CEO Bros - After Hours
CEO Bros is an entertaining weekly podcast hosted by the Balduf Brothers and Matt Croke. Brian and Brad Balduf are successful entrepreneurs and CEOs with hundreds of engaging and insightful stories from the trenches. They talk about everything from the challenges of starting a business, to the exhilaration of growing the business, to the ultimate satisfaction of selling a business. They share real-life stories and lessons in an engaging and candid 'after hours' conversation moderated by Matt Croke, an international entertainer, comedian, and author. Join the guys every Friday afternoon for a new episode. Hear some rants, some ideas, some lessons learned, and some funny anecdotes about the world of running your own company.
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How to tell if it's a business or just an interesting idea ep 78
08/14/2026
How to tell if it's a business or just an interesting idea ep 78
*Friends Validate. Strangers Evaluate. (Your Idea Just Failed the Clock) Season 2 Episode 78* Two of four hurdles that decide if an idea becomes a real business. Got a “great idea”? Still talking about it in three weeks? Would a stranger actually buy it? Or are you just collecting yeses from people who love you? Matt keeps building AI apps and asking the same question: is this even a business? Brian and Brad answer with four hurdles every idea has to clear: Dollar. Clock. Bullet. Stranger. This episode they only clear two. The Clock hurdle kills most ideas. Someone gets charged up, tells everyone, then two weeks later the energy is gone. Brian’s test is simple. Put the idea down for a week. Don’t talk about it. Come back. Still obsessed? Still waking up thinking about it? Then maybe. Brad is still fired up about buying a pool hall weeks later. That’s the signal. Most people fail this without noticing. Then the Stranger hurdle. Friends validate. Strangers evaluate. Your friends will say it’s brilliant because they like you. If you can’t get a stranger interested in buying the thing, you don’t have a business. You’ll discover: • Why most “great ideas” fizzle in under 30 days • The one-week silence test that separates conviction from temporary excitement • How to get honest product feedback without your friends lying to you • Why the Clock hurdle has two parts (excitement + actual time) • What Bullet and Dollar will demand next week *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Force a one-week silence before you spend a dollar • Ask strangers “Would you buy this?” never “Should I start this?” • Treat lasting energy after the pause as the first real signal *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* “Friends validate. Strangers evaluate.” Still excited after a week of silence? Drop the idea below. We’ll tell you if it clears the first two hurdles. Subscribe for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *Timestamps* 0:00 - Four hurdles: Dollar, Clock, Bullet, Stranger 1:06 - “Is this idea even a business?” 2:02 - The four tests every idea has to pass 5:26 - Which hurdle is easiest to lie to yourself about 7:01 - The Clock hurdle and why most ideas die here 11:04 - The one-week silence test 12:09 - Still talking about the pool hall weeks later 16:50 - Friends validate. Strangers evaluate. 17:24 - How Brian got real feedback on his memoir 23:39 - Only two hurdles cleared. Bullet and Dollar next. *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. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK’S COCKTAILS* Three vodka drinks for three ways your idea can die. Pick the one that matches where you’re stuck. 🍸 *THE CLOCK STOPPER* Brian Balduf - The guy who waits a week before he believes anything Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • ¾ oz dry vermouth • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lemon twist • Stir with ice, strain into chilled glass The Vibe: You were all in on Monday. By Friday the fire was out. This one forces the pause. If you still want it after the first sip goes cold, maybe it’s real. 🍸 *SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME* Brad Balduf - The operator who has seen too many ideas evaporate Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • ¾ oz triple sec • ¾ oz cranberry juice • Splash of lime • Shake, strain, serve up The Vibe: It looked perfect under the lights. Two weeks later nobody remembers the name. Drink this when you’re about to chase the next bright thing instead of finishing the last one. 🍸 *THE RANDO* Matt Croke - The one who asks people who have zero reason to be nice Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • ½ oz lime juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Soda water • Lime wheel • Build over ice, top with soda The Vibe: Your friends already said yes. This drink only cares what a stranger would pay for. No compliments. Just the truth in the glass. Which hurdle is currently killing your idea? Clock or Stranger? Tell us below. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #bestbusinesspodcast #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipskills #leadershipmindset #leadershiptips #startups #startupsuccess #startuptips #businesstips #businesssuccess #businessadvice #entrepreneur #entrepeneurlife #entrepreneurmindset #howto
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Top 5 - Best business advice ever received
08/07/2026
Top 5 - Best business advice ever received
*We Ranked Our Best Business Advice... Then Everything Changed S2 Ep 77* Would you rank protecting cash above telling a great story? Is hiring the best partners really more important than keeping your business simple? And what if your #1 business lesson ends up sitting in the #5 spot because you committed too early? This week the CEO Bros try something they've never done before. Brian reveals the five most valuable pieces of business advice he's collected throughout his career. Brad and Matt have to rank each one...without knowing what's coming next. No changing your answers. No do-overs. What starts as a fun game quickly turns into one of the biggest debates the podcast has had. Cash. Equity. Storytelling. Simplicity. Hiring. Then one word changes everything: Compromise. Brian can't stand it. Brad thinks sometimes it's necessary. Matt gets caught in the middle. By the end, all three arrive at completely different rankings, proving there isn't one perfect list. Your experience shapes what matters most. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why protecting cash and protecting equity are completely different lessons • The expensive mistake founders make when they give away ownership too early • Why trying to do everything usually means mastering nothing • The surprising reason storytelling belongs in every successful company • How one simple word sparked the biggest disagreement of the episode *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Dominate one niche before expanding. • Protect your cash before protecting your growth. • Treat equity like something you'll eventually have to sell. • Build a story your employees, customers, and partners can repeat. • Complexity slows companies. Simplicity scales them. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and more than 550 employees. Matt Croke asks the questions that force both of them to defend every opinion. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "The best business advice isn't universal. It's the advice your own scars taught you." How would YOU rank Brian's five lessons? Drop your list in the comments. Subscribe every Friday for real conversations from people who've actually built companies. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 Cubs vs. White Sox and the Blind Ranking Challenge 1:16 The Rules: Rank It Before You Know What's Next 3:39 Rule #1: Master One Thing Exceptionally Well 5:17 Never Settle for the Wrong Partners 10:05 Join the Blind Ranking Challenge 11:08 Protect Cash...and Protect Your Equity 15:23 Why Every Great Company Needs a Story 19:30 Keep It Simple, Stupid 22:05 Final Rankings Revealed 24:20 The Compromise Debate Nobody Expected 🍸 WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS Three drinks for three different business philosophies. Pick the one that matches your ranking. 🍸 THE BLIND RANK Brian Balduf, The Founder Playing Chess Recipe • 1 oz coffee liqueur • 1 oz Irish cream • 1 oz orange liqueur • Carefully layer each ingredient into a chilled shot glass The Vibe: Every layer depends on the one before it. Commit too early and there's no rearranging the order. Just like the episode, your first decision changes every one that follows. 🍸 PROTECT YOUR EQUITY Brad Balduf, The Operator Guarding What Matters Recipe • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice • ¾ oz honey syrup • Shake with ice • Serve over fresh ice with an edible gold sugar rim The Vibe: Cash keeps you alive today. Equity builds tomorrow's payday. Smooth, valuable, and a reminder that giving away ownership is a lot easier than getting it back. 🍸 THE C WORD Matt Croke, The Host Caught Between Two CEOs Recipe • 1 oz mezcal • 1 oz aged rum • ½ oz banana liqueur • 2 dashes chocolate bitters • Stir with ice and strain over one large cube The Vibe: Mezcal and rum have completely different personalities, but somehow they meet in the middle. Brian may hate compromise, but this cocktail proves sometimes unlikely combinations create something worth talking about. Make all three. Which one are you pouring first? The Blind Rank? Protect Your Equity? Or The C Word? Then tell us how you'd rank Brian's five business lessons. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #bestbusinesspodcast #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipskills #leadershipmindset #leadershiptips #startups #startupsuccess #startuptips #businesstips #businesssuccess #businessadvice #compromise #kiss #cashisking #top5 #howto
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How to buy a business pt 3 - You own it Now what? ep 76
07/31/2026
How to buy a business pt 3 - You own it Now what? ep 76
*There’s a New Sheriff in Town (You Bought the Business. Now What?) | S2 Ep 76* *The deal closed. The employees, customers, and vendors start judging you.* You bought the business. Now what? Do you change everything on day one? Keep it running exactly as it is? Or wait six months while employees, customers, and vendors wonder what you’re planning? Brad is still weighing whether to buy the pool hall. So Brian and Matt walk through what happens after the paperwork is signed and the business officially becomes yours. The first challenge isn’t growth. It’s transition. Employees want to know if their pay, hours, jobs, and responsibilities are about to change. Vendors want to know where they stand. Customers want proof that “under new management” means something better, not higher prices and fewer chili dogs. And the new owner gets one chance to set the tone. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • Why your transition plan should exist before the deal closes • What employees are really afraid to ask the new owner • When to make a big announcement and when to move quietly • Why frontline employees know where the business is broken • How Brad moved from 50/50 to 60/40 on buying the pool hall *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Decide what changes now, later, or never • Communicate with employees first, then vendors and customers • Ask what people love, what they hate, and what the old owner ignored • Act quickly when the feedback exposes an obvious problem • Show up personally and model how you expect the business to run *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* “You spent months evaluating the business. The moment you buy it, the business starts evaluating you.” Would you change things immediately or slow roll the transition? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Dog Finally Caught the Car 1:57 - You Bought It. Now What? 3:56 - What Employees Are Actually Afraid Of 6:32 - Day One Change or Slow Roll? 9:02 - Control the Narrative Before Rumors Do 12:10 - Why “Under New Management” Creates Anxiety 13:44 - The $14,700 Pool Hall Promotion Disaster 14:26 - Resetting Vendors and Old Relationships 15:19 - Ask Employees What the Old Owner Ignored 20:04 - Process Mapping, AI, and Quick Wins 21:09 - The Transition and Communication Plans 24:46 - Stop Half-Assing It. You Own It. 26:48 - Brad Moves From 50/50 to 60/40 *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf and Brad Balduf with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens while building companies: failures, scaling problems, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three ways to take control. Pick the one that matches your transition plan. 🍸 *THE PROCESS MAP* Brian Balduf - The operator inspecting what everyone else accepted Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz maple syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon peel • Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass The Vibe: Brian wants every process mapped before “that’s how we’ve always done it” becomes the new owner’s problem. Streamline it. Standardize it. Simplify it. Then turn the savings into a better experience for employees and customers. 🍸 *THE SIXTY-FORTY* Brad Balduf - The buyer slowly talking himself into a pool hall Recipe: • 2 oz tequila reposado • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • ½ oz grapefruit juice • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain into a coupe The Vibe: Brad entered the conversation at 50/50 and left at 60/40. The finances still have yellow flags, but he knows how to communicate, implement, and lead. A little cautious, a little confident, and leaning toward another round. 🍸 *THE NEW SHERIFF* Matt Croke - The host telling the owner to go all in Recipe: • 1.5 oz rye whiskey • ¾ oz sweet vermouth • ¼ oz cherry liqueur • 2 dashes aromatic bitters • Brandied cherry • Stir with ice, strain into a coupe The Vibe: Once it’s yours, every customer complaint, bad hot dog bun, and confused employee reflects on you. Matt’s rule is simple: own it, embrace it, and stop half-assing it. This drink walks in like the new sheriff and makes the expectations clear. Make all three. Mapping every process? Leaning 60/40? Walking in like the new sheriff? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH](https://x.com/CeoBrosAH) [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/](https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/) [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH](https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros]( #BusinessAcquisition #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #SmallBusiness #CEOBros
