In this episode, host Bradley explores the metaphor of the "genius octopus with a thousand arms" - a vivid image representing business owners who are spread too thin across multiple roles and responsibilities. Drawing inspiration from tech YouTuber Marquez Brownlee's approach to delegation, Bradley presents a strategic framework for systematically removing yourself from day-to-day operations. The phrase "genius with a thousand hands" describes smart business owners who are running around trying ...
Jul 25, 2025•9 min•Ep. 482
Entrepreneur and business coach Dan Martell shares his powerful framework for scaling businesses without burning out. From a troubled youth who ended up in rehab to running a $100+ million empire, Dan reveals the systematic approach that allowed him to buy back his time and build the life he wanted. Dan Martell is a serial entrepreneur, business coach, and author of "Buy Back Your Time." He runs one of the largest coaching organizations for software CEOs and acquires a software company every mon...
Jul 21, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 481
Just like it's nearly impossible to push a rope across a gym floor, some business strategies feel forced and difficult when you should be "pulling the rope" instead. Business owners often don't realize when they're trying to push a rope in their business - forcing solutions that feel hard, risky, and resource-intensive. Thinking Time: Where am I trying to push a rope in my business? What feels hard right now? What am I frustrated about in the business? What fires do I feel like I need to continu...
Jul 18, 2025•8 min•Ep. 480
In this compelling episode, host Bradley Hamner sits down with Mark Crowley, bestselling author of "Lead from the Heart" and the upcoming "The Power of Employee Well-Being: Move Beyond Engagement to Build Flourishing Teams." Mark shares his revolutionary approach to leadership, drawing from 25 years of successful business leadership and 15 years of cutting-edge research on what truly drives employee performance. Mark C. Crowley is a pioneering leader and bestselling author leading a revolution i...
Jul 14, 2025•52 min•Ep. 479
"The business works because of you, but it doesn't work without you." - This is the Rainmaker's Dilemma. This episode concludes a multi-part series exploring the journey from Rainmaker to Architect in business ownership. Bradley breaks down the fundamental definitions and characteristics that distinguish these two business operating styles, providing clarity on concepts that form the foundation of sustainable business growth. Join us for The 2 Day MBA August 12th-13th, 2025 when you save your se...
Jul 11, 2025•11 min•Ep. 478
Ever wonder why some people seem to effortlessly attract success while others struggle despite working just as hard? In this interview, Bradley Hamner sat down with Weldon Long. Former prison inmate turned millionaire entrepreneur Weldon Long reveals the hidden prosperity system that transformed his life—and how you can use it too. In this powerful recast, discover the mental frameworks and daily practices that separate high achievers from everyone else. You'll discover: The four-step success se...
Jul 07, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 477
Today on the podcast, Bradley introduces The Rainmaker's Dilemma: Your greatest strength as an entrepreneur can and often does become a debilitating weakness in the business. Most entrepreneurs don't realize that what makes you successful early on (being the go-to person for everything) becomes the bottleneck that limits growth. When you're the thoroughfare for all business decisions and operations, you'll eventually run out of time While this may have worked in the early years of your business,...
Jul 04, 2025•9 min•Ep. 476
"Getting the systems and the processes in place actually creates space for the creativity because there's certain things in business that just need to happen." In this episode of Above the Business, Bradley Hamner is sharing a fan favorite episode with David Jenyns, author of "Systemology." This episode serves as a perfect introduction to systems thinking, as Bradley prepares listeners for an upcoming episode featuring David's new book "Systems Champion." Listen for an in-depth discussion about ...
Jun 30, 2025•45 min•Ep. 475
Bradley defines the key terms "Rainmaker" and "Architect" after realizing he'd been using this language without clearly explaining what these roles mean. This solo episode wraps up his longest podcast series on the Rainmaker to Architect journey. THE RAINMAKER: Everything runs through you - you're the bottleneck. Usually the top performer but also the biggest limitation. All decisions need your approval. Constantly firefighting (but you're better at starting fires than putting them out). Essenti...
Jun 27, 2025•8 min•Ep. 474
We're thrilled to welcome Tom Hegna, CLU, ChFC, CASL, to Above the Business. Tom is widely recognized as THE leading expert speaker on optimal retirement solutions and has earned his reputation as the definitive Retirement Income Expert. With an impressive background as a former Senior Executive Officer at New York Life, retired Lieutenant Colonel, and economist, he brings a unique blend of military discipline, corporate leadership, and economic expertise to our conversation with Bradley. Tom ha...
Jun 23, 2025•30 min•Ep. 473
What's the ultimate dream outcome for every small business owner? In this episode, Bradley breaks down why he believes every entrepreneur should be working toward a profitable, million-dollar-plus business that runs and grows without them - and challenges you to define what YOUR specific dream outcome looks like. Key TakeawaysThe Dream Outcome Framework A profitable, million-dollar-plus business that runs and grows without you 1. Profitable Minimum threshold: 10% net profit. Target range: 25% ne...
Jun 20, 2025•10 min•Ep. 472
Today on the podcast, we welcome back listener favorite Andrew Filar! Andrew is a Managing Partner and CEO at Marilyn Todd Insurance in Atlanta, GA. He has successfully grown his agency from $0 to $30 million in premiums in under 5 years and now helps other insurance professionals achieve similar growth. In this episode, Bradley and Andrew discuss three major themes for insurance agency growth: audience building in the AI era, evolving marketing strategies, and solving industry staffing challeng...
