Why Regeneration Beats Bouncing Back — Stuart J. Green | 82

Justin Pennington has spent three decades inside Amazon, Dell, and Deutsche Bank, working in transformation, data, risk, and model governance. He is the author of the Amazon #1 bestseller The Intrapreneur Leader.In this conversation, Justin explains why authority isn't influence and why good ideas die inside big companies. He argues that leadership and decision making are learnable skills, and that relying on AI too much can cost you your judgment. He also shares what to do on Monday morning if you have an idea worth pursuing but no title behind it.Find Justin: https://www.theintrapreneurleader.comBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.Work with us: https://hiddenstructure.coFind out how much revenue your company is leaking with the 4-minute Revenue Leak Scorecard: https://hiddenstructure.co/scorecard?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=descriptionChapters0:00 Intro1:29 The coffee shop test: influence without persuasion2:16 Authority is an instrument; influence is a personal skill3:08 "Create movement, not noise" inside a 90,000-person institution5:35 Being busy does not mean being productive7:35 Asking to experiment, not for approval7:48 Why good ideas die inside large organizations9:11 Shrinking time horizons: from multi-year plans to two quarters10:05 Measuring the "what" and forgetting the "how"11:24 What does someone who is actually leading do?12:10 The industrial-era leader: being the smartest person in the room13:15 Collective responsibility, distributed authority, and collective intelligence15:34 Decision making is a process you can learn, repeat, and master16:25 Why leadership programs rarely change behavior six months later17:48 You can't make good decisions without framing the problem, and you can't frame it without observation18:29 Where to draw the line between AI supporting judgment and AI replacing it19:16 "AI will always give you an answer": the quality of the question20:45 Giving away your judgment erodes your edge over AI21:24 The escalator next to the staircase: the path of least resistance23:06 Adding tension: "Help us understand how you arrived at this"25:30 Ethics, disclosure, and the responsible use of AI27:21 Will AI make judgment and systems thinking cheap too?30:42 AI can't walk into a room and ask the next question32:56 AI makes information a commodity, not knowledge33:31 Context is everything: walk or drive?34:42 Setting up an AI agent to tell you what's wrong with your thinking36:07 Decision processes as control points that reduce AI risk38:02 How hierarchy turns smart people into passengers40:03 The capability executives undervalue when spotting leadership potential42:45 Ideation is a necessity, not a guarantee: generating 10 ideas to find one43:28 Intrapreneurship, NPS, and employee engagement45:28 Entrepreneurship isn't a program; it's a cultural and behavioral issue46:26 Predictability and certainty are the opposite of innovation48:51 Three layers below the C-suite with a big idea: what to do Monday morning49:50 Ask for 10 hours a month to experiment50:49 Run your idea alongside the old way, not instead of it51:40 Email your boss a new idea every two or three weeks54:38 Connecting the dots is movement54:58 Facilitation is a critical skill in the AI era55:12 Where to find Justin and closing thoughts

Dominic Colenso is a former actor turned leadership, sales, and communication coach who has worked with tens of thousands of people over the past 12 years. He trained at Drama Centre London, acted on stage and screen, and is the author of Cut Through.In this conversation, Dominic explains why the biggest communication mistake is making it about yourself instead of your audience, how to prepare in the five minutes before a big pitch, and the three ingredients of cut-through: simplicity, emotion, and "level eight" energy. He also covers whether charisma can be trained, why silence beats over-explaining, why AI makes human connection more valuable, and the fear he faced before leaving acting behind.Find Dominic: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiccolenso/Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.Work with us: https://hiddenstructure.coFind out how much revenue your company is leaking with the 4-minute Revenue Leak Scorecard:https://hiddenstructure.co/scorecard?