Ben shares how he and his wife acquired a gritty, industrial business and scaled it rapidly through operational excellence, customer responsiveness, and eventually, strategic marketing support from Chief Outsiders.

From building cheese brine tanks to overcoming a growth plateau, this is a candid look at entrepreneurial grit, risk-taking, and building the foundation for scalable success.

Join us for our next CEO Growth Talks episode where Mike joins host Pete Hayes to unpack the strategy behind his company's explosive scaling journey.

What You'll Learn:

✅ The Mid-Level Burnout: Why the intermediary layer between the C-suite and individual contributors is the most common place for failure and burnout.

✅ The "How" is the Gap: The danger of promoting great engineers or managers without training them in the soft skills necessary for senior leadership (e.g., managing stakeholders, giving feedback, and delegation).

✅ The I Know System (Assess, Act, Achieve): Loretta's proven methodology for building self-awareness, identifying blind spots, and creating an intentional plan for development.

✅ The Power of Systemic Coaching: How to improve organizational effectiveness by helping peers and cross-functional teams communicate better and manage their collective capacity.

✅ Avoiding the Wait-and-See Trap: Why many leaders wait too long before investing in coaching, often missing the opportunity to course-correct before a talented individual fails.

This conversation provides actionable insights for any CEO or C-Suite executive looking to build a strong succession plan and a resilient organization that can move fast by leading better.

What You'll Learn:

✅ The Power of Partnership: How Storm Trap doubled its national network to 40+ precast partners in less than five years, strategically placing manufacturing within 100 miles of any municipality for efficient expansion.

✅ Consultative Sales in Engineering: Nate details their approach to educating engineers and clients, focusing on long-term value, durability, and cost-effective design for critical stormwater management systems.

✅ Strategic Market Diversification: The evaluation process and decision to partner with Chief Outsiders to enter a new market without cannibalizing existing sales channels, resulting in clear ROI in under a month.

✅ The CEO’s Accountability: Leadership advice on the importance of transparency, empowering your team, and knowing when to admit you need external, specialized expertise to accelerate growth initiatives.

As the company evolved, Ed embraced innovation through IoT and AI, developing full turnkey solutions for monitoring, tracking, and control across smart cities, energy, and defense sectors. His commitment to long-life production cycles not only enhances data integrity but also supports sectors that demand long-term system stability. Now, as a member of the Texas Spaceport Commission, Ed is helping shape the future of space tech and economic development in Central Texas.

Whether you're scaling a startup or steering an enterprise, Warb’s practical wisdom on aligning mission, product, and leadership will resonate with CEOs across industries. 

“Combining Team Outsiders and GrowthGears OS, we have a process acceleration tool that our Team Outsiders are trained to work with. That’s why it really is such a fabulous package—it speeds things up, aids in communication, and offers a complete solution that’s both technology-based and people-based.” - Art Saxby

Key Takeaways:

• The introduction of “Team Outsiders” marks a new chapter for Chief Outsiders, enhancing the company’s ability to deliver executive leadership and tactical implementation.
• Chief Outsiders has acquired a software development firm to create an AI-based process acceleration platform, “GrowthGears OS”, significantly enhancing client engagement speed and execution.
• Midsize companies often face challenges hiring full-time executive talent; fractional CMOs provide an efficient, cost-effective solution.
• Changes in buyer behavior, especially post-COVID, necessitate more sophisticated sales and marketing strategies.
• Executive experience and structured processes are critical competitive advantages Chief Outsiders offers, setting them apart in the crowded fractional executive marketplace.

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“I stayed focused on what our customers needed because I understood it—I was one of them. We reached a point where we started investing in software, building an ecosystem, and working to tie everything together. The goal was that if you came to us, all your needs would be met.” - Phillip Edwards

Key Takeaways:

• MultiTracks.com has been a pioneer in the worship music space since 2006, offering technology-driven solutions to enhance worship services worldwide.
• The company is actively expanding its global footprint, working to localize its offerings across different languages and territories.
• A company’s growth is heavily informed by customer feedback and needs, fostering an environment driven by innovation and excellence.
• Building a company culture based on trust, healthy conflict resolution, and teamwork is essential for sustained growth and innovation.
• Addressing licensing complexities head-on, MultiTracks.com provides comprehensive solutions that simplify the process for churches and encourage broader adoption.

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Key Takeaways:

• The insights from Growth Gears offers a pivotal model encompassing insight, strategy, and execution, crucial for driving business growth.
• Different organizational structures grant varying levels of authority to marketing, impacting a company’s strategic potential.
• Using the Growth Gears as a textbook aids in imparting complex marketing concepts effectively to non-marketing students.
• Building insight and aligning it with corporate strategy can mitigate the blind spots in operationally-focused firms, enabling more competitive growth.
• Companies with a marketing-driven focus at the management level tend to grow faster, highlighting the importance of marketing’s influence.

“I've learned the importance of thinking ahead, making sure you have the right peers, surrounding yourself with the right people, and having a strategic plan because you’re just not sure when change or crisis will come.” - Nate Agentis

Nate Agentis highlights leadership driven by purpose and passion, urging CEOs to reconnect with their “why” and align professional goals with personal values. He fosters a participatory culture, making employees feel valued, fueling innovation, and driving growth at Agentis Plumbing. Nate’s company journey, supported by initiatives like Plumbing CEO, shows the power of blending tradition with forward-thinking, human-centered leadership.

“Creating a self-led team begins with changing from inside out and ensuring that, as a leader, you are not creating an environment where you are relied on for every single decision.” - Kyle Buckett

Kyle Buckett’s insights emphasize that shifting to self-led teams, focusing on culture improvement, and fostering magnet cultures are key to long-term business success and employee satisfaction. By embracing these principles, organizations can effectively navigate challenges, empower their teams, and thrive in a competitive marketplace.

Follow Kyle Buckett on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylebuckett

Follow Pete Hayes on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/petehayescmo/

"We saw the opportunity to bring some technology and fresh perspective to the moving industry. We saw a gap, and we figured we could go after it." - Cameron Brown

Cameron Brown's insights underscore the keys to business success: strategic vision, financial acumen, and effective leadership are crucial. He highlights the importance of clear communication, fiscal responsibility, and cultivating a solid company culture. These factors foster growth and enhance resilience in today's ever-changing markets.

Follow Cameron Brown on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-brown-171a821b/

Follow Pete Hayes on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/petehayescmo/

"More executives see opportunities to take their expertise into a fractional role, and they’re more comfortable doing that because of the technology support that they have and the adoption of fractional as an acceptable alternative to an in-house executive role." - Ellen Wood

Ellen’s leadership style emphasizes collaboration, empowerment, and community involvement and has been integral to the company’s success. Find out the practices and tools she’s found helpful along the path to scaling her business, particularly through challenging times like the pandemic, and how she fosters a company culture that prioritizes client success and employee engagement.

Follow Ellen Wood on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenewood/

Follow Pete Hayes on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/petehayescmo/