The Root of All Success with The Real Jason Duncan
The Real Jason Duncan
Welcome to The Root of All Success with The Real Jason Duncan—a podcast where I uncover the real stories behind today's most successful entrepreneurs, creatives, athletes, artists, and leaders. In every episode, I dive deep into honest, unfiltered conversations that reveal how these trailblazers define success, overcome challenges, and craft transformative strategies to excel in their industries. I'm not just your host—I'm an entrepreneur behind 12 thriving ventures and the founder of The Exiter Club, a mastermind community dedicated to living #TheExitLifestyle. I built XOS™ (The Exiter Operating System) to empower business owners to transition from the daily grind to becoming strategic owner-investors, creating a life that blends professional achievement with personal fulfillment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, my journey—from an 8th-grade history teacher to a serial entrepreneur—has been fueled by a passion for authentic success. Outside of my business interests, you'll find me enjoying motorcycle rides, RV adventures, and cherishing everyday moments with my high school sweetheart of 30 years and our two grown children. My life, both personal and professional, is guided by unwavering faith in Jesus. Tune in on all major podcast platforms and YouTube for actionable insights, fresh perspectives, and inspirational stories that can spark your own journey toward balanced success. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed or burnt out in your business, visit businessburnouttest.com to take our Business Burnout Test and get personalized recommendations to reignite your passion and transform your life.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 8, 2021 • 1h 6min
018: The Daily Job of an Entrepreneur: Inspiring Others by Doing What They Won’t with Ali Hemyari
Ali Hemyari is a great example of someone who understands the importance of continuous preparation. As a graduate of Hume Fogg Academic Magnet, he also attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a major in marketing and finance. Ali is the CEO of Nashville K-9, a highly successful dog training company, and also a fully commissioned law enforcement officer and K-9 unit director. On top of being an entrepreneur, father, and husband, Ali Hemyari is also a Make-A-Wish Board Member and multi-event tri-athlete competing in several triathlons across the south east. When he's not running his multiple companies, He's an avid aviator, flying helicopters, airplanes, and jets. Ali has learned a lot from his life and is always eager to mentor others through their journey. Watch now and learn what tools have helped Ari the most, and the secrets to maintaining a self-sustaining business. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 24, 2021 • 53min
017: Seeing the Bigger Picture: What Every Business Needs with Steve Catalano
Steve Catalano's story of success is truly unique, and can be especially inspiring to those who are facing hardships. From starting out as the overnight baker for his family’s Mr. Donut restaurant, to becoming a recognized and established franchisee and managing partner of Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins, Steve Catalano has paved the way for his success through preparation, passion, and endurance. He now owns and operates 42 restaurants, 2 central manufacturing locations, and employs nearly a thousand people. While Steve admits that not everything is easy, he was able to learn from his many years of experience as an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and food service operations expert. In this episode, you will learn some valuable skills that Steve has picked up in order to get to where he is today. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 17, 2021 • 1h
016: Creating the Right Place and Time: How Embracing the Future Can Lead You to Success with Randy Smith
Randy Smith, the chairman and co-founder of STR, is living proof that any plan can be executed with enough passion, endurance, and awareness of the world outside around you. Having started with only a couple of pre-internet desktop computers in 1985, Smith, and his late wife, Carolyn, founded STR as a two-person, U.S. hotel census company which now employs 350 people in 15 countries. Smith is a member and past co-chairman of IREFAC as well as a former vice-chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation Funding Committee. He is a charter member of ISHC and a former member of its board of directors. In October 2019, Mr. Smith sold STR for $450 million and retired soon afterwards. He still manages three highly successful businesses, and credits his success to numerous skills he learned during his journey. Listen now to learn what he believes are the most essential. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 10, 2021 • 58min
015: Business Growth Expert Can Take You from Zero to Profit with Bryan Clayton of GreenPal
From one of the largest landscaping companies in the state of Tennessee growing over 10 million dollars in revenue, my guest today has an eye for growing and scaling. Bryan Clayton is the co-founder of a company called GreenPal, an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. GreenPal has over 100,000 customers and Entrepreneur Magazine calls his company the Uber of lawn care. He shares his family-style business practices, how to get out of the self-employed paradigm, and more!https://www.yourgreenpal.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 3, 2021 • 1h
014: Executing Plans by Finding Your Weakness and the Secret to Networking with Nathan Ruff
