Axiom Podcast: Recent Episodes
Joey Brannon
Billy Swanson spent years treating ministry and business as two separate things that were in conflict with each other. He came back from a family vacation in North Carolina with a new purpose statement, a new vision statement, and a new mission statement, and then called a meeting to tell his employees they no longer had a job at the company they knew. Instead they could work for a new company with a different standard for getting the job done. From here on, if a customer was not compelled to tell somebody about their experience, the mission was not accomplished. Joey and Billy get into the redefinition, the Comfort Care department that came out of it, and the work of getting out of the way so the business could run without him.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why the business and the calling are not two competing jobs.
• How to write a mission your team can pass or fail on a given day.
• Why a three-week vacation is the test of whether you can step back.
• What a weekly financial statement catches that a monthly one buries.
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 197 - How Owners Step Back Without Breaking the Business
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Every owner who sits down with us asks for the same thing: more accountability. Almost none describe it as a leadership problem. Chris Romine has spent 40 years in financial services, and he leads his market inside a large institution the way an owner leads a company: a P&L he answers for, a mission he can say out loud, and a team he refuses to let one person grind down. Joey and Chris get into the hard conversation, the mentors who cared before either new what a mentor was, and the sustained discipline required to make it all work.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why the businesses that stand out in a community are the ones whose owners are genuinely bought in to the community, and how customers hear that on the first phone call.
• How to open a hard conversation calmly, tie it to the mission, and close it well.
• What it costs the rest of your team when you insulate yourself from a problem instead of addressing it
• Why discipline outlasts motivation, in savings and in leadership
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 196 - Nothing Fixes Itself (Chris Romine)
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
By midyear, a lot of leadership teams are off the plan they set in January. Sometimes that's a rough patch. Sometimes it's something bigger. The hard part is knowing which one you're in before the window to fix it closes.
In this episode, Mike LoBue sits down with Joey Brannon to work through how to diagnose a midyear drift, tell a tactical problem from a systemic one, and reset priorities without throwing out the plan or losing the team's trust. They get into why most plans stall by Q2, what the team's silence is really telling you, and how Axiom's Agenda 52 framework builds the weekly rhythm that keeps a leadership team on course all year long.
This episode first aired in July 2025 as Episode 156. We're bringing it back as a midyear check-in on the plans you set at the start of the year.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• How to tell the difference between a rough patch and a systemic drift — before the data confirms it
• Why most midyear plan failures are execution problems, not strategy problems
• How to reset priorities and adjust tactics without losing the team's trust or abandoning the vision
• Why weekly cadence matters more than quarterly rescues — and how Agenda 52 makes it practical
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 156: Course Correction - When Your Plan Derails in Q2 (Revisted in 2026)
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Owners say they want freedom. Push on the word and most are describing relief - not being overwhelmed, not carrying every decision, not putting out every fire. That's real, but it's a short-term fix. Real freedom is different: it's what's left once the structure, the team, and the standards can carry the business without the owner in every room. Mike LoBue and Tommy Rohrlack separate the two, get into why a team learns to wait for the owner, why control is usually a standards problem and not a trust problem, and why most owners regret selling when they never planned the next chapter. It's worth knowing which one you're after before you plan an exit or a vacation.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why “I want freedom” usually translates to “I want relief,” and why that distinction changes everything.
• The question that quickly shows how owner-dependent your business is: what breaks when you leave?
• Why most owners regret selling and the one thing the other group did differently
• What separates a free owner from one who has quietly checked out
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 194: What Real Ownership Freedom Looks Like
REFERENCES:
John Maxwell: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (the Law of the Lid)
Stephen Covey:The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and The Speed of Trust
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin:Extreme Ownership (prioritize and execute)
Exit Planning Institute: State of Owner Readiness
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Every owner says some version of the same thing: they wish their people would think like owners. In this episode, Joey Brannon and Tommy Rohrlack take that wish apart and rebuild it into something an owner can use. They get into what owners are really asking for, why most founders react like operators instead of thinking like owners, the margin it takes to think at all, and the grip on control that keeps them buried in the work. The conversation ultimately points back to the owner. Building margin, thinking further ahead, and letting go of control are often the first steps toward helping a team take greater ownership.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• What owners are really asking for when they say they want owner thinking
• Why margin, not mindset, is the first step out of reacting like an operator
• The 80% hurdle for letting go, and why it isn’t about lowering your standard
• How fear, not a people problem, keeps owners stuck in the weeds
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 193: Owner Thinking vs. Manager Thinking
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Every owner wants growth. Few are ready for the version that shows up uninvited and never lets up. In this episode, Joey Brannon and Tommy Rohrlack talk through what happens when sustained growth starts to break the owner: the apathy that signals burnout, the financial squeeze that hides behind rising revenue, and the hard conversations owners avoid until the weight lands entirely on their own shoulders. They walk through the three identities every owner moves through and the one that actually survives growth, and they close with a single practice you can start this week.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why the most dangerous growth is the kind you didn't plan for
• The two telltale signs of burnout: apathy in decisions and no time away from the business
• Why avoiding a hard conversation about a key person is what breaks the owner
• The three owner identities and why leading people, not doing the work, is what scales
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 192: When Growth Breaks the Owner
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Joey Brannon sits down with Axiom advisor Cameron Earhart, CEPA, to break down a recent client sale to a private equity firm. Cameron worked with the owner through the process, and the two talk candidly about why the buyer mattered more than the number, what changes the day after closing, and how the right firm turns a team loose to grow. It is an honest look at how these deals work from the inside and how to land in the small group of owners who are genuinely glad they sold.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why your future CEO is the relationship that decides everything
• How to read a buyer before you sign the LOI
• What changes the day after you sell
• The three boxes to check before your first PE meeting
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 191: Not All PE Is The Devil
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Mike LoBue had just walked a packed advisor circle event through three moves one of our clients made that changed their business. The day after, Joey pulled him into the studio to go through them again while the conversation was fresh. The three moves: leadership development, a real scorecard, and a planning and execution rhythm. Each one is the kind of move owners delay. Each one is the kind that changes what a company is capable of when it finally gets made. Mike and Joey also get into the accountability question every CEO has to answer before any of it sticks.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• The hard conversation most owners avoid about their leadership team
• How to honor long-tenured employees the right way when the seat fit has shifted
• Why financial statements aren't a scorecard, and what a real one looks like
• Why 52 chances a year to adjust beats 12, and what the weekly meeting takes
• The accountability question every CEO has to answer before the team will
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode Episode 190: Three Moves That Change a Company
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
“My team just won’t take ownership.” Most owners say it as a verdict on their people. Tommy Rohrlack and Cameron Earhart push back on that diagnosis. Before you decide you hired the wrong people, or that a younger generation just doesn’t care, look at the environment those people are working in. Tommy and Cameron get into what ownership means, the culture that makes it possible, the clarity that gives it somewhere to land, and the uncomfortable possibility that the owner is the bottleneck.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why “act like an owner” is the wrong thing to ask for, and what to ask for instead.
• The three things a culture needs before anyone takes a risk: safety, connection, and a sense of future.
• How clear expectations turn into real accountability.
• What it looks like when the owner is the bottleneck — and the first move toward fixing it.