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description0:00 Intro0:49 Trained as an actor, now building a business around leadership, sales, and communication1:04 From directing and teaching at drama schools to "you know about storytelling, can you help our team?"2:55 What drama school teaches about human behavior that business school doesn't4:12 Superpower or manipulation? Why the communicator sets the intention5:11 Stanislavski and codifying the "emotional intention buttons" we press every day6:50 Politicians, confidence as a proxy for competence, and Helen Mirren in MobLand9:04 Everyone has innate confidence — what "presence" in great actors really means10:55 Living in an "AHA world": AI-focused, hyper-connected, always on12:03 How much of charisma is trainable?12:45 Switching it off — why stars slip past autograph hunters at the stage door13:41 Playing all the octaves: you're allowed to be more than one version of yourself at work14:28 The most common communication mistake: thinking it's about you, not the audience15:30 Less than two seconds to make a first impression16:25 Five minutes before the biggest pitch of your career: walk the garden, have a cup of tea18:05 Crying on cue — how actors learn to access and control emotion19:56 The drama-school song exercise21:50 Vulnerability as a superpower in the boardroom22:40 Why founders avoid sales, and the proximity problem that sinks good products24:29 Cut-through ingredient one: simplicity and the two-week rule25:45 Ingredient two: emotion — what should they feel when the Zoom ends?26:10 Ingredient three: energy, and why you should aim for level eight27:25 The behaviors that are hardest to change and why awareness comes first28:58 When your second and third thoughts keep coming: the problem of over-explaining30:58 Getting comfortable with silence32:07 Why "any questions?" gets tumbleweed, and what to ask instead33:15 Preparing with rigor: discover and distill34:27 AI, Hollywood, and billions of storytellers with studio power at their fingertips36:35 Why live, human-to-human experiences will be worth more39:09 Can AI measure executive presence?40:08 Performing to the test: will AI scoring reshape how we communicate?41:16 AI-written emails — "that doesn't sound like Bob"43:05 Why he won't let his 12-year-old daughter hand her homework to AI43:54 AI search summaries: a version of the truth, not the truth46:50 Imperfection as a way to connect47:40 Rehearsal is about failure, not perfection48:37 Jonathan Frakes, Sir Ben Kingsley, and asking to experiment after a good take50:43 The hardest reinvention: going all in and leaving acting behind52:57 Judi Dench and the lesson of not taking it too seriously55:00 Where to find Dominic and closing thoughts

When should a startup make its first finance hire? When does it actually need a CFO? And what happens when the numbers you’re presenting to investors aren’t as solid as you think?Tom Hunter, Story Recruitment - first-CFO and first-finance-hire search for Australian tech, fintech and deeptech startups. Host of the CFO Track Podcast. You can find Tom at: https://storyrecruitment.com.auTom started his career as a primary school teacher in London before moving into accounting and finance recruitment, spending nine years building a UK business and another six running its Australian arm before launching Story Recruitment in 2026. He also hosts The CFO Track, now in its third season, interviewing CFOs from across the Australian tech ecosystem.In this conversation, Tom breaks down how founders can tell when they’ve outgrown founder-led finance, the real distinctions between a financial controller, fractional CFO and full-time CFO, and the story of a startup that lost its Series A after an ARR/GST accounting error.He also explains why “the CV isn’t enough” and what he evaluates instead: resilience, character and the story behind someone’s career. We get into his survey of 50 CFOs on how they’re actually using AI in finance, why the hype is running well ahead of adoption, and which finance professionals he thinks are most exposed as automation advances.Finally, Tom explains why he built Story Recruitment to stay deliberately small, owning a narrow part of the market rather than competing on volume, and why giving away useful, honest advice with no commercial strings attached has become part of his growth strategy.LinkedIn: Tom Hunter / Story RecruitmentListen to The CFO Track on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.Find out how much revenue your company is leaking: take the 4-minute Revenue Leak ScorecardWork with us: hiddenstructure.co0:00 Intro: AI hype vs reality, LinkedIn reach, learning from people0:50 Meet Tom: Story Recruitment, first finance hires and first CFOs in tech, fintech and deep tech1:16 When to hire: SaaS vs fintech vs deep tech, seed to Series B2:43 Signs a company has outgrown founder-led finance4:33 A startup that waited too long: an ARR error cost the Series A5:45 Can you hire a CFO too early? Controller, head of finance, fractional CFO8:12 What a CEO gives up when a CFO arrives: M&A and investor relations9:40 From psychology and teaching to London recruitment12:24 Nine years in