Evaluating hires as investments, not expenses

In this episode, Erik and Adam unpack one of the most misunderstood levers in business: the speed of learning. Adam explains why the brands that win are the ones that learn fastest — not the ones with the biggest budgets — and why "failure" is the wrong word entirely. They dive into growth mindset vs. fixed mindset leadership, how to evaluate people you work with, how leaders accidentally kill innovation, and how to build teams that tell you the truth. They also touch on personal stories around kids, parenting, praise, and competitive sports (including Adam's controversial crossover into pickleball 😆). Whether you're a founder, franchisee, or emerging leader, this episode gives you frameworks you can use immediately to make better decisions, reduce risk, and grow faster.

What You'll Learn:

-Why speed and agility are the true competitive advantages today

-How validated learning beats traditional "failure" thinking

-Signs of fixed mindset leadership (and how to avoid it)

-How Adam evaluates founders before coaching them

-Why ego slows growth and how to build a truth-telling culture

-Parenting parallels that create future leaders

-The connection between flow state, performance, and openness

-How to reframe team conflict using curiosity instead of defensiveness

Who This Episode Is For:

Franchise founders, CEOs, franchisees, operators, multi-brand builders, investors, and anyone who wants to grow faster with fewer mistakes.

Timestamps:

00:00 Why speed and agility are the ultimate competitive advantage

01:53 Consumer brands, noise, and how customers choose today

03:29 Distribution is no longer a moat; brand is everything

04:31 How elite leaders think about resource allocation

06:14 Adding people: expense vs. investment

07:05 "Fail in a week, not in three months" — and why

09:11 Growth mindset vs. fixed mindset — definitions that matter

12:30 How Adam tests whether a founder has a growth mindset

16:54 Parenting parallels: praise the effort, not the outcome

28:50 How fixed-minded leaders react vs. growth-minded leaders

Connect with Erik Van Horn:

🌐 Website - https://franchisesecrets.com/

📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/erikvanhorn/

👍 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/erik.v.horn/

💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanhorn/

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#Growth #Leadership #Franchising