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 189: Why Your Team Isn’t Taking Ownership
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Every owner says they want freedom. Then the day comes when the company can run without them, and a lot of them don’t know what to do with it. Cameron Earhart and Mike LoBue dig into why stepping back feels uncomfortable instead of freeing. They cover how an owner’s identity gets tied to being needed, where the fear of losing control comes from, and why the time you’ve been chasing can feel emptier than expected if you haven’t planned for it. This one closes out the series on building a business that doesn’t depend on you.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why owners who say they want freedom struggle once they get it
• How an owner’s identity gets wrapped up in being needed, and what to root it in instead
• Where the fear of losing control comes from, and how to overcome it
• What to plan for so the freedom you get doesn’t turn into regret
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 188: When the Business Needs You Less
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Most owners know they're stuck in the weeds. The harder question is what to do with the time once they finally step out. Joey and Tommy walk through why owners stay stuck (reactivity, identity, lack of trust, fear of losing clients), what it's costing the business, and the four things owners should be spending their time on once they reclaim their calendar. They close on the conversation every owner should be having with their leadership team this week.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• l The hidden costs of staying in the weeds, and why growth is the first thing to go
• l What 'I have an open-door policy' actually means when you look at the calendar"
• l The four things owners should be spending their time on instead
• The one conversation with your leadership team that surfaces where you're the bottleneck
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 187: What Owners Should Be Working On (But Rarely Are)
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
The fear of losing a customer is rarely the real fear. In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon sits down with Tommy Rohrlack to work through what’s keeping founders in every decision, and what it costs every day they don’t let go.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why loss aversion makes the risk of delegating feel bigger than it is.
• The org chart signal that says you’ve capped your growth.
• What “decision rights” means, and the three areas to define first.
• The identity shift that happens when an owner stops being the builder of a company
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: 186 - Risk, Control, and Letting Others Decide
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
What if financial independence isn’t the destination—but the starting point for something greater? In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon sits down with Alan and Nicholas Irving to rethink wealth, retirement, and what it means to build something that lasts beyond your lifetime.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why wealth should be viewed as a tool—not a trophy
• The difference between “getting rich” and actually building wealth
• How to move from retirement thinking to a “work optional” and purpose-driven life
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: 185 — Why Financial Independence Isn’t the Finish Line
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
What if the most expensive decision you're making isn't a bad hire or a missed deal — it's the conversation you keep postponing?
In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon and senior advisor Tommy Rohrlack get into the mechanics of high-stakes performance conversations at the leadership level, so you can lead with clarity instead of avoidance.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why delaying a hard leadership conversation is still a decision — and a costly one
• How to know when coaching isn't enough and a role change is needed
• What clarity actually looks like in a hard performance conversation
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: 184 — The Hard Conversations No CEO Wants To Have
Resources mentioned:
• John Maxwell's:Law of the Lid
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
In this episode, the Axiom team debriefs a framework from behavioral researcher Vanessa Van Edwards on the three levels of human connection — moving from the throwaway questions that generate noise to the deeper ones that reveal how someone truly sees themselves — and talks through how business owners can apply it with their teams.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why most questions don't build connection
• How to move past small talk
• Which questions create real engagement
• Why listening matters as much as asking
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: 183 - The Three Levels of Connection
Resources mentioned:
• Vanessa Van Edwards — Science of People
• Debra Fine — The Fine Art of Small Talk
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
You can exit your business one day — but will it be planned or forced? Joey and Cameron unpack why exit conversations can't wait, and what most partners discover too late about what their business is actually worth. Listen now so you can protect your largest personal asset before urgency — and emotion — take over.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Why every exit is either planned or forced — and what that means for your partnership
• How decisions you're making today are quietly narrowing your exit options
• Why what your business is worth depends entirely on who's buyingconversation
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: 182 — What Happens When Business Partners Want Out at Different Times?
Resources mentioned:
• Episode 179 | Operating Agreements & Partnership Structure (ep. 1 of 4)
• Episode 180 | The Owner Hat vs. The
Employee Hat (ep. 2 of 4)
• Episode 181 | Vision Alignment & Partnership Fit (ep. 3 of 4)
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
In Part 3 of the Partnership Series, Joey Brannon and Cameron Earhart shift from structure to vision—exploring how assumptions, expectations, and misalignment create friction over time. They unpack how partners can stay aligned as businesses grow, roles evolve, and priorities change.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
•Why shared vision matters as businesses grow and evolve
• How assumptions and expectations create hidden tension
• Why vision alignment must be an ongoing conversation
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 181 — Vision Alignment & Partnership Fit (ep. 3 of 4)
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
What happens when partners blur ownership and operational roles? In Part 2 of our Partnership Series, Joey Brannon and Cameron Earhart explain how unclear roles create friction and why separating the employee and owner hats matter.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• Partnerships need structure before conflict
• Define decision rights, ownership, and compensation
• Capital planning and buy-sell agreements protect partnerships
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE: Episode 180: The Owner Hat vs. The Employee Hat
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
In this episode, Joey Brannon and Cameron Earhart explain why every partnership needs a clear operating agreement before pressure exposes structural gaps. They discuss decision authority, ownership vs. compensation, capital contributions, and buy-sell planning.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• partnerships need a clear operating agreement before conflict
• How to define decision authority, ownership, and compensation
• Why capital planning and buy-sell agreements protect partnerships
DOWNLOAD THE LEADERSHIP GUIDE:･Episode 179: Operating Agreements & Partnership Structure
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
What if you could create a buyer for your company without selling to private equity or a strategic acquirer? In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon sits down with Jason Miller of Berman Hopkins to demystify Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) so you can understand how employee ownership works as a real exit option before ruling it out.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
･What it means to “create a market” for the shares of your privately held company
･How fair market value standards shape ESOP negotiations
･Why leadership communication determines whether employee ownership succeeds
LEADERSHIP GUIDE:
･178 - Demystifying ESOPs
RESOURCES & LINKS:
･ Journey to an ESOP Podcast
･ Berman Hopkins
･ Jason Miller LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH AXIOM STRATEGIC:
･Website
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
This is Part 3 of our 3-part Exit Series. In Episode 175, we discussed clarifying your motivation before going to market. In Episode 176, we explored financial readiness, valuation, and Quality of Earnings (QoE).
In this episode, Joey Brannon and Cameron Earhart explain what happens after signing a Letter of Intent (LOI), when buyers begin due diligence and evaluate risk across financials, contracts, employees, operations, and legal exposure—and why preparation protects valuation and leverage once scrutiny begins.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
• What buyers evaluate during due diligence
• Why retrading happens
• How owner dependence affects valuation
• Why seller hesitation causes deals to fail
LEADERSHIP GUIDE:
･Episode 177 — Leadership Guide
A guide to navigating due diligence and protecting valuation after an LOI
RELATED EPISODES & LINKS:
･Episode 175 — Why Most Business Exits Fail Before They Start (Exit Series · Part 1 of 3)
･Episode 176 —Financial Readiness, Valuation & Buyer Trust (Exit Series · Part 2 of 3)
･Purpose Driven Growth — Axis Outsourced Accounting
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
What actually changes a business from a 7x multiple to 5x during diligence? In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon and Cameron Earhart explain why clean financials alone aren’t enough—and how understanding buyer risk can protect valuation long before you go to market.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
･ The difference between clean financials and buyer-ready financials
･Why a Quality of Earnings (QoE) review before going to market protects leverage
･How perceived risk—not negotiation—drives valuation multiples
LEADERSHIP GUIDE:
･ EPISODE 176 LEADERSHIP GUIDE
LINKS MENTIONED:
･Axis Outsourced Accounting
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Most business exits fail before due diligence ever begins. In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon sits down with Senior Business Advisor Cameron Earhart to discuss why clarity—not urgency—determines whether an exit actually works. Before owners ever talk to buyers or private equity, they must understand their motivations, risks inside the business, and how buyer expectations shape valuation.
IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:
･ Why most business exits fail before owners ever go to market
･ How owner dependency and unresolved risk impact valuation
･ Why exit planning strengthens the business—even if you never sell
LEADERSHIP GUIDE:
• Episode 175 — Before You Talk to Buyers (Exit Series · Part 1 of 3)
RESOURCES & LINKS:
･ John Warrillow - Built to Sell
･ Michael E. Gerber - The E-Myth Revisited
･ Axis Outsourced Accounting
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ABOUT AXIOM STRATEGIC:
Axiom Strategic helps business owners and leaders build mission-driven businesses by aligning culture, leadership, operations, sales, and financials.
Joey Brannon and Mike LoBue discuss how strong client relationships are formed, the role internal culture plays in external trust, and why consistency and follow-through are essential for building credibility over the long term.
Episode 173 — The 7% Problem: Why Communication Breaks Down
Most communication breakdowns don’t come from bad intent — they come from missing context.
In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon sits down with communication and executive presence expert Mitch Lomazov to explore why leaders are often misunderstood, even when they believe they’re being clear.
They unpack how meaning is shaped by more than words alone, why email and text frequently create friction, and how leaders can reduce miscommunication by treating communication as a system — not a personality trait.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Why written communication often removes critical context
How to match the right communication medium to the message
What high-functioning teams do differently with silence
How executive presence is built through technique, not charisma
This conversation offers practical insight for leaders who want their messages to land with clarity and alignment.
Leadership breakdowns rarely come from a lack of effort or care. More often, they happen quietly — through drift.
In this final episode of the From Laborer to Leader series, Joey Brannon and Mike LoBue explore why leadership growth cannot sustain itself on mindset alone. Even the most capable leaders will default back to familiar behaviors when structure disappears.
This conversation focuses on the disciplines that protect leadership over time — especially as pressure, growth, and urgency increase.
You’ll learn:
Why leadership drift is usually a discipline problem, not a motivation problem
How lack of structure pulls leaders back into technical work
Why owners unintentionally slow leadership growth by failing to protect leadership time
The role of consistent check-ins, clear expectations, and feedback rhythms
How systems reduce exhaustion and make leadership sustainable
Why leadership development must be intentional — not assumed
This episode provides practical insight for business owners, executives, and leadership teams who want to develop leaders that can carry responsibility without burning out or drifting backward.
Leadership doesn’t grow by accident.
It grows when mindset, structure, and support work together.
Download the Episode 172 Leadership Guide to turn these disciplines into practical tools you can implement immediately.
Promoting your best worker is often the right move — but leadership struggles usually don’t come from a lack of skill. They come from a lack of identity.
In From Laborer to Leader — Part 2, Joey Brannon and Mike LoBue unpack why leadership development must begin with mindset before tactics ever work. New leaders often struggle not because they lack effort or ability, but because they still see themselves as technicians instead of leaders.
This episode explores how identity, self-talk, and coachability shape a leader’s confidence and behavior. You’ll learn why mindset work feels uncomfortable but is essential, how leaders act in alignment with how they see themselves, and what owners can do to help leaders fully step into their role.
If you want leadership development that actually sticks — not just promotions that create frustration — this episode provides the foundation for sustainable growth.
When your best worker becomes a new leader, the transition isn’t always smooth. In Part 1 of the From Laborer to Leader series, Joey and Mike break down the leadership paradox facing small businesses today—why technical excellence doesn’t automatically translate into leadership success, and what it truly costs when that gap goes unaddressed. Drawing from real client stories and years of field experience, they unpack the hidden impact on production, team morale, the business owner’s bandwidth, and the individual who suddenly feels in over their head. This episode highlights the critical need for intentional equipping, clear expectations, and leadership development if you want your people—and your company—to grow with purpose.
In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon talks with Skip Stanton, CEO and co-owner of Aqua Plumbing & Air, about leading with faith, integrity, and character. Skip shares his journey from a truck and $5,000 to leading over 180 employees, and the lessons he’s learned about building people first, mentoring leaders, choosing kindness without lowering expectations, and creating a legacy rooted in faith rather than private equity offers. A must-listen for business owners and leaders who want to build a company that lasts and reflects values beyond the bottom line.
Joey revisits OG Mandino’s timeless books The Greatest Salesman in the World and Part II: The End of the Story to explore how leadership evolves from chasing success to living with significance. Discover what it means to lead with purpose, faith, and service — and finish the race well.
In Part 3 of our Axis Series, Joey Brannon and JoAnna Kelso dig into what clean financials actually unlock for business leaders—real insights that inform better decisions. From understanding the balance sheet, to managing depreciation and taxes, to shifting from reactive bookkeeping to proactive financial strategy, this episode reveals why outsourced accounting with Axis isn’t just about numbers—it’s about confidence, clarity, and growth. Plus, learn how Axis and Axiom work hand-in-hand to help business owners not only survive, but thrive with purpose.
In Part 2 of the Axis Series, Joey Brannon sits down with JoAnna Kelso, President of Axis Outsourced Accounting, to explore why outsourcing your accounting department delivers more than bookkeeping. From reducing the mental load of hiring and turnover, to leveraging weekly dashboards and cutting-edge tools, JoAnna explains how outsourcing transforms accounting into a strategic advantage. Learn how vendor and customer management, consistent categorization, and real-time clarity give business owners confidence and space to focus on growth.
Accounting is the language of business — but too often, financials are inconsistent, late, or misleading. That false story leads to frustration, costly mistakes, and missed opportunities.
In this episode of the Grow With Purpose Podcast, Joey Brannon sits down with JoAnna Kelso, President of Axis Outsourced Accounting, to unpack why clean financials matter more than perfection. From avoiding “bank balance decisions” to preparing for long-term growth or a business exit, JoAnna explains how consistency in the numbers builds confidence in every decision.
Discover the hidden costs of messy books, the value of having a trusted advisor instead of a reactive bookkeeper, and how weekly clarity empowers leaders to move faster, make better choices, and build a stronger business.
What does it take to scale a business without losing your core values? In Episode 163, Vince Virga of PFS shares how conviction, belief, and systems helped him move from chaos to clarity. Joey Brannon and Cameron Earhart unpack the leadership principles behind his journey — from letting go of control to empowering a culture of accountability and growth.
This candid conversation offers entrepreneurs practical tools and timeless wisdom for scaling with intention.
Leadership can be one of the loneliest callings. In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon sits down with C12 Chair Doug Poll to explore why accountability, faith, and community transform the way leaders grow. Discover how C12 challenges business owners to lead with transparency at work and at home — and why true growth happens when leaders stop going it alone.
If your team can’t move without you, you’re the bottleneck.
Most business owners don’t suffer from a lack of effort—they suffer from underdeveloped leadership within their teams. In this episode of Grow With Purpose, Joey Brannon and Mike LoBue unpack what Tier 2 leadership development looks like in real-world businesses—and why it delivers the highest ROI you’re probably overlooking.
