1130. From Drowning CEO to Visionary Leader: How John Briggs Scaled His Business with Faith, Family & Strategy

What does it really take to scale a business from 7 to 8 figures – without sacrificing your family, faith, or sanity?

In today’s powerful case study, Kelly sits down with longtime Legacy Leaders client, John Briggs, founder of a tax and accounting firm with over 250 team members. 

John opens up about his journey from overwhelmed entrepreneur to visionary CEO, how he grew his firm from $2.7M to $30M+, and how he used a combination of mindset shifts, strategic hiring, and unwavering values to build a thriving team-led company.

This episode is a masterclass in legacy-driven leadership for anyone who’s tired of being the bottleneck and ready to rise.

 

 

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why John was “drowning” at $2.7M—and the moment he knew something had to change

• The single tool that changed everything (hint: it’s not flashy, but it’s foundational)

• How John built a 250-person firm without becoming the golden handcuff boss

• The power of letting go of control (without losing your vision)

• Why every core hire might take 3-5 tries—and why that’s normal, not failure

• How John shifted from technician to leader and built a faith-and-family-first empire

• The importance of locking into your own vision—not the industry’s default model

• How Legacy Leaders helped John move from fire-fighting to long-term focus

 

 

Timestamps:

02:30 - From private practice to 250+ team members 05:45 - The breaking point: working with a business psychologist 08:15 - Why success means nothing if you fail at home 11:20 - Drowning at $2.7M and not seeing a path forward 13:10 - Discovering the power of the 10x org chart 16:40 - Learning to trust others and delegate with confidence 20:55 - Letting go of guilt around failed hires 23:50 - Why most entrepreneurs quit right before the breakthrough 26:30 - Reframing success: It’s not about ease, it’s about capacity 29:00 - Advice for entrepreneurs at every level: it all starts with vision

Resources:

• Grab your copy of Bigger Than You by Kelly Roach: https://www.audible.com/pd/Bigger-Than-You-Audiobook/B0DMR2FB2P 

• Learn more about the Legacy Leaders program: https://programs.thebusinessadvisory.com/legacy-leaders?_gl=1*1o3f0tm*_gcl_au*NjYwNDg2ODM2LjE3NDYyMjUwNjQ.*_ga*MTM5MTU4NDUwNC4xNzQ2MjI1MDY0*_ga_KXQNP3E7NJ*czE3NDYyMjUwNjQkbzEkZzAkdDE3NDYyMjUwNjUkajAkbDAkaDA 

• Connect with John Briggs and learn about his 3x3 Method: incitetax.com

• Apply for a Power Hour with Kelly — Get clarity, strategy, and results in just one high-impact session https://thekellyroach.com/power-hour 

• Apply for a Power Hour with Kelly’s team: https://programs.thebusinessadvisory.com/powerhour 

• SUBSCRIBE TO THE KAIROS NEWSLETTER: Faith leadership strategies to bulletproof your business and life that are delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. https://thekellyroach.com/kairosnewsletterorganic

• Follow Kelly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyroachofficial/

• Follow Kelly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.roach.520/ 

The Kelly Roach Show is your business podcast that gives you quick, actionable trainings for business growth, sales growth, and leadership. Kelly teaches about the entrepreneurial mindset and how to leverage building an unstoppable team with high performance strategies for rapid and sustainable business growth.