertising. The Business Game Group is a GoHighLevel affiliate. If you sign up through the link in the show notes, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
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It's time to Level Up!

We’ll see you at the next level. 

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LEVEL 1: $0 – $1M  
STARTUP & SURVIVAL STAGE 

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Laura Campbell, Founder of Hip Surfer, the Australian baby product brand transforming how parents carry their children. 

What started as a side hustle during maternity leave quickly became something much bigger. After struggling with chronic pain and finding existing baby carriers uncomfortable, Laura decided to create her own solution. Three years later, Hip Surfer has grown into a seven-figure business stocked in airports, theme parks, resorts, and retail locations across Australia and beyond. 

We asked Laura about building a product business while raising young children, scaling from a simple idea into a nationally recognised brand, and the realities of being a solo founder when every department still runs through you. 

From late-night Meta ads and manufacturing challenges to viral social media moments and stock shortages, Laura shares the highs, lows, and lessons from building a business that's helping thousands of families around the world. 

Let’s dive in,
with Laura Campbell: 

• Why a personal health challenge led to creating Hip Surfer 
• The customer feedback that proved she had more than just a baby product 
• How she went from a $30,000 goal to blowing past $100,000 in her first year 
• The reality of doing your own marketing, manufacturing, accounting, and operations 
• How leveraging relationships opened doors into airports, resorts, and theme parks 
• The viral reel that generated millions of views, and a stock crisis 
• Why investing in coaching and business communities accelerated growth 
• The hidden challenges of being a solo founder 
• What it takes to scale a product business while raising a family 

If you're building an e-commerce brand, launching a product business, balancing entrepreneurship with family life, or trying to turn a side hustle into something bigger, this is the episode for you.

The Business Game is proud to partner with HighLevel, the all-in-one CRM and marketing platform built for growing businesses 🚀 High Level’s software will drive your customer retention and your profits through the stratosphere - click here for your 14-day free trial

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
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It's time to Level Up!

We’ll see you at the next level. 

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LEVEL 1: $0 – $1M
STARTUP & SURVIVAL STAGE

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Ian Stephens, one of Australia’s leading sales psychologists, speaker, author, and performance coach who has worked with businesses in 29 countries around the world

Before becoming an internationally recognised sales expert, Ian spent years fighting to keep his business alive — borrowing money from his parents, selling his car, and even selling his house to stay in the game. Along the way, he learned some hard truths about cash flow, mindset, systems, and what really happens when business owners get desperate.

We asked Ian why sales often get harder when you need them most, how limiting beliefs quietly sabotage business growth, why most founders focus on goals instead of systems, and the lesson every entrepreneur needs to hear about building a business that doesn't rely entirely on them.

Let's dive in
with Ian Stephens:

• Why sales feel harder when you need them most 
• How pressure shifts your behaviour (and costs you deals) 
• The link between mindset, cash flow and performance 
• Why systems matter more than motivation 
• The mistake most business owners make under pressure 
• How to stay effective when everything feels urgent 
• The shift from operator → scalable business model 
• What’s coming next with AI and customer expectations 

If you’re in a season where things feel tighter than usual, this episode will give you clarity on what’s actually going on... and what to do next. 

Connect with Ian:
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/ianstephensspeaks
Website - enrichacademy.com.au

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
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It's time to Level Up!

We’ll see you at the next level. 

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LEVEL 2: $1M – $3M
FIRST TEAM, FIRST SYSTEMS STAGE 

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Dustin Snyder, Founder and Chief Advisor of WayForward, the company helping organisations uncover the hidden behavioural systems driving turnover, disengagement, low performance, and leadership problems inside teams. 

After leading a 600-person manufacturing turnaround, Dustin realised something most leaders never see: employee behaviour isn’t random, it’s the rational output of the systems leaders create around people. That insight led him to build SWIM (Strategic Workforce Insight Mapping), a framework designed to help executives diagnose the real root causes behind workforce problems instead of treating surface-level symptoms. 