They’ll dive into the real signs of leadership struggle (like nonstop fire drills and exhausted managers), the differences between professional and leadership development, and how to multiply your team's capacity without hiring anyone new.
Key Takeaways:
Why the “I’ll just do it myself” mindset kills momentum
The connection between time management and effective leadership
How to spot and support emerging leaders already on your team
The difference between skilled professionals and actual leaders
Why the best businesses run better when the owner steps away
Whether you’re leading from the field or the boardroom, this conversation gives you the tools and mindset shifts needed to move your business forward—by building leaders who can carry it without you.
After 20 years of business, leadership growth, and podcasting, Axiom is stepping into a new season — and a new name: Grow with Purpose.
In this powerful relaunch episode, Joey Brannon is joined by longtime friend and leadership coach Doug Poll, who helped shape Axiom’s evolution from solopreneur startup to mission-driven firm. Doug shares the honest conversations and carefrontations that challenged Joey to grow — not just as a leader, but as a father, husband, and steward of people.
Together they unpack:
How blind spots can sabotage leadership
The role of empathy and listening in team building
Why carefrontations matter more than confrontation
What it really means to grow with purpose
Whether you’re a CEO, founder, or the right-hand person holding it all together — this episode will challenge, encourage, and remind you: growth is personal before it's professional.
Three founders. One shared vision. In this episode, Joey Brannon talks with David Yohn, Jamie Dunnam, and Mike Braun of iBusinessSolutions about building a people-first company from the ground up. From a lanai startup to a full-service payroll and HR platform, they share how faith, follow-through, and clarity of roles have sustained their partnership—and their clients—for nearly two decades.
Angela is a business owner whose story transcends entrepreneurship, weaving faith, family, and transformation into a powerful narrative. After her mother’s passing, Angela faced the daunting task of managing the estate amidst grief, uncertainty, and one banker’s certainty that her relationship with her siblings would not survive the process. Through transparent communication and a commitment to unity, she navigated the complexities with grace and beat the odds.
Discover the remarkable journey of Angela Rodocker, owner of Silver Resorts, as she navigates the challenges of second-generation family business ownership and uses her enterprise to make a positive impact. This story showcases resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, and the transformative power of purpose-driven leadership.
In this episode of The Axiom Podcast, Tommy Rohrlack and Cameron Earhart take a deep dive into key questions every business owner should be asking. By walking through a few main examples, they provide listeners with practical, impactful, yet simple questions to ask both themselves, and their leadership team, in order to maintain a healthy pulse on their business.
In the latest episode of the Axiom podcast, hosts Shannon Lonergan and Devin Dash engage in a thought-provoking conversation to uncover the "why" behind their work at Axiom. Emphasizing the mission of building purpose-driven businesses, they explore the transformative power of well-run small businesses in positively impacting communities.
In this episode, Shannon and Lukas stress the significance of leaders harmonizing empathy and efficiency for optimal team performance and a positive work culture. They advocate for a clear vision, active listening, and genuine care as essential components, highlighting the paradox that, by fostering empathy, leaders empower employees to overcome daily challenges and excel, ultimately leading to increased efficiency.
There’s a lot of options out there for all of us when it comes to efficiency and productivity.But the question we are asking you is are you choosing what is efficient specifically for you as the user? If not, why not and how can we change that?
In the final installation of our team podcast, we are wrapping up this series of conversations with Cameron and Shannon.During this podcast, you'll learn a little more about the heart behind why both Cameron and Shannon chose to listen to the calling God placed on them, and use their gifts at Axiom.
Continuing the conversation from two weeks ago, we are diving deeper in the backgrounds of our team members, what brought them to Axiom and how each one of them plays a critical role here at Axiom. If you have never met one of our team members, we hope that this series serves as a good introduction. If we have been fortunate enough to meet, we hope this episode will feel like a long-overdue conversation of catching up! Lukas Oest talks about his time as a foreign exchange student from Germany, coming to Sarasota as a 16-year-old!Joey Brannon discusses why he pivoted from CPA work to consulting, and how Axiom has become what it is today.
In the first episode of a 3 part series, our host Shannon Lonergan is joined by the entire Axiom team for a fun full-team podcast where we dive a little deeper into our team members and learn more about ourselves personally and professionally.
Shoutout to Baysound Studios for providing their studio space for this seven-person podcast.
This week, you’ll hear from Carrie Luster, our team’s Firm Administrator (or chaos coordinator), Devin Dash, and Tommy Rohrlack, two of our Senior Consultants.
This week’s episode of The Axiom Podcast discusses viewing business as a ministry by focusing on serving customers. Successful businesses are those that identify and meet their customers' needs. Tune in to learn more about how you can lead a business as a ministry.
Lukas Oest, our newest team member, makes his debut on The Axiom Podcast, where he joins Shannon Lonergan to talk about Axiom’s four core values: care, truth, diligence, and learning. In this episode, we uncover the importance of having core values and how they are applied in a business setting.
In this episode of The Axiom Podcast, Shannon and Joey discuss the difficulties and advantages of delegating tasks as a leader and offer practical advice on improving delegation skills. The conversation starts with why delegation is challenging for high achievers. It is difficult to relinquish control of tasks, but it will bear much fruit for the leader and team members involved. Joey explains delegation involves a trade-off because explaining tasks and training others to handle them takes time. Nevertheless, empowering others to take over responsibilities can save leaders time in the long run.
Good leadership starts from within. It's about serving your team, empowering them, and living the values you want them to embody. Listen to our newest podcast episode now and embark on your journey towards effective servant leadership.
Drawing insights from Joey's book, "Grow with Purpose," this podcast discussion centered around the importance of leaders being accountable to their teams and fostering a culture of accountability.
In our latest podcast, we dive into the world of creating and executing quarterly priorities. Join us as we explore the benefits of this strategic planning method and how it differs from regular tasks.
Quarterly priorities allow you to step back and plan for the next 90 days, enabling you to focus on the big things you want to accomplish - the framework being the popular OKR (Objectives and Key Results) method.
At Axiom, we understand the power of quarterly priorities and how they contribute to successful leadership teams. However, we also recognize the importance of allocating dedicated time for quarterly meetings. Tune into our podcast to learn more about this game-changing approach and how to stay accountable to your goals!
Coming out of our 3 part series on the idea of “No Bad Teams” (listen to part 1-3 wherever you listen to podcasts!), we wanted to share some statistics from our pre Lunch + Learn survey that we sent out to both of the groups that we presented to. The numbers we talk about in this podcast are coming from 39 different businesses across the Southwest Florida region, with the goal of shedding light on the fact that nobody is immune to struggling with their team and or leadership.
Tune into the third and final episode on the topic of No Bad Teams, where we’re joined by Cameron Earhart of the Axiom Team discussing the importance of creating and maintaining values for your business.
We’ll walk through what, how, and why you need these values to truly cultivate the business and team members that you’ve been hoping for.
In this week’s episode, Shannon + Joey continue diving into the idea of No Bad Teams, specifically going deeper on the idea of where good teams come from.
Starting with the idea of extreme ownership, and then ending with learning how to empower your team so that you can step into the leadership role that you’re meant to have, this week’s episode will leave you excited and ready to move towards creating solutions and taking responsibility for your team's shortcomings.
What does it mean to have no bad teams? Seems like quite the polarizing statement.
