Exceptional Companies Podcast

What does it take to build a company that lasts for decades instead of just a few years? In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast, Chris Seegers sits down with Dean Mathews, CEO of On The Clock, to discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, company culture, and the mindset shifts required to build something bigger than yourself. From coding software at his kitchen table to serving more than...

What if youth sports were about more than scholarships and championships? In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast, Chris Seegers sits down with sports attorney, professor, former professional baseball player, and NIL expert Bobby Bramhall to explore how athletics can become a launching pad for leadership, entrepreneurship, and long-term wealth creation. From lessons learned on the base...

Is business a sprint or a marathon? According to Chris Seegers, it’s neither. In this short episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast, Chris challenges two of the most common ideas in entrepreneurship and offers a simpler, more sustainable path to success. If you're tired of chasing shiny objects and looking for a framework that actually compounds over time, this conversation is for you.

Most business owners are working hard, but very few stop to ask what phase of business they’re actually in. In this short educational episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast, Chris Seegers breaks down the five phases every company moves through, from the early dream stage all the way to monetization. Whether you’re launching your first company, trying to optimize operations, or preparing for a...

What happens when life forces you to rebuild everything at once? In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast , Chris Seegers sits down with Patty Rodriguez, CEO of GreyHawk Oilfield Trucking, to unpack the realities of entrepreneurship, resilience, and leadership under pressure. Patty shares how divorce, uncertainty, financial pressure, and one of the toughest industries imaginable became...

What happens when youth sports stop being about the kids? In this episode of The Exceptional Business Podcast, Chris Seegers sits down with Will Marshall of 108 Performance Academy to unpack the hidden pressure shaping modern athletics, parenting, and leadership. From identity and competition to business systems and human development, this conversation explores why the best coaches focus on the pe...

What happens when your business becomes your entire identity? In this short episode of The Exceptional Companies Podcast, Chris Seegers explores one of the biggest hidden obstacles business owners face during growth and exit planning: identity shift. Why do so many entrepreneurs struggle after selling a company, and how can you prepare for life beyond the title of “owner” or “CEO”? This conversati...

Everyone talks about the deal, the numbers, the negotiation. But what happens after you buy a business is where most people get it wrong. In this conversation, Chris Seegers sits down with Will Fry to unpack the real challenges of business ownership, why most businesses decline in year one, and how the right operator can turn uncertainty into long-term success.

Most entrepreneurs pour everything into their business. But what happens when success creates a different problem, taxes? In this episode of The Exceptional Companies Podcast , Chris Seegers sits down with returning guest Ian Noble to unpack the powerful intersection of business ownership and real estate investing . From cost segregation to passive funds, they explore practical strategies business...

What happens when artificial intelligence advances faster than the internet ever did? And how should entrepreneurs prepare for a future where machines can perform the work of thousands of people? In this episode of The Exceptional Companies Podcast , Chris Seegers sits down with real estate entrepreneur and technology enthusiast Brandon Behr to explore how AI, Bitcoin, and shifting economic system...

Most entrepreneurs wait until they sell their business to think about giving. But what if generosity wasn’t the final chapter of your success story — what if it shaped the entire journey? In this episode, Chris Seegers sits down with Eric Most, President of National Christian Foundation Rocky Mountains, to unpack smarter giving strategies, donor-advised funds, and why starting early changes everyt...

Everyone has advice. Very few people have experience. What happens when the people teaching business have never actually owned one? Or when the strategies that worked in one market get sold as universal truth? In this episode, we talk about why ownership changes everything, why most people freeze instead of act, and how clarity, not motivation, is what actually moves people forward. Are you learni...

Most business owners don’t fail because they made bad decisions. They fail because they never paused long enough to make the right ones. What happens to your company if you’re suddenly unavailable for 30 days? Who signs payroll? Who makes decisions? Who protects the value you’ve spent decades building? In this conversation, I sat down with Paul Manson to unpack the blind spots most founders don’t...

What if no one is coming to save your business. Would you still build it. What would you change today. In this episode I ask Mike McLain why effort is not enough, how identity beats anxiety, and what happens when you stop selling and start serving. We dig into the moment he left a safe career, the hidden lever in employer healthcare, and the mindset that turns setbacks into traction. If your team...

What if the success you’re chasing isn’t about working harder, but about solving better problems? In this conversation, I sat down with Logan Brodine to explore how discipline built in the gym, lessons learned alongside elite military units, and hard-earned experience in real estate all point to the same truth: growth follows complexity. How do relationships shape who we become? Why do most people...

What happens when your identity gets wrapped in the wrong things — a job, a sport, even your business — and life rips them away? In this episode, Tanner Johnson shares how losing everything he thought defined him forced him to rebuild his life, his work, and his faith from the ground up. It’s the kind of conversation that makes you ask: what am I actually building my life on?

What happens when an attorney refuses to treat clients like case numbers? In this episode, I sit down with a lawyer who walked away from big-firm comfort to build something radically personal. Why did he leave a secure path? What did he see behind the scenes that pushed him out? And how is he winning cases the big shops couldn’t touch? This conversation might change how you think about “personal i...

What happens after you sell the business that defined your identity? When the grind finally ends, and the silence sets in—who are you without it? In this episode, I sit down with Ian Noble, a second-generation business owner who went from burnout to breakthrough, and discovered that real freedom doesn’t come from control—it comes from letting go.

What if solving society’s biggest problems didn’t start with money or policy—but with a table? In this episode, I sit down with Stu Davis of COSILoveYou to unpack how churches, businesses, and community leaders are reshaping Colorado Springs through partnership, faith, and action. Can listening be the most powerful leadership tool we have? And what happens when we stop trying to fix everything—and...

What if the secret to closing more deals isn’t about selling harder—but listening better? What if your brand has nothing to do with your logo, and everything to do with how people feel when they meet you? In this episode, I sat down with H.B. Pasley—a musician turned business advisor—to talk about authentic connection, trust, and why the best business strategy might just start with a conversation...

What if the culture inside your company is working against you—and you don’t even know it? Heather Smith thought she’d made it in corporate leadership, until she realized success without impact felt hollow. In this episode, we talk about the truth behind company culture: why values on a wall mean nothing, how systems shape behavior, and what happens when you look behind you as a leader… and no one...

What does it take to build something that lasts 120 years—and still feels worth coming back to? What if the key to generational success isn’t control, but letting go? In this episode, Jen Livsey shares how her family built a ranching legacy across five generations, why she believes in raising kids “worthy of empire,” and how faith, failure, and family shape her leadership. If you’re building a bus...

What if the key to scaling your business isn’t more hours… but more energy? Most entrepreneurs sprint like they’re in mile one of a marathon—until burnout catches them. In my latest conversation with Alan Briggs, we explored why the real currency of leadership is energy, not time, and how tools like the “to-don’t list,” sabbaticals, and scorecards at home can transform the way you lead. So here’s...

What if buying a business isn’t the shortcut you think it is? In this episode, I sat down with Will Fry of Main Shares to ask the hard questions: Who shouldn’t buy a business? Why do so many “dream deals” turn into five-year holes? And what does it really take to succeed on Main Street when the hype says it’s easy? We go deep on capital, culture fit, and the one thing you must know before signing...

What does it take to turn a hobby into an arena packed with 7,500 fans? How do you balance family when you’re on the road announcing 25 rodeos a year? And why does serving people—before profit—end up being the most powerful growth strategy of all? In this week’s episode, I sat down with my friend Jay Dial to uncover the story behind Triple J Rodeo, the lessons he learned from bull riding to busine...