accounting recruitment, then setting up the Australian business13:11 Starting The CFO Track podcast and learning from successful people14:29 Why a CV isn't enough: story, skills, resilience and culture fit17:08 How to gauge resilience: burnout, failed IPOs, and learning from what goes wrong20:16 Founders hiring for skills or for comfort22:05 Asking 50 CFOs how they use AI: the hype vs the reality24:52 The AI and finance workflow guide: 80% auto-matched reconciliations26:47 No trust in the data means "crap data faster"27:14 What AI means for junior finance careers29:15 The bigger worry: 20-30 year veterans in repetitive roles32:00 Underestimating brand-building: 30k LinkedIn followers and niching down34:14 What Story does that a conventional recruitment agency can't36:03 Telling clients they don't need a CFO: trust over transactions38:11 Staying lean: scaling with tech and AI, not headcount38:33 What running a business changed: patience and empathy41:15 Why hiring is broken for job seekers, and why small advice helps43:14 "A rising tide lifts all boats"43:19 Wrapping up: The CFO Track and where to find Tom#BuildersAndDoers #HorizonSearch #startupfinance #cfo #recruiting #recruitment #techstartups #aiinfinance #fractionalcfo #fundraising

Dr. Torkil Færø is a Norwegian physician, wearable-data researcher, and author of The Pulse Cure — now back with a new book, The Sun Cure, released today in Norway. After noticing that heart rate variability could double simply from sun exposure, Torkil spent years digging into the research and found that sunlight touches nearly every major disease doctors treat today, from heart disease to cancer to chronic inflammation.In this conversation, Torkil breaks down the different wavelengths of sunlight and what each one does in the body, why the UK Biobank and Melanoma in Southern Sweden studies suggest low sun exposure carries mortality risk comparable to smoking, how morning light exposure sets the circadian clock and downstream hormone release, why sitting near a window changes cognitive performance and hospital recovery times, the surprising research showing sunscreen doesn't prevent skin cancer, why sunglasses may be blocking a key signal your body uses to prepare for UV exposure, and how he restructured his own life — including driving a motorhome from Oslo to southern Spain — around getting more daylight.Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.Find Torkil: Instagram @dr.torkilBook: The Sun Cure (Norwegian, English translation forthcoming) / The Pulse Cure (available now) https://northernstories.no/books/231-torkil-faero-the-sun-cureFind out how much revenue your company is leaking: take the 4-minute Revenue Leak Scorecard → https://horizonsearch.com/scorecard?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=descriptionWork with us: https://horizonsearch.com/revenue-architectureTimestamps:0:00 Intro — from wearable data to writing a book on sunlight1:16 The Sun Cure: why sunlight affects nearly 100 diseases3:16 UVA, UVB, infrared — breaking down the spectrum5:37 Is too little sunlight as dangerous as smoking?7:23 Controlling for confounders: the UK Biobank study (400,000+ people)10:12 Morning light, the eyes, and setting the circadian clock12:20 Lux explained: outside vs. office vs. living room light levels15:40 Skin aging vs. living longer — the tradeoff no one talks about17:35 Is there an ideal daily "dose" of sunlight?20:08 Why sitting near a window changes performance and recovery24:47 Vitamin D supplements: helpful, or just a biomarker?27:45 Winter light, road-tripping to Spain, and rebuilding a daily routine32:01 UVB, endorphins, and blood pressure — the hormonal cascade37:09 Does sunscreen actually prevent skin cancer? The surprising research44:14 Final thoughts: reconnecting with a 500-million-year-old biological system44:52 Where to find Torkil and The Sun Cure#TheSunCure #Sunlight #VitaminD #CircadianRhythm #RedLightTherapy #Longevity #HeartRateVariability #SkinCancer #Sunscreen #Biohacking #buildersanddoers #horizonsearch

Stuart J. Green is the founder and CEO of Blue Green Advisors, working across the marine and ocean space with multilateral banks, development agencies, and organizations navigating major transitions. After his wife's death upended his life, Stuart spent years searching for a framework beyond conventional resilience thinking — eventually developing what he calls "regeneration": not bouncing back to a past that no longer exists but building something new from what remains. He now leads the UK and Europe presence of Cognizity, an artificial collective intelligence initiative, and is the author of The Regenerate Leap.In this conversation, Stuart walks us through why he calls himself an "anti-resilience strategist," the three-phase