The CEO Project Podcast

What does it take to turn a simple idea like Chicken Salad Chick into one of the fastest-growing restaurant franchise brands in America? Growing a business from a handful of locations to hundreds of restaurants takes more than a great product. It requires the right culture, disciplined leadership, a scalable franchise model, and an unwavering commitment to the customer experience. In this episode,...

Are you looking for a way to build additional income without walking away from your career or wondering if franchise ownership is the right path for your next chapter? If you've thought about creating passive income, diversifying your investments, or transitioning out of corporate leadership, franchising can offer a compelling opportunity—but only if you choose the right business. In this episode,...

How do you know whether you've found a strong franchise or one that could quietly drain your time, money, and energy? If you're looking for a way to diversify your income, leave the corporate world, or build a business worth, franchising can be an attractive option. But not all opportunities are created equal. In this episode, you'll learn how experienced franchise operators evaluate opportunities...

Could choosing the wrong franchise cost you years of time, money, and opportunity before you even realize you've made the mistake? If you're considering franchise ownership, it's easy to get distracted by big brand names, flashy marketing, or promises of financial freedom. But as you'll hear in this first episode of a three-part franchising series, the wrong franchise isn't always a bad franchise—...

In a marketplace where AI is making information and expertise more accessible than ever, standing out has become harder—and more important. If your customers see you as just another option, you're likely leaving growth, loyalty, and valuation on the table. In this episode, Jim Schleckser sits down with branding strategist and futurist Kelly O'Neill to explore what branding really means, why it's m...

Have you ever wondered why some companies dominate a market while everyone else competes in a crowded space, and what it takes to create a category of your own? If you're leading a business and looking for a way to stand out, this episode will challenge how you think about growth. Rather than competing in an existing market, you'll learn how category creation can help you define a new space, solve...

Why do smart CEOs prioritize alignment over conflict when the stakes are highest? Every major negotiation — with investors, employees, customers, partners, or acquisition targets — shapes the long-term health of your business. But too many leaders still approach negotiations as a battle to win rather than an opportunity to build trust, expand the pie, and create better outcomes for everyone involv...

Are you losing customers because AI marketing is changing faster than your business can keep up? If you're trying to grow your company in a world where ChatGPT, LinkedIn algorithms, YouTube, and AI-powered search are reshaping how buyers discover brands, this episode gives you a practical roadmap to stay visible and competitive. You'll hear how modern companies are using AI marketing to win attent...

What if the biggest barrier to your leadership effectiveness isn't your strategy or team but the emotional patterns you developed long before you ever became a leader? If you've ever struggled with delegation, micromanagement, conflict avoidance, or the pressure to constantly prove yourself as a leader, this episode will hit close to home. You'll discover how your attachment style quietly shapes t...

How is your current approach to AEO tracking impacting your growth, and do you actually know which marketing efforts are driving real revenue? You're likely investing across multiple channels, Google, LinkedIn, CTV, maybe even experimenting with AI-driven search, but the data doesn't quite add up. Sound familiar? That's because today's marketing landscape is fragmented, privacy-restricted, and inc...

Are you still running your company like you're in a product business, when your customers are actually buying like it's fashion? If you're leading a brand today, you've probably felt the pressure: customers constantly asking "what's new," markets shifting faster than your product cycles, and differentiation getting harder by the quarter. In this episode, you'll hear how one CEO realized that succe...

What if getting things done wasn't about more strategy—but about the same high-stakes instincts used by prison bosses to survive and lead? You're busy, pulled in a hundred directions, and still expected to deliver results that matter. This episode flips the script on productivity by showing you how real execution happens under pressure—where decisions aren't theoretical, and hesitation has consequ...

Are you managing your money in a way that actually increases your business worth and helps you start building wealth—or just riding the market rollercoaster and hoping for the best? You already know money impacts everything—from your stress levels to your long-term freedom—but most advice out there still pushes outdated strategies that leave you exposed when markets shift. In this episode, you'll...

Are you fully tapping your company's growth potential, or are hidden gaps in talent, culture, and client strategy quietly holding you back? If you're leading a services-based business, or any company where people are the product, you know how hard it is to scale without burning out your team or losing your edge. This episode hits right at that tension: how to grow sustainably when hiring is tough,...

Are you building an AI workforce that actually increases your business worth —or just adding more complexity to your team? You're probably feeling the pressure to adopt AI, but the real challenge isn't the technology—it's figuring out how to use it effectively without exposing your data, slowing your team down, or making costly hiring mistakes. This episode flips the script by showing you how AI i...

Are you overcomplicating your path to growing your business worth —when the real advantage might come from a simple focus on people, not processes? If you've ever struggled to align your team, improve sales conversations, or make better leadership decisions, this episode hits close to home. You're constantly balancing performance, personalities, and priorities—and it's easy to get lost in complexi...

What if the biggest risk in workforce transformation isn't AI replacing people—but leaders failing to adapt fast enough? If you're leading a company today, you're navigating one of the fastest workplace shifts in decades. AI is putting data, insights, and answers at everyone's fingertips, which means the traditional leadership playbook is quickly becoming outdated. In this episode of The CEO Proje...

What if AI engines could drive 10–15x more traffic to your online store—and most businesses don't even realize it's happening yet? If you run an online store or sell products through e-commerce channels, AI engines are quickly becoming the new gateway to customer discovery. Instead of relying solely on traditional search or marketplaces, companies are now seeing massive traffic surges simply by op...

Are you building a profitable company — or a business that actually proves capitalism can be a force for good through conscious capital? As a CEO, you feel the tension every day: grow the business, deliver profit, develop your people — and do it in a way that's socially responsible and sustainable. Meanwhile, capitalism itself faces a perception problem. Your employees want meaning. Your customers...

Are you leaving deals on the table because your LinkedIn presence isn't backed by proven strategies that actually build credibility and authority? If you're leading a company, driving growth, or building your personal brand, LinkedIn isn't optional anymore—it's where buyers, partners, recruits, and even AI engines go to decide if you're legit. And here's the problem: what used to work on LinkedIn...

If mastering negotiation could instantly increase your business worth, how differently would you handle your next deal? You negotiate every day—whether you call it that or not. From acquisition offers and partnership terms to real estate, compensation, and vendor contracts, you're constantly shaping outcomes that affect your company's growth and long-term business worth. The problem? Most leaders...

What if improving front line performance—not more marketing or new leads—was the fastest way to grow your business worth? If you're feeling pressure to grow revenue while controlling costs, this episode speaks straight to that tension. You'll hear how leaders in hospitality use front line performance, personalization, and smart systems to capture revenue that's already there—while creating better...

Is your business worth more than your physical inventory… because of the digital assets you don't even realize you own? If you're like most CEOs, you've delegated websites, domains, ad accounts, logins, and even AI tools to other people—and assumed everything was automatically "yours." But this episode is a wake-up call: your digital assets are some of the most valuable (and vulnerable) parts of y...

Are your current growth strategies actually increasing your business worth —or are hidden constraints quietly keeping you stuck as your company scales? If you're feeling stretched thin, hitting growth ceilings, or wondering why scaling feels harder than it should—this episode is for you. Carl Gould breaks down the real stages of business growth and the predictable pinch points that trip up founder...

Is your business worth more when AI writes faster—or when you show up as an authentic leader your team actually trusts? You're under constant pressure to communicate clearly, move quickly, and keep up with AI without losing your voice in the process. In this episode, Jim Schleckser talks with Allison Shapira about the real tension leaders face today: using AI to gain efficiency while still soundin...