• Season 1 Wrap Up with Jeremy Shapiro, Host, Your Business Growth Podcast
    2026/06/23
    In this Season 1 recap of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro breaks down the biggest lessons from 27+ business owners who got stuck at a plateau and found their way back to growth.If you’re looking for practical strategies to scale a business, improve profit, build systems, and create entrepreneurial freedom, this episode is packed with proven insights you can apply right away.Across the season, Jeremy explores what really drives growth at every stage of business — from early validation to seven-, eight-, and nine-figure scale. You’ll hear the recurring themes that showed up again and again: radical niching, automation, recurring revenue, vertical integration, value-based pricing, education-based selling, and using fewer people with better systems.Jeremy also shares the top books, lead sources, and strategic moves that helped these founders get unstuck and back on track.Whether you’re a founder, operator, or service business owner, this recap gives you a clear framework for getting out of the hustle trap, making smarter decisions, and building a business that grows with more intention.Subscribe for Season 2 as Jeremy continues interviewing high-growth business owners and sharing the lessons behind their breakthroughs.🔔 Subscribe Today!📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook ( https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/ )Guests and Episodes Mentioned:Ryan Crownholm: https://youtu.be/JfjnHTTPBG8Wes Schaeffer: https://youtu.be/N8Oc4a7lC5oDavid Hilton: https://youtu.be/224Ao_OGwO0Dom Cassone: https://youtu.be/ucfP5VfsRKcTed Miller III: https://youtu.be/ocVe05g3vosEmily Crookston: https://youtu.be/-FXCHGzyF8gDavid Schomer: https://youtu.be/GUJQ1xLWuk4Damien Zamora: https://youtu.be/lwbFdDejy0AAndrew Ackerman: https://youtu.be/-23HpYm1_UANick Bonitatibus: https://youtu.be/6yQEl7VY1JUSimone Little: https://youtu.be/SH78QjUQbnsLance Cayko: https://youtu.be/13wMP56ru9wWilliam Holsten: https://youtu.be/labofo2Z56AMarc Walton: https://youtu.be/KIQUJ7Ivc_IEric Lowe: https://youtu.be/1nhK1StaZ5sVirginia Elder: https://youtu.be/shw_w2IpYEkLeo Young: https://youtu.be/mq3r0vEqwWYAri Rastegar: https://youtu.be/14kWmPTK4YsShawn Boehme: https://youtu.be/EuZTZT5Bg4MAlbert Butler: https://youtu.be/j1Fga45SuKgWes Towers: https://youtu.be/IAF4EgA5flgSam Berman: https://youtu.be/Uh2k4DFFiq0Jon Chintanaroad : https://youtu.be/UdqNDXZV0f8Len May: https://youtu.be/LCOy49bF4G4Michael Ritsema: https://youtu.be/1k4PqPU4tU8Rachel Allen: https://youtu.be/m1Oe2LzHTroStephan Bajaio: https://youtu.be/8h3LUb8MpHIKeywords: business growth, how to scale a business, business plateau, entrepreneurship, systems and automation, recurring revenue, value-based pricing, education-based selling, business strategy, niche marketing, founder mindset, business growth podcast, scaling a business, leadership, entrepreneurship podcastWant to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcastMore about this episode: https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/s1-season-1-wrapup/🔔 Subscribe on YouTube🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing real lessons on growth, leadership, and building sustainable companies.
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    27 分
  • The Strategy Behind a Half Billion Dollar Valuation with Stephan Bajaio
    2026/06/16

    What happens when your software is excellent, but your customers still fail?

    In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro interviews Stephan Bajaio, former Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist at Conductor, about how the company overcame a major growth plateau by shifting from simply selling software to helping customers achieve measurable results.

    Conductor had already become a leader in enterprise SEO software and reached roughly $20 million in revenue.

    But growth stalled.

    Customers had access to powerful tools, yet many struggled with implementation, adoption, and execution.

    Stephan shares how:
    ✔️ Enterprise customers struggled to use the platform effectively
    ✔️ Growth flattened despite strong demand
    ✔️ Customer satisfaction suffered due to poor adoption
    ✔️ Teams lacked the internal expertise needed for success
    ✔️ Traditional onboarding wasn't producing results

    Then came the breakthrough.