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How to buy a business pt 2 - Getting the deal done
07/24/2026
How to buy a business pt 2 - Getting the deal done
*He Was 80% Ready to Buy (Then the Financials Changed Everything) | S2 Ep 75* *A million-dollar pool hall, handwritten books, and a buyer stuck at 50/50.* Why is the owner really selling? Are you buying a business or inheriting their bookkeeping problem? What happens if the one employee holding everything together walks out? Brad found a pool hall with a great location, built-in leagues, regional tournaments, real estate, and at least 15 ways to grow. At one point, he was 80% ready to move forward. Then the diligence showed up. Handwritten receipts. Financials that don’t match the size of a million-dollar-plus business. Questions about employees, vendors, software, contracts, customers, and hidden liabilities. His confidence dropped to 40%, then crawled back to 50/50. This is Part 2 of How to Buy a Business. The deal looks exciting. Now the assumptions have to survive the facts. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • Why “Why is the owner selling?” has to be your first question • How employees, customers, and vendor relationships become assets or liabilities • Why built-in leagues and recurring customers are expensive to recreate • What sloppy financials may be hiding beneath a profitable business • How to confirm the reasons you believe the business will succeed *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Separate your love for the business from the economics • Study financial trends, not one good month or year • Talk to owners in the same industry before you buy • Use an attorney to protect against liens, contracts, and hidden liabilities *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* “Liabilities are like landmines. They’re all over the place.” What would stop you from buying this pool hall? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - People Can Be Assets or Liabilities 0:56 - Is Brad Buying Baldi’s Billiards? 1:36 - Why Is the Owner Really Selling? 4:14 - Valuing the Business and the Building 5:55 - Buying Built-In Customers 7:39 - 15 Reasons to Buy, One Big Financial Problem 9:01 - The Key Employee Risk 13:06 - Taking Emotion Out of the Deal 19:54 - When the Attorney Enters 25:11 - The Software the Seller May Not Own 27:37 - Ray’s Landmine Warning *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 the failures, risks, and messy realities behind building companies. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three buyer instincts. Pick the one that matches your position. 🍸 *THE FIFTY-FIFTY* Brad Balduf - The buyer who keeps moving the odds Recipe: • 1 oz bourbon • 1 oz rye whiskey • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz maple syrup • 2 dashes bitters • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Brad went from 80% in to 40%, then landed back at 50/50. Two whiskeys split the decision while the financials decide which way it goes. 🍸 *THE PAPER TRAIL* Brian Balduf - The operator checking what the seller actually owns Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • ½ oz coffee liqueur • ½ oz sweet vermouth • 2 dashes orange bitters • Stir with ice, strain into a coupe The Vibe: Handwritten receipts look harmless until they’re attached to a million-dollar deal. Dark, layered, and best examined carefully. 🍸 *THE SKELETON KEY* Matt Croke - The host opening every locked door Recipe: • 1½ oz bourbon • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz lemon juice • Ginger beer • Lemon peel • Shake first three, strain over ice, top with ginger beer The Vibe: Employees, vendors, contracts, software, customers. Matt keeps asking until the closet opens and every hidden problem has nowhere left to hide. Make all three. Buying in? Walking away? Still stuck at 50/50? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #BusinessAcquisition #DueDiligence #Entrepreneurship #BusinessStrategy #CEOBros #leadership #startups #startupsuccess #startupjourney #startupideas #startuptips #startupstory #howto
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How to Buy a Business pt1
07/17/2026
How to Buy a Business pt1
#howtobuyabusiness *He Wants to Buy a Pool Hall (But the Books Are on a Napkin) | S2 Ep 74* *Brad is 50/50 on Baldy’s Billiards, and the numbers may decide it.* Who runs the business when you’re not there? Can you trust financials that look like notes on a napkin? Can you afford the deal if the whole thing fails? Brad has a real opportunity to co-invest in an existing pool hall. Great location. Loyal players. Leagues. Plenty of upside. It also comes with a price north of $1 million and financial records that aren’t giving him much confidence. That turns a fun idea into a serious decision. Is he buying a profitable business, or expensive tables, bar stools, payroll, debt, and a lease? Is this a lifestyle business he’ll enjoy for years, or a hobby that starts draining money the moment the excitement wears off? Brad is truly 50/50. Brian and Matt pressure-test the deal in real time, from funding and location to management, food sales, ownership incentives, and whether Brad can commit enough time to make it work. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • The first question every buyer must answer before making an offer • Why loving the business isn’t enough to run it • What you’re really buying beyond equipment and inventory • Why weak financial records turn opportunity into risk • When giving a manager equity can protect your investment *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Decide who runs the business before you buy it • Verify revenue, payroll, expenses, bank statements, and trends • Study the location, traffic, parking, and surrounding businesses • Never invest money you can’t afford to lose *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* “A cool idea has to become an actionable plan. Otherwise, it’s just an expensive hobby.” Would you buy Baldy’s Billiards, or walk away? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Financing Question Nobody Can Avoid 1:32 - Can You Name the World’s Top Five Beers? 3:47 - Buying a Business Instead of Building One 5:04 - Brad’s Real Pool Hall Opportunity 7:51 - Will You Own It, Run It, or Both? 10:06 - Banks Don’t Fund Dreams on a Handshake 11:40 - When a Business Is Really an Expensive Hobby 16:44 - The Location That Keeps Killing Restaurants 21:18 - Over $1 Million for Napkin Financials? 23:59 - Bacon in a Cup Becomes the Growth Plan 25:14 - Should the Manager Get Ownership? 28:16 - Can You Afford for the Business to Fail? *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 ways to evaluate a deal. Pick the one that matches your decision. 🍸 *THE BACK-OF-THE-NAPKIN* Brian Balduf - The buyer who wants proof before the check clears Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ½ oz maple syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: The seller wants more than $1 million. Brian wants bank statements, payroll, expenses, and trends. Clean numbers first. Cocktail second. 🍸 *THE FIFTY-FIFTY BREAK* Brad Balduf - The pool player standing directly on the fence Recipe: • 1 oz tequila blanco • 1 oz mezcal • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Half excitement. Half hesitation. Brad sees the location, leagues, and upside, but he also sees the time, risk, and responsibility. One shot decides the table. 🍸 *THE BACON IN A CUP* Matt Croke - The host who accidentally found the new revenue stream Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • 3 oz tomato juice • ½ oz lemon juice • Worcestershire and hot sauce • Celery salt • Bacon strip • Roll with ice, pour into tall glass The Vibe: Customers stay for hours, then leave to find food. Matt’s answer is simple, salty, and impossible to ignore. Keep them in the building. Keep the tab open. Make all three. Trusting the napkin? Taking the 50/50 shot? Ordering bacon for the table? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #BuyingABusiness #Entrepreneurship #BusinessAcquisition #Leadership #CEOBros #startups #bacon #bestbusinesspodcast #beer #pool #howto
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Wild Card - McDonalds, Starbucks, Verizon
07/03/2026
Wild Card - McDonalds, Starbucks, Verizon
*Wild Card Friday: How Companies Break Customer Trust S2 Ep 72* What happens when growth pressure beats common sense What happens when a company runs out of easy growth? Do they fix the product? Do they rebuild the experience? Or do they squeeze the customer until the customer finally leaves? This is Wild Card Friday. Matt throws business curveballs at Brian and Brad, and the guys turn them into CEO lessons with jokes, bad draft timing, and one real warning: customers notice more than companies think. A coffee giant pays a massive price for a CEO to bring back the basics. Ceramic mugs. Handwritten notes. Free refills. Community seating. Brian does not even drink coffee, but he gets the point. The product matters, but the vibe was the business. Then the guys hit franchise chaos. If one location charges one price and another location charges something wildly different, customers stop blaming the operator and start blaming the brand. Brad explains why franchisees are not as independent as people think, and why he backed away from franchising By Your Side when quality felt too risky. The conversation jumps from brand drift to franchise control to price hike addiction. A wireless giant raises prices again and again, customers eventually check the bill, millions walk, and suddenly the board wants brakes on the train they helped start. Then Brian points at streaming services, car insurance, and legacy companies sitting wide open for disruption. In this conversation you'll discover: • Why going back to basics can be strategy, not surrender • How pricing chaos damages trust across an entire brand • Why Brad refused to franchise if quality could erode • Why repeated price hikes feel easy until customers wake up • How growth pressure pushes leaders into bad shortcuts *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Know what made the company valuable before you change it. • Protect the brand experience across every location. • Use pricing carefully. Easy money gets addictive. • Watch churn before the customer revolt becomes obvious. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side. Matt Croke keeps them honest. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "People don't notice right away. It takes months and months before they realize, wait a minute, what am I paying?" That is how trust breaks. Not all at once. A fee here. A weird price there. A worse experience wrapped in a bigger bill. Drop a comment: What company finally made you check the bill? Subscribe for cocktails, chaos, and CEOs keeping it real. TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Price hikes sneak up 1:05 - Brad's wildly stale draft take 2:25 - Wild Card Friday begins 3:02 - Back to basics or out of ideas? 6:03 - Brian hates coffee, but sees the problem 12:18 - Franchise pricing gets messy 17:14 - Why Brad refused to franchise 19:58 - Price hikes turn into a runaway train 25:40 - Streaming services may be next 28:40 - The customer has a pain threshold *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* Real CEOs. Real problems. No BS. Brian and Brad Balduf share what actually happens when you're running the show. Hosted by Matt Croke. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three ways companies break trust. Pick the one that matches your growth problem. 🍸 *THE BACK TO BASICS* Brian Balduf - The reluctant coffee analyst Recipe: 2 oz bourbon ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup 2 dashes orange bitters Orange peel Shake with ice, strain over a large cube. The Vibe: Simple, strong, and not pretending to be new. Sometimes the smartest turnaround is remembering why people liked you in the first place. 🍸 *THE FRANCHISE FIGHT* Brad Balduf - The brand protection guy Recipe: 2 oz rye whiskey ¾ oz sweet vermouth ¼ oz cherry liqueur 2 dashes Angostura bitters Cherry garnish Stir with ice, strain into a coupe. The Vibe: Smooth when everyone follows the recipe. A mess when every location starts freelancing. That is the franchise problem in one glass. 🍸 *THE PRICE HIKE HANGOVER* Matt Croke - Watching the board panic Recipe: 2 oz tequila 1 oz grapefruit juice ¾ oz lime juice ½ oz agave Top with soda Shake tequila, grapefruit, lime, and agave with ice. Strain over fresh ice and top with soda. The Vibe: Bright at first, painful later. One price hike feels easy. Five price hikes later, customers are gone and the hangover belongs to leadership. Make all three. Which breaks trust fastest: losing the vibe, losing control, or raising the bill until people leave? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #BusinessStrategy #CustomerTrust #EntrepreneurMindset #CEOLife #BusinessPodcast
