The Uncommon Edge

It's 10 o'clock at night. The trucks are parked, the kids are down, and you're at the kitchen table with the laptop open. Emails. The quote you promised somebody Tuesday. The receipts you've been dodging for three weeks. That's your second shift, and you're the only person in the company who doesn't get paid for it.

You're not out of hustle and you're not out of skill. You're out of hours. And if you've tried an AI chat tool, asked it a question, got a decent answer, and closed the tab because nothing changed on Monday, this episode is for you.

DJ spent 30 years in the cleaning and restoration business, and a month ago the switch flipped for him: stop chatting with AI and start staffing with it. In this episode he walks you through what he'd hand off first if he jumped into your seat tomorrow, why most owners blow it by dumping and running, and the simple fence that keeps an AI employee from running straight through the wall. Think Neo learning kung fu in The Matrix, except it's your inbox, your follow-ups, and your books.

-How to stop treating AI like a search bar and start giving it a real job, a lane, and a seat on your team

-How to hand off the morning inbox sort, quote follow-ups, review requests, call prep, the books, and scheduling checks

-How to delegate to a bot instead of abdicating, and why you should onboard it like a really smart new hire

-How to build the fence: the bot drafts, you send, and it never touches passwords or money

-How to write your rules down in a playbook so the line doesn't move without you noticing

-How to use "trust but verify" and the difference between trusting character and trusting competence

-How to start this week with one bot, one job, three rules: what it decides, what it asks, what it never touches

• 00:00 The second shift at the kitchen table
• 02:25 You're not out of hustle, you're out of hours
• 03:09 Why AI hasn't changed your Monday yet
• 04:38 The switch: stop chatting with AI, start staffing with it
• 05:58 How DJ uses bots in his business right now
• 08:47 If I jumped into your seat tomorrow: what to hand off first
• 12:14 Delegation, not abdication
• 13:21 Onboard your bot like a new hire
• 14:45 The fence: they draft, you send, no passwords, no money
• 16:44 Write the rules down
• 18:13 The integrity rule and trust but verify
• 21:08 One bot, one job, three rules
• 23:12 What this is really about
• 23:56 Get the Starter Playbook

• Grok Bot, and the three-day Grok Bot training DJ attended starting September 15
• ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity (general AI chat tools)
• QuickBooks (bookkeeping integration DJ mentions)
• The Matrix
• The Starter Playbook: DJ's starter rules, what he hands off first, and how he keeps every bot in its lane

• Ep 14 - AI Isn't the Threat, It's the Tool That Will Amplify Your Edge
• Ep 24 - Got a Minute?
• Ep 25 - Nobody Takes Initiative

-Get the free Starter Playbook. As said on air: "Text the word BOTS, B-O-T-S, to 218-GET-EDGE. That's 218-438-3343. And I will send it right over for you."

-Want the whole thing built around how your business actually runs? That's what we do with our owners at Uncommon Ventures: uncommonventures.net

-Got a question for the show? uncommonedgepodcast.com/ask

-If this one hit home, follow The Uncommon Edge and leave a rating, and send it to one owner who needs to hear it.

Stand out and stay sharp.

DJ Neumann tackles the complaint every owner has made at some point, "nobody around here takes any initiative," and flips it around. He shows why your team isn't lazy, why you may be the bottleneck, and gives you a 15 minute fix you can build this week with one person and an index card.

What you'll learn in this episode

-The playground story DJ uses to explain why a team that stands in the middle of the yard isn't a people problem...

-How the Ritz-Carlton lets even a bellhop solve a guest's problem without asking anyone...

-The three-column list DJ says every owner should write down: you decide, you tell me, you ask me first...

-The 1-3-1 rule and how it turns every problem a team member brings you into a decision you can approve in seconds...

-Why a dollar number matters more than the amount, and what happens when owners set it too low...

-The three ways owners blow it, including the one DJ calls the invisible fence...

-What DJ says you must do the first time someone makes a call you disagree with...

-The one assignment he gives for this week, and how it ties back to last episode's question about your best person's dream...

Learn more: uncommonventures.net

DJ Neumann asks the question most owners can't answer — what's your best employee's actual dream? He breaks down the exact one-hour conversation that fixes that, why people quietly plan their exit long before they ever say anything, the simple framework for finally connecting someone's job to their life, and how it all can start with one question... "Got a Minute?"

What you'll learn in this episode

Why DJ says your best person may already be planning their exit — and you'd never know it...

The real difference between a "status boss" and a "dream builder", and how each one changes a team's loyalty...

The exact opening line DJ says to use in the conversation, then go silent and let them talk...

The 3D meeting framework — dreams, development, and dollars — broken down step by step...

The "so that" chain technique for digging past a surface-level answer to what someone's really chasing...

Why DJ says you should run this conversation first with the person you're most afraid of losing, not your problem employee...

The simple, recurring follow-up rhythm DJ recommends to keep the whole thing alive long after the first conversation...

Learn more: uncommonventures.net

DJ Neumann breaks down why a genuinely profitable month can still leave you scrambling to make payroll — and the one commission conversation that fixes it for good.

What you'll learn in this episode

-Why your P&L and your bank account can tell two completely different stories in the same month...