    Instead of simply providing software, Conductor built managed services, enablement programs, and customer success systems that helped clients implement recommendations and achieve outcomes.

    That shift unlocked significant new growth and helped drive millions in additional revenue.

    In this episode, we discuss:
    ✔️ Building one of the first enterprise SEO platforms
    ✔️ Educating a market that didn't understand SEO
    ✔️ Why SaaS companies often hit adoption ceilings
    ✔️ The difference between product success and customer success
    ✔️ How managed services created a new growth engine
    ✔️ Using customer feedback to drive innovation
    ✔️ Why implementation is often the real bottleneck
    ✔️ Improving NPS through accountability and guidance
    ✔️ Building company culture during rapid growth
    ✔️ Creating ownership mindsets across teams
    ✔️ Hiring people who genuinely care about the mission
    ✔️ Why founders must think beyond the product

    Stephan also shares lessons on:
    ✔️ Leadership and culture at scale
    ✔️ Founder identity after success
    ✔️ Documenting organizational knowledge
    ✔️ Enterprise sales and customer education
    ✔️ Building communities around products
    ✔️ The future of search and digital visibility

    👉 Learn more about Stephan Bajaio:
    • https://vibelogic.com/
    • Stephan Bajaio on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanbajaio/

    📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook ( https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/ )

    Chapters:
    00:00 Growth Stalls at 20M
    01:30 Origin Story Link Experts
    03:44 Building Enterprise SEO SaaS
    06:12 Selling Search Before Software
    10:01 Evangelism and Competitive Wakeup
    13:27 Scaling Culture and Ownership
    17:33 Hiring for Passion
    19:26 Founder Identity and Town Halls
    23:30 Escaping the Founder Trap
    27:22 Visionary vs Operator Balance
    28:26 Fast Forward to Plateau
    28:45 Implementation Plateau
    29:41 Acceleration Onboarding
    31:51 Managed Services Shift
    35:06 Culture Not Role
    37:07 Enablement Training Wheels
    41:01 Speedboat vs Cruise Ship
    43:55 Founder Identity Passion
    46:03 Memorialize Your Playbook
    50:44 Reflection Kilimanjaro
    53:57 Rapid Fire Wrap

    Keywords: Stephan Bajaio, Jeremy Shapiro, SEO software, SaaS growth, customer success, managed services, enterprise software, business growth, company culture, leadership, customer retention, NPS, startup growth, scaling a business, recurring revenue, search marketing, digital marketing, software adoption
    #BusinessGrowth #SaaS #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Podcast

    Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcast be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here:

    🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing real lessons on growth, leadership, and building sustainable companies.

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    58 分
  • The Price Multiplier Breakthrough with Rachel Allen
    2026/06/09

    What happens when your business looks successful on the outside—but leaves you exhausted, stressed, and stuck?

    In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro interviews Rachel Allen about how she dismantled a successful agency, survived a six-month drought with zero new leads, and completely transformed her business into a multi-seven figure business by making one bold pricing decision.

    Rachel shares how:
    ✔️ She started freelancing during the 2008 recession with only $200
    ✔️ A copywriting side hustle became a successful business
    ✔️ Building an agency created more stress than freedom
    ✔️ Six years at the same revenue level left her feeling stuck
    ✔️ A six-month dry spell nearly pushed her out of entrepreneurship
    ✔️ One unconventional pricing decision changed everything

    Then came the breakthrough.

    Instead of competing as a copywriter, Rachel repositioned herself as a high-level marketing strategist and quintupled her prices.

    Within weeks, she landed the largest client of her career and began building the business she actually wanted.