In this engaging discussion, Devin and Shannon dive into the meaning behind our statement of “No Bad Teams” and our take on empowering leaders to take Extreme Ownership over everything they have their hands on in their business. We talk about the costs associated with bad teams, give some well known household examples of bad teams, and at the end we remind our listeners that the best way to move forward is to truly lead by example and take that approach of Extreme Ownership and really own your business.
Don’t forget to come back next week as we dive into part 2 of this discussion and talk about where do bad teams actually come from.
When hiring an “A” player, we are not just focused on one thing about the candidate - instead, we are focused on multiple things, making sure to ask pointed questions to get to know the candidate.
Hiring a culture fit matters, and asking questions to learn the candidate's experience and competency is also important.
Our suggestion to you - be sure to take the time to ask the hard questions and use the tools and resources that are available to you through many channels to be able to dig deeper in confirming that the candidate is in fact, an “A” player.
Hiring an “A” player means that you are choosing to hire for culture and character over hiring for a need to fill a role.
At Axiom, not only do we teach other businesses how to hire for longevity, but we also follow this proven process when hiring for our internal team.
Tune into our most recent episode, where we talk about hiring “A” players by having a candid conversation with Devin and our newest consultant, Shannon.
What does it look like to turn over the keys to a company’s culture?
We work with a lot of 2nd and 3rd generation family businesses, and most of them do a pretty good job of paying attention to how stock will be transferred for estate and trust taxes, how the org chart needs to be adjusted for new roles and responsibilities…even the schedule of future monthly or quarterly meetings that Gen 1 and Gen 2 will have together to smooth over any bumps in the road after the announcement.
But precious few pay as much attention to making sure the culture stays robust and healthy through the change.
Thomas Hlohinek (pronounced Low-he-nik) is the founder of Rise Financial Partners and also serves as the Executive Director of the Manasota Christian Community Foundation.
We all understand when parents want to hire their adult kids to work alongside them in the business. What parent wouldn’t want that opportunity? But sometimes mom and dad can unwittingly set the stage for failure before Gen 2 has a chance to earn their first pay check.
In this episode of The Axiom Podcast, Joey and Devin discuss the best way to bring Gen 2 into the business and how it can be a significant competitive and cultural advantage, rather than a distraction or worse, a toxic blow to the culture.
Working with family can be one of the most rewarding and yet frustrating experiences, especially when it comes to older and younger generations working in the same business. In this episode, Joey and Devin talk about setting boundaries and how business owners can help their children working in the business understand what is most important and what can be put on the back burner.
Links to things mentioned in this episode:
Boundaries for Leaders by Henry Cloud
PDF of Axioms Illustrative One Page Plan Template
John Mellencamp Essentials Playlist
When it comes to passing the business on to the second generation, many parents struggle to let go. In this episode, Joey and Devin discuss:
1) Common scenarios that come up in the transition.
2) How the state of vision affects a transition from one leader to another.
3) The importance of the “hand off” and what the baton of leadership really means.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Tim Ferris podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/
White Horse Inn podcast: https://whitehorseinn.org/how-to-listen/
“There’s something different about her!” This week’s episode with world-class trainer Jaime Marco is a fun one. Discover new insights on leadership, sales and customer experience with one of the most infectious people I know.
Delegating tasks is one thing. Delegating decisions is a little harder. How do you delegate something that happens inside your head?
In this episode, Joey and Cameron dive into developing leaders who can think in ways to accomplish what is important to you and them.
Many parents wonder whether turning over the keys to the business will put their retirement in jeopardy. In this episode, Joey and Cameron layout the reasons why just having the second gen work in different areas of the business is probably NOT the best way to determine if they are ready.
“I want people to have a dignified retirement!” That is the heart of John McGuire and in this episode he breaks down how ESOP’s can help small businesses with employee engagement, succession, tax savings and a host of other things that keep business owners up at night.
The episode is packed with useful information that all business owners should have. Here are some links to resources mentioned in the episode, but by far the most important is John’s contact information.
John McGuire LinkedIn profile
The Main Street Employee Ownership Act summary
The ESOP Association
The National Center for Employee Ownership
Contribution of S ESOPs to participants’ retirement security and employee-owner benefits Ernst and Young report
A few weeks ago, we talked about lessons Joey learned on a recent visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom. But all is not unicorns and rainbows at Disney. Recently, the company has come under criticism for pushing an agenda at odds with what many parents want when it comes to their child's entertainment.
In this episode, we revisit the Disney conversation from another perspective, a perspective that acknowledges businesses should have an agenda. You may agree or disagree with a business's particular agenda, but we should all recognize that a business is a platform, and that platform isn't all about sales, profits, shareholder wealth or even stakeholders in general.
Projects are happening all around us. Whether it's a software migration, developing a new product or service, or completing a task for our customers - we're all constantly working on projects.
This week, we sat down with our good friend, Bill Clinebell, PMP, Managing Partner of Relofant, where we discussed shared best practices of project management, his entrepreneurial story, and his two cents on what is happening in the commercial real estate market.
This week my good friend Ben Sturgill joins us to talk about economic indicators, recession, inflation, wages and what small business owners can do to stay on top of things in a rapidly changing economic environment.
What's the difference between a project manager and a business manager? Is it possible to build a great business manager?
In this episode, Joey and Cameron discuss the qualities and characteristics of a great business manager, and what we can do to train, coach, and empower them to take more "ownership" in their roles.
Last week, Devin and Cameron began a 2-part series on exit interviews and discussed the why and how behind them. If you missed it, make sure to give it a listen first.
This week, in Part 2, Devin and Cameron share the top questions you should be asking in your exit interviews and also discuss what to do when you feel like the conversation isn't going anywhere.
Last week, Devin and Cameron began a 2-part series on exit interviews and discussed the why and how behind them. If you missed it, make sure to give it a listen first.
This week, in Part 2, Devin and Cameron share the top questions you should be asking in your exit interviews and also discuss what to do when you feel like the conversation isn't going anywhere.
Exit interviews can be intimidating. What questions should we ask? Who should do the interview? How do we make sure we're not wasting anyone's time?
In Part 1 of this 2-part series, Devin and Cameron lay the foundation for "why" and "how" to conduct exit interviews. Join us again next week as they jump into Part 2 and share the top questions you should be asking.
Why are you leaving your current position?
Michael Corley is a highly regarded advisor to non-profit organizations and their boards. He has also served in President, Vice President, COO, and CFO roles inside large for-profit businesses. His perspective on the relationship between the for-profit and not-for-profit world is unique.
This week, Michael joined the Axiom Podcast to talk about the leadership opportunities that non-profit boards provide and why every CEO (and quite a few key players) should serve on a non-profit board as part of their professional development.
What's the state of your severance program? Is it a formal benefit or an informal gesture of goodwill offered on a case by case basis? Is it leading to a positive reputation in the market, or are you leveraging it to cover a multitude of sins?
In this episode, Joey and Devin discuss severance packages and ways you can leverage your current offerings to end employee relationships well.
The challenge most businesses are facing in the current economy is the same: they can't find good people to do the work. But have you ever stopped to measure the actual capacity of your current labor force?
In this episode, Joey and Devin discuss the qualitative and quantitative measures of workforce capacity and how you may have more capacity with your current labor force than you realize.
