Beyond Revenue: The Entrepreneur's Journey to Freedom and Purpose
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
Release Date: 01/20/2026
Beyond Revenue: The Entrepreneur's Journey to Freedom and Purpose
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
Cannon Carr hosts an inspiring conversation with Shaun Enders, CEO of Transition Staffing Group— a firm specializing in finance, accounting, and tech roles. Shaun delves into his twenty-year journey from corporate recruiting to creating his own recruiting firm rooted in mentorship and growth. More than just business metrics, Shaun emphasizes the importance of personal fulfillment, clarity of purpose, and financial independence. Highlighting his 'Freedom Fund' mindset, Shaun talks about his personal experiences, including the impactful lessons learned from his grandparents' financial...
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Thrive Through Service: Randy Hain's Approach to Leadership and Coaching
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
Unlocking Leadership Success: A Conversation with Randy About Coaching and Building Effective Teams In this episode, Randy joins the show to discuss his extensive experience in leadership and team development. After a 25-year career in corporate America, including senior executive roles and co-owning a national executive search firm, Randy transitioned to entrepreneurship. He founded Serium Partners and The Leadership Foundry to focus on executive coaching and leadership development for Fortune 5000 companies and global teams. Randy shares his journey, emphasizing the importance of defining...
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Blending Profit and Purpose: A Coffee Entrepreneur's Tale
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
In this episode, David Paparelli discusses his entrepreneurial journey, focusing on the founding and growth of his coffee business, M-Cultivo. From his early inclination toward entrepreneurship, through various mentorships, to his unique approach to starting and scaling his company, David shares valuable insights. He explains how he identified a gap in the specialty coffee sector and used a mix of technology and customer engagement to fill it. David talks about the challenges of bootstrapping a tech-driven business, the importance of staying close to the customer, and how to balance purpose...
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The 95% Rule: Building a Culture of Accountability with Todd Stanton
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
💡 Episode Summary What if 5% of your employees are creating 95% of your problems? This week, Cannon and Claudia sit down with Todd Stanton, founder of Stanton Law and author of The 95% Rule: 29 Employment Law Axioms for Owners, Execs, and HR. While the title suggests employment law, this conversation goes much deeper — into the heart of leadership, ownership, and building a culture of accountability. Todd explains how a victim mentality in both leaders and employees erodes company health — and how reclaiming agency and responsibility leads to a high-performing, self-led team. He...
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Reflections on a Successful Business Sale: Insights from Cannon
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
What does it really take to sell a business without regret? In this anniversary conversation, Cannon Carr shares his experience of leading his firm through a major transition—what went as expected, what surprises hit hardest, and how preparation years in advance made all the difference. From the importance of clean books and solid processes, to setting non-negotiables, to navigating the emotional toll of the deal, Cannon gives a candid look behind the curtain of mergers and acquisitions. He also unpacks his Three R’s Framework—Reward, Reinvest, and Repurpose—and why values are just as...
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The Power of Clarity and Health in Entrepreneurship
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
In this episode, hosts Cannon and Claudia discuss the importance of health as a competitive advantage for business owners with guest Justin Roethingshofer, founder of Own It Coaching. Justin shares his transformation journey, driven by his experiences in the NHL and his personal health challenges. He offers insights into his high-performance health consultancy, which focuses on individualized health optimization for business leaders. Listeners are encouraged to consider key questions about their purpose, energy use, and risk management to ensure peak performance in their business endeavors....
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Growing 10X: Building a Business That Feels Small at Scale
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
How do you grow a business 10X—without losing the personal touch that made it special in the first place? In this episode of Business Owner Tales from the Trenches, EP Wealth Co-Founder Brian Parker unpacks the art of scaling with intention. Brian shares the real-life challenges of growing a boutique firm into a national powerhouse—while preserving the human element, internal culture, and client intimacy. Whether you're a startup founder, seasoned executive, or aspiring entrepreneur, this is a masterclass in leadership, growth strategy, and sustainable scaling. ➡️ Learn...
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Ep 32: Navigating Transitions and Why Your Story Matters with Michelle Prince
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
Changing careers can be a scary and often necessary move as your needs, interests, goals, and skills transform over time. In this episode, you’re going to hear about how you can succeed as an entrepreneur in your SECOND career. You will also hear about how to differentiate yourself from other people while building trust at the same time. You can find show notes, resources and more at:
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Ep 31: Leading through Periods of Rapid Growth, Change and Uncertainty with Chris Walters
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
Entrepreneurs can learn a lot from leaders who’ve run public companies and large divisions of private companies. Do you know how to lead a team through high growth, high uncertainty and periods of high change? In this episode featuring Chris Walters, CEO of Pluralsight, you will learn how to handle some of the most tricky and important moments your business will experience. You can find show notes, resources and more at:
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Ep 30: From Corporate to Entrepreneur in Retail Beverage: A Playbook for the First Four Years With Leslie Danford
Business Owner Tales from the Trenches
If you’ve been in the corporate world and are looking to become an entrepreneur, today’s episode will give you a solid look at what to expect in those first few years. Leslie Danford, founder and CEO of Vitaminis, joins the show to talk about her transition from corporate to starting her own retail beverage business. Her account of her experience and the insight she shares will give you inspiration and reassurance as you embark on your own journey. Listen in to hear about what she calls the “risk aversion dance” that happens at the beginning stages, as well as how she was able to gain...
info_outlineCannon Carr hosts an inspiring conversation with Shaun Enders, CEO of Transition Staffing Group— a firm specializing in finance, accounting, and tech roles. Shaun delves into his twenty-year journey from corporate recruiting to creating his own recruiting firm rooted in mentorship and growth. More than just business metrics, Shaun emphasizes the importance of personal fulfillment, clarity of purpose, and financial independence. Highlighting his 'Freedom Fund' mindset, Shaun talks about his personal experiences, including the impactful lessons learned from his grandparents' financial struggles and his intentional move towards entrepreneurship. The discussion also covers Shaun's strategies for scaling his business, letting go to let others grow, and his philanthropic efforts, such as the Enders Foundation scholarship fund. Packed with valuable insights on creating a purposeful business while ensuring personal financial security, this episode is a must-listen for aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs alike.
00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:28 Meet Sean Enders: CEO and Mentor
01:51 Sean's Entrepreneurial Journey
06:08 Lessons from Family: Financial Planning
10:16 Defining Success and Financial Independence
14:59 The Freedom Fund Concept
17:19 Balancing Business and Personal Wealth
22:24 Riding Out Financial Storms
23:38 The Fluidity of Financial Planning
25:27 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
26:12 Scaling a Service Business
29:27 Delegation and Growth
31:07 Future Vision for Transition Staffing Group
33:45 Final Thoughts and Contact Information
35:46 Reflections and Key Takeaways
Resources Mentioned My 3Rs Framework for business owners:
https://cannon-carr.com/the-3rs/
Website: https://cannon-carr.com/
Tools & resources for entrepreneurs: https://cannon-carr.com/resources/
More episodes of Business Owner Tales from the Trenches: https://cannon-carr.com/episodes/
If you’re a business owner who wants to build a company that creates impact and long-term wealth, hit Subscribe, give this video a like, and share it with another entrepreneur who loves coffee and purpose-driven business.
When you’re ready to take the next step, download the 3Rs Framework and start applying these ideas to your own business today.
Resources
📕 My 3Rs Framework: https://cannon-carr.com/the-3rs/
🌐 Website: https://cannon-carr.com/
🛠️ Resources: https://cannon-carr.com/resources/
🎙️ Podcast: https://cannon-carr.com/episodes/
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