Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

Ever dream of selling your business for a life-changing sum or acquiring another company to fast-track your growth? This episode demystifies the intimidating world of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). We're joined by Brad Bostic, an M&A expert who went from a corporate career to launching his own firm, Bostic Advisory, after an unexpected layoff. Brad breaks down the complex process of buying and selling companies into actionable advice for entrepreneurs at any stage. You'll learn what truly drives a business's value, how to prepare for a future sale years in advance, and the critical difference between focusing on revenue versus profitability in today's market. This isn't just for big corporations—it's a masterclass for any founder who wants to build a valuable, sellable asset.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business💰 How to get a higher valuation multiple by making your business more "tech-enabled," even in traditional industries.🤝 The art of buy-side due diligence and why audited financials are your best friend when acquiring a business.🔍 How to find off-market businesses to acquire by networking with accountants, attorneys, and investment bankers.🚀 The sell-side readiness playbook: What you need to start doing NOW if you plan to sell your business in the next 3-5 years.🧠 The key strategic reasons for acquisitions, from buying out competitors to acquiring critical technology and talent.📝 About Brad BosticBrad Bostic is the founder of Bostic Advisory, a firm dedicated to serving founder-owned businesses and private equity portfolio companies with M&A expertise. His journey began in a unique training program at NAPA Auto Parts, where he learned business from the ground up before moving into M&A analysis. After completing his MBA, Brad worked in investment banking, focusing on sell-side M&A for founder-owned businesses. When a layoff suddenly changed his path, he seized the opportunity to launch his own advisory firm, turning his deep experience into a thriving entrepreneurial venture. Brad's unique perspective combines corporate M&A rigor with a genuine understanding of the founder's journey.🎯 Brad’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Every business is going to go through a transition at some point. So if you are not an entrepreneur yet and you want to be or you are, I'd say just be thinking about that and what that looks like, how you want to position yourself and your family."📢 Memorable Quotes“A lot of times people will try and go it alone and that oftentimes doesn't work. You need partners or people that can complement you and complement your strengths and your weaknesses.”“I would say in this cycle that we're in… lending standards are tougher and profitability matters a lot more.”💡 Actionable Takeaways✅ If you ever plan to sell your business, start getting annual audited financials at least three years in advance to build credibility and uncover any hidden issues.✅ Identify your ideal buyer persona (e.g., private equity, strategic competitor, individual) and begin positioning your company's story and metrics to appeal to them.✅ Shift your focus from "growth at all costs" to sustainable profitability, as this is what sophisticated buyers and lenders are prioritizing in the current market.🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Bostic Advisory’s WebsiteConnect with Brad on LinkedInFollow Bostic Advisory on LinkedIn

Are you a successful business owner who feels stuck, overworked, and trapped in the day-to-day operations? This episode is your guide to breaking free. Fractional CEO Justin Wilhelms joins the show to reveal why many entrepreneurs hit a growth plateau and how to shatter it by stepping into the true CEO function. He explains that being a great practitioner isn't enough; you must build scalable systems and lead your people effectively. This episode is packed with value, as Justin introduces the "Working Genius" framework to help you identify the work that energizes you versus the work that drains you, transforming how you delegate, hire, and manage your time. Prepare to ask bigger questions and get the bigger answers your business needs to grow.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessDiscover the six types of work (Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, Tenacity) and identify which two energize you, so you can stop doing tasks that lead to burnout.Learn how to structure your workweek to spend 60% of your time in your genius, 30% in your competency, and less than 10% in your frustrations for maximum energy and productivity.Learn how to stress-test your current processes by asking, "If my business were 100 times bigger, what would break?" This reveals your biggest bottlenecks to scale.Shift your mindset from trying to "fix" your weaknesses to strategically hiring people whose genius lies in the areas that drain you.Understand the power of servant leadership and why knowing how your team members best receive information is more critical than how you deliver it.Find out when and why bringing in a fractional CEO can be the key to getting your business over its first major growth plateau without the cost of a full-time executive.