David Sobelman is the CEO of publicly traded Generation Income Properties (NASDAQ: GIPR), and one of Axiom's all-time favorite clients. GIP maintains a commercial property portfolio and is a landlord for Starbucks, Best Buy, Kohl's, Sherwin-Williams, and other national brands. When we think of the GIP team, there are a couple of things that come to mind...
- They are an incredibly smart group of people.
- They have one of the most humble and genuine leaders we have ever worked with.
His perspective is refreshing and energizing at the same time.
In this episode, we dive into the final element of skillful preparation and discuss the importance of space and how essential it is to be properly prepared.
You’ll learn what we mean by “space”, how space relates to ceiling fans(?!), and our take on tools to help you leverage your space for preparation.
Join the final piece of our discussion to end long nights before your big meeting!
You've had weeks -- dare I say months -- since this important date was put on the calendar! Yet there you are, worn thin with stress, trying to finalize the details of this important pitch. If only we prepared better. But what does that look like?
In this episode, we dive into the second element of skillful preparation and discuss the importance of place for being prepared.
Where should one prepare and how should we set up a place so it's conducive to planning?
This week, join us as Joey is interviewed by Susan Tatum host of “Stop the Noise” podcast. Joey and Susan discuss how service organizations can only grow as much as their vision allows.
In this interview, we discuss strategy vs focus and how Axiom guides businesses to achieve their vision long term. Joey also shares the 5 layers of competency every service organization needs in order to succeed. The importance of knowing what you want to achieve and why strategy is more than just applying best practices.
You've had weeks -- dare I say months -- since this important date was put on the calendar! Yet there you are, worn thin with stress, and trying to finalize the details of this important pitch. If only we prepared better. But what does that look like?
In this episode, we dive into the first element of skillful preparation and discuss the relationship between time and being prepared.
How much time? What to do with the time? When is the best time to prepare?
How to niche your product or service. Kyle helps answer questions such as, "When should you niche down?", "What's the process for creating a niche?", and "How do you create a niche offering as an additional revenue stream?"
Can you have a great culture where there are values that govern how people are treated, where there is a compelling over the horizon vision, where there are great servant leaders BUT NOTHING EVER GETS DONE? I don’t think so, and that means we have to talk about execution.
Deciding what gets done is often a matter of deciding what is not going to get done. Strategies (as few as possible) help us focus on what is most important. Goals make progress measurable and provide a feedback mechanism to help us adjust course. And priorities get down to who is doing what and by when.
This week we cover all three of these critical elements of execution, plus one more.
This is the third episode in our four part series on building a great culture. Joey goes over the role vision plays in attracting and retaining great talent and the responsibility of the leader to cast an “over the horizon vision.”
In this second of four episodes on building a great culture, Joey discusses the elements of great leadership and how to build a leadership team that will steward and carry on the culture seeded with clear values.
Business owners don’t operate in a box”, so why should your finances be "boxed"? Our special guest, Drew Allen, joined us to cover the life cycle of small business financial planning. Tune in to learn how to invest in your company during each of its distinct phases.
Everyone wants a great culture, but how do you build one? Culture is something you witness in the interactions between people, not a particular style of design or whimsical furnishings. So how do you define how you want people to interact? With values.
There’s been a shift in our world and it’s showing in our workforces. Employees are longing for authentic connections with their leaders. They’re looking for better cultures, connected and supportive teams, and leaders who communicate and empower.
That’s why I’m excited to share with you our conversation with Steve Shenbaum. Steve, is the Founder and President of Game On Nation. Deploying his talent as a classically trained actor/comedian, Steve and his team have mastered leadership development with the use of Game Dynamics.
I’m confident you’ll learn and laugh listening to this interview. I’m so thankful for Steve joining us on the podcast.
Think about the different roles that you play in life. Spouse? Son? Daughter? Mother? Father? Brother? Sister? We all play several roles in our lives, and each role requires a different attitude or subset of skills. In business, we have many different roles as well. Join us on this week’s podcast to find out the four general roles in business and how to become more successful in each of those roles!
Do you find yourself holding back from delegating work to others? High achievers often do. You tend to know how you want things done and it’s difficult to accept anything less than YOUR best when it comes to tasks and assignments. But the real issue is not about getting the job done, it’s about empowering others to take responsibility.
Join us as we guide you through the four steps to successful delegation and start building up your team for even greater success!
As your business grows, your staff size will grow, and with it, the range of decisions, opinions, and perspectives. So how do we manage the diversity of perspectives and ensure that company leadership continues to work towards the same business goals?
Tune in and find out how often you should be having same page meetings and what you should be addressing!
When you think of a work retreat, what comes to mind? Schedules, agendas, meetings, team building… all the normal “fun” that draws out the best fake smile you can muster? Well, what if we told you there was a way to reinvent your company retreat so that the smiles aren’t forced and the fun comes without juxtaposition?
One of the most effective forms of ROI comes from a cultural, rather than financial perspective. When we retreat from our work, and we mean fully retreat, we can appreciate the work we do and the people we work with much more than when work is recategorized as a “retreat.”
Tune in to this week’s show to hear how Axiom does company retreats and how we are better off because of it!
His mom survived experimental surgeries at a Holocaust Concentration Camp.
He survived a plane crash in Alaska.
One of the most captivating, kind and Jesus loving individuals you could ever meet.
Excited and thankful to have Sol Pitchon join us on our podcast show. Sol spent 20 years as CEO of New Life Solutions, Inc. - an incredible life-affirming organization doing amazing work in our community. Tune in to hear Sols' incredible story and find out how he runs his company through the grace and wisdom of God.
Have you ever heard of Journey Mapping? You may be asking, “What is it?” “How can it help me?” Well then, do we have the podcast for you!
Do you budget for your business? If the answer is no, then stop, drop, and tune in! This week, we cover the importance of budgeting, dividends, and what a proper budget brings to your business's growth.
If the answer is yes, then stop, drop, and tune in anyways, because you can still walk away with valuable insight! Q4 is around the corner, build your budget today!
“Without the customer, a business would fail.” Right? So why isn’t customer service at the forefront of most of our business decisions? Don’t get us wrong, we don’t advocate for the misused colloquialism, “The customer is always right,” because THAT’S not always true; but, the relationship between you and your customers should be held in high priority. Join us this week to find out the 7 Principles of Customer Service and other ways to build your relationship with your customers!
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it’s the courage to continue that counts” -Winston Churchill
Read that again, “Failure is not fatal.” We often find ourselves avoiding challenging situations, because we would rather not try at all than be labeled a “failure.” But failure is just a word; it does not define us. In reality, it's the mindset that we uphold in the face of failure that defines us. In this episode, we will cover what failure really is, what it looks like in a leadership setting, and what you can do to overcome the fear of failure.
When you give a little more than you take, you open your world and your business to new opportunities. Different perspectives, different ideas, and a revitalized sense of appreciation sprout from the seeds of giving back to the community in which your business serves. Chris Williams, Founder and Managing Director at Aginto, joins us this week to cover giving back through business!
God designed us and called us to rest. In the Old Testament, we see God’s pattern of working and then resting, "And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done” (Genesis 2:7).
Because we are created in God's image, shouldn't we pay attention to His work-rest pattern? Find out how incorporating more and better-quality rest, via sabbaticals, into your professional life can keep your health, your mind, and your business on track for years to come!
Conflict is a natural part of life. We experience it in day-to-day interactions with friends, family, and increasingly in the workplace. As businesses grow and become more and more diverse, the natural occurrence of conflict grows as well. So how do we combat this? Find out now!