    In this episode, we discuss:
    ✔️ Why scaling isn't always the right growth strategy
    ✔️ The hidden downside of agency ownership
    ✔️ How pricing influences client perception
    ✔️ Moving from service provider to strategic advisor
    ✔️ Why premium positioning attracts different buyers
    ✔️ The psychology behind charging more
    ✔️ Building referral-driven businesses
    ✔️ Networking strategies that create long-term growth
    ✔️ Working with larger organizations and enterprise clients
    ✔️ Creating a business designed around freedom and lifestyle

    Rachel also shares lessons on:
    ✔️ Business reinvention and repositioning
    ✔️ Overcoming pricing fears
    ✔️ Qualitative and quantitative business metrics
    ✔️ Building meaningful professional relationships
    ✔️ Creating sustainable growth without a large team
    ✔️ Making difficult decisions as an entrepreneur

    👉 Connect with Rachel Allen:
    • Bolt From The Blue Copywriting: https://boltfromthebluecopywriting.com/
    • Rachel Allen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelallenwrites/

    📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/

    Chapters:
    00:00 Dry Spell Breakthrough
    01:29 From Journalism to Hong Kong
    03:02 Early Freelance Hustle
    03:50 Boutique to Agency Shift
    07:17 Six Figure Plateau Lessons
    09:24 Shutting Down the Agency
    12:33 Cabin Retreat Price Leap
    15:35 Repositioning as Strategist
    17:47 Pricing Transparency Strategy
    20:04 Landing Fractional CMO Client
    21:45 Scaling Through Client Teams
    24:36 Multi Revenue Streams Freedom
    27:21 Referrals and Social Capital
    31:48 Metrics and Weekly Tracking
    35:04 Rapid Fire and Wrap Up

    Keywords: Rachel Allen, Jeremy Shapiro, pricing strategy, premium pricing, marketing strategy, entrepreneurship, copywriting, consulting business, business growth, scaling a business, agency owner, referrals, marketing consultant, business pivot, personal branding, entrepreneur mindset, high ticket services, business transformation

    #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #MarketingStrategy #Consulting #BusinessOwner #Podcast

    Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcast

    🔔 Subscribe right now for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing real lessons on growth, leadership, and building companies.

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    38 分
  • IT Services CEO: How Mike Ritsema Scaled to $10M+ Recurring Revenue: Acquisitions, Specialization & Systems
    2026/06/02

    Mike Ritsema, CEO of i3 Business Solutions, explains how he transformed a struggling IT services firm into a $10M+ recurring-revenue business using targeted acquisitions, niche specialization, and repeatable operational systems. Hear practical steps to simplify scale, reduce founder stress, and build predictable revenue—examples, pitfalls, and systems you can apply to established service businesses.

    What if growing your business actually made life LESS stressful?

    In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro interviews Mike Ritsema, CEO of i3 Business Solutions, about how he scaled a struggling IT services company into a $10M+ recurring revenue business through acquisitions, specialization, and operational systems.

    Mike shares the difficult realities behind entrepreneurship:
    ✔️ Maxing out personal credit lines
    ✔️ Going months without taking a paycheck
    ✔️ Surviving the 2001 tech recession
    ✔️ Watching 9/11 unfold while fearing the business would collapse
    ✔️ Navigating the Great Recession and COVID
    ✔️ Managing complicated business partner buyouts

    Instead of slowing down, Mike leaned into growth and built a stronger company through recurring revenue, acquisitions, and organizational focus.

    In this episode, we discuss:
    ✔️ Why buying a business can outperform starting one from scratch
    ✔️ The hidden operational cost of employees wearing multiple hats
    ✔️ How specialization improves service quality and execution
    ✔️ Why recurring revenue transformed the company
    ✔️ The operational benefits of scaling beyond 50 employees
    ✔️ How acquisitions simplified leadership responsibilities
    ✔️ EOS, Traction, and operational accountability systems
    ✔️ Why referrals remain the highest-quality lead source
    ✔️ Building premium service businesses with stronger margins
    ✔️ The value of peer groups, masterminds, and mentorship

    Mike also shares lessons on:
    ✔️ Leadership during economic uncertainty
    ✔️ Scaling service-based businesses
    ✔️ Delegation and operational clarity
    ✔️ Managing company culture after acquisitions
    ✔️ Why lifelong learning matters for entrepreneurs

    👉 Connect with Michael Ritsema and learn more about i3 Business Solutions:
    * i3 Business Solutions: https://i3bus.com/
    * Michael Ritsema on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljritsema

    📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook ( https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/ )