regeneration model (raze, enrich, grow) borrowed from forest ecology, how he rebuilt his family's narrative around loss over a seven-year period of deliberately not looking back, lessons from transitioning whaling and dynamite-fishing communities off destructive livelihoods, why AI adoption requires the same mindset shift as any generational industry transition, the risk of AI amplifying our existing biases rather than bridging them, what a well-designed 20-year institutional exit can teach us about running a company, and why family and human relationships — not capital — are the real ground truth to hold onto as systems keep breaking down.Find Stuart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bluegreenadvisors/Book: The Regenerate Leap — https://www.regenerateleap.com/Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.Find out how much revenue your company is leaking: take the 4-minute Revenue Leak Scorecard → https://horizonsearch.com/scorecard?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=descriptionWork with us: https://horizonsearch.com/revenue-architecture0:00 Intro0:50 Founder of Blue Green Advisors, working in ocean/marine transitions1:14 Why "anti-resilience strategist"? Resilience means going back to a past that's gone1:25 Losing his wife, and the search through 500 books for a roadmap3:10 Regeneration vs resilience: the compost of the past, bouncing forward3:31 The promise not to look back until his children were in a great place4:40 Seven years of not looking back — was it easier or harder?6:12 Rewriting the family narrative together after the gap7:23 Presence across cultures — Pacific elders vs fast-assembled Asian urban environments8:24 A childhood fisher's path into ocean work, and the discovery of dynamite fishing9:00 Transitioning whaling communities off multi-generational livelihoods10:52 Trust first, then a shared vision — the ingredients for sustainable change12:58 Applying the whaling transition playbook to AI adoption in organizations14:18 Listening to the whole community, not just the CEO or CTO16:00 AI is 85% human — what to keep, what to hand off, and the tacit knowledge gap18:09 Can AI project the future, or only process the past?18:51 The three-phase model: raze, enrich, grow20:37 Why people resist letting go, even when the old system is failing21:19 Dinosaur or evolve: the accelerating pace of systemic crises22:56 When NOT to transform — reading the signals to stand your ground24:52 Protecting cultural identity and language loss in a globalizing world28:24 The Markov blanket analogy — why billions believe such different things31:26 AI bias, training data, and the hope for less English/Western-centric models33:44 Could AI double down on our differences instead of bridging them?35:17 A 20-year regional exit with the Packard Foundation as a benchmark39:09 Governance parallels between a village council and a $30B seafood coalition40:34 Winners, losers, and the mindset that sabotages a win-win outcome44:59 What's the ground truth to hold onto as currencies and systems shift?47:18 It's a Wonderful Life and redefining wealth49:28 Leading Cognizity: building artificial collective intelligence, not just AGI52:00 Where to find Stuart and closing thoughts

Dane Hudson spent 25+ years as a global CEO — running KFC in Southern Africa during a stretch that included death threats and a bulletproof car, then going on to lead operations across Sydney, Shanghai, Johannesburg, and New York, with a final role overseeing 200,000+ employees. He's since become one of the most sought-after CEO coaches in Asia Pacific, and his new book, Discipline Beats Vision: How to Be the Leader Your Company Needs — Starting Monday (Wiley), is built around the idea that vision without discipline is what sinks founders and CEOs alike.In this conversation, Dane walks us through the KFC franchisee confrontation that put his family's safety on the line, the "Third Space" reset routine he still uses today, his own costly lesson in the "optimism trap" (losing $30M on Taco Bell's Australian launch), why KFC dominates in China but not everywhere, the leadership lessons hiding in Steve Jobs and Elon Musk's attention to detail, his go-to blind 360-feedback exercise for CEOs, the real reason boards fire CEOs faster for opacity than for bad numbers, how AI is compressing the timeline from startup to $10M revenue, and his four-meeting framework for hiring the right person for a global role.Find Dane: Website — https://danehudson.com/ Coaching — https://impactfulleadership.com/ Book — https://www.wiley.com/shop/general-introductory-business-management/discipline-beats-vision-how-to-be-the-leader-your-company-needs-starting-monday-p-9781394414659Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search. Find out how much revenue your company is leaking: take the 4-minute Revenue Leak Scorecard → https://horizonsearch.com/scorecard?