Over time, we have become accustomed to using the word “Accountability” to define ownership over something, especially in situations when something goes wrong or poorly. As a result, the meaning has shifted to incorporate negative connotations like commitment, stress, and even fear; but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Accountability thrives in a culture where it is okay to fail and to ask for help. Accountability and commitment to the entire process, rather than just the outcome, is a pivotal part of your team’s success.
Did you know that 10% of startup companies fail within the first year of business? And 70% fail between years two through five? So what makes a startup successful? That's what Mike Thackrey, founder of Fieldstone Landscaping, and now owner of Vine IT & Cyber Security, is here to talk about today. From start to finish Mike has seen his business concepts grow from seedlings of thought to luscious groves of success. Get Mike's perspective here, it’s a podcast you don’t want to miss!
Whether you are a fan of The Office or not, there is no denying the truth behind this sentiment. Our lives and our jobs are often intimately involved, meaning that difficult tasks, like firing, quickly become even more difficult. The important part is that we prepare and create processes for these events so they can be handled in the best way possible. Join us this week to find how!
If you could donate to charity in a more tax-efficient way, would you? On this week's podcast, you can find out how, as we talk with David Parsley, Senior Relationship Manager, at the National Christian Foundation. David has been nurturing, serving, and working with business owners for over 13 years now, guiding them down their journey into charitable business, and is here to share his advice!
A 2021 Pew Research Center survey revealed that amidst the Covid-19 recovery, 66% of the unemployed have “seriously considered” a career change. As job growth continues to stall and worker shortages grow, it’s more important than ever to understand how to attract and retain talent. Join us this week as we cover hiring best practices and processes!
Franchisees are often the ultimate small business owners with 75% of franchise owners having fewer than 20 employees. Today we partner with Shawna Hicks-Cranston, owner of PostNet of Lakewood Ranch, to bring you the low down on franchise systems.
In many cases, your customers may be more involved with your products than you are. Wouldn't it make sense to get a feel for their perceptions? Join self-described "start-up guy" John Blake as he shares his expertise on shaping the customer journey.
Our dynamic duo Devin Dash and Cameron Earhart talk sales this week, bringing you the low down on effective communication and sales strategies. These two tackle everything from common sales mishaps to setting up the best long-term relationships with prospective clients. You don’t want to miss this!
This week, we are throwing it back to an episode we released five years ago, Delivering Blue Collar Value. Pricing and selling value are common topics among white-collar professionals like CPAs and attorneys. But do roofers and AC repair companies follow the same labor value theories? Tune in to find out!
Two weeks ago, we discussed the difference between managers and leaders. Today, we want to expand on that by introducing you to our leadership affirmations. When we work with clients, we help them establish a leadership team, and these affirmations serve as a prerequisite for a spot on that team.
Jag Grewal of Ian Black Real Estate joins us to talk about the subtleties of commercial real estate. Whether you are actively looking for a new place to do business, passively browsing, or just interested in the market, Jag covers it all!
We often use the terms “leadership” and “management” interchangeably…but should we? In this week’s podcast, we will cover the distinct differences between managers and leaders and help you discover the nuanced leadership skill set that will take your business to the next level.
What does it take to be a Collaborative CEO? Is it something you are born with? Something you adopt? Something you aspire to be? Find out, as John Goda, CEO of RTI Insurance, tells the tale of how his role changed from Chief Executive Officer to Chief Enthusiasm Officer, and what it did for his life and for his business.
Our founder and fearless leader, Joey Brannon, had the opportunity to speak at this year’s Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants CFO & Controller Conference, and we are sharing the recording with you! Follow along as Joey covers Leadership vs. Management, Competitive Advantage, Strategy, and so much more!
With Saint Patrick’s Day being just around the corner, it only seems fair that we give you a podcast filled with legends, magic, and luck! This week. we would like to introduce you to David Yohn and Jamie Dunnam, the unicorns of successful 50:50 partnerships. Listen in to see how these two have made it work for over 20-years and you might find a pot of gold at the end of this podcast rainbow!
Last week we covered the relational drive in the reach ecosystem which describes the degree to which an individual engages emotionally in everyday circumstances. This week, we take a look at achievement drive and delve into the intensity in which one approaches goals. Find out if you are more: (1) Measured or Intense; (2) Assertive or Reflective; (3) Bold or Cautious; (4) Adaptable or Flexible; (5) Analytical or intuitive. Let us know after the show by clicking on the review button below!
Shawn Milliken of Roofing by Curry joins us to talk about sales and sales management. Getting the most from your team is as much an art as it is a science, and Shawn shares both perspectives with us.
Patrick Wright and Keith Mercier of CBIZ Insurance. provide a strategic approach to managing risk that can benefit small businesses of any size.
Small businesses growing with purpose often change the world in more lasting and meaningful ways than any church program, nonprofit, government institution, social club, volunteer group, or grassroots movement.
Picking the right strategy for your business and staying on track is one of the most conducive elements of success. This chapter reveals our “secret sauce” to strategy!
Financial Metrics Owners Should be Aware Of but Actively Understand What They Are and What They Mean
The tools you need to plan and execute the long-term goals that will lead to the growth of your business, instead of just putting out fires.
Chapter 6 walks you through sales and marketing and gives you insight on how to best interact with your market according to your values.
Small businesses and large ones often struggle with basic business systems and processes. The playbook is our answer to the old SOP manual. It doesn’t have to be hard to put together, but more importantly, it is an essential part of creating a predictable and repeatable experience for customers.
If you want to grow your business, you will have to delegate much of the day-to-day operations, even the management, to others. Yet somehow the delusion persists that putting customers first is the way to grow. It’s not. By leapfrogging your team members and focusing on customers, you create a disconnect that virtually ensures you will not build a scalable business.
Chapter three is all about leadership, and the fact that it doesn’t have any boundaries. Small business owners that want to be effective leaders must embrace the fact that leadership responsibilities follow them wherever they go. In this episode, we talk about the five traits of great leaders.
This is week two of going through Joey’s book, Grow With Purpose. In chapter one we learned about the message of values, vision, why and mission. This week we shift our focus from the message to the messenger.
For the next few weeks, we will be going through Joey’s book, Grow With Purpose. This week, we start with chapter 1 on values, vision, why, and mission (VVWM).
Growing businesses do it. Stagnant and stuck businesses don’t; they are just too busy handling issues, putting out fires and filling orders.
So where do you start? This week’s blog post lists fifty-two (52) Strategic Todo’s that business owners can take up to begin making serious and significant changes to the business over the next year. On this episode, Joey and Devin dig a little deeper on a few of the todo’s and talk about the principle of working ON the business.
Nonprofit organizations need a good strategic plan just as much as any for-profit business. But the absence of a majority shareholder, the presence of a non-owner board of directors, CEO’s dealing with succession, and volunteers passionate about their work make things much more challenging. In this episode, Joey and Devin discuss the issues facing CEO’s and board members when it comes to strategic planning and execution.
If you think of HR and HR Management as a cost center, you are missing a key strategic priority when it comes to long-term growth and competition. In this episode, we discuss administrative HR vs strategic HR, how to tell the difference, and what you might be missing when you fail to consider the HR bottleneck in your strategic plan.