📝 About Justin Wilhelms Justin Wilhelms is a fractional CEO who specializes in helping small business owners break through their first major growth plateau. With a rich background in scaling a business in the water treatment space, Justin saw a common pattern: successful founders becoming the bottleneck to their own growth. He now works with entrepreneurs to build scalable foundational processes, improve efficiency, and develop a culture where everyone operates in their "working genius." Justin’s unique approach is built on asking big questions and empowering owners to transition from being a practitioner in every lane to a true visionary leader of their company.🎯 Justin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "If you know why you do what you do, why your goals are, what they are, why your business exists, it's so much easier to feel proud of the decisions that you make."📢 Memorable Quotes"When you start to look at your frustrations, that's a hiring point." – Justin Wilhelms"When you are serving your people, that's leading, right? You're not telling them what to do. You're not forcing people to do something different. You're literally going, 'where can I help lift you up?'" – Justin Wilhelms"That first plateau is where the owner is still necessary for the business to move forward. And that's not going to be a good long-term plan. You can't carry all that weight as an owner." – Justin Wilhelms🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit JW Innovative Coaching’s WebsiteConnect with Justin on LinkedInFollow JW Innovative Coaching LLC on LinkedIn

Tired of hearing "content is king" but have zero time to create it? This episode is your solution. We sit down with expert ghostwriter and publisher Kristin Clark to demystify the process of turning your expertise into powerful books and articles, even if you hate writing. Kristin reveals how a ghostwriter can authentically capture your unique voice, transform your scattered ideas into a structured masterpiece, and position you as a go-to authority in your field. This isn't just about outsourcing content; it's about delegating the creation process so you can build your brand, attract clients, and create a lasting legacy without staring at a blank page ever again.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to authentically "outsource" your book by finding a ghostwriter who acts as a curator of your ideas, not a creator of their own.🗣️ The secret to capturing your unique voice and personality on paper, ensuring your content sounds exactly like you (or even a more polished version of you).📚 The step-by-step process of turning your expertise into a book, from initial positioning and outlining to the final published product.🤖 Why AI is a useful tool for brainstorming but can't replace the human touch, empathy, and strategic depth of a professional ghostwriter.⏱️ How you can become a published author with as little as 15-25 hours of your own time over the course of a year.🤝 Why you should vet a ghostwriter on a video call to gauge their excitement—if they aren't passionate about your project, they're not the right fit.💰 How to leverage your existing content—like podcast transcripts, client calls, and presentations—to jumpstart the writing process and save massive amounts of time.📝 About Kristin ClarkKristin Clark is a ghostwriter and publisher who helps thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and founders build strong personal brands, boost credibility, and create lasting legacies. She crafts strategic, high-impact content that resonates with ideal audiences and delivers real value. Through her work, Kristin empowers clients to amplify their voices, elevate their expertise, and make a meaningful, long-term impact.🎯 Kristin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Don't feel like you have to go it alone. If you need help with something, there is a resource out there that can help you. Don't be afraid to trust that somebody else can help you get to where you need to go."📢 Memorable Quotes"I think of myself as an advocate for the reader first and foremost. I'm not just interested in producing content for content's sake. I want it to be actionable, I want it to improve people's lives.""If I can get somebody to cry because they're so happy at how it came out, then I'm like, ‘Yeah, good job, Kristin. You nailed it.’""When I stopped struggling so hard and started to trust other people, things exploded. They really did."💡 Actionable Takeaways✅ Stop staring at a blank page. If you want to write a book or article, start by talking out your ideas and recording them. The transcript is your new first draft.✅ Vet potential collaborators on a video call. Pay attention to their body language and energy. You want to work with people who are genuinely excited about your vision.✅ Identify one major task in your business that you are not an expert in and research what it would take to delegate it this month.🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Elite Content Creation’s WebsiteConnect with Kristin on LinkedInFollow Elite Content Creation on LinkedIn