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description Work with us: https://horizonsearch.com/revenue-architecture0:00 Intro — death threats, a bulletproof car, and the KFC franchisee showdown1:42 Does fear make you a more disciplined leader, or less?3:15 The Third Space — resetting between one event and the next4:46 Vision vs. discipline, and storytelling as a double-edged sword5:30 The Optimism Trap — losing $30M on Taco Bell in Australia7:20 KFC's Christmas-in-Japan story vs. KFC's turnaround in China9:05 Why KFC beats McDonald's in China (and what "variety" means to Chinese diners)11:21 The disciplined behaviors hiding inside Steve Jobs and Elon Musk13:02 Breaking through the CEO "reality distortion field"13:36 The blind 360 exercise — stepping out of the room for honest feedback14:59 Staying level-headed through praise and criticism alike17:22 Unpacking the Optimism Trap — and how founders can catch it in real time19:14 Three behaviors that give a 100-person founder the most leverage21:25 Measuring trust — the 10-question survey and staff turnover as a proxy23:06 The "autopsy" habit — auditing wins for luck, not just losses24:15 What most CEOs get wrong on Monday mornings25:49 Why almost every CEO client struggles with their board26:58 Zuckerberg, Musk, and the tradeoffs of a board-proof CEO29:47 Where AI is compressing the growth curve for leaders31:39 Leading across Sydney, Shanghai, Johannesburg, and New York34:15 The four-meeting framework for hiring the right leader36:23 Why career-hopping can be a red flag — and when it isn't38:48 What it's really like leading a 200,000-person organization41:21 Inside "Discipline Beats Vision" — a handbook, not a cover-to-cover read42:22 Continuing to reinvent himself as author, coach, and keynote speaker43:02 Where to find Dane#Leadership #DisciplineBeatsVision #CEOCoaching #ExecutiveLeadership #DaneHudson #KFC #CrisisLeadership #Resilience #GlobalLeadership #Boards #FounderLeadership #BusinessPodcast #ThoughtLeadership #buildersanddoers #horizonsearch

Rob Cross is an executive coach and leadership advisor with 25 years of experience working with leaders across industries and cultures. After a career that began in the British Air Force and took him through executive ranks before becoming a full-time coach, Rob has spent the last quarter century helping people answer the questions that sit beneath the surface of every important decision they make. He's the author of Ask Three Questions: How to Live Well in a Distracted World, a book built around the three questions he believes every human needs to answer to live well. Who am I? Why am I here? How will I live?In this conversation, Rob walks us through the tribal paradox of wanting to fit in and stand out at the same time, why most people unconsciously adopt their purpose rather than consciously designing it, the breakdown of institutions and the rise of the "perpetual life crisis," the five existential dilemmas at the core of being human (mortality, identity, meaning, freedom, isolation), why we may actually be less free in an age of optionality than blacksmiths were under feudalism, the difference between being a leader and showing leadership, why authenticity is a daily practice rather than a destination, and how to work with your shadow self rather than against it.Find Rob: robcross.comBook: Ask Three Questions: How to Live Well in a Distracted WorldBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:50 The tribal paradox of fitting in and standing out at the same time1:25 The Chelsea fan on the train, and sport as transcendent existence4:00 Explorers vs exploiters and the moat you actually build6:25 Every human needs a sense of purpose6:46 Conscious design vs unconscious adoption7:23 The "big five" accounting story, when your worldview gets a jolt12:40 The three questions: Who am I? Why am I here? How will I live?14:50 Existential guilt, the quiet unease of "is this it?"15:23 The breakdown of institutions and the rise of identity politics18:15 From midlife crisis to quarter-life crisis to perpetual life crisis23:18 The five human dilemmas: mortality, identity, meaning, freedom, isolation24:42 Mortality, why we only enjoy life because we know it will end25:23 Identity, fit in and stand out (and how to consciously choose it)25:35 Meaning, we yearn for it yet we are its authors25:42 Freedom, every choice negates the others26:11 Viktor Frankl on every decision building the monument of your existence28:38 Are we less free now than the blacksmiths under feudalism?31:27 Existence is inherently meaningless, and that's the gift33:36 Working at the edge of your potential vs back from it36:50 What is authentic leadership?37:24 Being a leader vs showing leadership38:33 Authenticity as a practice, not a destination39:18 Inward and outward congruency, accepting that you're flawed42:00 Embracing the shadow self, the three questions for shadow work43:42 The woman whose anxiety became her superpower45:52 Which of the three questions Rob himself finds hardest48:30 The weight our given names carry51:19 The most powerful lesson, living well is being comfortable in your own skin52:30 Where to find Rob