-The watermelon example DJ uses to explain how getting busier can actually make cash flow worse, not better...

-The two hidden leaks in most pay plans that can drain cash out of the business

-Why DJ says commissions should be paid on cash collected, not on the job sold...

-The difference between paying commission on revenue vs. gross profit, and why it matters more than most owners realize...

-The exact 10-second conversation DJ says fixes the whole problem, no new hires or marketing required...

-The simple days-gap number DJ says every owner should be tracking between when they pay out and when they get paid

Learn more: uncommonventures.net

More episodes: uncommonedgepodcast.com

DJ Neumann hands over his exact playbook for raising prices without the guesswork — the formula that shows exactly how many clients you can lose before a price increase costs you a dollar, plus the five-part letter template for delivering the news.

What you'll learn in this episode

-The blunt reframe DJ uses for owners who've never raised their prices since starting out...

-The simple formula that tells you exactly how many clients you can lose before a price increase breaks even...

-Why DJ says the clients most likely to leave over a price hike are usually the ones you want to lose anyway...

-The five-part letter framework for announcing a price increase without sounding defensive...

-The four mistakes DJ says will blow up a price increase letter every time...

-What he's teasing for next week, and the phrase he uses to sum up the difference between profit and cash...

Get the playbook: text "pricing" to 218-438-3343

New episodes weekly: uncommonedgepodcast.com

D.J. gets personal this week — no pitch, no fitness program, just an honest look at why he's making his health a priority again, and the belief underneath it...

What you'll learn in this episode

-Why DJ says a six-pack has zero effect on your P&L, and why he's willing to argue that point with anyone...

-The blunt truth about snap judgments in business, and the only response DJ says actually works...

-The two personal reasons DJ decided to prioritize his health right now, and the third, more honest one behind them...

-The hard moment involving his own father that DJ says he thinks about more than he's ever talked about...

-Why DJ believes the real January gym dropout problem was never about information...

-The "same muscle" idea that connects a broken promise to yourself with everything else in your business...

New episodes weekly — uncommonedgepodcast.com

DJ Neumann reveals the very first place he goes when he starts working with any business owner — and it's not marketing, sales, or the org chart. He walks through the expense audit that's uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars owners didn't know they were losing, and the deceptively boring fix...

What you'll learn in this episode

-The first move DJ makes with every new client, before marketing, hiring, or anything else...

-The largest amount DJ has ever found hiding in a single company's expenses...

-Why he disagrees with one of Grant Cardone's biggest rules...

-The watermelon math system!!! And why so many owners are losing money without knowing it...

-The "eight accounts" every business needs to actually trust its own numbers...

-The one-week challenge DJ gives listeners to find money they've already earned....

-Why the first lever is one of the most important...

Work with DJ: uncommonventures.net or call 586-400-1333

New episodes weekly — uncommonedgepodcast.com

DJ Neumann picks up right where the last episode left off, finally sharing what happened when he sold his restoration company — He hands over the exact seven-category scorecard he uses with clients to find out whether they've built a real asset, or just a very good job with their name on it...

What you'll learn in this episode

-The pointed thing buyers said about DJ when they looked at buying his company...

-The real difference between a business that's sellable and one that's just profitable...

-The seven categories DJ scores every business against — and how to score your own in real time...

-The "15 seats" most owners don't realize they're personally filling...

-The customer concentration rule that kills more deals than anything else...

-Why DJ says a sellable business and a livable business are actually the same thing...

-The one-action challenge DJ gives listeners to move their lowest score by Sunday...

Work with DJ: uncommonventures.net or call 586-400-1333

New episodes weekly — uncommonedgepodcast.com

DJ Neumann breaks a year of silence to answer the question he's been avoiding : what actually happened to the Uncommon Edge? What was the mindset shift that finally got him Back In The Saddle.

What you'll learn in this episode

-The real reason the show went quiet in May 2025 — and why it wasn't what you'd think...

-The physics lesson DJ says finally explained his own year of silence...

-What he built, exited, and launched during the time he was "resting" on this podcast...

-A riddle about three frogs on a lily pad that reframes the difference between deciding and doing...

-The four "lanes" every future episode will live in...

-The one-step assignment DJ gives listeners who are sitting on their own version of a stalled project...

New episodes weekly — uncommonventures.net

What if the thing you’re running from is the thing that sets you free?

In this deeply raw and powerfully insightful episode, DJ Neumann welcomes Mary Belden McGrath, co-founder of Driven Leadership and the mastermind behind the Bold Advanced Leadership Experience.

Mary has walked through fire—betrayal, near-death, burnout—and came out the other side dangerous in the best way. With thousands of leaders transformed by her coaching, Mary doesn’t give you fluff. She gives you fire.

Together, DJ and Mary unpack the truth behind real leadership—what it means to stop blending in, run into the roar, and finally own your uncommon edge.

DrivenLeadership.com – Mary’s training, coaching & Bold Experience info

Run to the Roar by Paul Assaiante

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (especially “Three Feet from Gold” + “Burn the Ships”)

The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest

EOS & Intermetrix Personality Tools

Visit 👉 DrivenLeadership.com

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Keep standing out. Stay sharp. See you next time.