Value Factory Podcast

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Andrew Ballard talks with Nick Knutsen, founder of Tahoma Tech and principal at OneAccord, about how conversation intelligence is changing the way B2B sales teams operate. With a background spanning Amazon Web Services, Zoom, and AI innovation, Nick explains how recording, analyzing, and automating meeting insights can turn everyday conversations into...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson and Lawrence Lerner dig into one of the most critical—and most misunderstood—elements of leadership: trust. They unpack what real trust looks like between boards and executives, why “the job of the board is not to run the company,” and how communication, clarity, and clean agreements shape effective governance. From thresholds of authorit...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson talks with Kurtis Hanni, Founder of Bison CFO, about where profit really goes—and why it disappears as you scale. Together they unpack the hidden mechanics behind pricing, margin erosion, overhead creep, and the operational blind spots that quietly drain cash. Kurtis brings clarity to financial statements, teaching business owners how to...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with John Steckler, a veteran sales strategist and OneAccord Partner, to unpack the real mechanics of growth. From self-storage to high tech to healthcare, John has spent decades helping companies stuck in decline rediscover how to sell, price, and scale smarter. He shares why fresh eyes, hard data, and tough conversations are t...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson talks with Rob Torres, District Manager at Insperity, about strategy, growth, and the real-world value of people. Rob breaks down what a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) actually does—and how Insperity helps companies turn HR from a cost center into a competitive advantage. Drawing on decades of experience in finance, economics, a...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson and John Martinka of Nokomis Advisors dive deep into growth by acquisition—when it works, when it doesn’t, and what it really takes to make it pay off. They unpack why some owners chase “boring business” deals with no cash down and lose, while others scale smart through strategic buys, integration discipline, and leadership readiness. Fro...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with Harrison Schenck—entrepreneur, consultant, and founder of Clients Through Social (CTS) Incubator—to talk about the hard truth behind leaving your W-2 for independent consulting. Harrison shares how a layoff and a missed moment with his son pushed him to build a million-follower platform and a business teaching others how to...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Andrew Ballard talks with author and former U.S. Diplomatic Security Service special agent Chris Stitt, founder of CrisisLead LLC and author of Scaling Pyramids: Leadership Lessons from a Mid-Level Bureaucrat. Chris unpacks how structure, process, and leadership intersect—why managing programs isn’t the same as leading people, and how mid-level manager...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with Wade Sugiyama—StoryBrand Certified Guide, marketing strategist, and founder of Guide the Hero Consulting—to unpack how storytelling transforms business. Wade shares how the “hero versus guide” mindset shift reshapes marketing, leadership, and brand messaging in an age where attention spans last three seconds. From lessons l...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, host Andrew Ballard talks with Steve Nasca, Principal at OneAccord and seasoned CEO, about what happens when a company outgrows its founder. Steve breaks down the “Founder’s Dilemma”—the moment when a craftsperson’s talent builds a business that exceeds their capacity to lead it. Drawing from 25+ years in executive roles, he shares how to balance pride...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson welcomes JR Covey—OneAccord consultant and creator of Narrative Powered Success—to unpack how the stories we tell ourselves shape our lives, our sales, and our leadership. With roots in neuroscience and behavioral psychology, JR breaks down how fear, motivation, and mindset intersect to drive performance or derail it. From understanding t...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with Dr. Pamela Mattson—executive coach, culture strategist, and thought leader on leadership in the age of AI. Pamela helps organizations close the gap between who they say they are and who they truly are, unpacking what it means to lead when intelligence itself is now shared between humans and machines. Together they explore h...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with OneAccord consultant Chris Keody to talk about the grind, the heart, and the discipline behind building a small business that lasts. From film school dreams and sushi-bar chaos to helping founders scale sustainably, Chris shares what he’s learned about patience, process, and the cost of skipping steps. He breaks down why en...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with John Martinka of Nokomis Advisors to examine how uncertainty in tariffs, government contracts, and economic swings are reshaping the M&A market. John explains why dependencies—on outdated systems, single machines, or key people—can crush enterprise value, and how transparency in financials and sound HR practices protect...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson welcomes Chris Cazares, founder of Polaris Injury Law, veteran JAG officer, and president of Seattle Executives. Chris shares his journey from growing up on the Texas–Mexico border, to defending Guantanamo detainees, to leading in the courtroom as a personal injury attorney. He explains why jury trials matter for democracy, how great busi...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with Keith Ferrin—speaker, coach, and storyteller—to unpack the true purpose of communication.   Keith shares how his journey from worship leader to corporate coach revealed a universal truth: clarity breeds confidence and unleashes creativity. Together they explore why most leaders confuse information dissemination with real co...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, we sit down again with John Martinka of Nokomis Advisors to unpack the real challenge of owner dependence in privately held businesses. From contracts that bottleneck at the top to sales pipelines that rely too heavily on the founder, John explains why scaling requires rules, training, compliance, and a stronger management team. We dig into practical l...

On this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, host Andrew Ballard sits down with Lawrence Lerner, Managing Principal at OneAccord, to explore how complexity, crisis, and culture can be engineered into opportunity. Lerner brings decades of experience driving more than $1 billion in revenue impact, guiding digital transformation, and helping organizations navigate change with humanity at the center....

In this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson sits down with Craig Dickens of Merit Investment Bank to break down the mechanics of exiting a company and the capital strategies that unlock both growth and freedom. Drawing on experience from 13 personal exits and dozens of client transactions, Craig explains how to choose the right capital partner, navigate minority recaps vs. full buy...

In this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, Nick Anderson welcomes Jesse Kreun, OneAccord principal and operations specialist, to explore how disciplined operations protect revenue and make growth repeatable. Jesse explains the difference between principles, policies, and procedures, why capturing tribal know-how is critical, and how a fractional/interim ops model lets founders delegate without...

Host Nick Anderson welcomes Ed Cotney to The Value Factory Podcast to cut through confusion around taxes and exits. Ed delivers blunt truths: tax is a business expense to be actively managed, not merely a report filed by a CPA. The episode lays out practical thresholds for when planning matters most, explains why owners should never order their own appraisal, and shows how two years of focused pre...

In this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, host Nick Anderson sits down with Dr. Julie Williamson—Chief Growth Enabler at Karrikins Group—to unpack what happens when leadership teams are misaligned and strategies don’t connect across functions. Julie shares insights from years of consulting with global organizations, showing why disconnected goals in sales, operations, and product can stall gro...

In this episode of The Value Factory Podcast, host Nick Anderson sits down with Huba Rostonics to reflect on their Value Accelerator Workshop and the impact it has on business owners. They discuss the power of learning in community, why intimate workshop settings drive deeper transformation, and how one idea—when executed—can reshape an entire business. From uncovering overlooked financial metrics...

In this episode, Nick Anderson sits down with Steve Nasca—OneAccord operating principal and seasoned CEO—to explore servant leadership, culture, and the hard decisions owners avoid. Steve draws on decades of P&L experience (from $30M divisions to running his own businesses) and turnaround work to explain what “doing the work” actually looks like: removing obstacles for your team, coaching up o...

Host Nick Anderson sits down with Shawn Slattery — entrepreneur, former banker, and now CEO and partner at OneAccord — to trace a career that moves from chaos to clarity. Shawn tells the hard parts: childhood trauma, a reckless youth, and the discipline that followed. He explains how learning to “do the work” in banking—reading the agreements, mastering the details—became the same habit that later...