In this episode, Dustin breaks down why most engagement surveys fail, why frontline behaviour almost always traces back to leadership, and why companies spend far more time understanding customers than they do their own employees. 

He also opens up about the difficult transition from founder-operator to CEO, the painful lessons of scaling beyond himself, and why “killing your ego every morning” became one of the biggest unlocks in his growth journey. 

Let’s dive in,
with Dustin Snyder: 

• Why employee turnover creates hidden financial damage most businesses never measure  
• The leadership behaviours teams subconsciously copy  
• Why fear-based decisions are almost always the wrong ones  
• The scary process of niching down and saying no to revenue  
• How documenting his process led to writing his book Sink or Swim  
• The system-thinking cheat code founders can use to scale faster  

If you’ve ever struggled with culture, delegation, leadership bottlenecks, or building a business that can grow beyond you, this episode is packed with insights you’ll want to hear. 

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
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It's time to Level Up!

We’ll see you at the next level. 

Send us Fan Mail

LEVEL THREE: $3M to $8M:  

DELEGATION AND EARLY LEADERSHIP 

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Melanie Warner, founder and CEO of Defining Moments Press. 

After rebuilding from $3.6 million in debt to multi-millions in just 18 months, Melanie has turned personal adversity into a scalable business model that helps entrepreneurs turn books into client acquisition systems. 

What started as a frustrating battle with traditional publishing evolved into the Seven Figure Book Method. A system that helps experts turn authority into scalable revenue. 

We asked her how she rebuilt after losing everything, why most founders build personality-driven businesses that can’t scale, and what it really takes to transition from being the face of the company to building systems that grow without you. 

Let’s dive in, 
with Melanie Warner: 

• How she rebuilt from $3.6M in debt to multi-millions 
• Why traditional publishing failed her 
• The real business model behind a “book funnel” 
• Why personality can only build the first million 
• The systems required to scale beyond founder-led growth 
• How to stop selling to strangers and attract ideal buyers 
• The transition from solopreneur to CEO 
• Why systems beat hustle at every stage of growth 
• What building authority really looks like in 2026 

If you’re building an expertise-based business, trying to scale beyond yourself, or looking to turn your knowledge into a real growth engine... this episode is for you. 

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
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It's time to Level Up!

We’ll see you at the next level. 

Send us Fan Mail

LEVEL FOUR: $8M to $20M
GROWING PAINS & OPERATIONAL COMPLEXITY 

On today’s episode of The Business Game, we’re sitting down with Melissa Drew, Founder and CEO of InSite BUILD, a construction management firm delivering complex government and institutional projects across the Mid-Atlantic. 

After a 20-year career leading large-scale construction projects for national contractors, Melissa launched InSite BUILD and landed a $53 million project almost immediately, forcing the company to operate at a level most businesses take years to grow into. 

Melissa shares the realities of scaling inside the construction industry, why relationships became the foundation of her business, and the leadership lessons she learned after losing key team members during a difficult growth phase. She also explains why empathy has become one of her greatest advantages on job sites, and how she’s building a culture that prioritises both accountability and humanity in a traditionally tough industry. 

If you’re trying to scale a business, build strong culture, lead teams under pressure, or grow without compromising your standards? This episode is for you! 
 

Let’s dive in,
with Melissa Drew: 

• how she landed a $53M project at the very start of the business 
• the leadership mistakes that cost her valuable team members 
• why relationships matter more than anything in construction 
• what “bonding capacity” really means — and why it limits growth 
• how empathy improves safety, performance, and accountability 
• the realities of leading in a male-dominated industry 
• why culture matters most when money is on the line 
• the systems and structure she invested in from day one 
• how to keep startup teams motivated during difficult growth phases 
• why treating people like humans creates better performance 

Support the show

Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.

Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.

For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com

It's time to Level Up!

We’ll see you at the next level.