By Design Advisors: The Way To Value Podcast

In this video, Dale Thrush from By Design Advisors tackles the prevalent issue of unproductive meetings, emphasizing how they hinder business growth. He shares crucial insights on effective meetings and offers practical advice on meeting management to improve overall time management. Learn how to increase productivity by designing your business operations with purpose, rather than leaving them to...

“Good people are impossible to find.” False. In this whiteboard, Dale shows the five steps to consistently hire A-players—starting before you post a job: Define your fish (KRA/impact/behaviors), ID your bait (Working Genius + DISC + real EVP), run an intentional interview (half-day, multiple interviewers, each with a specific lens), gather individual feedback (no groupthink), and close by selling...

You don’t have a meeting problem—you have a clarity & pressure-test problem. In this whiteboard video, we go over some common meeting myths & why people love to schedule meetings. If the meeting falls into one of these myths, you cancel it—no guilt. Links: Book A Call: https://www.bydesignadvisors.com/contact-us Learn More About Exit Strategy & Leadership – https://www.bydesignadvisors...

If your meetings are easy but nothing actually changes, you might be on Team Harmony—not Team Honesty. In this whiteboard session, Dale breaks down 5 signs you’re stuck in harmony culture and 3 quick tests to flip your team into honest debate, faster decisions, and real execution. 5 signs you’re on Team Harmony: 1. Easy meetings (status report-outs, nodding along, no debate) 2. Every issue is a 5-...

This episode tackles three questions we keep getting from the community: “My one-on-ones aren’t working—what should I do?” “I’m a younger manager leading a more experienced team—help!” “It’s a family business. Dad won’t delegate. How do we change it?” We share the frameworks we use in the wild: make 1:1s intentional (owner + outcome + agenda), lead vets with humility + listening tours (assessments...

What actually grows a media business? Showing up. In this episode, Andrej Suttles (founder of Suttlesolution Media) shares how he went from shooting bulldog photos to producing podcasts, reels, and client content every week—by building a consistency + accountability machine. He talks free “test shoots,” fail-safes for production, authentic storytelling vs. Buzz Word Marketing, and why AI is a tool...

Most owners tie exit timing to age—not the business. In this roundtable, Dale, Marty, and Tom break down the real “right time to sell”: when you’re ready (mentally + operationally), the business is clean, and you can tell a story buyers will love. We talk about the 5 Ds that force terrible exits (death, divorce, disagreement, distress, disability), why “sell in strength” always beats scared sellin...

Most leaders don’t fail because of markets—they fail because of ego. In this episode of The Way to Value, Marty Osborne and Dale Thrush break down why leaders don’t ask for help and how BCD Syndrome (Blame • Complain • Defend) quietly destroys culture, hiring, and growth. They share practical plays: team-led hiring (“weigh in = buy in”), the Fresh Eyes onboarding practice, when to push back on you...

AI isn’t coming—it’s here. From Amazon automating at scale to Accenture using AI adoption as a litmus test, the people side of business is changing fast. In this episode of The Way to Value, Marty and Dale unpack what that means for leaders, recruiters, and job seekers—including AI showing up inside interviews and why assessments (DISC & Working Genius) matter more than ever. We also share pra...

If you think due diligence is just paperwork, wait until the 16 tabs hit your inbox. In this episode, Steve Brindle (Advoco co-founder) explains how he led the financial excellence and due diligence that took the team from LOI to close in their acquisition—what buyers really check, why simple books beat “lipstick on a pig,” and when to say no without tanking the deal. You’ll hear how multiple grou...

A full year. 50+ episodes. Dozens of leaders and teams. Here’s what actually stuck! In this Yearly Recap of The Way to Value, Marty interviews Dale about the biggest lessons we learned this past year—working with founders, operators, and our own team. We boil it down to three buckets (Strategy • Focus • Execution), the 90-day / 3-rocks cadence that kept us honest, and why getting uncomfortable was...