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Small things make a big difference ep 71
06/26/2026
Small things make a big difference ep 71
*The CEO Picked Up Trash (Then Everyone Else Got the Message) S2 Ep 71* Tiny customer service habits that separate good companies from great ones Would a dirty sidewalk cost you a customer? Would a rude employee cost you a great hire? Would one ignored hello tell people your company does not care? Brian, Brad, and Matt start with three words everybody learned in kindergarten: please, hello, thank you. Then it gets bigger fast. Brad brings up the CEO of Kalahari Resorts, a guy running massive water park resorts who still picks up tiny scraps of paper himself. That is not trash removal. That is leadership. When the person at the top cares about the floor, the sidewalk, the lobby, and the guest experience, everyone else gets the message. Then the guys hit the real issue. A smudged window, a dirty walkway, a front desk that does not say hello, a customer left sitting in the lobby, a Chipotle line where nobody explains what is happening. None of those feel huge in the moment. Together, they tell customers exactly how seriously you run the business. In this conversation you'll discover: • Why small service habits create big trust signals • How leaders set culture without saying a word • Why Matt drove out with no notice to fix one client experience face to face • Why a candidate being rude to a server tells you everything • Why you cannot memo your way into warmth *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS • Pick up the trash yourself. People copy what leaders repeat. • Walk through your own customer experience with fresh eyes. • Train the tiny phrases: hello, can I help you, sorry I kept you waiting. • Hire for how people treat everyone, not just the boss. WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side. Matt Croke keeps them honest. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If this is how they treat the small thing, what do they do with the bigger things?" That is the whole episode. Customers rarely say the sidewalk lost them. They just stop trusting you. Drop a comment: What's the tiny customer experience detail that drives you insane? Subscribe for cocktails, chaos, and CEOs keeping it real. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Tornado warning, still recording 1:01 - Please, hello, thank you 2:53 - The CEO who picked up trash 4:21 - The dirty sidewalk problem 6:37 - Matt drives out to fix it in person 8:43 - Hotel front desk rant 10:02 - The Chipotle line problem 11:19 - You cannot memo culture 14:13 - Customer-facing means you are on stage 17:06 - The server test for hiring *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* Real CEOs. Real problems. No BS. Brian and Brad Balduf share what actually happens when you're running the show. Hosted by Matt Croke. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three tiny signals. Pick the one that matches your customer experience sin. 🍸 *THE TRASH PICKER* Brian Balduf - The guy watching the details Recipe: 2 oz bourbon ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz honey syrup 2 dashes Angostura bitters Lemon peel Shake with ice, strain over a large cube. The Vibe: A clean, sharp reminder that leaders do not walk past the problem. They pick it up, fix it, and make everyone else notice. 🍸 *THE DIRTY SIDEWALK SPRITZ* Brad Balduf - The first impression inspector Recipe: 2 oz vodka 1 oz grapefruit juice ½ oz lime juice ½ oz simple syrup Top with soda Build over ice and stir. The Vibe: Bright, simple, and impossible to hide when it is off. Just like the entrance to your business before a customer ever reaches the desk. 🍸 *THE SERVER TEST* Matt Croke - Reading the room Recipe: 2 oz gin ¾ oz elderflower liqueur ¾ oz lemon juice 2 oz chilled sparkling wine Lemon twist Shake gin, elderflower, and lemon with ice. Strain into a flute, top with sparkling wine. The Vibe: Polished on the surface, but the truth shows up in how you treat people. If someone is rude to the server, do not hire them. Make all three. Which one exposes your business fastest: the trash, the sidewalk, or the server test? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #CustomerExperience #LeadershipCulture #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessPodcast #CEOLife
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How to sell your business pt 4 Gotchas ep 70
06/19/2026
How to sell your business pt 4 Gotchas ep 70
*They Offered $1 Million (Then Tried to Take It Back) | S2 Ep 70* The offer looked perfect. Then the buyer started changing the deal. What happens when a $1 million offer becomes $925,000? What if part of your payout gets locked in escrow for 18 months? What if the buyer wants to pay you with stock instead of cash? Most owners think getting the Letter of Intent means they're almost done. Brian and Brad know that's when the hardest part begins. This is Episode 70. The final chapter of selling your business. Earnouts. Escrow. Retrades. Due diligence surprises. The expensive mistakes sellers make after they think they've already won. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why buyers often retrade after due diligence • How a $1 million offer quietly becomes $925,000 • Why escrow accounts change your actual payout • The danger of accepting private-company stock • How employees, customers, and competitors react to a sale *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Get as much detail as possible into the Letter of Intent • Expect buyers to challenge price and terms • Research the buyer as aggressively as they're researching you • Know exactly which assets belong in the deal *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions business owners wish they'd asked sooner. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "The best day of the process is getting the Letter of Intent. After that, everything gets harder." What's the biggest surprise you've seen during a business sale? SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - You Got the LOI. Now the Real Work Starts 1:25 - Why Earnouts Make Sellers Nervous 5:16 - The Retrade: How $1M Becomes $925K 9:50 - Escrow Holdbacks and Frozen Money 11:37 - The Private Stock Trap 17:33 - Asset Sale vs. Company Sale 20:00 - The Legal Bills Nobody Warns You About 25:00 - Employees, Customers, and Industry Reactions 27:23 - Brian's Final Advice for Sellers 30:47 - Ray the Barkeep's Clean Close *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 real stories about scaling companies, acquisitions, exits, leadership mistakes, and hard-earned lessons. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Four drinks for four ways a deal changes after the Letter of Intent. Pick the one that matches your situation. 🍸 *THE RETRADE* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's seen the number change Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist The Vibe: You agreed to a million. Then the buyer found reasons it should be less. Starts sweet, finishes with bite. 🍸 *THE ESCROW HOLDBACK* Brad Balduf - The operator waiting for his money Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • ½ oz orange liqueur • Lime wheel The Vibe: The deal closed, but some of your cash is still sitting in escrow. Frustratingly good. 🍸 *THE FINE PRINT* Matt Croke - The host reading the stuff nobody else wants to read Recipe: • 1.5 oz gin • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Club soda • Lemon wheel • Shake first four with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: The headline said $1 million. The fine print said something very different. Escrow. Earnouts. Holdbacks. Matt spent the episode asking the questions sellers forget to ask until it's too late. Looks simple. Hides a lot. 🍸 *THE CLEAN CLOSE* Ray the Barkeep - The guy who knows when the deal is finally done Recipe: • 2 oz Tito's Handmade Vodka • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Splash soda water • Lemon wheel • Shake first three with ice, strain into rocks glass, top with soda The Vibe: No earnout. No escrow. No surprise stock certificates. No lawyers calling at 4:55 on Friday. Just cash in the bank, signatures on the paper, and a handshake on the way out the door. Ray likes his drinks the same way he likes business deals: simple, clean, and finished. Make all four. The Retrade? The Holdback? The Fine Print? The Clean Close? Tell us which one you've lived through. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH](https://x.com/CeoBrosAH) [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/](https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/) [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH](https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros]( #entrepreneurship #businesssale #mergersandacquisitions #leadership #ceobros #exitstrategy #howto #howtosellmybusiness #sellmybusiness #startuplife
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How to sell your business pt 3c (C is for closing the deal)
06/12/2026
How to sell your business pt 3c (C is for closing the deal)
*Your Buyer Found the Mess (Your Price Just Dropped) | S2 Ep 69* Due diligence is where deals get slower, harder, and more expensive. Can you explain exactly how your business makes money? Could you produce three years of financial records tomorrow? What happens when a buyer finds the thing you've been putting off for five years? This is episode 69. The Bros finish the business sale process by walking through the stage that catches most owners off guard: due diligence. The LOI is signed. Everyone is excited. Then the buyer starts asking questions. Lots of questions. Financials. Payroll. Processes. Customers. Marketing. Security. Compliance. Anything unclear becomes risk. Anything undocumented becomes a problem. Every red flag gives the buyer a reason to lower the price. Then comes the purchase agreement, where sellers learn a hard lesson: a $1 million deal rarely means $1 million in cash. Earnouts, stock, escrows, and closing conditions all affect what you actually take home. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why due diligence creates deal fatigue • The one thing every seller should organize first • How undocumented processes lower valuation • The owner salary mistake that inflates profits • Why many earnouts never fully pay out *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Keep years of clean financial records • Document your processes before buyers ask • Explain your business simply and clearly • Treat earnouts as bonuses, not guarantees *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke asks the questions business owners need answered. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "Every piece of ambiguity in your business lowers the price." How prepared is your business for due diligence? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Most Important Seller Document 1:20 - Why This Series Took Three Episodes 3:01 - Due Diligence Begins 7:22 - Process Documentation Matters 9:46 - The Problems That Came Back to Haunt Brian 10:56 - Financials Win Deals 12:01 - The Profit Calculation Mistake 13:43 - The 15-Minute Explanation Red Flag 19:35 - Cash, Stock, Earnouts & Escrow 27:09 - The Free Rust-Proofing Story *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, scaling teams, buying businesses, selling businesses, and leading through chaos. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three stages of selling your business. Pick your poison. 🍸 *THE RED FLAG* Brian Balduf - The guy who's lived through diligence Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist The Vibe: Missing reports. Different answers from different employees. Buyers notice everything. This drink starts smooth and ends with consequences. 🍸 *THE EARNOUT* Brad Balduf - The operator reading the fine print Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • ½ oz Aperol • Lime wheel The Vibe: Looks great in the conference room. Harder to collect in real life. Enjoy it, but don't build retirement plans around it. 🍸 *THE CASH AT CLOSE* Matt Croke - Asking the practical question Recipe: • 1.5 oz vodka • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Splash club soda • Grapefruit wheel The Vibe: No projections. No promises. No performance targets. Just money in the bank. Which one are you ordering? The Red Flag, the Earnout, or the Cash at Close? *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH](https://x.com/CeoBrosAH) [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/](https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/) [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH](https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros]( #entrepreneurship #businesssale #duediligence #leadership #smallbusiness #ceobros #bestbusinesspodcast #howtosellmybusiness #sellingabusiness #lhowto
