The Cort Brady Podcast

Being a founder means living under constant stress. But stress isn’t the enemy—it’s the privilege that shapes you into who you need to become. In this episode, I break down the two types of stress (mindset vs. tactical) and give you the exact frameworks I used to move from 80-hour weeks of chaos to clarity and growth.

In this episode, I dive into one of the most overlooked but essential leadership principles: vision. There’s a 3,000-year-old proverb that says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Vision isn’t a luxury—it’s oxygen. Without it, your team loses alignment, momentum, and eventually belief in what you’re building.

I break down exactly how founders can stop relying on sheer grit and start scaling through clarity. I share the three-step framework I use:

1. Accept that vision evolves—it’s a moving target, not a permanent statement.

2. Write it down—ask the right questions, commit it to paper, and refine it quarterly.

3. Evangelize it relentlessly—embed your vision into meetings, recruiting, onboarding, and one-on-ones until everyone can recite it.

I also talk about my own mistakes as an early founder, when I refused to declare a vision because I knew it would change—and how that kept me stuck in “builder mode” far longer than I should have been.

If you’ve reached that stage where hustle alone isn’t enough to carry your business forward, this episode will give you the clarity and tools to align your team behind a common direction and unlock the leverage that scales.

When I first heard about “first principles thinking,” it sounded like one of those fancy phrases consultants throw around. But once I started applying it in my own companies, it completely changed the way I made decisions—and saved me from wasting years (and millions).

In this episode, I break down what first principles actually are, why Blockbuster collapsed while Netflix thrived, and how you as a founder can use this mental model to avoid bad assumptions, fix root problems, and build a business that scales profitably without you.

I’ll share real examples—from hiring decisions, to raising capital, to employee retention—and show you a simple process you can use in every conversation, whiteboard session, and one-on-one.

If I’d learned to think this way earlier in my journey, I would’ve avoided so many costly mistakes. My hope is this episode saves you from making them too.

If you feel insecure as a founder, you’re not broken—you’re normal. But staying stuck in that state is the fastest way to stall your company’s growth. Today I’m sharing the framework I wish I had when I was scaling—Evidence, Alignment, Repetition, and Nerve. Apply these, and you’ll unlock the confidence to lead, delegate, and scale profitably.

Most founders think strategy, systems, or people are what cap their growth, but the real accelerant is leadership. In this episode of The Cort Brady Podcast, I unpack the leadership principle that changed everything for me: decisiveness. I share why indecision kills momentum, the traps that keep leaders stuck, and the practical guardrails I’ve learned to make faster, more effective decisions. From values-driven trade-offs to avoiding the “Michael Scott” approach with employees, this is a raw look at the cost of hesitation and how to lead with clarity.

Five years ago, this episode would’ve pissed me off. Why? Because I thought my problems were complex-cash flow, sales, product, customer churn. But here’s the infuriating truth: those are symptoms. The root cause is simple, and it always comes down to four things:

1. Level up your people.

2. Define and refine a differentiated strategy.

3. Implement a system that marries the two.

4. Level up as a leader.

It sounds simple, but it’s excruciatingly hard—because it means making tough calls on people, cutting distractions, and showing up with discipline. If you’re stuck between $2M–$10M, this is the breakthrough that changes everything.

The Two Audits That Will Transform Your Time as a Founder

Description:

The greatest gift a coach ever gave me was the mirror—the ability to see reality without bias. The truth is, you don’t need to hire a coach to get that reflection. You can coach yourself with two powerful audits that will completely change how you spend your time and increase your performance.

In this episode, I’ll walk you through:

• A daily qualitative audit to prime your mindset, boost confidence, and focus on what truly matters.

• A quantitative audit to uncover exactly where your time is leaking and redirect it back to CEO-level work—culture, strategy, and your unique superpower.

Stack these reflections, stitch together small daily wins, and you’ll create compounding momentum toward the life and business you actually want.

Jealousy isn’t weakness—it’s an ancient optimization tool. In this episode, I share how I’ve reframed jealousy from something that used to slow me down into fuel that pushes me forward. Learn how to spot it, flip it, and use it to grow as an entrepreneur.

Twelve years ago, Garrett Myers and I were broke college kids just trying to figure it out. Today, he’s built a multimillion-dollar real estate empire, recruited teams that generated tens of millions in revenue, and even bought a hotel. In this episode, Garrett shares the two principles behind his success—consistency and relationships—and why leaning into your strengths beats trying to fix every weakness.

We also talk about:

• The attributes Garrett looks for when bringing people into his businesses

• Why systems aren’t everything (and how to compensate if they aren’t your strength)

• What advice Garrett would give himself three years into the future

If you’ve ever wondered what actually drives long-term entrepreneurial success, this one’s it.

Founders love solving problems. But if you keep doing it, you’ll burn out—and your team will never step up. In this episode, I share exactly how to stop rescuing, start coaching, and create a company full of owners instead of victims.