Anne-Maartje Oud is a workplace behavior specialist with more than two decades of experience, the founder and CEO of The Behaviour Company in Amsterdam, and a certified behavior analyst trained by former FBI agent Joe Navarro (the only person to have completed his five-year apprenticeship program). She has trained over 9,000 people across 10+ countries, worked with Fortune 500s like Mercedes-Benz, Deloitte, and Moët Hennessy, and non-profits like Amnesty International and the Red Cross. Her new book What To Do If…? distills the 35 questions she's been asked most often over twenty years of training managers, HR teams, and leaders.In this conversation, Anne-Maartje walks us through the question that started her writing the book (what to do if someone starts crying), her four-layer Helicopter Metaphor Technique (context, procedure, content, interaction), why conflict is data rather than disruption, why avoiding it is like buying on credit, the most common failure mode among trained professionals, how to think about working with narcissistic supervisors, why most "lying tells" you've read are myths, the cultural differences in giving feedback, and the one thing she'd ask every CEO to stop doing tomorrow.Find Anne-Maartje: https://amobehaviour.comThe Behaviour Company: https://www.behaviourcompany.euOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemaartjeoud/Book: What To Do If…? available from Kogan Page, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, and major retailersBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:51 The most-asked of her 35 questions — and how the book began1:51 What people ask her most now — toxic and difficult people2:28 The Helicopter Metaphor Technique — context, procedure, content, interaction4:37 Conflict as data, not disruption6:32 Avoiding conflict is like buying on credit — interest accrues7:31 Address as soon as possible, but allow others space to digest8:12 What's new in her toolkit — adding visuals to her training9:43 Why "difficult people" questions are rising — COVID, stress, and polarization12:01 The #1 failure mode in 9,000 trainees — staying in your head13:13 Nudging yourself out of your comfort zone (and writing the book)14:18 Body language and the moment trust is decided16:23 The best conversations need comfort for both parties18:09 Why most lying "tells" are myths — there's no single behavior20:00 Narcissistic supervisors — work around or walk away22:02 Cultural differences in giving feedback (Dutch directness)23:42 The accountability problem — gossiping vs verbalizing28:38 Patterns vs one-off behavior — the three-strike test31:50 Why her book starts with self-development34:11 If a CEO is listening — one thing to stop, one to start36:00 Quick tips for becoming a better listener37:46 Where to find Anne-Maartje38:23 Closing — we're all doing our best

Rick Ton is a 20-year veteran of growth and go-to-market, having spent his career scaling revenue at companies like Meta, Sam's Club, Walmart, Under Armour, Walgreens, and several high-growth startups. He was a founding team member on Sam's Club's Scan & Go — a self-checkout app that grew from zero to roughly a third of Sam's Club's total revenue (an estimated $30 billion run rate) in about four years. Today he advises founders on growth, GTM, and the discipline of setting (and hitting) the number.In this conversation, Rick walks us through the Scan & Go playbook (including the superhero costumes, piped-in rotisserie chicken smells, and tear-away $5 cards used to break customer habits), how to tell a true plateau from a stall, his "good money vs bad money" framework for early-stage founders, why most rebrand and pricing decisions need real benchmarking before you launch, the "print it and show a stranger" idea-validation hack, the 25% IC rule he's followed for a decade, and his single tattoo-worthy GTM truth: get the number, set the number, get the number.Find RickLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickton/Builders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:42 The path: Meta, Sam's Club, Walmart, Under Armour, Walgreens1:48 The Scan & Go origin — a hackathon, two engineers, and a founding team2:50 Zero to ~$30B run rate in four years4:03 Plateau vs stall — the early