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How to sell your business pt 3b the process continues
06/05/2026
How to sell your business pt 3b the process continues
*Six Months From Closing (Then the Deal Died Anyway) S2 Ep 68 * The letter of intent starts the clock. The buyer can still walk away. What happens after a buyer says yes? What are you actually signing when the letter of intent lands? And how does a deal die after six months of work? Brad walks through the alphabet soup of selling a business: NDA, teaser, SIM, IOI, letter of intent, and purchase agreement. The dry terms get expensive fast. Give a competitor too much information, and your customer list, employee titles, and compensation details become their playbook. Then Brian gets into the LOI trap. The buyer wants 60 to 90 days of exclusivity. You stop talking to everyone else. They go under the hood, spend money, ask for everything, and start hunting for reasons to lower the offer. Brad lived the nightmare. By Your Side had an LOI, six months of deal fatigue, and a closing date about two weeks away. Then the buyer chased a company two or three times larger, hit pause, came back five months later, lost its CEO, and the deal was dead. This is episode 68. Time kills all deals. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why an NDA matters most when a competitor wants a look • What a teaser, SIM, IOI, letter of intent, and purchase agreement actually do • Why exclusivity can lock you up while the buyer keeps digging • How a $15M offer turns into an $11M retrade • Why one buyer is leverage for them, and five buyers is leverage for you *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Keep IOIs on the same timeline so buyers compete at the same time • Push for a shorter exclusivity window, 60 days beats 90 • Get your books clean before the letter of intent, not after it • Use a banker and attorney who know where deals fall apart *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "Time kills all deals. The longer it takes to close, the more likely something happens and the deal goes sideways." Which part of selling your business would keep you up at night? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Time Kills All Deals 1:43 - NDA, Teaser, SIM, IOI, Letter of Intent 3:32 - The Letter of Intent Starts Costing Real Money 6:18 - Cash, Stock, Earnout, and Exclusivity 7:58 - The $15M to $11M Retrade 9:03 - Why Multiple Buyers Matter 11:35 - The Stalking Horse Offer 14:14 - Brian Gets Both Bidders to Raise 17:11 - The Accounting Colonoscopy 18:51 - Brad's Deal Dies After Six Months 25:13 - Purchase Agreement and Clawbacks *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 ways a deal gets real. Pick the one that matches your closing anxiety. 🍸 *THE EXCLUSIVITY CLOCK* Brian Balduf - The seller who knows the clock is not your friend Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: The letter of intent sounds friendly until it locks you up for 60 to 90 days. Brian knows the buyer wants the hood open and the clock running. Strong, sharp, and gone faster than your leverage. 🍸 *THE RETRADE* Brad Balduf - The operator who watched big numbers shrink Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • ½ oz grapefruit juice • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: The offer starts at $15M. Due diligence finds problems. Now it's $11M and everyone acts like math did it. Bright, bitter, and slightly painful. 🍸 *THE ALPHABET SOUP* Matt Croke - The host translating the deal jargon Recipe: • 1.5 oz vodka • ¾ oz orange liqueur • ¾ oz cranberry juice • ½ oz lime juice • Orange twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: NDA. SIM. IOI. LOI. Matt hears business terms stack up like a drunk spelling bee. This one looks simple until the letters start costing money. Make all three. Clock running? Offer shrinking? Still decoding the alphabet soup? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #businesssale #exitstrategy #leadership #startuplife #businesspodcast #ceobros
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How to sell your business pt 3 - The Process ep 67
05/29/2026
How to sell your business pt 3 - The Process ep 67
*The LOI Gets Signed (Then Deal Fatigue Eats You Alive) S2 Ep 67 * Selling your business feels exciting until the process punches back. What is a buyer actually buying? Are you improving the business, or just spending money on stuff they don't value? And what happens when you sign the LOI and realize the hard part just started? This is episode 67. The Bros move from maximizing value into the actual process of selling your business. And the process is not cute. Brian lays it out fast: the best day is the letter of intent. After that, it goes downhill and you pray for the thing to end. Brad walks through the banker, the teaser, the CIM, the IOI, the LOI, the purchase agreement, and all the fees hiding between those letters. Then the real gut punch: Brian's company was one week from closing in March 2020. Five or six months of diligence, negotiation, and exhaustion. Then COVID hit, the buyer called it an act of God, and the deal died before the checks got signed. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why deal fatigue hits harder than most owners expect • Why a $50,000 pizza kitchen can be a waste before a sale • What a good investment banker actually does for the money • Why the wrong banker learns your industry on your dime • What teaser, CIM, IOI, LOI, and purchase agreement really mean *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Know what the buyer values before you start improving things • Keep running the business while buyers evaluate you in real time • Hire a banker who already knows your space and your likely buyers • Treat the sale like a 6 month process, not a weekend project *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "The best day is the day you agree to a letter of intent or a term sheet. Then it just goes downhill from there." Selling your business someday? What part scares you most, finding buyers, paying the banker, or surviving diligence? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Deal Fatigue Warning Shot 0:41 - Salmon, Not Salmon 1:18 - Maximizing Before You Sell 3:00 - The $50,000 Pizza Kitchen Mistake 5:31 - Running a Tight Ship Is Table Stakes 8:46 - Taking Your Company to Market 10:55 - The LOI Is the Best Day 11:35 - Why the Banker Matters 22:26 - The 2020 Deal That Died One Week Before Closing 24:01 - Teaser, CIM, IOI, LOI *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 stages of selling. Pick the one that matches your pain. 🍸 *THE LETTER OF INTENT* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: The LOI feels like victory. Then diligence starts asking for every number you've ever touched. Smooth up front, sharp on the finish, exactly like the sale process. 🍸 *THE CLEAN TEASER* Brad Balduf - The operator who knows buyers want the real story Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 1 oz pineapple juice • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: A teaser shows enough to make buyers lean in without giving away the company name. Brad wants the story tight, the numbers clean, and the buyer curious. Bright, polished, no clutter. 🍸 *THE ACT OF GOD* Matt Croke - The host watching the alphabet soup get real Recipe: • 1.5 oz dark rum • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Ginger beer • Lime wedge • Shake first three with ice, strain over ice, top with ginger beer The Vibe: Five or six months in, one week from closing, then the buyer calls COVID an act of God. Matt asked the question. Brian delivered the nightmare. Stormy, brutal, and way too real. Make all three. LOI survivor? Teaser specialist? Still recovering from the Act of God? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #SellingYourBusiness #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #DealFatigue #Leadership #CEOBros #bestbusinesspodcast
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How to sell your business - Maximizing Exit Value pt 2 ep 66
05/22/2026
How to sell your business - Maximizing Exit Value pt 2 ep 66
*Selling Your Business? This Is What Raises the Price S2 Ep 66: Part 2 of 4.* Your hard work is not the asset. Part one in our four part Selling Your Business series asked the big question: lifestyle business or equity business? Part two gets meaner. Brian and Brad move from “do you want to sell?” to “why would anybody buy this?” A lot of owners get stuck there. They know why they want out. They know they worked hard. They know people like them. But a buyer isn’t paying for your stress, your years, or your reputation. A buyer wants the thing they can scale. Maybe it’s your customer list. Maybe it’s your contracts. Maybe it’s your geography, your data, your IP, your process, or one weird asset you didn’t realize was the whole deal. This is episode 66. How to sell your business, part two. What buyers actually value, and why “good business” is only the starting line. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • Why your reason for selling has nothing to do with why someone buys • The difference between strategic buyers and financial buyers • Why “good customer service” isn’t enough of a value driver • How buyers decide between building it themselves or buying you • Why Brian rarely bought whole companies, he bought the assets that mattered • Why knowing your inputs, outputs, and growth levers increases valuation *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Identify the real asset. Not what you love. What a buyer can scale. • Know your buyer type. Strategic buyers want fit. Financial buyers want to add rocket fuel. • Prove the formula. Show how a dollar in creates three dollars out. • Understand your numbers cold. Due diligence finds every weak spot. • Stop saying “we’re a good business.” That’s the bare minimum. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* “They know why they want to sell it. But that’s got nothing to do with why someone would buy it.” If a buyer looked at your business tomorrow, what would they actually want? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Dollar-In, Three-Dollars-Out Test 1:40 - Part 2: Maximizing Exit Value 3:04 - “What Would Somebody Actually Be Buying?” 4:24 - The Perfect Buyer Pays the Most 6:09 - Should You Upgrade the Pizza Kitchen? 7:41 - Strategic Buyer vs. Financial Sponsor 12:26 - Customer Lists, Contracts, IP, and Geography 13:31 - Brian Bought Assets, Not Whole Companies 15:36 - The Hot Sauce Company Nobody Wanted for Hot Sauce 16:48 - The Paper Company Sitting on Beachfront Gold 20:14 - Why Customer Service Isn’t Enough 22:23 - What VHT Thought Was Valuable vs. What Sold 25:27 - The Growth Lever Test *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from Brian Balduf (VHT Studios), Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy), and host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK’S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three value drivers. Pick the one your buyer notices first. 🍸 THE STRATEGIC BUYER Brian Balduf - The guy asking what someone is really buying Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz maple syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: This drink knows what it wants. No wandering around. No “we’re a good business.” Just the asset, the fit, and the reason somebody pays more than the standard multiple. 🍸 THE ROCKET FUEL Brad Balduf - The operator thinking 10 to 20 to 40 to 80 Recipe: • 2 oz blanco tequila • 1 oz pineapple juice • ½ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave • Jalapeño slice • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Financial sponsors don’t buy sleepy. They buy the platform they can scale hard. This one has heat, lift, and enough pressure to make you prove the model works. 🍸 THE HIDDEN LAND VALUE Matt Croke - The host who found out the hot sauce wasn’t the point Recipe: • 2 oz dark rum • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz simple syrup • ¼ oz allspice dram • Grapefruit twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Looks like one thing. Turns out the real value is somewhere else entirely. Hot sauce, paper mills, customer data, beachfront land. Sometimes the buyer wants the thing behind the thing. Are you the strategic fit, the rocket-fuel platform, or sitting on the hidden asset nobody’s priced yet? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH](https://x.com/CeoBrosAH) [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/](https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/) [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH](https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH) [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros]( #entrepreneurship #businessexit #sellyourbusiness #ceomindset #smallbusiness #leadership #startups
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How to sell your business pt. 1 Lifestyle vs Equity business?
05/15/2026
How to sell your business pt. 1 Lifestyle vs Equity business?
