When Being Nice Hurts Your Team

The feedback you’re holding back to protect someone’s feelings could be hurting your entire team.In this bonus episode of Keep It Brief, Natalie Dawson shares the hard conversations she wishes she’d had sooner, from tolerating a toxic senior executive to firing an employee without giving him feedback first.She breaks down how to address issues within two weeks, use regular one-on-ones to make feedback a habit, and focus on one clear truth at a time. If Monday’s conversation about being kind versus being nice hit home, this episode shows how to put that distinction into practice.Check out Natalie’s next event: http://nataliedawson.com/eventInformation shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com 2026.

Being great at sales or marketing is not enough if the business cannot grow beyond you. Build the leaders, systems, and accountability your company needs at Elite Edge: https://nataliedawson.com/eventMost founders think being nice builds a great team. KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky says "nice" is how you end up with mediocrity. He shares what he learned paying himself $24,000 a year for 10 years before his healthy snack brand took off and got bought for $5B.The Shark Tank investor and host of "Build or Break" explains how he realized he was a bad leader, why he kept losing great hires, and how he hires for values now.Daniel also reveals his "not now" strategy for focus, the quality, speed and price triangle, and why he almost walked away from selling KIND.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN- Why being too nice creates bad leaders- Why trying to be everything to everyone kills a business- When to let a bad hire go- When to walk away from a dealCHAPTERS0:00 Daniel Lubetzky: Being Kind vs Nice and Why Nice Kills Growth0:50 Door To Door Sales And Building The Healthy Snack Aisle5:14 Kind Culture And Hiring For Values12:19 How To Know You Are A Bad Manager17:14 The Not Now Strategy For Founders24:14 Brand Mistakes That Led To KIND29:00 Quality Speed Price Value Proposition35:16 Turn Off Notifications And Think42:52 Selling KIND And Founder Regret51:19 The Intervention Before The KIND SaleFOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpodMORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawsonMORE FROM DANIEL LUBETZKY:🌐 Website: https://daniellubetzky.com/Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Most people wait until January to plan their year. By then, they’re already behind.In this bonus episode of Keep It Brief, Natalie Dawson breaks down the annual planning process that helped her company scale past a quarter-billion in annual revenue, and how to use the rest of this year to prepare for 2027.Learn how to audit the past 12 months using data, set low, mid, and high revenue targets, and align your departments through objectives and key results (OKRs). Use November and December to prepare so you enter January ready to execute.DM Natalie “PLANNING” for the Annual Planning deck: https://ig.me/m/nataliedawsonCheck out Natalie’s next event: http://nataliedawson.com/eventInformation shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com 2026.

Want to spend more time building your personal brand, but you’re stuck running your business? Build a business that runs without you, so you can focus on the things only you can do.Learn how with Elite Edge: http://nataliedawson.com/eventJennifer Gottlieb added over 500,000 Instagram followers in nine months, and she says it came down to one choice. She stopped playing the amateur game and went pro.The keynote speaker and Stage Leaders founder breaks down her social media system, how to spot an outlier, and why you don't have to be an expert to grow online. She also shares the day bombed on stage and how a dance party led to seven figures and saved the event. Jennifer reveals her three-part authority story and how she and her husband Chris finally split their roles at work.Watch to learn how to go pro on social media, tell your business story, and speak with more confidence.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN- How to post like a pro and double down on the outliers that grow your account- Why you don't need to be an expert to start getting seen online- When to use the three-part authority story to sell without feeling pushyCHAPTERS0:00 Jen Gottlieb On Why Being Seen Online Matters In 20263:29 The Personal Brand Debate7:56 From Broadway Dream To Personal Trainer14:46 Working With Your Husband And Owning Roles24:33 The Day Jen Gottlieb Bombed On Stage30:59 How To Beat Your Fear Of Public Speaking39:57 How To Go Pro On Social Media44:16 Show Don't Tell Content Ideas51:46 Jealous Friends And Online Lurkers1:02:50 The Authority Story Formula For SalesFOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpodMORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawsonMORE FROM JENNIFER GOTTLIEB:🌐 Website: https://www.instagram.com/jen_gottliebInformation shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Is your team underperforming, or is the real issue how they’re being led?In this bonus episode, Natalie Dawson breaks down the difference between “me work” (execution) and “we work” (leadership), and how to diagnose which one needs fixing.Learn how to align your team around personal, professional, and financial goals, manage by the numbers, spot problems before they escalate, and have clear conversations about performance. The goal: develop people or transition them. No limbo.MORE FROM NATALIEGet Natalie’s book, Team Work:https://www.10xteams.com/teamworkDM Natalie “PPF” on Instagram for her goal-setting playbook:http://ig.me/m/nataliedawsonExplore Natalie’s next event:http://nataliedawson.com/eventInformation shared is for educational purposes only and is not a guarantee of success. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own operations and potential risks. Results may vary.Copyright Cardone Ventures 2026.