    Chapters:
    00:00 On the Brink
    01:11 From IBM to Ownership
    02:32 Buying Not Starting
    05:37 Early Struggles and 9 11
    09:16 Recession Pivot and Plateau
    11:41 Too Many Hats
    13:43 Partner Buyouts and Recurring Revenue
    16:58 Bored Then Bought a Rival
    20:46 Scale With Less Stress
    24:30 Systems and Priorities
    26:02 Weekly Priority Discipline
    26:47 Client Value Over Noise
    27:23 Networking for Acquisitions
    28:25 Merging Company Cultures
    30:56 One Role One Rock
    34:27 Specialization at Scale
    36:20 Pricing Power and Saying No
    38:07 Scaling Advice and Mentors
    41:50 Peer Groups and Benchmarks
    43:56 Owner KPIs for Growth
    45:36 Rapid Fire Takeaways
    47:37 Unlikely Mentor Story
    49:34 Wrap Up and Where to Connect

    Keywords: Mike Ritsema, Jeremy Shapiro, recurring revenue, IT business, managed services, EOS, Traction, business acquisitions, entrepreneurship, business systems, MSP growth, leadership, scaling a business, service business growth, business strategy

    #businessgrowth #Entrepreneurship #RecurringRevenue #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #Podcast

    Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/your_business_growth_podcast

    🔔 Subscribe today to get notified of new episodes, interviews, and shorts when they drop!

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    51 分
  • B2B Healthcare Pivot: How Len May Scaled EndoDNA to 4x Revenue
    2026/05/26

    What happens when a company hits $10M revenue but profits barely move? Jeremy Shapiro interviews EndoDNA founder Len May about the exact shift that transformed a struggling direct-to-consumer (DTC) business into a scalable B2B healthcare company. Len explains how rising advertising costs drove the pivot and the strategic decisions behind 4x revenue growth. Actionable takeaways for founders facing business growth plateaus and planning a DTC-to-B2B transition.

    What happens when your company hits $10 million in revenue… but profits barely move?

    In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro interviews entrepreneur and EndoDNA founder Len May about the exact shift that transformed his business from a struggling direct-to-consumer model into a scalable B2B healthcare company.

    Len shares how:
    ✔️ Rising advertising costs nearly stalled growth
    ✔️ Social media platforms repeatedly shut down campaigns
    ✔️ Customer acquisition became increasingly expensive
    ✔️ COVID disrupted events and distribution channels
    ✔️ Revenue continued growing while profitability stayed flat

    Then came the breakthrough: Instead of selling directly to consumers, Len shifted the business scaling the company from $10 million to $40 million in annual revenue.

    In this episode, we discuss:
    ✔️ Why some high-revenue businesses struggle financially
    ✔️ The hidden downside of direct-to-consumer models
    ✔️ The power of B2B partnerships and white-labeling
    ✔️ How recurring revenue transformed the company
    ✔️ Why customer lifetime value matters more than single sales
    ✔️ Using AI and machine learning in healthcare
    ✔️ Personalized medicine and genomic testing
    ✔️ How doctors became an extension of the sales team
    ✔️ The role of customer feedback in product innovation
    ✔️ ADHD, entrepreneurship, and unconventional thinking

    Len also shares lessons on:
    ✔️ Scaling healthcare technology companies
    ✔️ Building onboarding systems for clinics
    ✔️ Leveraging affiliate products for additional revenue
    ✔️ Creating feedback loops with customers
    ✔️ Why entrepreneurs should stop waiting for perfect execution

    👉 Learn more about Len May and EndoDNA:
    * EndoDNA's website: https://endodna.com/
    * Len May on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenmay/

    📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro, Author of Your Business Growth Playbook
    https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/