*Selling Your Business? (It Starts on Day One) S2 Ep 65: Part 1 of 4.* Know which one you’re building. Brian’s had the conversation a hundred times. Someone says they want to sell. He asks what a buyer would actually be getting. Silence. “We have a good reputation. People like us.” That’s not a valuation. Turns out they’ve been taking quarterly distributions for years, paying themselves with the fuel they needed to grow, and wondering later why no buyer showed up. This is episode 65. Why selling your business isn’t a decision you make, it’s a destination you build toward from day one. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • The lifestyle vs. equity distinction that determines everything • Why quarterly distributions are a red flag that kills your sale before it begins • What a buyer is actually asking when they say “what am I purchasing?” • Why being irreplaceable means nobody can buy you out • The financial reporting rules for businesses built to sell *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Decide upfront: lifestyle or exit. Everything flows from that one choice. • Stop taking distributions if you want to sell. That’s growth capital, not salary. • Build yourself out of the business. If it can’t run without you, it’s not sellable. • Tight financials from day one. P&L, balance sheet, cash flow. No exceptions. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* “You can’t just decide, oh, it’s June, I’d love to sell the business by the end of the year. That’s not going to happen if you haven’t built it to sell it.” Lifestyle or exit? Do you actually know which one you’re building? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Lifestyle or Equity: The Question Nobody Asks 1:31 - The Most Common Call Brian Gets 2:03 - The Four-Episode Breakdown 3:10 - What You’re Actually Deciding When You Start 7:36 - “What Is Somebody Actually Buying?” (The Crickets Moment) 7:43 - The Pizza Place That Closed Instead of Selling 11:03 - The Quarterly Distributions Red Flag 13:04 - Why Being Irreplaceable Kills Your Sale 22:27 - Financial Reporting: The Difference That Matters 24:33 - Preview: What a Buyer Is Actually Paying For *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 types of builders. Pick the one that matches how you’re running things. 🍸 THE QUARTERLY DISTRIBUTION Brian Balduf - The guy who watched sellers drain their own fuel Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ¾ oz honey syrup • ½ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Looks like profit. Tastes smooth going down. But every time you pour one, you’re draining what should have grown the business. Brian’s watched sellers do this for years then wonder why no buyer showed up. 🍸 THE LIFESTYLE TRAP Brad Balduf - The operator who built it to scale, not to coast Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Nothing wrong with this drink. It’s honest, does what it says, tastes exactly like what you ordered. Just don’t call it an exit strategy when someone asks what they’re buying. 🍸 THE CLIFFHANGER Matt Croke - The host who already knows what’s in part two Recipe: • 2 oz gin • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz simple syrup • 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters • Grapefruit twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: This drink ends before it feels finished. Just like this episode. The real answers live in part two. Hit subscribe so you don’t miss them. Make all three. Draining your distributions? Coasting on lifestyle? Waiting on part two? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #businessexit #sellyourbusiness #startuplife #ceomindset #smallbusiness
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How to Optimize - When to Innovate
05/08/2026
How to Optimize - When to Innovate
*He Charged Ford $25,000 for a Box of Chalk (The Invoice Breakdown Changed Everything) S2 Ep 64* *The $1 chalk. The $24,999 lesson.* Ford was losing $250,000 a day on the assembly line. They called in Deming, the god of process mapping. He fixed it in a day. The invoice: $25,000. Ford asked for a breakdown. Deming's letter: box of chalk, $1. Knowing what to do with it, $24,999. Brad scaled By Your Side to 550 employees without reinventing his business once. His word isn't innovation. It's optimization. This is episode 64. Why most businesses are chasing the wrong word. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why "never been done before" is usually a red flag, not a selling point • Ford didn't invent the car. McDonald's didn't invent the hamburger. What they did invent. • Brad's rule: innovation can break a scaled business. What to do instead. • Why Blockbuster didn't need Netflix's playbook to survive • Whether anyone would actually pay for your idea (the question nobody asks) *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Brad's framework: new way = innovation. Better way = optimization. Most businesses need the second one. • The Deming principle: knowing where to draw the line is worth more than the chalk. • Innovate freely when you're small. When you're scaled, innovation breaks things. • Evolve with your customers or get Blockbusted. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "We didn't grow by reinventing the business. We got better at what works." Which are you chasing right now, innovation or optimization? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Brian's Take on "Never Been Done Before" Pitches 1:04 - Is Innovation Even Necessary? 2:05 - Brad's Framework: New Way vs. Better Way 5:33 - Ford Didn't Invent the Car 7:15 - Matt's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Quiz 13:47 - "Just Because It's New Doesn't Mean It Should Exist" 15:08 - Why Innovation Gets Riskier As You Scale 17:40 - The Blockbuster Lesson 19:29 - The $25,000 Box of Chalk Story 23:48 - We Didn't Grow By Reinventing Anything *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 takes on getting it right. Pick the one that matches your approach. 🍸 *THE CHALK LINE* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ½ oz honey syrup • ¾ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Deming walked Ford's floor, pulled out a piece of chalk, and marked one spot. The invoice said $1 for the chalk and $24,999 for knowing where to put it. Aged, precise, and worth every penny. 🍸 *THE BETTER WAY* Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled across 11 locations Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Lime wheel • Shake hard with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: 550 employees, 11 centers, zero reinventions. Brad didn't chase innovation, he optimized what worked. Clean, direct, no wasted ingredients. 🍸 *THE TOP TEN* Matt Croke - The host keeping it real Recipe: • 1.5 oz vodka • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz honey syrup • ¼ oz lime juice • Club soda • Grapefruit wheel • Shake first four with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: Matt did prep. Brought an innovation quiz. Guessed Apple and Amazon, then stalled out. Pfizer? Siemens? Nobody saw those coming. Looks simple, keeps surprising you. Make all three. The chalk expert? The optimizer? The quiz kid who ran out of answers? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #innovation #optimization #startuplife #leadership #businessstrategy #ceobros
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Burger Wars, Blockbuster bungle and other wildcard stories ep 63
05/01/2026
Burger Wars, Blockbuster bungle and other wildcard stories ep 63
The McDonald’s CEO went on camera to promote the Arch Burger. He took one tiny, tepid nibble, called it “a product,” and smiled like everything was fine. The internet destroyed him. Competitors dunked. It became a meme. This is episode 63. Wild Card Friday, where Matt ambushes Brian and Brad with real business news they haven't discussed prior and makes them react on the spot. No notes. No prep. Just two CEOs calling it like they see it on McDonald’s, Netflix, LinkedIn, and a startup that lied its way to collapse. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • Why the McDonald’s CEO’s nibble became a masterclass in what not to do on camera • How Burger King secretly used Brian’s company to embarrass McDonald’s executives • The one word every CEO should stop saying publicly (Netflix learned the hard way) • Why Brad pays $60 a month for LinkedIn and still can’t get a human on the phone • The zombie company trap that’s about to drain average investors dry *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Never say “never” as a CEO. Say “for the foreseeable future” instead. • Real revenue is cash in the bank. Commitments are not revenue. • Invest in the beer, not the foam. Hype fizzles. Results don’t. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. 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 the product is free, you’re not the customer. You are the product. Then they start charging you too.” Which company goes in your loser column this week? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 1:21 - Wild Card Friday Kicks Off 2:19 - The Nibble Heard Round the World 5:00 - Burger King’s Response Backfired on Burger King 5:49 - Brian’s Company Accidentally Helped Burger King Roast McDonald’s 9:55 - Domino’s Bashed Their Own Pizza and It Worked 11:51 - Netflix Promised They’d Never Charge You 18:02 - Brad’s CEO Rule: Never Say Never 21:05 - LinkedIn Takes $60 a Month and Offers Zero Help 25:26 - Brad’s Beer vs. Foam Analogy 29:10 - The Zombie Company Trap Warning *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. 🕔 *FIRE UP THE GRILL: THIS WEEK’S BURGERS* We’re flipping the script, err the burger, this week in honor of the McDonald’s CEO who taught us all how NOT to eat one. Three burgers for three personalities. Pick yours. 🕔 THE NIBBLE Brian Balduf - The storyteller who’s been there and sold the company Recipe: • 6 oz wagyu beef patty • Aged white cheddar • Truffle aioli • Arugula • Brioche bun, barely toasted • Cook to medium, assemble with restraint The Vibe: Sophisticated. Measured. Technically correct. Just like the McDonald’s CEO, this burger looks the part. But if you only take one tiny nibble, you completely miss the point. 🕔 THE FULL SEND Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled to 11 locations Recipe: • Double smash patty, 4 oz each • American cheese x2 • Caramelized onions • Pickles, mustard, ketchup • Potato bun, smashed hard on cast iron The Vibe: No tiptoeing. No nibbles. Brad signed a 7-year lease with his name on the dotted line. This burger commits fully. Smash it hard, stack everything, and take the biggest bite you can manage. 🕔 THE FLAME ROAST Matt Croke - The host keeping them honest Recipe: • 6 oz beef patty • Pepper jack cheese • Fresh and pickled jalapeños • Chipotle mayo • Brioche bun, charred on open flame The Vibe: Matt holds everyone accountable. This burger grills over open flame until char marks appear and the heat is undeniable. Just like what the internet did to that CEO. No escape. Cook up all three. Which one are you? The nibbler? The full sender? The flame roaster? T ag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #startuplife #leadership #businesslessons #burgerwars #netflix #blockbuster #facebook #dominospizza #pepsi #burgerking #mcdonalds
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Customer Feedback the good the bad and the ugly
04/25/2026
Customer Feedback the good the bad and the ugly
*Customer Feedback Is Screaming at You (You're Just Not Listening) S2 Ep 12* Brian Balduf spent years building a feedback machine at VHT Studios. Same seven questions every year, sliced by geography, rep, product, and brand. Forty ways to Sunday. Then he stayed at a hotel, got a generic email survey, and ignored it. He had five complaints. They'll never get them. His window is shut. This is episode 62. What your customers aren't telling you, and why it's your fault. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why the guy who built a feedback empire refused to fill out a hotel survey • The $500 Starbucks math that could shape your next five years • Why your survey asks questions that matter to you, not your customers • The "close the loop" rule that turns one-time responders into repeat ones • Why no complaints doesn't mean everything is fine *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Ask in person while they're still there, not days later in a generic email • Tie every survey to something small that shows you value their time • Ask the same questions every year so you can track if you're improving • Close the loop. Tell clients what changed. Or they stop responding. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "We offered you feedback. You said no. That guy flamed us online." Your customers have opinions. Are you making it worth their time to share them? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Hotel Survey Brian Deleted 2:35 - Where Does Feedback Actually Rank? 5:29 - How Brian Built VHT's Feedback Machine 6:31 - The Same Seven Questions Every Year 9:42 - The $500 Starbucks Math 11:13 - The Close the Loop Rule 13:06 - Boulder Ridge Does It Right 14:19 - Brian Gets Called Out Live 19:34 - What Would Get Brian's Feedback 22:04 - Why JD Power Gets Timing Wrong 26:32 - The Bathroom Button Nobody Will Touch *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 takes on feedback. Pick the one that matches how you handle it. 🍸 *THE FORTY WAYS TO SUNDAY* Brian Balduf - Built the feedback machine, then deleted the hotel survey Recipe: • 2 oz blended Scotch whisky • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Brian sliced VHT's annual survey by geography, rep, and brand. Same seven questions every year, forty ways to Sunday. Then the hotel sent a generic email and his window slammed shut. Meticulous, complex, worth far more than anyone expects. 🍸 *THE CLOSED LOOP* Brad Balduf - The operator who built 11 centers on following up Recipe: • 2 oz blanco tequila • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: You ask. They answer. You tell them what changed. No kale on the burger. Brad closes the loop because if you don't, they stop filling out the next one. Sharp start, clean finish, just like a feedback cycle that actually works. 🍸 *THE BATHROOM BUTTON* Matt Croke - Watching Brian's window slam shut in real time Recipe: • 1.5 oz gin • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz lemon juice • Club soda • Lemon wheel • Shake first three with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: Someone thought bathroom feedback buttons were genius. Easy, on your way out. Then reality: the last button you want to touch in a bathroom is one everyone else has touched. Matt's watched Brian argue against surveys for twenty minutes. This drink is his only comfort. Make all three. Building empires you won't use? Closing your loops? Just surviving the chaos? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #CustomerFeedback #Entrepreneurship #CEOLife #BusinessPodcast #StartupLife #Leadership #ClientExperience
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The business of sports and how it relates to your business ep 2-61
04/17/2026
The business of sports and how it relates to your business ep 2-61
