The Cort Brady Podcast

Most CEOs fail, not because they lack skill, strategy, or vision—but because they can’t stay unflappable when the heat is on. In this episode, I break down the small, soft skill I’ve seen in the most successful founders I know. It’s the difference between building a $1M business and a $30M one… and it has nothing to do with marketing, product, or funding.

Most founders ask, “How do I make my business profitable?” The better question is, “What will stop me from getting there?” In this episode, I share the 5 leading indicators that predict whether your business will ever cross the $1M profit mark—and exactly how to fix them. We’ll cover why focusing on sales or market conditions first is a mistake, what your leadership team has to look like, how to k...

If you’ve ever rolled out a new idea, process, or system… only to watch it fizzle and die a few weeks later, this episode will hit home. Today, I’m breaking down the concept of the Lead Oscillator—a simple-to-understand, brutally hard-to-execute role that separates scaling companies from those stuck in “flavor of the week” mode. We’ll cover: • Why execution rhythm is the lifeblood of scale • How c...

In my first five years of business, I did everything I could to get rid of stress. I saw pressure as the enemy—something to be eliminated so I could “finally breathe.” And I pulled it off. I built systems, avoided tough situations, and shielded myself from the weight of running a company. But what I didn’t realize was that by removing pressure, I also removed purpose. I drifted. I felt disconnecte...

Only 0.2% of founders ever hit $1M profit. You’re 15x more likely to get into Harvard than to do it. But here’s the truth—it’s not random. There’s a clear, predictable path if you know the game. In this episode, I break down: • The 3 levels of business growth • What to focus on at each stage • Why the hardest stretch is between $800K–$2M revenue • How to push through the “quit zone” most founders...

For most of my life, I apologized for who I was. For being intense. For being obsessed. For wanting something different than the people around me. I tried to shrink so I wouldn’t upset other people’s little ecosystems. I tried to be “reasonable.” I tried to play small. Then one conversation with a fellow entrepreneur shattered that pattern forever. It made me realize that the very things I thought...

Every entrepreneur is drowning in advice—friends, family, YouTube, podcasts… even this one. But here’s the truth: most of it doesn’t apply to you. In this episode, I share the two rules that changed how I process advice: 1. Never take advice from someone who hasn’t achieved what you want. 2. Of those who have—only keep about 60% of what they tell you. And I’ll reveal the one person you should list...

Raising capital feels like a win. It validates you. It puts your name in lights. But for 96% of founders, it’s the first step toward losing control, losing profit, and losing years of your life chasing a 4% outcome. In this episode, I break down the two playbooks every founder has to choose from: • The venture-backed path that turns you into an employee of your investors. • The bootstrapped path t...

Founders—your brain is wired for survival, not success. That fear of loss? It’s keeping you stuck. In today’s episode, I break down the psychological trap that holds most entrepreneurs back—and how to escape it. From holding on to the wrong employees and clients, to being paralyzed by fear instead of driven by faith, I walk through the mental rewiring that helped me scale to 80 employees, step out...

I recorded my call with my coach. My question to him was, “why can’t I get people to act on what they know they need to do”. His answer changed the game for me. Enjoy.

Most founders think they have to choose between freedom and profit. Grind now for profit… and maybe earn freedom later. But what if freedom wasn’t the reward—what if it was the lever? In this episode, I break down the exact playbook I used to grow my company by 44% while working just 2 hours a week. You’ll learn: • Why the old startup playbook stops working after $1M+ • The 3 freedom metrics every...

One of the most successful founders I know shared a wild hiring tactic: every employee is fired after 12 months—and has to reapply. Insane? Maybe. But it’s also brilliant. In this episode, I break down what this system solves, the 3 principles you can steal without adopting the full thing, and why your biggest bottleneck to growth might be the person you hired two years ago. If you’re still tolera...

Founders, if you’re still making every decision and putting out every fire, you’re not scaling—you’re stuck. In this episode, I walk through the exact system I use (and coach) to help CEOs increase the speed, accuracy, and execution of their decisions. Learn when to decide, how to decide, and what to ignore completely.

