Leadership - The ripple effect - diminishing returns

Brad runs full throttle intentionally. He knows if he operates at 100%, his leadership captures 70%. Their teams? 50%. Front line? 30%. That's why he inspects what he expects. If you don't verify, your message dies three levels down. Brian sees it differently. Rock hits a pond, ripples weaken. His brand message starts at 100%, hits 50% by sales. This is episode 50. The degradation principle.

 *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Brad's degradation theory: running at 70% means your team runs at 30% • How brand messages lose 50% power by the time they reach customers • The "inspect what you expect" principle: verify or watch it die three levels down • The visibility principle: Kalahari's CEO picks up trash so everyone else does

*WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Run at 110% knowing it degrades to 80% (set your floor impossibly high) • Foster ambassadors: most visible people must reflect your values • Be the brick not the pebble: big ripples reach the edges

*WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it.

*THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you let off the throttle, that's 90% captured, 85% down to 70%, down to 50%. That's not even the message we wanted out there with customers." What's degrading in your business right now?

👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. 

*TIMESTAMPS*

1:10 - Car wash business model debate

4:06 - What degradation means when running a company

5:05 - Brad's 100-70-50-30 theory

6:27 - Brian's ripples in a pond

8:00 - Pebble vs brick

10:16 - Your floor must be impossibly high

13:25 - Death by a thousand paper cuts

16:54 - Todd Nelson picks up trash

17:29 - Being visible vs fading

18:08 - Office vs remote debate

22:15 - Foster ambassadors 

*ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 

🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three leadership philosophies. Pick the one that matches your approach.

🍸 THE DEGRADATION TAX Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled across 11 locations Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • 0.75 oz lime juice • 0.5 oz simple syrup • 4 cucumber slices • Pinch of salt • Muddle cucumber, shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Clean, sharp, unforgiving. Brad's math is brutal: you run at 100%, your team at 70%, their teams at 50%. Zero room for sloppiness. By the time it reaches the bottom, half your message is gone.

🍸 THE RIPPLE EFFECT Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz scotch • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 0.25 oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Rock hits the pond, ripples spread out and weaken. Brian's brand language starts at 100% with him, hits 90% with leadership, 75% with managers, 50% with sales. This drink is all about layers that unfold as you sip. Complex at first, mellows as it reaches you.

🍸 THE THOUSAND CUTS Matt Croke - The host keeping it real Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • 1 oz pineapple juice • 0.5 oz lime juice • 0.5 oz Campari • Pineapple wedge • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Looks tropical, tastes sharp. A dollar here, $10 there, luxury hotel, first class flight. Brad's mentor taught him nothing gets taken for granted. Those small cuts add up and kill you before you realize you're bleeding. This drink's bitterness reminds you discipline matters everywhere. Make all three. Figure out which problem you're facing. Message degrading by 50%? Standards slipping at every level? Bleeding money on small stuff you ignore? Tag us. 

*JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros 

#Leadership #Degradation #BusinessStrategy #CEOLife #EntrepreneurMindset

Music: "Back to Black" by Rockin' For Decades (licensed through Epidemic Sound)