*The PGA Didn't Pay Their Best Players (Then Watched Them All Leave)* The Business of $ports and your business. Throw out the complacency playbook. The PGA had the best players in the world. Instead of paying them what they were worth, they held the line. Saudi money came in, LIV Golf launched, and the biggest names on tour walked out the door. Now the PGA is losing viewership, losing sponsors, and negotiating a merger they never saw coming. This is episode 61. What the PGA, Sears, and Blockbuster can teach you about the competitor you never saw coming. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* * Why the PGA's best players left and what every business owner can learn from it * Sears invented what Amazon does and still went completely bankrupt * Brian's honest admission: even VHT became a legacy company and felt it * Why the Florida lacrosse tournament circuit is a racket (Brad learned the hard way) * Brian's four-year prediction for college sports *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* * Never forget who the customer is. The leagues forgot it was the fan. * New entrants are always hungrier, faster, and not tied to your legacy systems. * Complacency doesn't feel dangerous until it's already too late. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf built By Your Side Autism Therapy to 550+ employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you sit around too long and don't evolve, somebody comes along and cuts your feet out from underneath you. And you go: where did that competitor come from? That's because you weren't paying attention." Which business in your industry is the PGA right now? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Is curling a sport? (Important debate) 1:43 - The case for a sports business podcast 3:25 - Baseball's 2027 lockout: they forgot who the customer is 7:04 - PGA vs. LIV: the business lesson hiding in golf 9:34 - Blockbuster said "eh" when Netflix came knocking 10:16 - Brian admits: we became a legacy company 18:04 - Sears invented what Amazon does (then disappeared) 21:36 - Brad flew his daughter to Florida (someone else cashed in) *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 ways to lose your lead. Which one is your business? 🍸 THE MULLIGAN Brian Balduf - The guy who admitted his company got complacent Recipe: * 2 oz bourbon * ¾ oz lemon juice * ½ oz honey syrup * 2 dashes Angostura bitters * Lemon twist * Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: A mulligan is golf's version of "we should have handled that differently." Brian built VHT into a legacy company and felt the weight of systems too set in their ways to move fast. This drink is for every business owner who needs a do-over they're honest enough to admit. 🍸 THE LIV WIRE Brad Balduf - The operator who gets up every day asking what has to change Recipe: * 2 oz mezcal * ¾ oz lime juice * ½ oz agave syrup * ½ oz Aperol * Lime wheel * Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: LIV didn't ask permission. They just showed up with Saudi money and a better offer. Brad's been running By Your Side for 16 years and still gets up every morning asking what has to change. This drink doesn't wait to be invited. 🍸 THE EMPTY STANDS Matt Croke - The host reminding everyone who actually pays the bills Recipe: * 1.5 oz gin * ¾ oz elderflower liqueur * ¾ oz grapefruit juice * ½ oz simple syrup * Club soda * Grapefruit peel * Shake first four with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: The leagues forgot the fan. The PGA forgot the fan. The baseball owners forgot the fan. Matt keeps asking the one question nobody wants to answer: who's actually paying for all of this? This drink is clean, easy to like, and completely ignored until it's gone. Make all three. Mulligan business needing a do-over? LIV Wire that saw it coming? Managing Empty Stands after everyone left? 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 ———————————— #entrepreneurship #businessstrategy #startuplife #leadership #sportsandbusiness #bestbusinesspodcast #leadership #entrepreneurs #startups #pga #livgolf #mlb #ncaa
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AI - Artificial Intelligence - get ahead of it or be trampled by it ep 2-60
04/10/2026
AI - Artificial Intelligence - get ahead of it or be trampled by it ep 2-60
*Take the AI Red Pill (Your Competitor Already Did)* Brad was a skeptic. Now he's all in. Brad was the skeptic in the room. Brian said AI was for everybody. Brad looked at him and said it plainly: "That ain't going to happen. The world is full of foolish and ignorant people." He said it with full conviction. Now he runs multiple AI platforms and laughs that he's leading the foolish and ignorant people himself. This is episode 60. The AI red pill most business owners are still refusing to take. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* * Why Brad thought AI would never work for regular people and what flipped him * Operation Star Trek: how Brad rolled AI out across his entire leadership team * Why Matt needed Brad's explicit permission before he'd open a single tool * The three stages of AI: search, answer, and full agent mode * Brian's warning about the guy in a basement building your business right now *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* * Search "top 20 AI tools for [your industry]" before anything else * Use platforms together, not separately. They don't get jealous. * Find the task you think is "stupid." That's your starting point with AI. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf built By Your Side Autism Therapy to 550+ employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "You can either use AI or compete against it. Someone's in their basement right now. Bam website. Bam e-commerce. Bam product. Twenty agents, zero employees." Have you taken the red pill yet? What are you actually using? #bestbusinesspodcast #AI #artificialIntelligence #leadership #businessgrowth # startups # entrepreneurs
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Reviews, Rewards and Recognition - The fuel for improving productivity
04/03/2026
Reviews, Rewards and Recognition - The fuel for improving productivity
*They Told Him He Was Stubborn (He Immediately Proved Them Right) Season 2 Episode 9* You think your team knows how you’re performing? You think annual reviews actually help people improve? You think working hard guarantees a raise? Brad says annual reviews are lazy. Managers avoid tough conversations all year, then dump everything in one meeting. Brian says it gets worse when nobody sets clear objectives. So reviews turn into “I worked hard” instead of “Did you hit $10K/month or not?” Then it gets real. Brad walks through a 360 review and hears it from every angle. His team. His peers. His boss. Brian and Brad (brothers) both hear “You’re stubborn.” Brian's response? Immediate denial. Argument. Proves the point in real time. This is what actually happens inside companies. People don’t know how they’re doing. Managers avoid conflict. Reviews become surprises. And raises get tied to effort instead of impact. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • Why annual reviews are a copout for bad management • The $10K objective test that eliminates opinion • Why employees get blindsided when they’re fired • The real difference between recognition and rewards • What a “5” rating actually means (hint: not showing up on time) *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Set clear, measurable objectives upfront • Give feedback in real time, not once a year • Tie compensation to impact, not effort • Define your rating system so everyone understands it
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Views on News - Perspectives on other CEOs' challenges ep 57
03/27/2026
Views on News - Perspectives on other CEOs' challenges ep 57
*Hey! You Got Your Cost-Cutting in My Peanut Butter (The Grandson Noticed. So Did Everyone Else)* Wild Card Friday: five business autopsies, one lesson they all skipped. Matt showed up with six news story cards the brothers had never seen. Hershey quietly changed the Reese’s recipe, denied it when caught, then admitted it. The founder’s grandson went public, it went viral, and Brad’s take was the backlash probably helped sales. That was just card one. This is episode eight. What actually kills a brand, and why you never see it coming. *YOU’LL DISCOVER* • Why Hershey thought nobody would notice (the founder’s grandson proved them wrong) • The craft beer bubble: why 30 crazy flavors killed the industry and what survivors did instead • How Red Lobster’s most successful promo ever also filed for bankruptcy • 12,200 stores closing in 2026: bad locations or dying brands? *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • A loss leader only works if it drives other purchases. All you can eat shrimp is not a strategy. • One great SKU beats thirty mediocre ones. Distribution doesn’t lie. • Somebody is always watching what you quietly change. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. They’ve been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* “The brands going out of business are the ones that don’t take time to figure out how their business is actually evolving.” Which brand death surprised you most? Or did you see it coming? 👇 ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Spotted Cow and Tito’s: Not a Sponsored Combo 1:21 - Wild Card Friday Begins 1:54 - Hershey Changed the Recipe (Then Denied It) 6:38 - Craft Beer Bubble: Too Many Flavors, Not Enough Drinkers 11:01 - Narrow to One Great SKU or Die 14:10 - Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp Was a Math Problem 19:36 - Walgreens Forgot What Business It Was In 23:04 - 12,200 Closings: Bad Location or Dying Brand? 27:04 - You Don’t Evolve, You Fail ———————————— *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 companies that thought nobody was watching. Pick the one that matches your Friday mistake. 🍸 THE SECRET INGREDIENT Brian Balduf - The guy who spotted the PE firm’s fingerprints on the peanut butter cup Recipe: • 2 oz tequila reposado • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice • 1/2 oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Looks exactly like what you ordered. Tastes exactly like what you ordered. Until something’s off. PE firms cut corners quietly and hope nobody notices. The grandson noticed. So did everyone else. 🍸 THE ONE GREAT SKU Brad Balduf - The operator who knows twenty flavors is how you go bankrupt Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • 3/4 oz lemon juice • 1/2 oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: No grapefruit juice. No pear juice. No crazy can with a wild label. Just a drink that’s really good at being one thing. Brad’s advice to every dying craft brewery: find your one great product and stop apologizing for not being twenty. 🍸 THE WILD CARD Matt Croke - The host who showed up with six cards and zero warning Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 3/4 oz lemon juice • 1/2 oz honey syrup • 1 egg white • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Dry shake, add ice, shake hard, strain into coupe The Vibe: Looks simple. Has more going on than you expected. Matt pulled cards nobody saw coming: Reese’s, Red Lobster, Walgreens, and watched the brothers react in real time. This drink rewards the same thing: paying attention. Make all three. Figure out which mistake you’re closest to. Quietly changing the recipe? Spreading too thin? Or the one holding the cards? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #businesslessons #brandstrategy #startuplife #ceomindset
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Keeping your business in the black - it's all in the reports ep 56
03/20/2026
Keeping your business in the black - it's all in the reports ep 56
The financial reports every founder needs from day one. Brian once worked with an accountant who never left the corporate office. Never visited a city, never went on a sales call, never attended a single event. But he could look at quarterly statements and tell you exactly what was happening in Cleveland, Detroit, and Minneapolis as if he'd been in the room all week. That's what knowing your numbers actually looks like. And it starts with three reports most founders either skip or don't know exist. This is Season 2, episode 6. The three reports that tell you everything. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • The difference between P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet and why you need all three • Why a profitable business can still run out of cash and go under • The accountant who never left his desk but knew more than every regional manager • Why bad financial reporting kills acquisitions before they start • How to get your books in order from day one, even if you're a solo founder *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, get all three from day one, even if you're solo • Hire a part-time bookkeeper before you need one, even give them a small piece of equity • If your financials are a mess when you sell, buyers go through every single closet *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* "It's always going to get more complicated as you go. If you instill it as a practice from day one, when it becomes important, you're not starting from scratch and scrambling." Are you tracking the right numbers right now? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - All in Black, All About the Black 3:11 - The Room That Didn't Know Red Was Bad 4:57 - Why Bad Financials Kill Acquisitions 6:19 - Your Business Vitals (And How to Read Them) 9:04 - The Accountant Who Never Left His Desk 16:06 - Why Profitable Businesses Still Go Broke 17:35 - Managing the Ins and Outs 22:46 - The Three Reports That Actually Matter ———————————— *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 reports. Pick the one your business needs most right now. 🍸 THE ORACLE Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ½ oz honey syrup • ¾ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Brian's accountant never left his desk but could tell you exactly what was wrong in every city just by reading the numbers. This drink is quietly powerful. No flash, no noise. Just the truth in a glass. 🍸 THE BALANCE SHEET Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled to 550 employees across 11 centers Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • ¾ oz sweet vermouth • ¼ oz Benedictine • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Assets minus liabilities. That's your number. Brad runs 550 people and knows exactly where every dollar sits. This drink is sophisticated, layered, and tells you more than it looks like it will. 🍸 THE CASH FLOW Matt Croke - The host keeping it real Recipe: • 2 oz añejo tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Out of cash is out of business. Game over. Space Invaders. This drink moves fast and hits harder than expected. You think you've got more time than you do. Make all three. P&L, balance sheet, cash flow. Which one are you missing? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #financialreporting #startuplife #smallbusiness #cashflow
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Can do vs. Can't do attitude - it all starts at the top #bestbusinesspodcast
03/13/2026
Can do vs. Can't do attitude - it all starts at the top #bestbusinesspodcast
The financial reports your business can't survive without. Brad was teaching business basics to a room full of clinicians when one of his therapists pumped her fist. They were "in the red," she announced. Brad had to break the news: red means you're losing money. The room went quiet. Brian's own version of this story involves mailing vendor checks with the wrong zip code on purpose to buy time before payroll. He admits this on camera without blinking. This is Season 2, episode 6. Why profitable businesses still go broke. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why your P&L is lying to you and cash flow tells the real story • Brian's wrong zip code trick for surviving payroll week • The accountant who never left his desk but could tell exactly what was wrong in every city • Why "out of cash" is Space Invaders game over, even when you're profitable • The 3 reports banks, investors, and smart founders actually look at *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • P&L, balance sheet, cash flow; get all three from day one, even if you're solo • Hire a part-time bookkeeper before you need one, even give them a small piece of equity • If your financials are a mess when you sell, buyers go through every closet *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 don't have some form of that report being done by somebody that knows what they're doing, shame on you." Are your financials actually telling you the truth right now? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - All in Black, All About the Red 3:11 - Brad's Therapist Celebrates the Wrong Number 4:57 - Why Bad Financials Kill Acquisitions 6:19 - Your Business Vitals Are Flatlining (You Just Don't Know It) 9:04 - The Accountant Who Never Left His Desk 16:06 - Out of Cash Is Space Invaders Game Over 17:35 - Brian's Wrong Zip Code Trick 22:46 - The Three Reports That Actually Matter *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 financial realities. Pick the one that matches where your business actually is. 🍸 THE WRONG ZIP CODE Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Payroll's in 7 days and the vendor check needed to disappear for a week. Brian mailed it with the wrong zip code. This drink looks completely professional and above board. Until you check the fine print. 🍸 IN THE RED Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled to 550 employees across 11 centers Recipe: • 1.5 oz Campari • 1 oz sweet vermouth • 1 oz gin • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: His therapist celebrated when she heard "we're in the red." Brad had to explain that red is bad. This drink is unmistakably, aggressively, unambiguously red. No confusion now. 🍸 THE $200,000 Matt Croke - The host keeping it real Recipe: • 2 oz añejo tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Out of cash is out of business. This drink hits harder than expected and costs more than you planned. Make all three. Which one are you? Hiding the check? Celebrating the wrong news? Confidently wrong on the math? 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 #entrepreneurship #financialreporting #startuplife #smallbusiness #cashflow