Ever feel like you’re waiting for perfect conditions, overthinking every decision, or blaming things outside your control for your lack of progress? This Solo Sunday might just change everything for you. Today, we’re talking about one of the most important traits for entrepreneurial success — high agency — and why it might be the #1 predictor of whether you succeed or stagnate. I’ll share how high-agency thinking shows up in marketing, sales, operations, and mindset… plus real-life examples that will challenge the way you think about action and ownership in your business.✨ Why This Matters for YouHigh agency is the mindset shift that changes everything:It’s about taking intentional action, not waiting for perfect conditionsIt’s the antidote to helplessness — you see problems as solvable and pull levers others don’t seeIt’s how you turn setbacks, market downturns, or missed deadlines into opportunities for growthIt gives you back control over your business and your results📝 Key TakeawaysAgency = Action. High agency means you act even when you don’t have perfect information — clarity comes from movement, not more planning.Solve > Explain. Low agency people explain why something won’t work. High agency people figure out how to make it work anyway.Create > Wait. You don’t wait for perfect timing, dream clients, or opportunities — you create them.Own Outcomes. You take responsibility even for things outside your control and ask, “How is this on me?”Act Fast. Your business grows at the speed of your decisions, not your resources.🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, do a quick high-agency audit:Where are you waiting for permission or perfect conditions instead of just starting?Where are you blaming things you could influence (the market, the algorithm, your team)?What’s one imperfect action you can take today to create momentum — even if you don’t have the whole roadmap yet?🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episodeConnect with me on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to stop waiting and start creating their own momentum📣 Special Thanks and Shout Out to a Brilliant Creator!Thanks to Ethan Welby for sharing his knowledge that we passed on to you within this episode. Ethan is a brilliant entrepreneur and creator, and we highly recommend you check out his content on LinkedIn and on YouTube. His post about being high agency very much inspired this episode!

Tired of the endless hype around AI and ready for a real strategy? This episode cuts through the noise with Brittney Hannah, an AI strategist with a "storytelling soul." She reveals why most AI training programs fail and how true adoption isn't about the flashiest tools, but about building confidence within your team. For wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, this episode is a masterclass in how to move from simply talking about AI to strategically integrating it into your business. Brittney shares her framework for creating AI literacy, crafting a go-to-market strategy that resonates emotionally, and using AI to become a better, more effective leader.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to create your own 90-day "learning agenda" to become fluent in AI without being a tech expert.🧠 Why your go-to-market strategy for any product (especially AI) must focus on the "feeling" and cultural shift, not just the features.🛠️ Practical use cases for tools like custom GPTs and Gamma that save time on operations and let you focus on high-level strategy.🤝 The secret to getting buy-in and driving AI adoption, whether you have a team of 2 or 200.💼 How to identify tasks in your own workflow that can be augmented by AI, freeing you up for more strategic, human-centered work.📈 Why task displacement (not job replacement) is the real AI transition, and how to position yourself and your team for the future.🗣️ The art of translating technical complexity into clear, confident messaging that resonates with customers and stakeholders.📝 About Brittney HannahBrittney Hannah is the Founder and Principal of The Sainth, a boutique strategy studio helping organizations scale AI through literacy programs and go-to-market strategy. She works with enterprise teams, founders, and creatives to upskill workforces, clarify AI capabilities, and embed trust in adoption. By combining narrative strategy with implementation planning, Brittney supports the shift from isolated innovation to integrated transformation.🎯 Brittney’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and EntrepreneursDon't just give people tools; build their confidence and frame your product's narrative around what it helps them become. Your go-to-market strategy, especially in AI, should focus on translating complexity into confidence.📢 Memorable Quotes"The future of AI adoption won't be driven by the flashiest AI tools. It'll be driven by how confident your team feels using them.""If you're marketing with AI... swap your features for feelings. Show people the outcome they get with you, not just the model that powers it.""Don't just toss people the tools and expect transformation."💡 Actionable Takeaways✅ Create a personal "AI Learning Agenda." Map out what you need to read, what tools to experiment with (like ChatGPT and Gamma), and what questions to ask to upskill yourself in the next 90 days.✅ Build your own custom GPT. Train it on your business documents, past content, and mission to create a personalized "thinking partner" to help you sharpen messaging and stress-test ideas.✅ Re-evaluate your marketing message. Are you selling features or feelings? Reframe your pitch to focus on the transformation or outcome your customer experiences.✅ Identify 3-5 repetitive, low-risk tasks in your daily workflow. Start experimenting with how AI can augment or automate them to free up your time for higher-value activities.🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit The Sainth’s WebsiteConnect with Brittney on LinkedInFollow The Sainth on LinkedIn

