John Hyland was unhappy.

Fresh out of college, the big firm lifestyle of late nights and steak dinners had taken a physical toll. John felt unhealthy and out of shape.

At a tailgate party he heard some friends talking about Ironman races, how impossible they seemed, how no average person could complete one.

"I just had this a-ha moment in my mind," John told me on a recent podcast. "I just had this moment of clarity and said to myself, "I need to do this."

John finished the first of eleven Ironman Triathlons in 2000. The lessons from that transformative experience didn't just improve his health, it gave him a new perspective on how to transform businesses that continues to guide his company, Private Advisor Group.

"I think it's just a great example of having a belief, having a goal and committing to it," John says. Just like business, Ironman is not a short event. It doesn't happen in a day. It happens over years of training to get the results that you're looking for. But I think it's just that perfect example of setting a goal, breaking it down to what do you need to do every week, what do you need to do every day, monitor your success, alter things when needed and just continue to focus."

Today, John Hyland is the co-founder of Private Advisor Group, an RIA with approximately $15 billion in AUM and more than 600 affiliated advisors.