Nathan Ruff is one the most determined entrepreneurs on the show, despite being the youngest.Having started his own business at the age of 12, and has since launched four profitablebusinesses across the country. Nathan is currently the president of the design developmentagency OneNine, the CEO of the venture backed power solutions company Rabbit, as well asthe host of his podcast The Rabbit. Nathan has gained a lot of insight from his success that hebelieves will take anybody to the next step. Hear Nathan tell his story of success and what skillshe deployed in order to get where he is today. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 27, 2021 • 52min
013: Letting Go to Grow: How Recreating Can Lead You to the Right Place with Gigi Butler
Gigi Butler is the founder of Gigi’s Cupcakes, which is now the largest cupcake franchise in the world. However, it was not an easy start. At the age of 15, she started her first business, Gigi Cleaning Company, while at the same time trying to make it as a singer/songwriter. After facing some trials and tribulations in the entertainment industry, Gigi realized she had a strong passion for cooking, and decided to start her own cupcake business from scratch. However, being in the middle of 2008, various banks turned her down and even laughed in her face when asking for loans. It was at this moment when Gigi took a leap of faith and leveraged several personal credit cards to fund the first Gigi’s Cupcakes store in Nashville. Now with over 50 locations in 21 states, Gigi's Cupcakes serves as a powerful story to anyone with a passion who has ever faced hardships in their journey. In this episode you will get to hear the full ‘rags-to-riches’ story as well as some inside knowledge that has never been shared by Gigi before. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 20, 2021 • 1h 5min
012: The Secret Behind Managing Your Career, Others, and Yourself with Michael Hinderliter
Starting at the age of 12, Michael Hinderliter would work every summer for his father, Robert Hinderliter, now president of Delux Cleaning Supply of Fort Worth. While Michael started with fixing and building pressure washers, by the time he was a senior in high school, he had started his own power washing business called Steamaway Mobile Power Wash. He did so well in the business that he used the revenue from Steamaway to pay for college, living expenses, and his first home and vehicles.Michael Hinderliter learned quickly that to grow your company, you must learn to manage yourself as well as others. In 2010, Michael purchased RAHSCO Cleaning Systems from Robert Hinderliter, and changed its name to Delux Cleaning Supply, which now specializes in providing topoftheline pressure washers and parts, cleaning chemicals, training, and consulting services. In this episode, you will learn what decisions you can make and what skills you should possess in order to inspire growth, success, and financial freedom. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 13, 2021 • 53min
011: Financial Freedom and The Importance of Relationships: The Softer Side of Success with Rod Lunn
From giving tennis lessons at the age of 13 to retiring at 38, Rod Lunn may be one of the most unique guests to ever be on the show. As a young teenager, Rod Lunn utilized his knowledge in tennis and gave lessons at the YMCA. By the age of 17, he was done coaching and started to manage tennis matches at other country clubs. He later found great success during his college years as a musician and was even signed by Sony, but quickly learned he wanted more in life. In this episode, you will hear his journey and learn how he gained financial freedom by working hard, treating others with respect, and being an active listener. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 6, 2021 • 1h
010: The Journey of Growth: Discovering The Power of Passion and Defining Personal Success with Amani Kelly
Amani M. Kelly is the perfect example of how the Five P's can be used to grow from working retail to being a successful entrepreneur. After moving to Massachusetts at a young age, Amani Kelly found his way to Newbury Junior College in Brookline and was a walk-on to the Varsity Basketball Team. Unfortunately, in order to help raise his newborn daughter, he had to drop out of school at the age of 19. As he went from selling shoes at Payless to landing a professional role selling yellow pages door to door, he picked up the importance of making connections, learning from mistakes, and the keys to personal and professional growth. With these skills, he landed a position with Forrester Research for over 12 years, before transitioning into management, eventually earning his way to a high-level position at P&L while managing over $50mm in revenue. Amani then took it upon himself to finish his Bachelor's degree, and also complete a full year at Harvard University while maintaining a full-time job and being a dad. This has led him to become a successful board-member, owner, partner, advisor, author, and co-founder. Listen to his story to find out exactly what he did to gain success, and how you can learn from his past.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 29, 2021 • 1h 10min
009: You Are One Mindset Shift from Changing Your Life with Dr. Justin Moseley
From a successful chiropractic clinic to becoming The Mindset Doctor, Dr. Justin Moseley shares how a near death experience changed his life and made him question, "Why am I still here?" Now, Dr. Justin has helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs break through their barriers. He is one of the most sought-after Mindset Transformation & High-Performance coaches and in the 5% top earners of his industry. Listen to his conversation with Jason Duncan to hear the tools he uses to reach success and his tips for reading 100 books each year.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://therealjasonduncan.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
