Get Off The Treadmill Podcast

In this episode of the Get Off the Treadmill Podcast, host Chuck Blakeman welcomes back Ben Kimball, co-owner of Kimball Productions and COO, Senior Editor, Producer, and Screenwriter. Ben shares insights from his journey in shifting his business mindset, inspired by Chuck’s book, Making Money is Killing Your Business. Key Points Discussed: Starting with the End in Mind: Defining your desired outc...

Most business owners hate selling—but what if you never had to sell again? In this episode, we’re tackling commission breath—that desperate energy potential clients can sense a mile away. We'll share how Chuck unknowingly fell into this trap and the four simple commitments that completely transformed his buying conversations.   Key Takeaways:   ✅ How commission breath silently kills your sales....

What if the best businesses weren’t planned, but discovered? In this episode, Chuck Blakeman sits down with Carey Lindeman, founder of Promise Care, to discuss how an unexpected volunteer experience led her to create a thriving home care business—and why she’s now transitioning into a new role as a business community leader.   💡 Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ How Carey stumbled into entrepreneurshi...

Most business owners have been told that networking is the key to growth. But what if that’s a myth? What if traditional networking is actually keeping you trapped in an endless cycle of chasing customers—rather than building a thriving business?   In this episode, Chuck Blakeman challenges the conventional wisdom around networking and reveals three powerful reasons why successful business owners...

In this episode, we dive into a game-changing business philosophy: Serve, Don’t Sell. Chuck sits down with Jennifer Stapleton, founding partner of Fire & Bliss, to explore why leading with service—not sales—creates better outcomes for businesses and clients alike.   💡 Here’s what you’ll learn:   ✅ Why serving clients’ true needs leads to long-term success ✅ How to align your business with y...

What if you could truly lead your business instead of just managing it? In this episode, Chuck Blakeman continues the discussion on business maturity dates (BMD) and how to take intentional steps toward achieving a business that serves your ideal lifestyle. If you’re stuck on the stability treadmill, it’s time to break free and build a business that works for you—not the other way around.   💡 Her...

What if you could run your business without it running you? In this episode, Chuck Blakeman welcomes back Clayton Achen, the visionary behind Achen Henderson, a modern virtual CPA firm dedicated to small business success. Together, they dive deep into Freedom Mapping, a game-changing approach to scaling a business while gaining more time and freedom.   💡 Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ What Freedom...

What if you could build a business that truly sets you free—financially and personally? In this episode, Chuck Blakeman introduces the concept of the Business Maturity Date (BMD) and shares how intentionality can transform your entrepreneurial journey.       💡 Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ The two key markers of a mature business. ✅ Why setting a Business Maturity Date (BMD) is a game-changer. ✅...

What if you could scale your business, gain true freedom, and multiply your impact? In this episode, Chuck Blakeman sits down with Stacy Voss, founder of North Star Grant Writing, a company that helps small to midsize nonprofits secure millions in funding every year. Stacy’s journey from solopreneur to business owner with a thriving team is nothing short of inspiring.   💡 Here’s what you’ll learn...

What if the way you’ve been making decisions is holding you back? In this episode, Chuck Blakeman shares his game-changing three-step process for making big decisions—and even small ones—that will forever transform your approach to business and life.       💡 Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ The three critical steps to making decisions that stick ✅ Why “going public” is the ultimate commitment to suc...

What if you could break free from being tied to your business and start building one that works for you? In this episode of Get Off The Treadmill, Chuck Blakeman sits down with Paul Romig-Leavitt, a creative powerhouse and entrepreneur, to discuss the shift from being an income producer to a true business owner.   💡 Here’s what you’ll learn: ✅ The difference between an income producer and a busi...

What if you could transform your business into a tool for building your ideal lifestyle and achieving a life of significance? In this episode, Chuck dives deep into the Important Realities in Seven Stages of Business Ownership, uncovering the critical lessons and strategies that thousands of business owners have used to navigate these stages successfully.   💡 Here’s what you’ll learn:   ✅ Why th...