Tired of the corporate grind and bureaucratic creep? Michael Glatts, a self-proclaimed "corporate survivor," joins the show to reveal how he transformed decades of corporate experience and a passion for improv comedy into a thriving business that re-energizes teams. He shares the power of being a "quietly rebellious" leader and how a 90-minute "Quirkshop" can serve as the pattern interrupt your business needs to unlock innovation. This episode is a must-listen for any entrepreneur feeling stuck in a rut, struggling with team engagement, or looking to inject more creativity and fulfilling fun into their work.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to use improv principles to foster incredible team collaboration and creativity, even in a virtual environment.Why "design thinking" is the secret to obsessing over your customers' true unmet needs and building a business that lasts.How to embrace your "quietly rebellious" nature to fight stagnation and bureaucratic creep in your own company.Simple strategies to re-energize a tired team and bring the entrepreneurial spark back to your organization.How to redefine "fun" at work by focusing on empowerment, meaningful contributions, and celebrating shared success.The power of empathy and honest feedback in building unbreakable team trust and camaraderie.📝 About Michael GlattsMichael Glatts is a corporate survivor turned creative instigator and the founder of 901 Innovation. After a long and successful career at a large pharmaceutical company, he launched his second career to help leaders and teams get more fulfillment out of their work. Michael blends his deep corporate knowledge with decades of experience as an improv comedian to host highly engaging "Quirkshops." His unique perspective makes him an expert at helping quietly rebellious leaders shake things up, foster innovation, and build energized, creative teams.🎯 Michael’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Own your career."📢 Memorable Quotes“When you go home at night, are you telling your family about the cool things you just did at work or are you bitching about what happened at work today?”“If you're a voice that's not being heard and you're just hitting the tasks that are required of you, that's not fun.”“Everybody thinks [in improv] you're focused on what you're going to say when the reality is if you're listening, you're going to nail it.”💡 Actionable Takeaways✅ Own your career: Take 15 minutes this week to define how you want your work to fit into your life, beyond just your next promotion.✅ Practice active listening: In your next team meeting, focus entirely on what others are saying instead of just planning your response.✅ Seek real feedback: Instead of a generic survey, have a real conversation about your team's pain points and unmet needs.✅ Redefine fun: Celebrate how each team member's specific contributions lead to the company's bigger goals.🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit 901 Innovation’s WebsiteConnect with Michael on LinkedInFollow 901 Innovation on LinkedIn

In today's episode we sit down with Jake Hartman, an astrophysicist-turned-entrepreneur who transformed his personal struggle with depression into a powerful tech solution. Jake shares his incredible journey from studying neutron stars at MIT and working at Google to building q.buzz, an app designed for longitudinal surveys—or, in simple terms, tracking things over time to see real patterns and progress. This episode is a masterclass in how to turn a personal problem into a scalable business idea. You’ll learn how the same principles used to analyze galaxies can be applied to understand your own habits, improve your mental health, and even track your business's success. Jake’s story is proof that your most unique experiences are your greatest entrepreneurial assets.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to turn a deeply personal problem into a viable, scalable business solution.Why the principles of time-domain analysis (tracking change over time) are a secret weapon for personal and professional growth.A guerrilla go-to-market strategy using niche online communities like Reddit to find your first users.How to leverage AI not just for your business, but to give your customers a personalized, private coaching experience.The power of "chunking" your workdays to maximize productivity and avoid burnout as a solo founder.Why you don’t need a perfect business plan to start building; sometimes, you just need to start coding.A founder's perspective on product roadmaps, iteration, and knowing when to pivot from tinkering to strategic planning.📝 About Jake HartmanJake Hartman is the founder of q.buzz and a former astrophysicist with a Ph.D. from MIT. His impressive career includes stints at IBM Research, the Naval Research Lab, and Google, where he worked on complex data analysis and software engineering projects. Driven by a desire to apply his analytical skills to a more personal domain, Jake created q.buzz after using data tracking to overcome his own battle with depression. His unique background in analyzing how things change over time—from spinning pulsars to user behavior on Google Drive—gives him a powerful and distinct perspective on building tools for personal development and accountability.🎯 Jake’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Persistence is the most important ingredient. It’s not about finding a minimum viable product and becoming an overnight success; it’s about substantial iteration, listening, and grinding. Be willing to do the work and be organized about it, and the work will get done—it’s almost magical."