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Sharpen your saw - Personal and professional development are not optional
03/06/2026
Sharpen your saw - Personal and professional development are not optional
How good teams quietly fall behind Brad walked into his leadership meeting and dropped one question: "What happens when we replace you with robots?" Everyone froze. He wasn't actually doing it. He wanted to break the grip of "this is how we've always done it." Brian calls that grip sawing with a dull blade. You work twice as hard, fall further behind, and your metrics never show it until the competitor who sharpened theirs is already ahead. This is episode five. The thing killing productive teams that nobody measures. #bestbusinesspodcast *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Brian's "sharpen the saw" principle and why most CEOs don't realize how dull their operations have become • Brad's Project Star Trek: 7 leaders, one challenge, 17 AI best practices in a week • Why Brian met with every vendor even when he had zero intention of buying from • The Blockbuster warning: how "too busy" is exactly how you miss the next internet • Rutbusters: the small daily moves that break the "this is how we do it" death grip *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Hackathons work: Matterport gave engineers a week to build anything. Many of them wind up being shipped. • Sales pitches are free MBAs: vendors will tell you what every competitor is doing • Organized chaos: let your team bounce ideas. Nine are stupid. The tenth changes everything. *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* "In six months you're going to ask how you got so far behind your competition. The answer is you were too busy to look up." Are you sharpening the saw or just sawing harder? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The improv game neither can win 1:38 - What "sharpen the saw" actually means for CEOs 3:42 - Brad's Project Star Trek and the AI challenge 6:35 - Brian: you're going to be Blockbuster in six months 10:03 - The robot question that startled an entire leadership team 18:29 - Matterport hackathons and the "ship it" moment 24:23 - Executive networks and the vendor free MBA 23:32 - Rutbusters: how to break the daily grind *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 ways to sharpen your edge. Pick the one that matches your Friday. 🍸 THE WHETSTONE Brian Balduf - The storyteller who named it and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Takes a minute to build right, but once it's sharp everything cuts cleaner. Brian didn't invent skill development, he named it, made everyone in the room feel it, and proved it works. 🍸 PROJECT STAR TREK Brad Balduf - The operator who challenged 7 leaders and got 17 answers Recipe: • 2 oz tequila reposado • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Bold challenge, unexpected results. Brad told his team to find AI solutions and walked out with 17 best practices. This drink goes somewhere you didn't expect when you started shaking it. 🍸 THE RUTBUSTER Matt Croke - The host who breaks the pattern every single week Recipe: • 2 oz rye whiskey • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 3 dashes Peychaud's bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Take a different road to work. Wear something unexpected. Order something you've never tried. Matt keeps these two from grinding the same groove every episode. The Peychaud's is the thing you didn't see coming. Make all three. Which one are you? Naming the problem? Running the challenge? Just breaking the pattern? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #CEOLife
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Breaking down different business models
02/27/2026
Breaking down different business models
The recurring revenue gospel. Brad's daughter tried to cancel her gym membership. They made her drive to the original location, not the one near her house. Brian called it immediately: that's not an accident. If 20% want out and you make it inconvenient enough, you save 3-4%. Lazy people don't cancel. That's built into the model. This is episode four. The business models that survive, and the ones that slowly bleed you dry. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why your gym is counting on you never showing up (and how they engineer the trap) • Blockbuster built $50M on late fees, then Netflix forced them to drop it • Brian's VHT wake-up call: $100 shoots costing $75 to acquire is death by a thousand cuts • The art gallery, mattress store, and retail shop, where their revenue really comes from • Why you can't sell a transaction business and what acquirers actually want instead *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Turn single transactions into recurring customers with loyalty programs and coupons • Think like an acquirer: predictable revenue beats raw volume every time • Even if you start transactional, pivot to recurring or you'll hit a wall *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* "You've got to figure out how to take the single transaction user and turn it into a recurring theme. Recurring revenue is the thing that's going to fuel your business for ongoing success." Are you running a transaction business right now? How close are you to flipping it? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Crane Business That Baffles Matt 1:08 - Breaking Down Every Business Model Out There 4:42 - Why Everything Is Becoming a Subscription 10:52 - The Gym Cancellation Trap (And Why It's Genius) 13:22 - Blockbuster's $50M Late Fee Collapse 17:09 - Mattress Stores and the Hidden Revenue Nobody Sees 18:57 - How VHT Evolved From Transactions to Recurring Clients 24:01 - Why You Can't Sell a Transaction Business ———————————— *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 business models. Pick the one that matches how you're building. 🍸 THE BREAKAGE PLAY Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz rye whiskey • 0.75 oz lemon juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist garnish • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Your gym signed you up knowing you'd stop showing up. Blockbuster needed you to return it late. The business counted on you never doing what you said you would. This drink is smooth going down just like a subscription you forget you have. 🍸 THE DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS Brad Balduf - The operator running 550 employees across 11 centers Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • 0.75 oz lime juice • 0.5 oz simple syrup • Pinch of salt • Tajín rim, lime wheel garnish • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Brian's competitors were doing 10 shoots a day and bleeding out. $100 shoot, $75 to acquire the customer. Looks busy, feels productive. You're dead in two years and you never saw it coming. 🍸 THE RECURRING THEME Matt Croke - The host keeping it honest Recipe: • 1.5 oz gin • 0.75 oz grapefruit juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • Top with tonic water • Grapefruit slice garnish • Build in glass, stir gently The Vibe: The Jiffy Lube coupon. The theater subscription. The loyalty punch card. Whatever it takes to get you back next time. This drink is light and refreshing and you already want another before you finish the first. That's the whole point. Make all three. Which model are you? Engineering the breakage? Getting bled by transactions? Or building something customers keep coming back for? 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 ———————————— #bestbusinesspodcast #entrepreneurship #businessmodels #recurringrevenue #startuplife #smallbusiness
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What to look for in an investor
02/20/2026
What to look for in an investor
Matt throws out one word at a time. Brian and Brad react in real time. "Banks." Brian grimaces. "Private equity." Brad winces. By the time they hit friends and family, Brian's wife had stopped asking how the business was going. Her family had money in it. This is episode three of Season 2. Every funding source comes with a person attached, and that person is you. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why banks only give you money when you don't need it (and disappear when you do) • The VC trap: why taking the first check that's offered might be the worst decision you make • What angel investors actually want (and why some will drag you to their parties) • The friends and family line that gets crossed at Thanksgiving • Why Brian and Brad had completely opposite reactions to the same funding truth *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Ask what else they bring: Rolodex to bigger money, board experience, law firms, HR firms • Put your own money in first, even the last $5,000 proves you believe it • Set expectations before friends and family write a check or it gets ugly fast *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* "You only get money from banks when you don't need it. When you really need it? It's like pulling teeth." Are you picking the right investor or just the first one who says yes? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The PE Reputation: Sell Yourself to the Devil 1:26 - Matt's Word Association Game Begins 6:07 - Banks Only Give It When You Don't Need It 8:03 - Private Equity: Bean Counters or Growth Machines 12:20 - Venture Capital: The $10M Trap 16:03 - Angel Investors: Betting on the Jockey 22:11 - Friends and Family: The Delicate Balance 28:29 - Investing in Yourself: The Last $5,000 *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 funding philosophies. Pick the one that matches your investor. 🍸 THE JOCKEY Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz scotch • 0.75 oz lemon juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Angel investors aren't betting on the plan. They're betting on the person holding it. This drink is confident and earns its reputation sip by sip. Be the kind of jockey worth betting on. 🍸 THE FAMILY PARTY Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled across 11 locations Recipe: • 2 oz tequila reposado • 0.75 oz lime juice • 0.5 oz agave syrup • 0.25 oz Cointreau • Tajín rim • Shake with ice, strain over ice The Vibe: Warm, festive, everyone wants in. Then someone corners you at the buffet asking when they're getting their money back. Brad's wife stopped asking how the business was going because her family had money in it. Sounds easy until the holidays. 🍸 THE POOL TABLE Matt Croke - The host keeping it honest Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 0.75 oz sweet vermouth • 0.25 oz Benedictine • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Brad loaned Brian's company money once. Brian calls it a loan. Brad calls it a loss on the pool table. Sometimes the most expensive money isn't from a VC. It's from the guy sitting across from you at Thanksgiving. Make all three. Which investor are you working with? The jockey bet? The family money? Or writing it off as a pool table loss? 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 #bestbusinesspodcast #entrepreneurship #startupfunding #investors #angelinvesting #venturecapital #smallbusiness
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Intellectual Property - VHT v. Zillow
02/13/2026
Intellectual Property - VHT v. Zillow
Brian owned the world's largest collection of bathroom photos. A tech giant stole them for a second business and said "go sue someone else." Brian had $2 million in revenue. The legal bill? Five million. So a stranger in New York agreed to pay everything for 30% of the winnings. Eight years later, Brian won the case now taught in law schools. This is episode two. When winning in court costs more than settling. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why Brian pioneered bulk copyright registration with the Copyright Office to protect hundreds of thousands of photographs • The litigation financing deal that paid $5 million in legal fees for 30% of winnings • How the tech giant challenged bulk copyright validity (precedent-setting case now taught in law schools) • Why Disney, NBC, Universal, and Comcast filed amicus briefs supporting the lawsuit • Why Brian wishes he'd forced a settlement instead of winning *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Protect your IP early: Register copyrights from day one, even when it seems unnecessary • Litigation financing exists: Third parties will pay legal bills for a percentage of the win • Pending protects you: "Patent pending" or "trademark pending" works while processing • Settlements beat victories: Eight years of appeals might not be worth the win *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* "Looking back, we probably would have done better settling. We had a law firm that could've forced them to settle for a big amount. But we chose to win this case instead." Ever fought a battle you won but shouldn't have? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Brian's bathroom photo collection 2:13 - Three types of intellectual property 7:26 - The second business that stole everything 14:02 - Pioneering bulk copyright registration 16:11 - Never tested in courts before 21:44 - Litigation financing explained 25:26 - Brian wins, then 4 years of appeals 28:41 - Why settlement was smarter *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 players in an 8-year legal war. Pick your side. 🍸 *THE DAVID* Brian Balduf - $2M revenue taking on billions Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch • ¾ oz cherry liqueur • ½ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes chocolate bitters • Luxardo cherry garnish • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Small but sophisticated. Scotch hits hard with less volume. Brian had $2 million facing a $5 million legal bill. This drink proves you don't need size to pack a punch. 🍸 *THE LITIGATION FUNDER* Brad Balduf - The stranger who bet $5M Brian would win Recipe: • 2 oz Cognac • 1 oz Grand Marnier • ½ oz fresh lemon juice • Orange twist • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Expensive, refined, calculated risk. A company in New York said "we'll pay everything for 30% of the win." Cognac doesn't come cheap. Neither does betting $5 million on a precedent-setting lawsuit. 🍸 *THE AMICUS BRIEF* Matt Croke - Disney, NBC, Universal watching from the sidelines Recipe: • 3 oz Champagne • 1 oz St-Germain • ½ oz lemon juice • Lemon twist • Build in flute, add champagne last The Vibe: High society watching the fight. Disney, NBC, Universal, and Comcast filed friend-of-the-court briefs because this case mattered to everyone with intellectual property. Elegant, invested in the outcome, but not getting hands dirty. Make all three. Figure out your role. Are you the underdog fighting? The funder betting big? Or the industry watching to see who wins? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #IntellectualProperty #CopyrightLaw #StartupLessons #Entrepreneurship #LegalBattle #bestbusinesspodcast #leadership
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Season 2 Premiere episode - What happens in year two of being in business?