    Chapters
    00:00 Profit Stuck at 10M
    01:12 Len May Origins
    02:29 Cannabis as Medicine
    03:54 Early Hustles to Real Estate
    05:36 Dispensary Opportunity
    07:15 Genetics Lightbulb
    09:21 Launching EndoDNA
    10:30 Building the DNA Test
    12:51 Patents and Global Growth
    14:25 Marketing Shutdowns and COVID
    15:46 Stuck Phase Breakdown
    17:09 Doctor Call New Pivot
    19:56 Practitioner Distribution Model
    22:28 White Label Intel Inside
    23:28 AI Platform for Doctors
    26:01 Guardrails and Compliance
    27:45 Getting Doctors to Commit
    28:42 Charging For Utilization
    29:36 Skin In The Game
    30:24 Genomics To Shopping Cart
    32:19 Affiliate Catalog And Feedback
    33:59 B2B Pivot To Scale
    36:06 Epigenetics Recurring Testing
    39:25 Clinical Trials Data Flywheel
    42:30 Neurodivergence As Advantage
    46:43 KPIs Sales And Satisfaction
    49:06 Rapid Fire And Wrap Up

    Keywords: Len May, EndoDNA, Jeremy Shapiro, personalized medicine, genomics, healthcare AI, B2B growth, business strategy, direct to consumer, white label business, entrepreneurship, epigenetics, recurring revenue, functional medicine, startup growth

    #entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Healthcare #AI #Genomics #podcast

    Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/your_business_growth_podcast

    🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing real lessons on growth, leadership, and building sustainable companies.

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    54 分
  • Scaling Too Fast: Rebuild Profit, Cut Business Debt & Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics | Jon Chintanaroad
    2026/05/19

    Jon Chintanaroad reveals how a business hitting six-figure months was secretly collapsing — and the recovery steps that worked. Hear a candid breakdown of scaling too fast, chasing vanity metrics, taking on massive business debt, and rebuilding toward profit. Practical takeaways for established entrepreneurs: spot dangerous business growth signals, prioritize profit over ego, manage debt, and rebuild sustainable cash flow and margins.

    What happens when a business doing six-figure months is secretly collapsing behind the scenes?

    In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with entrepreneur Jon Chintanaroad for a brutally honest conversation about scaling too fast, chasing vanity metrics, taking on massive debt, and rebuilding a business from the ground up.

    Jon shares how he:
    ✔️ Left recruiting to start his own business
    ✔️ Scaled through coaching programs and paid ads
    ✔️ Joined high-level masterminds chasing “million-dollar months”
    ✔️ Took out a $350,000 SBA loan to keep the business alive
    ✔️ Ended up buried under nearly $800,000 in debt
    ✔️ Faced bankruptcy and devastating personal consequences

    But this episode is also about recovery and rebuilding.

    After the collapse, Jon completely changed his approach to business:
    ✔️ Lean operations
    ✔️ Profit-first financial systems
    ✔️ Organic LinkedIn marketing
    ✔️ Smaller, higher-quality client relationships
    ✔️ Lifestyle-focused entrepreneurship
    ✔️ Systems built around freedom and peace of mind

    In this episode, we discuss:
    ✔️ Why revenue means nothing without profit
    ✔️ The dangers of copying “successful” business models blindly
    ✔️ How mastermind culture can create unhealthy pressure
    ✔️ The emotional toll of debt and entrepreneurship
    ✔️ Why many founders are secretly struggling financially
    ✔️ How organic content became his most reliable lead source
    ✔️ The power of simplicity and sustainable growth
    ✔️ Why boring businesses are often the healthiest businesses
    ✔️ The mindset shift from “more” to finding your sweet spot

    This is one of the most transparent entrepreneurial conversations you’ll hear — packed with practical lessons for founders, agency owners, coaches, consultants, and anyone trying to build a sustainable business.

    👉 Connect with Jon Chintanaroad :
    • Recruiting Launch: https://recruitinglaunch.com/

    📘 Hosted by Jeremy B. Shapiro
    Author of Your Business Growth Playbook https://yourbusinessgrowthplaybook.com/