📢 Memorable Quotes"I did not sit down and say, I want to make a business. I sat down and I started writing code and eventually I had enough code that I thought, wait a second, this could be a business.""Here's a chance to actually be able to use AI for yourself in a way that analyzes your life like these tech companies are doing, but in a way that is totally private and totally personal just to you."💡 Actionable TakeawaysIdentify a recurring problem or question in your own life. Start tracking data around it—even simple notes—to see what patterns you can uncover.Think about how tracking progress over time could benefit your customers. Could you build a "longitudinal" feature into your own product or service?🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit q.buzz’ WebsiteConnect with Jake on LinkedInFollow q.buzz on LinkedInJoin q.buzz on Reddit

In a truly unique conversation, we sit down with Arville Persons, a multidisciplinary artist who bridges the worlds of tattooing and death doula work. Arville shares her profound perspective on entrepreneurship as a spiritual journey, revealing how embracing impermanence, questioning her identity, and dissolving her ego led to a complete and powerful business rebrand. This episode is invaluable for any entrepreneur feeling stuck or misaligned, as Arville provides a masterclass in trusting your intuition, creating without fear, and finding freedom by letting go of societal expectations. Prepare to challenge everything you think you know about permanence, success, and building a business that is deeply connected to your truth.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to recognize when your business identity no longer serves you and navigate a powerful rebrand.Why outsourcing key decisions to get others’ opinions can sabotage your vision and how to trust your own intuition instead.How to use "radical vulnerability" online to strengthen your business's core message and attract a loyal community.The "Creation Portal" concept: Why stepping into the unknown is essential for building something truly new, rather than recreating the past.How to dismantle the "9-to-5 brainwashing" and design a work life that is fluid, unstructured, and perfectly aligned with your natural energy.📝 About Arville Persons Arville Persons is the creative force behind Cosmos Body Altar, a multidisciplinary artist, author, and death doula. With nearly a decade of experience as a tattoo artist, she views her work as a sacred collaboration, transforming her clients' stories into powerful art. Arville’s unique journey, including her work as a death doula, gives her a profound perspective on identity, impermanence, and the spiritual side of entrepreneurship. She is a master at navigating change and building a business that flows from a place of deep intuition and personal truth.🎯 Arville’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Don't be afraid to fall. You know, when we fall, we're falling forward. You want to live life like you know you're going to die, and just do it. Follow your joy. Follow your heart. Our mind is a tool for our heart. So let your heart lead."📢 Memorable Quotes"This is what it is to be an entrepreneur. It's to start many businesses and to not be scared of the change that comes in the process of having a business. I mean, it's a very spiritual experience to be an entrepreneur.""When you're falling into the unknown, you are in pure creation energy. But pure creation energy can't be built from what we know, because what we know is built of the past.""If I am not aligned with what I'm doing, I need to shift it because I'm not guaranteed tomorrow. And even if I was guaranteed tomorrow, why would I wait?"💡 Actionable TakeawaysCreate an environment to block out external noise. Whether it's a private office or dedicated time for deep work, build a space where you can connect with your intuition without outside opinions.Question one "rule" you follow in your business. Ask yourself, "Why am I doing this? Is it because I was told to, or because it truly serves me and my business?"🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Cosmos Body Altar’s WebsiteConnect with Arville on LinkedInFollow Cosmos Body Altar on InstagramFollow Cosmos Body Altar on YouTube

Anissa Bouderraoui, a multilingual mom of three and former CFO, shares her journey of transforming a personal passion into LingoCircle, a cutting-edge bilingual education platform. She reveals how she combines live, human-led classes with personalized AI-powered games to create an engaging learning experience for children. This episode is a masterclass for entrepreneurs on how to execute a big idea step-by-step, build a mission-driven company, and strategically navigate both B2C and B2B markets. Tune in to learn how Anissa leverages her unique founder-market fit to build a business that is not only successful but is also making a positive impact on the next generation.