02/06/2026
Season 2 Premiere episode - What happens in year two of being in business?
*Season 2 Premiere: You made it through year one. That was the easy part.* Matt tried to replace the brothers with the Manning brothers for Season 2. Peyton and Eli never responded. Neither did the Baldwins, the Bushes, or the Harbaughs. So Brian and Brad are back, new studio and all, ready to talk about what happens when your business hits year two. Here's the thing nobody tells you: year one is survival mode. You're running so hard that you don't notice expenses creeping up or competitors watching what you're doing. Then you hit year two and suddenly you're spending $100,000 a month instead of $10,000. Competition either wakes up or shows up. The easy run is over. This is Season 2 Episode 1. What happens when you can't coast anymore. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why year two is when competition wakes up or storms in • The "throttle down plus plus" mentality Brad uses to stay aggressive • How to use year one baselines to build year two budgets • The difference between zero-based and baseline budgeting *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Don't assume year two repeats year one • Review every expense that snuck in • Ask customers three simple questions • Focus on your core *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* "Year two, you got to relook at your expenses because a lot of things will have snuck in during that first year. You were spending $10,000 a month when you started and you're spending $100,000 now." What mistakes are sneaking into your year two? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for Season 2. New studio. New founder interviews. Same brutal honesty. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Season 2 premiere 4:20 - Year one vs year two 6:10 - Bean Bags vs Bean Bag King 9:30 - When competition wakes up 11:45 - Throttle down plus plus 14:30 - Baseline budgeting 17:05 - Advice for both sides 19:10 - Customer surveys 21:30 - Zero-based vs baseline 24:45 - Year two validation *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 year-two realities. Pick the one that matches your situation. 🍸 THE BEAN BAG KING Brad Balduf - The operator who won't get complacent Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • 1 oz coffee liqueur • 0.5 oz demerara syrup • 2 dashes chocolate bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: You owned 100% of the market until some kid opened a drive-thru and stole your customers. Now you either sell or wake up and fight back. This drink's rich, established, knows its worth. Question is: will you get lazy or protect what you built? 🍸 BEAN BAGS R US Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's seen competitors strike Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • 1 oz lime juice • 0.75 oz ginger syrup • 0.5 oz Cointreau • Fresh ginger slice • Shake hard with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: You stormed the market with a drive-thru and crushed the old guard year one. Year two? They're awake now. They copied your hours, matched your prices, installed their own drive-thru. What's your next move? This drink's sharp, aggressive, ready to pivot. 🍸 THE THROTTLE DOWN Matt Croke - The host watching both sides battle Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 0.75 oz lemon juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 3 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon wheel • Shake with ice, strain over large cube The Vibe: Brad's philosophy for year two: throttle down plus plus. No breaks. No coasting. Competition's coming whether you're the incumbent or the upstart. This drink's smooth but commits fully. Just like year two demands. Make all three. Figure out which position you're in. Defending your turf? Attacking the market? Just trying to stay aggressive? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #startupstrategy #yeartwo #businessgrowth
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Leadership - The ripple effect - diminishing returns
01/30/2026
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)
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Ep 49 Money mistakes entrepreneurs need to avoid
01/23/2026
Ep 49 Money mistakes entrepreneurs need to avoid
Brian was bringing on new customers when he ran out of money. Brad knows entrepreneurs who bought boats while their businesses were still bleeding cash. One of Brian's investors would ask him the same two questions every time they met: "How's your wife and what are you driving?" One question's about divorce. The other's about expensive cars that kill businesses before they get off the ground. Your baseline shifts without you even noticing. You start buying things and suddenly your expectations are different. Brad calls it lifestyle creep. This is episode 49. What entrepreneurs get wrong about money. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why 3% profit margin loses to 4% money market • When Brian ran out of money despite growing • How lifestyle creep happens without you noticing • "Never be an expense, be an investment" • Degradation is imminent: employees spend looser than the CEO *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Build slowly, ramp fast once profitable • One-time vs fixed expenses matter • Set the tone - employees follow your habits • Review financials to catch overspending *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* "I've seen businesses growing like crazy that just spent themselves into oblivion. Their gross profit margins are zip." Chasing revenue while ignoring profit? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 1:10 - Revenue makes you feel good, profit sets you free 6:19 - When they ran out of money 9:34 - The 3% vs 4% money market problem 12:33 - Every $50K hire better have impact 16:02 - Lifestyle creep: boats when business is bleeding 17:23 - The investor who asked "What are you driving?" 21:49 - One-time vs fixed expenses 24:38 - Degradation is imminent ———————————— *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 money mistakes. Pick the one that matches your spending habits. 🍸 *THE 3% PROFIT* Brad Balduf - Why investors won't touch you Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • 1 oz dry vermouth • ¼ oz olive brine • 2 olives • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Clean, simple, barely profitable. Brad's point about 3% profit losing to a 4% money market account. This martini's classic but there's barely any flavor margin here. Just like your business when you're chasing revenue and forgetting profit. 🍸 *THE LIFESTYLE CREEP* Brian Balduf - The boat you bought when business was bleeding Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • 1 oz pineapple juice • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz orgeat • Mint sprig • Shake with ice, strain over crushed ice The Vibe: Tropical, expensive-looking, tastes like vacation. Brian's investor always asked "what are you driving?" because entrepreneurs start making money and buy fancy cars. Your baseline shifts without you knowing. One day it's beer and pizza, next it's bottles of champagne at Lowe's hotels. 🍸 *THE BARNABY'S BUDGET* Matt Croke - Beer and pizza while execs drink champagne Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 1 oz ginger beer • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • Lemon wheel • Build in rocks glass over ice, top with ginger beer The Vibe: Simple, affordable, gets the job done. Brian ate at Barnaby's with free parking while his execs stayed at Lowe's and valetted at the airport. Degradation is imminent - whatever standard you set as CEO, employees will spend one level looser. This drink proves you don't need expensive ingredients to win. Make all three. Figure out which mistake you're making. Generating revenue with no profit? Buying boats when cash flow's dying? Setting the tone with tight spending? 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 #Entrepreneurship #ProfitMargins #BusinessFinance #StartupLife #RevenueVsProfit Music: "Back to Black" by Rockin' For Decades (licensed through Epidemic Sound)
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Closing Sales ep 48
01/16/2026
Closing Sales ep 48
Brad asks for exactly 15 minutes. At 14 minutes and 59 seconds, he stands up and leaves. Doesn't matter if they're interested or want him to stay. He asked for 15 minutes, that's what he takes. Most salespeople overstay. Brad walks out while they're still engaged. Next meeting, they already know he respects time. No bracing for a pitch that won't end. This is episode 50. How to actually close deals instead of just talking about closing. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Brad's 15-minute rule: leaving on the number gets more second meetings • VHT Studios closed 10,000 units in Jacksonville, Orlando said "we weren't involved" • Why dropping price proves you never conveyed value • Where deals die after you think they're closed *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Ask for short time, leave exactly when promised • Ask who signs the contract upfront • Never drop price first (shows you don't believe in value) • Stay urgent after verbal yes (time kills unsigned deals) *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 resort to price reduction early, you're showing your cards. You've left yourself nowhere to go. You didn't convey value. The deal was already lost." Ever close a deal only to watch it die in legal? Drop your approach in the comments. 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:43 - Every employee should take money from customers 4:05 - The three things that make closing work 10:30 - What are all the things that can go wrong? 13:00 - Dropping price is the rookie death spiral 16:02 - The Regional VP disaster (lost half the deal) 20:03 - Orlando region wasn't participating 26:40 - Brad's 15-minute rule (leave on the number) 29:11 - Time kills all deals (urgency after verbal yes) *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 closing strategies. Pick your move. 🍸 *THE 15-MINUTE TIMER* Brad Balduf - Leaves at 14:59 every time Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Brad asks for 15 minutes and leaves on the number. No lingering, no pushing, no overstaying. This drink is clean, crisp, respectful. You asked for a cocktail, here it is, exactly as promised. 🍸 *THE REGIONAL VP* Brian Balduf - Sold 10,000 units to the wrong guy Recipe: • 2 oz dark rum • 1 oz pineapple juice • ½ oz lime juice • ¼ oz Campari • Pineapple wedge • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Looks complete, tastes good, then bitterness hits. VHT Studios negotiated for months with Jacksonville. Orlando said "we weren't involved." Only got half. This drink promises more than it delivers. 🍸 *THE RED LINE* Matt Croke - For deals that die in legal review Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • ¾ oz sweet vermouth • ½ oz Cynar • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Smooth at first, then unexpected complexity. Deal's done, attorneys redline one thing, business people get involved, three weeks later there's a "major problem." This drink's got layers you didn't see coming. Make all three. Figure out your closing style. Respect time and leave early? Talk to the wrong person for months? Or think it's done before it's signed? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH #entrepreneurship #sales #closingdeals #businessstrategy #startuplife Music: "Back to Black" by Rockin' For Decades (licensed through Epidemic Sound)
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