signals4:52 Cohorting early adopters from the mainstream5:35 Disrupting the peripheral plane: signage, superheroes, and rotisserie smell6:18 The free $5 tear-away card that broke the line6:55 Lyft's free-ride card story (and what it had in common)7:03 Coaching founders through step-changes when nothing's working8:18 The Good Money / Bad Money framework9:30 The campaign that wasn't thought through — what would success look like?10:42 Why even seasoned operators fall into vanity metrics11:09 Pricing without benchmarking the market — a moving-and-storage cautionary tale12:04 What a Series A vs pre-product team should actually measure13:07 Validating pricing without alienating customers14:01 "What almost made you bounce?" — the conversion-rate hack14:47 Build the basket, not the single-item conversion15:00 When to push the market vs pivot to meet it17:04 You can't strategy your way out of testing17:43 Print your idea and show it to a stranger18:29 Underrated PMF validation methods20:01 The most misunderstood thing about growth right now20:55 Luck vs discipline — and the post-it-on-the-wall workshop22:42 The cultural hire — why ideas should come from anywhere22:50 The 25% IC rule (and why managers lose touch)23:38 Most and least forgiving startup mistakes24:48 Cooking, hot sauce, and the kitchen as solitary work26:17 Hosting a tavern-style Chicago pizza supper club27:18 Tattoo this on every founder's arm: get the number, set the number, get the number29:07 Why he advises founders alongside enterprise work30:32 Failing 50% of the time — but in small measures31:51 Where to find Rick

Blair Huddy is the co-founder of a mission-based PR agency she runs with her husband, focused on companies and projects that help people and the planet. After 15+ years in the corporate marketing world — including a tenure leading the rebrand and growth of a $7B affordable housing company that later sold for over $700M — she went out on her own and took the Clean Creatives Pledge, refusing to work for fossil fuel or tobacco companies. Her work spans Fortune 500 sustainability reporting (mapping clients to the UN's 17 SDGs), a software platform used by NASA and the U.S. Space Force, and a Guinness World Record attempt for the world's fastest fast food delivery with an Indy 500 team.In this conversation, Blair walks us through how to turn PR and comms into pipeline (her "drumbeat" jam-board process), the rebrand mistake mid-market companies repeat, when a company is actually PR-ready (and the 5% revenue rule), what crisis management actually looks like (the Astronomer-Coldplay and American Eagle examples), why industry publications outperform Forbes for revenue, and a six-week credibility sprint for founders. She also shares her personal experience with vitamin B6 toxicity from a hydration product sold at Costco — a story NBC News covered twice — and what she'd do differently as a CMO if a synthetic vitamin was in her product.This episode includes a personal health experience shared by our guest. This is not medical advice. Always consult a licensed medical professional regarding diet and supplementation.Find Blair: LinkedIn — Blair HuddyOn all other socials: @realblairhuddyBuilders & Doers is produced by Horizon Search.0:00 Intro0:58 PR + comms — what it actually entails2:07 The "back to office" email that pushed her to start her own agency5:50 Mapping the Fortune 500 to the UN Sustainable Development Goals8:40 Taking the Clean Creatives Pledge — using your gifts only for good10:38 The rebrand playbook that grew a $7B company to $9B13:54 Why brand experience starts on day one of onboarding14:40 The rebrand mistake mid-market companies repeat — your rebrand isn't news15:25 The Ray-Bans stunt that won back 85% of lapsed clients17:30 The Jaguar and Cracker Barrel rebrands — why you don't touch a legacy brand18:55 When a company is actually PR-ready — the three signals21:43 The 5% of revenue rule for PR budgets22:05 PR KPIs — why no single ember caused the wildfire22:54 The "jam board" process for finding your three to five core messages27:12 Crisis management — protecting reputation when something breaks30:26 The Astronomer-Coldplay crisis (and how they handled it)32:38 What a six-week credibility sprint looks like for founders35:23 Memorable PR stunts — Indy 500, Guinness World Records, NYC tents during wildfires38:05 Vitamin B6 toxicity — a hydration product sold at Costco40:55 100% of the recommended daily value, every day, for five months42:40 What synthetic vitamins to watch for (and where they hide)44:15 If she were CMO of that supplement company tomorrow47:00 What to do before supplementing — get a blood test49:50 Healing isn't linear — a year into recovery53:25 Why LinkedIn is the place for founders right now53:40 Where to find Blair