Blind Optimism Cost Me Two Years (Here’s How We Fixed It) — Randy Platt & Rodney Burris
Release Date: 07/30/2025
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Kristen Duell, founder of Momentum Healthcare and Technology Consulting, joins host David Knack for a raw conversation about the recurring mistake that has shaped her entire leadership journey: believing that shared passion and purpose are enough to run a successful business. Kristen opens up about the "black eyes and kidney punches" she's endured from moving too fast and trusting that others shared her standards of integrity, without first establishing clear structure and alignment. She explains why "momentum without tension is chaos" and how this hard-won lesson is now the core philosophy of...
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On Death and Dying in Home Care Part 1 – Gabrielle Pumpian and Nicole Soares
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Gabrielle Pumpian returns, joined by death doula and end-of-life consultant Nicole Soares, for a profound conversation about the one thing every home care agency deals with but few are prepared for: death. They explore a common operational mistake: failing to align a caregiver's duties with a client's core values, leading to disengagement and a reduced schedule. Nicole shares her powerful personal journey that led her to become a "one-stop death shop," while Gabby reflects on the costly mindset of viewing a client's passing primarily as a revenue loss. The discussion offers actionable advice...
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The "Frankenstein's Monster" Team That Forced a Culture-First Fix – Victor Hunt
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Victor Hunt, the passionate CEO and co-founder of Zingage, joins host David Knack for a long-awaited conversation. Victor opens up about the critical hiring mistake from his first startup: prioritizing raw technical skill over team cohesion and culture fit, a misstep that almost broke the company. He explains why this "Frankenstein's monster" approach to building a team fails and how it informed his "culture-first" philosophy at Zingage. Victor shares the only two traits he now looks for in every hire and dives into the underrated genius of home care owners, who are often overwhelmed by...
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The $10,000 Mistake That Forged a Stronger Partnership – John "Moz" Mozdzien
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In this re-released episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack sits down with Becky Reel, founder and CEO of Reel Home Care Consulting and former owner of a top-rated home care agency. In their conversation from 2024, Becky vulnerably shares the story of her biggest hiring mistake: bringing her nanny into the office during COVID-19. She details how she overlooked numerous red flags, which led to a toxic work environment and significant business disruption. From this experience, she learned invaluable lessons about the importance of thorough reference checks, truly listening to her team,...
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Stop Waiting for January: Strategic Growth Planning – Steve “The Hurricane” Weiss
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The $100,000 Partnership Mistake I Was Too Stubborn to Quit – Clayton Foutch
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In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack is joined by Clayton Foutch, a home care veteran and founder with over 18 years in the industry. Clay opens up about the costly mistake of stubbornly pursuing a major partnership that was a poor strategic fit for his company's "Four Seasons" vision. He shares how his refusal to listen to his team and cut losses earlier resulted in a significant financial and reputational hit. Clay also dives into the importance of revenue diversification for stability, the collaborative nature of the home care industry, and how to thoughtfully...
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What I Wish Every Home Care Owner Knew – Steven Gonzales
Home Care Hindsight
In this episode of Home Care Hindsight, host David Knack is joined by Steven Gonzales, CEO of HealthView Home Health & Hospice, to demystify the world of home health. Steven breaks down the core function of home health, its role in the care continuum post-hospital discharge, and the critical financial challenges driven by payer mix and Medicare Advantage. He shares invaluable insights on how home care agencies can become essential partners by understanding clinical needs, tracking client payer data, and focusing on true care coordination. Steven also looks to the future, discussing...
info_outlineRandy Platt and Rodney Burris, co-founders of Care Partners, reveal how blind optimism and over-reliance on culture nearly derailed their home care startup, and the pivotal shifts that turned their $0M mistake into 40% growth.
In this transparent conversation, the duo unpacks their early missteps: from chasing unrealistic budgets to hiring for "culture fit" over performance. Discover how they transformed their partnership through radical transparency ("no barnacles"), why EQ now trumps IQ in their hiring, and the surprising metric that proves their team’s resilience.
From solving healthcare fragmentation to measuring the unmeasurable (like caregiver impact on family stress), Randy and Rodney share hard-won lessons on building a company where love, empathy, and execution coexist.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
1. The $0M mistake: How Rodney’s blind optimism burned 30 months of runway (and the team hack that fixed it).
2. Culture vs. performance: Why Randy’s "over-architected" hiring approach backfired—and the balance that works now.
3. The "no barnacles" rule: How radical partnership transparency prevents startup collapse.
4. EQ > IQ: Why they hire passionate novices over jaded experts.
50 The unmeasurable win: How caregivers reduce family anxiety (and why it’s their secret sauce).
Lesson Takeaways:
1. Optimism needs guardrails: Involve your team in budgeting to spot blind spots.
2. Culture isn’t enough: Pair empathy with clear performance expectations.
3. Partnerships thrive on vulnerability: Know everything about your co-founder’s weaknesses.
4. Hire for grit, not just fit: Passionate learners outperform experienced skeptics.
5. Human connection > tech: AI can’t replace the caregiver’s role as "the thread through a patient’s life."
Timestamps:
00:00 - Welcome to Home Care Hindsight
01:48 - Meet Randy & Rodney: Care Partners’ origin story
03:26 - Their big vision: Reducing healthcare fragmentation
06:06 - Rodney’s mistake: Blind optimism in budgeting
10:00 - The windshield moment: Overestimating referral timelines
13:57 - Randy’s mistake: Over-indexing on culture in hiring
16:58 - Why EQ beats IQ in team building
20:00 - The "no barnacles" partnership strategy
25:10 - Measuring caregiver impact beyond metrics
30:06 - Little mistakes: Cash reserves & peer mentorship
35:20 - Proudest win: Team-led expansion & Inc. 5000 recognition
38:12 - How to connect with Care Partners
Quotes:
"Blind optimism is like driving 100mph without seeing the windshields coming." — Rodney Burris
"Human connection is the lifeblood of home care—no bot can replace it." — Randy Platt
"90% of 50/50 partnerships fail. ‘No barnacles’ saved ours." — Rodney Burris
"Cash is king. Add 20% to your budget—you’ll need it." — Randy Platt
"CEOs are the loneliest people. Find a peer mentor." — Randy Platt
Resources:
1. Randy Platt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyplatt/
2. Rodney Burris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-burris-bba75491/
3. Care Partners Website: https://carepartners.us/
4. Connect with David Knack on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-knack/
5. Connect with Zingage on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zingage/
6. Powered by Zingage: https://zingage.com/
7. Watch Episode on Zingage’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zingage