In this episode of The Alchemy Podcast, Doug welcomes longtime friend and mentor Dan Reed for a wide-ranging conversation on entrepreneurship, leadership, and personal growth. Dan reflects on his beginnings in door-to-door sales, being among the first to pioneer solar sales, and the bold decision to move his young family to Hawai‘i with no backup plan, an experience that shaped his approach to business and life.

He shares the story of co-founding Zeal, a supplement company that scaled to eight-figure revenues before being acquired, and the valuable lessons learned from both successes and failures along the way. Doug and Dan also explore deeper themes of intuition, faith, and surrender, discussing how to distinguish guidance from impulse, when to persist versus when to pivot, and why saying “no” can be as powerful as saying “yes.”

This is a candid and inspiring conversation for anyone navigating growth in business, leadership, and life.

Timestamps of Key Moments

• 00:00 Intro — why Dan’s a “winner” across sales, family, and health
• 03:10 Early D2D solar & moving the family to Oʻahu (22 suitcases, no Plan B)
• 12:45 From blank pitch to 1,200 rooftops in 10 months
• 18:20 Leaving D2D, corporate lessons, and what didn’t fit
• 24:30 Launching Zeal (ACV caps → 7 figures), the eight-figure exit
• 32:05 Two post-exit misses: hubris, when to quit vs. push through
• 38:40 Outsourcing weaknesses; agencies & global talent
• 44:10 Family as KPI: annual/weekly planning, saying “no”
• 50:15 Surrender ≠ giving up—dropping inner resistance and going all-in

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• IG: @doug_cartwright
• Join the Alchemy Accelerator: HERE https://www.alchemysalescoaching.com/
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Follow Branden:

• IG: @deerdan