#431: Turning Crisis into a Scalable ESOP with Heather Braimbridge-Cox and Bill Mills

Many business owners dream of building a company that thrives without them, but few understand what it takes to make that a reality—especially when facing a leadership crisis. In this episode, I sit down with Heather Braimbridge-Cox, CEO of Windings, and Bill Mills, founder of The Leadership Process™, to break down how to transform a struggling culture, develop high-performing teams, and turn an ESOP into a thriving, scalable business. 

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Heather shares her journey from private equity executive to leading a 100% employee-owned company through a complete turnaround—one that took engagement scores from crisis mode to elite levels, increased productivity to 99.8%, and turned a struggling manufacturing business into a cash-generating machine that now acquires other companies. Bill walks us through the leadership and execution gaps that trap so many business owners and how to build a culture where people take ownership of results. 

If you're struggling to get your team fully aligned, wondering how to scale leadership beyond yourself, or considering how employee ownership (ESOPs) can create long-term value, this episode is packed with insights you can apply immediately. 
 
Heather Braimbridge-Cox is the CEO of Windings, Inc., a 100% employee-owned precision manufacturing company. After years in private equity, she transitioned to leading an ESOP and discovered a powerful, people-driven approach to building long-term enterprise value. Under her leadership, Windings transformed from a struggling business to an industry leader, growing revenue, tripling profitability, and making strategic acquisitions. She’s passionate about financial transparency, employee ownership, and creating businesses that thrive beyond any single leader.  

Bill Mills is the founder of The Leadership Process™, a system designed to eliminate execution gaps and create high-performing teams. With decades of experience coaching CEOs and leadership teams, he specializes in removing friction, increasing accountability, and building cultures that drive results. His approach has helped companies scale, reduce turnover, and create a leadership pipeline that sustains growth. 

Chapters:  

• (00:00) Introduction of Heather Braimbridge-Cox and recap of achievements 

• (02:38) Heather's background in private equity and operations 

• (05:08) Personal journey from Jamaica to Windings CEO 

• (11:48) Taking over leadership of a struggling ESOP company in 2015, electric motors and unhappy customers  

• (18:15) Ferrari, Formula One, customer service breakdown and cultural misalignment examples 

• (22:30) Re-education on financials and transparent business communication 

• (30:35) Identifying the need for social strategy alongside growth 

• (40:07) Addressing organizational drama and employee interference issues 

• (48:53) Implementation of cross-functional teams and engagement process 

• (59:02) Leadership evolution and developing patience and empathy during transformation 

• (01:07:41) The 3-15 tool and replacing annual reviews system 

• (01:12:24) Measurable results: productivity increase and acquisition growth 

• Rate, comment and share with the owner/operators you know! 

Ryan Tansom is a seasoned entrepreneur, speaker, and the founder of Independence by Design™, a transformative ownership framework for growth-oriented business owners. After turning around and selling his family business in an eight-figure exit, Ryan spent over a decade dissecting the lessons learned from his journey. His mission is to help other business owners avoid the pitfalls he encountered by providing them with the tools and knowledge to align their business operations with their personal and financial goals. 

 

With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by owner-operators, Ryan developed Independence by Design™ to empower owner-operators to create sustainable cash flow, grow their company’s equity value, and achieve true independence. He has shared his insights on hundreds of stages, including Vistage, EO, and industry associations, and has reached over 500,000 listeners through his podcast. 

Ryan is passionate about helping business owners get unstuck from the day-to-day grind and design a business that serves their life, not the other way around. 

Resources: 
Heather Braimbridge-Cox LinkedIn 
Windings Inc. 
Bill Mills LinkedIn 
The Leadership Process™ TheLeadershipProcess.com 
ESOP Case Studies & Resources NCEO.org 
#420: Closing the Execution Gap: Systematize Your Culture & Step Back with Confidence 
Independence by Design™ Workshop: https://ryantansom.com/independence-by-design-workshop  
Independence by Design™ Ownership Coaching: Ryan Tansom’s Ownership Accelerator programs and coaching https://ryantansom.com/coaching 
Ryan Tansom Website https://ryantansom.com/ 
Ryan Tansom LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryantansom/ 
Ryan Tansom Twitter https://twitter.com/RyanTansom 
Ryan Tansom YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ryantansom 
Ryan Tansom 30-Minute Ownership Strategy Call https://calendar.app.google/tsKk7z6ohugDchWq8 

 
Sound Bites 

“If you don’t give people the tools to perform, you’ll spend your life cleaning up their messes.” – Bill Mills 

“Ownership isn’t just a structure—it’s a mindset. Our employees don’t just work here. They own the outcomes.” – Heather Braimbridge-Cox 

“The numbers tell the truth, but the team has to make the numbers happen.” – Ryan Tansom 

“The key to sustainable success is removing drama, confusion, and misalignment so the team can focus on delivering value.” – Bill Mills