193: Billion-Dollar Founder Shares His Secret Weapon From the Swiss Army – 8FE

What could a Swiss Army officer possibly teach you about building and selling companies worth hundreds of millions? Turns out – everything.

Today’s guest, Sam Goodner, took the discipline and precision he learned in the Swiss Army and applied it to entrepreneurship. 

He founded Catapult Systems, scaled it through two major recessions, and eventually sold it after 20 years. Later, he helped take Flash Parking from a stuck $3M startup to $100M in revenue and a billion-dollar valuation.

Now a mentor at Capital Factory and author of Like Clockwork: Run Your Business with Swiss Army Precision, Sam distills 30 years of lessons into practical principles that help entrepreneurs scale businesses that thrive without them.

In this episode, Sam shares why scaling always begins with a sales playbook, how “cloud conversion therapy” won over 100% of skeptical customers, and why annual contingency planning can make your company recession-proof. He also breaks down what it really takes to prepare for a sale years in advance and how unforgettable first-day employee experiences can shape culture for decades.

If you’re ready to scale with Swiss Army precision and build a company that runs without you, tune in now.

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This episode is part of the 8FE (8-figure entrepreneur) series, where we talk to entrepreneurs who have already passed the million-dollar mark.

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Key Takeaways:

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:02:03 Running a business like clockwork in practice

• 00:17:00 Curated client experiences turned skeptics into loyal customers

• 00:25:33 Starting Catapult Systems

• 00:28:54 Recession-proofing strategies

• 00:33:49 Separate teams allow multiple ventures under one umbrella

• 00:38:54 Selling businesses: Define your number and prepare years before exit

• 00:43:07 Strong EBITDA and audited records maximize company valuation

• 00:48:17 Choosing investment bankers

• 00:53:45 “Like Clockwork: Run Your Business With Swiss Army Precision”

• 00:59:54 First-day experiences build culture and long-term loyalty

• 01:01:35 Advice to young entrepreneurs

• 01:05:09 Wrapup

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Additional Resources:

🔹 Sam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samgoodner

🔹 Sam on X: https://x.com/goodner 

🔹 Sam’s book: https://samgoodner.com/

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Beyond A Million is a business podcast that reveals the scaling secrets of 8, 9, and 10-figure entrepreneurs. Every week, we share an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the best business growth strategies that work. 

If you're an entrepreneur or business professional who's looking to level up & continue to scale far beyond the million-dollar mark, this podcast is for YOU!

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