You already know what to do— fire the wrong hire, cut the toxic partner, shut down the dead product line. But you’re still stuck. In this episode, I share the painful story of firing my co-founder two years too late… and how I finally broke through by creating emotional leverage. You’ll learn: Why knowing the answer isn’t enough How to help yourself (or your clients) finally feel the cost of inact...

A listener called with a question: Should I take profit share now or equity later? He’d just been offered a job as employee #3 at a fast-growing startup. No product-market fit yet. No sales team. But a big opportunity to build something from the ground up. What followed was a raw conversation about: • The hidden risks of early-stage equity • How to structure deals that don’t blow up later • Why st...

You’ve been chasing autonomy and freedom—no more stress, no more pressure, no more 2 a.m. Slack messages. But what if I told you that total freedom might cost you your meaning, your purpose, and even your identity? In today’s episode, I break down the hidden trade-off between autonomy and fulfillment that every founder needs to understand. I share three conversations I had in one day—with founders...

What if the real reason your company isn’t scaling… is because you’re solving problems backward? In today’s episode, I break down one of the most dangerous mindsets founders fall into: trying to justify a person, product, or process after it’s in place. You’ll learn: • Why “keeping someone busy” is a symptom of bad strategy • The root cause thinking framework I learned from an ex-McKinsey consulta...

Ever hired someone and 3 weeks later thought, “What have we done?” You’re not alone. In this episode, I break down the exact hiring CRM I use with my clients—most of them small business founders without a head of HR—to make sure every hire is the right hire. You’ll learn: • How to build a role scorecard that prevents expensive hiring mistakes • The secret to writing job posts that actually attract...

Founders, I’m about to share the exact playbook to permanently get out of operations in your business within the next 90 days—without spending more money. I tried everything—SOPs, org charts, segmenting clients, reading every ops book under the sun. None of it worked. Until I did this one thing. In this episode, I walk you through the mindset, the tactical steps, and the ROI math behind hiring a C...

From the outside, our life probably looks effortless—five kids in six years, a business that scaled, global travel, and what looks like perfect harmony. But today I want to get real. This episode isn’t about what I’ve built. It’s about everything you don’t see—the heartbreak, the hospital visits, the 4 a.m. mornings, the curled-up-on-the-shower-floor days. It’s also about luck—but not the kind you...

Most founders think their intelligence will carry them. But it’s not your IQ that scales a business—it’s your emotional intelligence. In this episode, I break down the five emotional skills that determine whether your company will thrive—or implode. I talk about how I learned to regulate my emotions, read my team, and lead from a place of clarity (not chaos). I share a favorite Kipling poem that k...

So many founders keep asking the wrong question: “What am I missing?” But the most successful CEOs I work with aren’t stacking more tactics or chasing some magic bullet. They’re doing the opposite. Just like Michelangelo didn’t “create” David—he simply removed everything that wasn’t David—top-performing founders remove everything that doesn’t belong: Toxic execs. B-players. Side products. Extra co...

Last night I got asked the question I’ve asked hundreds of founders myself: “What’s the secret to success?” And honestly? I don’t believe there is one. No silver bullet. No magic hack. But there are two traits I’ve seen in every successful entrepreneur I’ve ever interviewed or worked with. In this episode, I break down: • Why obsession—not balance—is the true starting point • The “X factor” you mu...

Every time I work with a founder who knows they need to move on from an underperforming exec, they freeze. Not because they don’t know the right call—but because of two brutal truths they haven’t fully faced. In this episode, I break down the real reasons why it’s so hard to remove a legacy leader, even when they’re clearly no longer a fit. It always comes down to two things: facts and fear. I’ll...

We just had our fourth baby four nights ago. And today, while my exec team was offsite running the business without me, I found myself distracted—checking LinkedIn, scanning Slack, trying to stay “in it.” But I wasn’t present. And it hit me: this is a different season. And I’ve been here before. In this episode, I talk about what happens when we try to do the right thing in the wrong season—and ho...