Most companies are shouting the same things: customer-focused, values-driven, people-first. If your competitors can say it too, it’s not a differentiator — it’s permission to play. In this episode of The Way to Value, Marty Osborn and Dale Thrush break down the difference between permission-to-play statements and true unique value. We pressure-test mission statements, call out Buzzword Marketing,...

After 15 years at Michelin, Parker Baxter jumped from corporate innovation to launching Greener Fleets, where he helps trucking and delivery fleets become more profitable and sustainable! We talk why fleets adopt EV, CNG/RNG, hydrogen (hint: long-term cost + shipper demand), how California programs can cover ~$200k per EV to close the TCO gap, and why razor-thin margins make fuel savings a multi-m...

Leaders keep saying “communication is our biggest problem.” Kamber Parker Bowen says: it’s fixable—and it can become your advantage. In this episode of The Way to Value, Kamber (author of The Generational Advantage) shares a practical playbook for multigenerational leadership: how to reduce “us vs. them,” set clear expectations, and match communication to how people actually work. We dig into toda...

Leaders keep saying “communication is our biggest problem.” Kamber Parker Bowen says: it’s fixable—and it can become your advantage. In this episode of The Way to Value, Kamber (author of The Generational Advantage) shares a practical playbook for multigenerational leadership: how to reduce “us vs. them,” set clear expectations, and match communication to how people actually work. We dig into toda...

Tom Johnson didn’t take the safe route. In this Overtime sit-down, Marty & Dale go way back with their longtime friend—and BDA partner, Tom Johnson—about failure, execution, and why opposites build better teams. You’ll hear how Dale, Tom (High-C on DISC) and Marty balance each other, how getting comfortable with failure shaped Tom’s career, and why execution is more important than intention wh...

What does a great CFO actually do? In this episode of The Way to Value, Tom Johnson (20+ years as a CFO) breaks down the difference between bean counting and building value—from capital structure and cash forecasting to the exit process itself. He’s lived it: Tom helped take a company scale from ~$25M valuation to a $165M exit. If you’re debating fractional vs. full-time CFO, wrestling with “growt...

Trey Gaskin didn’t outspend competitors—he out-served them! In this episode of The Way to Value, Trey (Founder & CEO, Advanced Property Tech) breaks down the moves that took his multifamily low-voltage integrator from startup to successful exit. His formula? Be the integrator that actually integrates (access control, cameras, ERRC, Wi-Fi, smart locks/thermostats), lock in long-term contracts,...

If your homepage says “innovative solutions for leading stakeholders,” you’ve got a Buzz Word Marketing problem In this episode of The Way to Value, Marty Osborn and Dale Thrush break down how buzzword-heavy copy and vague mission statements repel buyers, confuse teams, and crush trust. We show you how to spot the jargon, strip it out, and rewrite your message in plain English — so customers know...

In this episode of The Way to Value, we sit down with John Harrison—VP of Revenue at KeyMark, Inc, Clemson MBA guest lecturer, and ex–baseball closer—to break down the gates that actually move a deal: real discovery, ROI proof, multi-threading the decision group, and legal review. We also get into the negotiation rules that protect your margin! What you’ll learn: - The step-by-step sales gates tha...

This Overtime is all about Furman. Marty and Dale unpack their conversation with Brian & Eric from Furman University’s Hill Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship—and why their approach is creating graduates who can actually start, build, and lead in the real world. We highlight the Hill Institute’s three pillars—critical thinking & self-discovery, storytelling, and grit—and talk...

Ever wonder what it’s really like to work with By Design Advisors? In this episode, the mic gets flipped! Dale Thrush takes the hot seat as Marty Osborn interviews him about what actually happens during a 90-day engagement — the same framework that's helped dozens of businesses get unstuck and finally execute. From leadership dysfunction to bloated org charts and unclear comp plans, we break down...

Thinking about hiring a CFO? Watch this first. In this episode of Wouldn’t You Like to Know, we’re back with Tom, diving deep into what really makes a great CFO — and spoiler: it’s not just about crunching numbers. We unpack how tools like DISC and Working Genius help predict if someone is actually wired for the CFO role — and how getting it wrong can cost you big time. From high C’s and low D’s,...