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to leverage your personal experience to build a highly relatable and marketable brand that customers instantly trust.A step-by-step framework for turning a big idea into an executable plan using simple project management tools (like a Gantt chart) to stay on track.The strategic advantage of a hybrid B2B and B2C model to build credibility, open new revenue streams, and scale faster.How to effectively balance cutting-edge tech (like AI) with the irreplaceable human element to create a premium product that stands out.Why you must be “married to the problem, not the product” to ensure you’re building something the market actually needs.Practical advice on starting your business as a side hustle without quitting your day job too soon.How to use your core mission as a compass for major strategic decisions, from marketing to product development.📝 About Anissa Bouderraoui Anissa Bouderraoui is the Founder and CEO of LingoCircle, a bilingual education platform that combines live group classes with AI-powered games. Transitioning from a successful career as a CFO, Anissa launched LingoCircle out of a personal need to raise her own three children bilingually in the U.S. Her unique perspective as both a parent and a business leader has allowed her to build a platform that is not only educationally effective but also deeply understands the needs of modern families. Anissa is a powerful example of a founder who turned a personal passion into a scalable, mission-driven tech company.🎯 Anissa’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs “Just get started, but don't quit your job. You have to be married to the problem you're solving, not the product.”📢 Memorable Quotes “There's no formula. There's just learning from your mistakes or maybe surrounding yourself with people that have already been there so that they can tell you the mistakes you shouldn't be making.” – Anissa Bouderraoui“As an entrepreneur, really that's your main important, key skill that you have to have is really being able to sell your product yourself.” – Anissa Bouderraoui“You have to be married to the problem you're solving... Don't spend too much money building something. Try to figure out if you're solving a real problem.” – Anissa Bouderraoui🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit LingoCircle’s WebsiteConnect with Anissa on LinkedInFollow LingoCircle on LinkedInFollow Anissa on InstagramFollow Anissa on TikTok

In this episode, we dive deep into the art and science of sustainable business growth with Cody Gillund, the founder of Grounded Growth Studio. Cody breaks down why so many entrepreneurs get stuck in a cycle of random tactics and explains how to build a powerful marketing engine by starting with strategy first. She reveals that things like brand and messaging aren't just "nice-to-haves" you can focus on later—they are the essential foundation for attracting the right customers and driving meaningful traction. For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur tired of throwing money at marketing with little to show for it, Cody provides a clear, actionable roadmap for aligning your strategy with execution to build a business that lasts.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessWhy "growth marketing" is more than just a buzzword and how to leverage its core principles for rapid scaling.The crucial difference between strategy and tactics, and why starting with tactics is a recipe for failure.How to develop a powerful brand and messaging strategy that resonates deeply with your ideal customer.A framework for choosing the right marketing channels instead of just jumping on every trend.How to leverage AI as a powerful "intern" to boost productivity and creativity without sacrificing authenticity.The key metrics to track at the beginning of your marketing journey versus when your campaigns are mature.How to create project-based service packages that solve specific, high-value problems for your clients.📝 About Cody Gillund Cody Gillund is the founder of Grounded Growth Studio, a marketing consultancy that helps tech founders and growth-stage teams align strategy with execution to drive meaningful traction. With nearly 20 years of experience leading marketing for high-growth startups and global brands, she excels at turning complex go-to-market challenges into clear, actionable plans. Cody is passionate about bridging the gap between marketing and leadership to help companies build smart, sustainable growth.🎯 Cody’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Go for it. Don't be afraid to do something scary. Don't be afraid to make a mistake. You know, be brave and get out there and try new things."📢 Memorable Quotes “Brand isn't optional. A lot of the coming up of performance marketing and some of the more scientific marketing skill sets have sometimes pushed brand marketing to the wayside a bit. And I do think some founders sometimes think, okay, well I'll focus on brand later.”“I think of AI… as sort of my intern. So I've trained my own AI tools to work for me… it always needs to be checked… it's not fail safe, but it can help in so many ways and it can help you be smarter.” “I think sometimes the fear of being perfect can keep you from doing anything at all. Right. And so that hinders growth in itself.”💡 Actionable TakeawaysStart tracking "early indicator" metrics like organic traffic, site engagement, and social media resonance to see if your message is being heard.Experiment with using an AI tool as a brainstorming partner. Ask it for headline variations or to outline tasks for a project, then add your own expertise and voice.🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Grounded Growth Studio’s WebsiteConnect with Cody on LinkedInFollow Grounded Growth Studio on LinkedInFollow Grounded Growth Studio on Instagram