    Chapters:
    00:00 Debt-Fueled Cold Open
    01:00 From Recruiter to Agency Owner
    01:50 Internet Money and Group Coaching
    05:03 Six-Figure Months and Smoke Mirrors
    06:49 The Numbers Reveal the Cliff
    07:49 SBA Loan Spiral to Bankruptcy
    14:03 Living With Debt Anxiety
    15:22 Family Reckoning and Therapy
    19:30 Finding Your Sweet Spot
    21:23 Guardrails Accountability and Profit First
    24:43 Subscribe Break and Extra Life
    25:21 Why Lean Beats Big Overhead
    28:55 Cash Ads and Boring Business
    30:41 Boredom Means Stability
    32:00 Prove the Model First
    32:43 Organic LinkedIn Engine
    34:09 DIY Before Delegation
    38:55 Authentic Brand Voice
    42:36 Profit First Lifestyle Design
    44:35 Sweet Spot Sales Calls
    47:44 Hybrid Done For You Offer
    53:41 Scorecards and KPIs
    57:31 Rapid Fire Wrap Up

    Keywords: Jon Chintanaroad , business bankruptcy, entrepreneurship lessons, SBA loan failure, business debt, Profit First, Jeremy Shapiro, recruiting business, organic marketing, LinkedIn outreach, coaching business, startup burnout, business turnaround, Your Business Growth Podcast

    #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #Startup #ProfitFirst #Podcast #BusinessLessons

    Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/your_business_growth_podcast

    🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders sharing real lessons on growth, leadership, and building sustainable companies.

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    1 時間
  • Zero-Cost Sales Strategy - Sam Berman (LARC) on Scaling a Napkin Sketch into Logistics
    2026/05/12

    Jeremy Shapiro interviews Sam Berman, founder of LARC, on building a zero-cost sales strategy and how a restaurant napkin sketch evolved into global logistics. Hear practical tactics for creating a low-cost sales engine, early customer acquisition, and operational scaling — actionable takeaways for founders and growth-stage entrepreneurs.

    What happens when you realize a billion-dollar industry is still operating with outdated systems and nobody is willing to fix it?

    In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Sam Berman, founder of LARC, to break down how a restaurant napkin sketch evolved into a global logistics and engineering company trusted by some of the world’s largest technology and data center operators.

    After years working in Silicon Valley, Sam saw major problems in industrial packaging and logistics:
    ✔️ Expensive wood crating systems
    ✔️ Slow deployment times
    ✔️ Massive sustainability waste
    ✔️ Product damage during shipping
    ✔️ A complete lack of innovation

    Instead of accepting the status quo, Sam and his team spent years iterating, engineering, and refining a completely new approach.

    That shift led to:
    ✔️ Strategic partnerships with global logistics giants
    ✔️ Massive growth in the data center industry
    ✔️ Packaging-as-a-service innovation
    ✔️ Better protection for high-value technology
    ✔️ Reduced shipping and operational costs
    ✔️ A brand so recognizable customers now say “Lark it”

    In this episode, we break down:
    ✔️ How the original idea came from a restaurant napkin
    ✔️ Why disrupting old industries takes patience
    ✔️ The reality of long product development cycles
    ✔️ How partnerships accelerated growth
    ✔️ Why founders need resilience during isolation and uncertainty
    ✔️ How LARC became a trusted engineering solutions provider
    ✔️ The importance of first-mover advantage and IP protection
    ✔️ Why solving real customer problems creates loyalty and scale

    If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, startup operator, or business owner building something difficult and long-term, this episode offers real lessons on resilience, partnerships, and category innovation.

    👉 Connect with Sam Berman:
    • LARC: https://larc.co/
    • Sam Berman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelberman/

    📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, Your Business Growth Playbook

    Chapters:
    00:00 Build It Promise
    00:49 Podcast Welcome
    01:06 Napkin Sketch Origin
    03:28 Reinventing Crating
    05:37 Packaging As Service
    08:03 Early Validation Wins
    09:35 Funding And Iteration
    11:16 Surviving The Long Road
    15:56 First Major Data Center Deal
    18:32 Secure Tech Breakthrough
    19:21 Solutions Drive Loyalty
    21:11 Partner Led Growth
    26:25 Landing Logistics Giants
    27:54 Defending the IP
    28:26 First Mover Moat
    29:48 Verbified Brand
    32:26 Partners Drive Growth
    35:59 Deal Backstops
    38:02 Empire Not Exit
    39:38 Founder Survival Mindset
    42:45 Fail Faster Lessons
    46:36 Rapid Fire Wrap
    47:53 History as Mentors
    50:52 Recap and Where Next

    Keywords: Sam Berman, LARC, logistics innovation, startup founder, supply chain, packaging solutions, data centers, logistics partnerships, engineering startup, hardware startup, entrepreneurship, packaging as a service, business growth, Jeremy Shapiro, Your Business Growth Podcast

    #podcast #Entrepreneurship #Startup #Logistics #BusinessGrowth #SupplyChain

    Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/your_business_growth_podcast

    🔔 Subscribe today to get notified of new episodes, interviews, and shorts when they drop!