What if you could make more money in less time—and finally escape the daily grind of running your business?   In this episode, Chuck Blakeman sits down with Bryan Farley, a seasoned entrepreneur and expert in creating scalable, self-sustaining businesses. Together, they dive into the transformative strategy of Freedom Mapping, a practical framework to help you simplify your operations and reclaim...

Last episode, we discussed the first four stages of the Seven Stages of Business Ownership and the treadmill effect that traps many entrepreneurs. Today, we’re exploring Stages Four through Seven, which give you real freedom IN your business, not from it. Will also reveal why almost all business owners get stuck in Stage Four and won't take the small, measured risks to get that freedom. Everything...

In the latest episode of the Get Off The Treadmill podcast, Chuck Blakeman sits down with The Evolving Expert founder, Vanessa Emerson, to dive deep into the powerful connection between business success and personal fulfillment. Vanessa shares her journey as a business strategist and wellness educator, explaining why getting clear on lifetime goals and life vision is the secret to both thriving in...

On average, business owners work 55 hours per week, take very few vacations and do business while there. Most of us are working relentlessly, always hoping that we'll some how get to a new level next year and begin to reap some personal rewards from our business. But we don't even know what "level" we're on, let alone what it would take to get to the next one. In this podcast we discuss the Seven...

In this episode of the Get Off The Treadmill podcast, Chuck Blakeman sits down with Josh Allan Dykstra, a leading expert on human energy and the future of work. Josh, a dynamic keynote speaker and author, reveals why human energy—not employee engagement—is the secret to skyrocketing productivity, creativity, and retention in today’s workplace.  While most companies focus on engagement to boost per...

It's easy to spend thirty years of ups and downs, peaks and valleys, scarcity and abundance, always reacting to the good or bad times that seem to be happening to us, not because of us.  Because we feel dragged along by our business, we can't wait to sell it some fool who will do it all over again for another thirty years. Is it any wonder we're tired? This podcast shares examples of people who le...

Welcome to a transformative episode where we explore the powerful concept of “starting with the end in mind.” Inspired by the teachings of Stephen Covey, who once quoted our guest, we dive deep into the question: What does your business look like when it’s done?   Join us as we introduce Allison Harvey, founded Benediction Counseling in 2014 and serves as the clinical director and the therapist. M...

How did one business owner move from working 55 hours a week to working 16 hours a week and make exponentially more personal income? 95% of business owners find out at some point that they have built themselves a job and are hostages to their businesses. How do we build a Mature Business that regularly produced both money AND time for us, not just money? It's not for the smart or the lucky, but fo...

In this episode of the Get Off The Treadmill podcast, host Chuck Blakeman sits down with Scott Graves, co-founder and CEO of Alignment Financial Advisors, to dive deep into Chapter 3 of Chuck’s acclaimed book, Making Money Is Killing Your Business. This chapter, "The Way Off the Business Treadmill," offers a transformative blueprint for shifting from business overwhelm to a life of balance and ful...

The SBA tells us 50% of businesses fail in five years, but my experience is only about 1% (or less) actually fail due to outside circumstances. The other 49% experience something that was entirely avoidable. If you ask small business owners why they might go out of business, they will tell you they need a loan, or the market is just collapsing, the economy sucks, they can't find good people, or th...

Today’s guest is Liz Daeninck, Founder of Valentis Wellness, which focuses on creating customized nutrition plans tailored to individual health challenges and life circumstances. Liz's expertise lies in understanding the body's responses to movement and diet, particularly for those dealing with obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome, and other chronic issues. She also works...

Instead of separating the "strategic" and the "tactical", or the "long-term" vs. the "short-term", we need to see how to use every activity in our business to do both, and the better we get at this, the faster our business will grow up and make money when we're not there.   This podcast gives multiple examples of business owners who weren't dual tracking, started doing it, and saw their businesses...

Jeff's journey is a compelling one. After a decade in the insurance industry with Century Insurance, he followed his passion by purchasing an independent insurance agency in Littleton, Colorado, creating Security-First Insurance. Jeff’s story is a testament to the highs and lows of entrepreneurship—the thrilling startup phase, the grueling early years, and the eventual realization that ownership w...