Build a business that can grow without depending on you. Learn more about Elite Edge: http://nataliedawson.com/eventCarly Kremer, founder of 'The Beekeepers Naturals', ran out of rent money, moved onto a friend's couch for a year, and kept going. Today her brand, Beekeepers Naturals, is in 20,000 stores. She explains how she did it without an operations background and without giving up control of her company.The founder of Beekeepers Naturals breaks down why she left Goldman Sachs and ended up selling propolis at farmer's markets. She shares how she built a supply chain of pesticide-free apiaries that investors called crazy, and why it now protects her brand. She also reveals how she set up her first term sheet so she could never lose decision-making power.Carly walks through what went wrong on her first maternity leave and how she staffed up to take a real break this time. You'll also hear how she decides what to build, why she waited five years to get on camera, and what is working in marketing right now.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN- How to build a loyal customer base by selling face-to-face before you scale- Why you should own your term sheet before you take a dollar of outside money- When to step away from your business and how to make sure the team can leadCHAPTERS0:00 Carly Kremer On Raising Money Without Losing Control1:16 Propolis, Goldman Sachs And Farmer's Markets11:41 How A Product Builds A Cult Following13:44 Why It Took Five Years To Get On Camera18:40 Beekeepers' Naturals Sustainable Supply Chain24:34 Own Your Term Sheet And Stay The Boss31:16 Maternity Leave Mistakes And Radio Silence41:03 Product Development And Customer Feedback44:50 Why She Wrote A Children's Book About Bees49:25 Nano Influencers And Being Your Own InfluencerFOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpodMORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawsonMORE FROM CARLY KREMER:📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carly.kremer🌐 Substack: https://carlykremer.substack.comInformation shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

What you wear does more than change how other people see you. It can change how you think, perform, and see yourself.In this bonus solo episode of Keep It Brief, Natalie Dawson shares five pieces from her wardrobe and the lessons each taught her about identity, confidence, credibility, and growth.She explains why a blazer became a daily cue to lead, why she stopped dressing for different versions of herself, why holding on to old clothes can keep you attached to an old identity, and how one outfit taught her the difference between looking good and communicating authority.This episode continues the conversation from Rebecca Minkoff’s appearance on Keep It Brief by turning the lens inward. Your wardrobe is already sending a message. The question is whether it matches the person you are becoming.YOU’LL LEARNHow clothing can influence your focus and performanceWhy your wardrobe should reflect the person you are becomingHow to reduce decision fatigue with timeless staplesWhen your appearance can undermine the message you want to communicateWhy confidence sometimes means dressing differently from everyone around you

Rebecca Minkoff bootstrapped her handbag brand for seven years to a $100M Brand. Then two hires she trusted almost sank it in nine months.The fashion designer and founder shares why her biggest wins came from going against the grain, how designing for editors instead of customers hurt her apparel line, and why she would take the valuation her team once passed on.We also get into why not every business should take investor money, how she learned the language of business by asking what EBITDA meant in her own boardroom. And why no night or weekend she worked ever changed her company's path.WHAT YOU’LL LEARN- How to spot the red flags in a hire before they damage your business- Why you might not need investors to build a company that lasts- When to say no to events and opportunities that pull you from familyCHAPTERS0:00 Rebecca Minkoff On Bootstrapping And Breaking With The Pack4:17 Designing For Editors Instead Of Customers7:19 Why Following The Pack Never Worked9:42 Turning Handbags Into Milestone Purchases13:23 Treating Business Cards Like Cash17:47 Investor Lessons And A Missed Valuation22:54 Learning The Language Of Business26:47 Staying Present As A Mom And A Founder38:20 The CMO Who Almost Sunk The Company46:27 Using AI To Join Cultural MomentsFOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpodMORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawsonMORE FROM Rebecca Minkoff:🌐 Website: https://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

If you own a salon or know someone who does, DM “SALON” to @nataliedawson on Instagram and I’ll send you the details on what we’re building and how to get involved.Drybar grew from one salon to 150 locations. She sold $35 blowouts and scaled it to a $255M exit. Alli Webb says demand was never the hard part.Alli is the founder of Drybar and the creator of Messy, a new hair care line.Her rule was simple. Make every customer feel cared for, down to the smallest detail. The hard part was making that feeling last once she wasn't in the room.In this conversation, Alli explains how she trained a team to do it her way, what broke as Drybar grew, and why great service falls apart the moment the founder steps out.What You’ll LearnHow to turn the skill only you have into training your team can followWhy small details like your front desk greeting decide whether customers come backWhen growing faster means running a second business you never planned forCHAPTERS0:00 Intro0:25 Why Drybar Customers Felt Cared For8:13 Training Stylists To Scale Drybar19:21 Why Demand Outran Stylist Supply25:01 Franchise Vs. Company-Owned Salons30:06 Why Managers Must Think Like Owners34:17 Turning Customer Complaints Into Growth38:12 How To Pick A Retail Location41:01 Small Details That Drive Retention46:05 Why Alli Webb Launched Messy57:29 Taking Risks After DrybarFOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpodMORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawsonMORE FROM ALLI WEBB:🌐 Website: https://www.alliwebb.com/Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Camille Moore's first viral video hit a million views in a weekend. It brought in just three leads. She says that gap between attention and actual business is exactly what most founders get wrong about branding.Camille Moore is the founder of Third Eye Insights and host of The Art of Brand podcast, and companies like Nike, Red Bull, and Harvard pay her to teach branding.She breaks down the real difference between branding and marketing, why going viral once means nothing if you can't repeat it, and why most small business owners are asking the wrong questions about social media. You'll also hear her take on using AI without losing your own taste.Watch to learn how to figure out what's actually broken in your brand, why chasing virality wastes your time, and how to build content people actually connect with.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNHow to find what's actually broken in your brand before you touch social mediaWhy going viral one time does nothing for your business long termWhen it's time to fire your content team and start overCHAPTERS0:32 Finding What's Actually Broken In Your Brand4:40 Branding Vs Marketing Is Not The Same Thing11:47 Cringe Mountain And Why Starting Sucks19:14 Content Ideas For A Tire Shop Or Hair Salon26:55 Mental Availability Vs Purchase Availability37:19 Why Most Marketing Agencies Are Bad49:05 How To Develop Taste As A Brand51:01 Why Nike And Lululemon Are Losing Right Now1:07:11 Your Brand Is A SymphonyFOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpodMORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawsonMORE FROM CAMILLE MOORE:🌐 Website: https://camille-moore.com/Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025