In a time and a market with virtually zero unemployment, attracting and retaining top talent has become a big priority for small businesses wanting to grow. Tune in to find out how to run a continuous hiring process, creating a future org chart, recruiting toolbox, developing future workforce, creative help wanted ads, best interview practices, the best approach for getting the job you want, and what causes new talent to leave.
Sometimes you need to leverage other people's money to grow or accomplish strategic objectives. In this episode we cover the basics of business borrowing and the things you need to consider before you start looking for a business loan, whether that money is to… 1) buy property, 2) finance equipment, 3) obtain working capital, 4) or buy a business outright.
Pricing and selling value are common topics among white collar professionals like CPA's and attorneys. But do roofers and AC repair companies need any help in this area? A couple of recent conversations show blue collar service industries deal with exactly the same issues with pricing and selling value to customers. In this episode, Joey goes in depth to give real life examples of how things go wrong and what to do to fix them.
Professionals are those who take their work to the next level. It has little to do with the color of your collar and everything to do with how much you care about the value you deliver. In this episode, Joey talks about how you reward this innovative and pivotal group in your organization.
For most business owners, the starting gun goes off early every morning, and the finish tape is nowhere in sight. Asking (and answering!) these six questions will give priority and perspective to your day and week.
Businesses spend lots of time working on strategies for operations, customer service, sales...you name it. But how often do they have explicit strategies for CASH? Without cash, your mission is put on hold. In this episode, Axiom founder Joey Brannon talks about the handful of cash strategies that can improve your overall business.
When it comes to time management, the boss sets the tone. Even the best time manager can become frustrated and unproductive under a boss that doesn't respect boundaries and can't understand the role he or she should be playing in the organization.
People-Process-Product is a mantra hitting prime time on CNBC's show The Profit. But how do the 3 P's fit into business strategy?
Vertical integration is most often associated with Fortune 500 companies than with small businesses. But there are cases where vertical integration is a viable part of a small business growth strategy. In this episode Joey outlines the situations that might green light a vertical integration strategy and provides some real life examples.
Understanding the difference between owner and operator roles and the necessity of switching hats is key to business growth.
The Axiom podcast is back after taking a few months off. In this episode, Joey talks about what has been happening in the time since our last episode, and what to expect over the next month. He also shares part of his note taking workflow and why it is so important to what he does every day.
Even bad decisions can be better than no decisions. A strategic plan provides the security that allows them to make more decisions, knowing that even a bad decision will be detected and corrected before it can do too much damage.
The six stages of leadership growth, and how a business owner's highest and best use changes at each stage.
No, not that kind of family business. This week, we continue the discussion on what it's like to work with family, but this time we examine the darker side. Both parents and their kids fall victim to several common mistakes and missteps when family and business intersect. If you want to avoid these mistakes or if you’re looking for a way to overcome some of the sins of the past, this episode is for you.
They can be the best and the worst places to work. This week, we focus on the 10 best things about family businesses. This list takes on the topic from both perspectives. You may be the founder bringing children into the business, or you might be thinking about accepting an offer from "Pop" to run the show. Either way, this episode covers the things you don't want to miss about running and being a part of the family biz.
Marketing is one of those words that conjures up images of Madison Avenue wizards capable of coming up with the perfect copy with a cigarette in one hand and a martini in the other. Marketing strategy is considered beyond the reach of the average small business owner. In this episode, we strip away all the BS and get to the nuts and bolts of effective marketing inside small companies.
Pruning is a necessary part of growth. It is true in life and it is true in business. But very few businesses build a pruning cycle into their growth plans. In this episode, we talk about what to prune and how to do it. It's not just customers, although that is a big part of the pruning process. Pruning needs to be applied to every part of the business for it to remain thriving and healthy.
Growth requires owners to become (or hire) managers. But without "A Players" owners are stuck putting out fires and working around the inabilities of employees who need too much hand holding. If there is a common complaint among small business owners, it is the trouble they have finding and retaining top talent. In this episode, we tackle the greatest constraint to sustained business growth. Without the right people, you will not have a prayer of reaching the next level, whether that is $2 million, $5 million, $10 million or $20 million. You need "A Players" to grow year over year and you must have them in order to accomplish extraordinary things.
Top-performing companies are often described as candid places to work. Team members share open and honest discussion with little posturing or hidden agendas. Building candid conversations into the culture of your organization is necessary if your team is to accomplish anything larger than the individual efforts of one superstar. In this podcast, we talk about what this conversations look like, the situations where you can expect them to show up spontaneously, and how to leverage those situations into a long standing culture shift.
Some business owners smile and nod their heads when I tell them their receptionist is the most important employee in the company, but they don't get it. In this episode, I talk about building internal and external culture around the customer experience.
Do you know what to do to grow your business? Most business owners do. But they haven't done it. They can't do it. They don't know why they can't. They just haven't. In this episode, Joey tackles the problem of getting out of the rut and starting to grow again. He tells you how to do it and gives you three things you can do to get your mojo back. Eminently practical this is the secret sauce for getting back on the growth train.
Creativity is often perceived to be the domain of those who accept no limits, who attack the canvas unfettered, who pound out page after page in an unbridled response to the inner muse. But perception is not reality. Creative solutions are most often found within the boundaries of very real constraints. In the real world, these constraints are the fuel that drives our creative engine. Without them, we wander aimlessly. With them, we focus on energy and come up with astounding solutions, designs and insights.
It took me five years longer than it should have to create the business I wanted to run. In this episode, I talk about the tool I could have used to shorten the journey. The idea of a one page plan sounds catchy. But in practice, it is much more than a nifty slogan. One page plans done right have the potential to change your business in powerful ways.
Strategic planning is fun. Implementation, not so much. When it comes to getting the plan underway, most companies fail to face down the 800 pound gorilla in the room. You know the moment if you have witnessed it. Leaders suddenly become very interested in their shoes and find it hard to speak. What is the gorilla? What do you do to face it down? This episode is all about making progress, good or bad, with your strategic plan.
Teams should not have a centralized task management system. Why not? In this episode, Joey talks about the pros and cons of centralized systems and what you will be trading if you opt for a system designed around the company's needs.
To grow, you must develop a company of leaders. But leadership is an extraordinarily complex topic. Who has the time or resources to fully understand it? Luckily, you don't have to. There are just a few key ingredients that will start to make a difference as soon as you add them to your team.
The last thing you need is more opportunity. Everyone thinks that to be successful as a small business, you must be nimble, capable of taking advantage of fleeting opportunities. But that isn't true. What you need is the discipline to discover opportunity and the focus to exploit it.
Customer service isn't a strategy. It's a table stake. Few things will undermine a strategic plan faster or more completely than failing customer service. In this episode, Joey talks about the fundamentals of customer service and why you have to get it right before you start planning.
Teams that can't manage their calendars or their responsibilities have no chance of pulling off a winning strategy. In this episode, Joey covers the basics of time and task management. These essential skills must be part of every team member's toolbox.
This podcast was recorded a couple of years ago. Joey talks about dealing with adversity and resistance, both where these things originate, and how to overcome them. The kids are older and some of the examples a little dated, but the meat of the content is as relevant as ever.
Pace is part of everything we do in business. When we get intentional about pace and how we use it for different activities, effectiveness improves. This was the first podcast, recorded a couple of years before the platform was part of the consulting business. But it was first because this topic finds its way into everything we do with clients and into everything successful clients do with their teams.