Building Leadership Teams That Actually Care – Small Business Insights
Release Date: 08/05/2025
From Flipping 100+ Homes to Building a 7-Figure Empire (with Credit)
The 8-Figure Product CEO
🚨 From Flipping 100+ Homes to Building a 7-Figure Empire (with Credit) 🚨 Most people see credit as debt. Brandon Elliott sees it as leverage. He didn’t start with money. He didn’t have investors. But he’s flipped over 100 homes, scaled a real estate portfolio across 4 states, and built a 7-figure brand helping others break free from financial stress. In this episode, Brandon breaks down: ✅ How he used credit to fund real estate deals (without hard money) ✅ The “velocity strategy” that turns flips into cash flow and long-term wealth ✅ Why most founders build too...
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Bootstrapping to $400M: How Jim Estill Built Danby Appliances Without Outside Capital
The 8-Figure Product CEO
Jim Estill scaled Danby Appliances to $400M without ever taking outside capital. In this episode, we go deep on what it really takes to grow a physical product business with no investors, no VC safety net, and no shortcuts. Jim shares: 🟡 How he scaled from the early days—before D2C and Amazon existed 🟡 Why he doubled down on niche products, not mass retail 🟡 How he manages risk without slowing growth 🟡 What he’d do differently after 40 years in hardware We also dig into what’s changing in 2025—and what founders need to unlearn if they want to survive this market. This is a...
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The Legal Levers Behind a Successful Exit
The 8-Figure Product CEO
🎙️ The Legal Levers Behind a Successful Exit with Pat Linden – M&A Attorney for Founder-Led Companies Pat Linden has helped 100+ founder-led companies exit—ranging from $10M to $500M+. In this episode, he walks through what great M&A lawyers actually do, how to protect your upside during diligence, and the legal landmines that kill deals. We also dig into the mindset shift founders must make—from operator to seller—and the prep work most companies forget. If you’re planning to sell your business (or even just want the option), this is the dealmaker’s roadmap you...
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Why EOS Fails: What Great Leadership Teams Do Differently
The 8-Figure Product CEO
Why EOS Fails: What Great Leadership Teams Do Differently with Paul DiCicco, Executive Coach & Fractional Integrator for organizations running on EOS Most EOS rollouts stall—and not because of the framework. Paul DiCicco is an Executive Coach and Fractional Integrator for organizations running on EOS. With 20+ years of leadership across military, corporate, and nonprofit sectors, he helps C-level leaders find better alignment in their leadership and life and serves as a Fractional Integrator at Beacon & Blade. In this episode, Paul breaks down the 3 biggest reasons EOS fails, what...
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How Michael Londo Built a $60K Product Business—Without Going DTC
The 8-Figure Product CEO
In this episode, I sit down with Michael Londo, founder of Body Balance System, who’s built a red light therapy business selling $60,000 custom-made beds to professionals across the U.S. Michael’s not selling online to everyday consumers. He’s closing big deals, direct to chiropractors, wellness clinics, and medspas—with a U.S.-based manufacturing team behind it. 🔥 In this conversation, we covered: 🔴 How he sells ultra-high-ticket red light beds directly to wellness businesses 🔴 Why he kept production in the U.S. and how it helps with quality and speed 🔴 What he’s doing...
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How Leah Garcia Scaled a Biotech Beauty Brand to $20M—Solo
The 8-Figure Product CEO
Leah Garcia built a $20M beauty brand from scratch—no cofounder, no outside capital, and no Amazon dominance. In this episode, Leah shares the real story behind NULASTIN’s growth, how she turned elastin science into a premium DTC product line, and what it took to transition from scrappy solo founder to strategic CEO. 🔥 What you'll learn: 💥 How she bootstrapped a $17M biotech beauty brand with zero outside funding 💥 The tipping point where passion and grit weren’t enough 💥 How building a real team unlocked scalability and freedom 💥 Why owning 20+ patents created a...
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Building Leadership Teams That Actually Care – Small Business Insights
The 8-Figure Product CEO
Mark Mahoney has seen it all—40 years in the beverage industry, six companies founded, and board roles on ten more. But seven years ago, he made a bold move: he bought out his brother to take over the family coffee roasting business, Atomic Coffee. In this episode, Mark breaks down how he’s built leadership teams that actually care—not just about the numbers, but about the mission and the people. ✨ What You’ll Learn: 👉 How to keep the heart of a family business—even as you scale 👉 Why “corporate” doesn’t have to mean cold and disconnected 👉 The key metrics Mark...
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How Keith Bearden Acquired a Premium CPG Brand—and What Every CEO Should Know About PE Deals
The 8-Figure Product CEO
Keith Bearden isn’t your typical CPG CEO. He’s led multiple private equity-backed companies, built and sold his own consulting firm, and most recently—used investor capital to acquire Alter Eco Foods, the premium chocolate brand he now leads. While Keith didn’t previously own Alter Eco, he was on the board when the PE group decided to sell—and raised his hand to step in and run the business. In this episode, he breaks down what most founders get wrong about PE and how to grow without giving up your company’s soul. 🔥 In this episode, we covered: 🔥 How he stepped in to acquire...
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From Cashflow Crunch to Private Equity Sale: Andrew Kamholz’s 20-Year Build in Precision Manufacturing
The 8-Figure Product CEO
What does it take to build a niche, high-complexity business—and actually sell it? In this episode, I sit down with Andrew Kamholz, founder of Edge Precision Manufacturing, who shares the real story behind his 20-year journey from starting with no capital to selling the company to a global buyer. Andy gets into the tough early years—when he nearly ran out of cash and had to do everything himself. He talks about how he carved out a niche making ultra-precise plastic parts for biotech and medical companies, built a 50-person team, and shifted from being a hands-on engineer to a real CEO....
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From Wellness to Wholesale: How Ashlee Foy Grew a $15M Health Brand
The 8-Figure Product CEO
In this episode of the Eight Figure Product CEO Podcast, Luke Peters sits down with Ashlee Foy—co-founder of Renuology and a seasoned health entrepreneur. Starting out as a physician assistant with a passion for wellness, Ashlee bootstrapped her company into a $12–15M success. But the real story? Her bold pivot from DTC (direct-to-consumer) to wholesale distribution—one that transformed her business growth overnight. 💬 In this episode, you'll hear: 🟠 How Ashlee's background in medicine helped shape her product 🟠 Why she shifted away from DTC and how wholesale unlocked scale 🟠...
info_outlineMark Mahoney has seen it all—40 years in the beverage industry, six companies founded, and board roles on ten more. But seven years ago, he made a bold move: he bought out his brother to take over the family coffee roasting business, Atomic Coffee.
In this episode, Mark breaks down how he’s built leadership teams that actually care—not just about the numbers, but about the mission and the people.
✨ What You’ll Learn:
👉 How to keep the heart of a family business—even as you scale
👉 Why “corporate” doesn’t have to mean cold and disconnected
👉 The key metrics Mark tracks weekly—and why managing without measuring is a recipe for chaos
👉 His experience buying out a sibling and what made the transition work
👉 How owning a marina business taught him even more about leading people
If you’re a founder who wants to grow a real business—without losing your values—this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen in and get practical advice from someone who’s been in the trenches for decades.