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    52 分
  • AI Threat, Low Valuation & Agency Pivot - Wes Towers (Uplift 360)
    2026/05/05

    When a business valuation returned far lower than expected because AI threatened his industry, Wes Towers - founder of Uplift 360 - told Jeremy Shapiro how that shock forced a rethink of his agency. This episode outlines real-world lessons for assessing valuation risk, confronting AI disruption, and planning an agency pivot. Listen for founder-first insights on adapting strategy in an AI-disrupted market.

    What happens when your business valuation comes back far lower than expected because AI is threatening your entire industry?

    In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast⁠, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360, to break down how a shocking valuation forced him to rethink his agency.

    Wes had built a successful web agency, but the business was still too dependent on him, margins were tightening, and custom projects were becoming harder to scale. Then came the wake-up call: the market saw his agency as vulnerable to AI disruption.

    Instead of ignoring the warning, Wes rebuilt the business.

    That shift led to:
    ✔️ 60% recurring revenue
    ✔️ Higher-margin service delivery
    ✔️ Stronger niche positioning
    ✔️ Faster project turnaround
    ✔️ Better internal systems
    ✔️ Less founder dependency
    ✔️ His most profitable year yet

    In this episode, we break down:
    ✔️ Why AI forced Wes to rethink his agency model
    ✔️ How niching into construction changed his positioning
    ✔️ Why taking the wrong clients can destroy margins
    ✔️ How productized services made delivery easier
    ✔️ Why recurring revenue changed the business
    ✔️ How AI can support better workflows
    ✔️ Why removing services can create more growth

    If you run an agency, service business, or founder-led company, this episode will help you think differently about focus, systems, and long-term value.

    👉 Connect with Wes Towers:
    • Website: https://uplift360.com.au/
    • Wes Towers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/westowers/
    • Wes Towers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Uplift360Aus
    • Wes Towers on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@westowers
    • Wes Towers on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uplift_360/
    • Wes Towers on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uplift_360/streams
    • Wes Towers on X: https://x.com/uplift_360

    📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, Your Business Growth Playbook

    Chapters:
    00:00 Niching Painful Lessons
    00:48 AI Threat Wake Up Call
    01:14 Show Intro And Guest
    01:46 Wes Origin Story
    03:24 Finding The Trade Niche
    05:02 Lifestyle First Growth Plan
    06:50 Plateau And Margin Squeeze
    09:16 Valuation Shock Explained
    11:23 Personal Brand Exit Risk
    12:44 Team Led AI Overhaul
    15:17 Exit Mindset And Systems
    17:15 Niching Horror Story
    20:42 Productized Website Frameworks
    24:17 Pricing Power And Delegation
    25:53 Maintenance Saves Clients
    27:05 AI Content Workflows
    28:31 SEO Automation With Rank Math
    31:50 Recurring Revenue Stability
    35:00 Niche Attracts Bigger Clients
    37:33 Standardizing Delivery With ClickUp
    40:16 Eliminate Low Value Work
    44:00 Mentors And Decisive Focus
    46:13 Rapid Fire Growth Questions
    50:39 Wrap Up And Where To Find Wes

    Keywords: Wes Towers, Uplift 360, web agency growth, recurring revenue, business valuation, AI in business, niche marketing, construction marketing, digital agency, productized services, agency systems, founder dependency, SEO, service business growth, Jeremy Shapiro, Your Business Growth Podcast

    #podcast #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #DigitalMarketing #AgencyLife #RecurringRevenue

    Want to be a ⁠guest on Your Business Growth Podcast⁠? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on ⁨PodMatch here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcast

    🔔 Subscribe today to get notified of new episodes, interviews, and shorts when they drop!

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