Jun 16, 2025•40 min•Ep. 471
In the final episode of the five-part Scale Milestones series, Bradley explores the fifth and final milestone in the journey from Rainmaker to Architect: developing efficient operations with an operating system (OS). He uses the analogy of upgrading from "Windows 95" to illustrate how business owners must transition from being the operating system themselves to building a separate, documented system that can run independently. Key Takeaways An operating system is tangible, not conceptual - you s...
Jun 13, 2025•9 min•Ep. 470
Marketing expert Seth Greene joins host Bradley Hamner to share powerful strategies for small business owners looking to elevate their operations beyond day-to-day tasks. From his unique journey as a musical theater student turned marketing authority, Seth reveals how direct response marketing principles can transform businesses and why understanding your target market is crucial for sustainable growth. Seth Greene is the founder of Market Domination LLC, a direct response marketing agency he's ...
Jun 09, 2025•31 min•Ep. 469
In this fourth installment of the five-part "Scale Milestones" series, Bradley explores the critical importance of leverage in business through executive assistants and AI tools. He emphasizes how business owners can "buy back their time" to focus on high-value activities that truly grow their businesses. The Three Dimensions of Business Ownership Bradley references Michael Gerber's "The E-Myth" and expands on the concept with three dimensions: In the business - Day-to-day operations On the busi...
Jun 06, 2025•13 min•Ep. 468
In this episode of Above the Business, host Bradley Hamdier speaks with Zach Mercurio, author of "The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance." They dive deep into the practical skills leaders need to make team members feel valued, especially in small businesses with 2-25 employees where every person's contribution is crucial. Zach Mercurio is a researcher and consultant who studies what makes work meaningful. He spends 30% of his time conducting research at the Cent...
Jun 02, 2025•37 min•Ep. 467
Bradley continues the Scale Milestones series with episode three, focusing on "Away Time" - one of the most intuitive yet challenging aspects of business ownership. He dives into why taking time away from your business isn't just important for your well-being, but actually critical for growth and profitability. Key Topics Covered The Journey from Rainmaker to Architect Bradley revisits the core concept driving this series - the evolution from being the rainmaker of your business to becoming its ...
May 30, 2025•11 min•Ep. 466
In this compelling episode of The Above the Business podcast, host Bradley Hamner sits down with human behavior professor and executive career coach Melody Wilding to explore the art and science of managing up. Wilding, author of the newly released "Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge," shares research-backed strategies for taking control of your work experience and building stronger relationships with higher-ups at any level of your career. Melody Wilding is a profes...
May 27, 2025•34 min•Ep. 465
In week two of the five-part SCALE milestones series, Bradley dives into the "C" - why hitting $1M in revenue isn't enough if you want to become the architect of your business. The Key Insight: Growth Eats Profit Bradley breaks down a crucial misconception many business owners have: Growth does not equal profit. Growth eats profit. Just like pushing harder on the gas pedal burns more fuel, aggressive growth requires more investment in two key areas: Team capacity (hiring more people) Marketing d...
May 23, 2025•20 min•Ep. 464
In this episode, Bradley Hamner sits down with Steve Suggs, a veteran in the sales industry with over 42 years of experience. Steve shares his insights on building high-performing sales teams, identifying top talent, and adapting to changes in the sales landscape. Key Topics Discussed Identifying and recruiting sales talent that will thrive in today's market. Practical tools for sales management and team development. Strategies from Steve's best-selling book "Can They Sell." How to adapt your sa...
May 19, 2025•51 min•Ep. 463
In this episode, Bradley kicks off a new five-part series on the milestones that mark the journey from Rainmaker to Architect of your business. The SCALE Milestones Bradley introduces the five key milestones you can check off along your journey - what he calls the SCALE milestones. Today's focus is on the first letter: S for Sustainable Revenue. Bradley shares how this framework came about when a podcast host asked him how someone knows they've become the architect of their business. That questi...
May 16, 2025•11 min•Ep. 462
From humble beginnings to national recognition, Coach P’s journey proves that leadership is a choice—and growth is a daily decision. If you're ready to lead better, think bigger, and build a business that doesn’t depend on you… this episode is your playbook. In this powerhouse episode of The Above The Business Podcast , Bradley Hamner welcomes back a fan favorite—David Peterson, better known as Coach P . As a multi-location agency owner, business coach, and co-leader of the popular Scale and Pro...
May 12, 2025•45 min•Ep. 461
In this episode of Above the Business , Bradley dives into what he believes is the single most important thing you can do for your business: get above it and think about it . He explores the idea that stepping back and creating space to reflect isn’t just a good idea—it’s essential to long-term success. Bradley revisits the three core problems most small business owners face: Lack of clarity. Lack of systems and processes. Chronic stress, fatigue, and overwhelm. He then unpacks solutions to each...
May 09, 2025•14 min•Ep. 460
In this episode of The Above The Business Podcast , Bradley sits down with best-selling author and customer/employee experience expert Joey Coleman. Known for helping companies like Zappos, Volkswagen, and NASA turn new hires into loyal team members, Joey breaks down how you can dramatically improve retention in your business—not by adding more perks, but by transforming your first 100 days. They explore the "Eight Phases of the Employee Journey" that Joey outlines in his latest Wall Street Jour...
May 05, 2025•46 min•Ep. 459
In part two of the Lead Yourself First series, Bradley dives deep into the crucial role of energy in leadership—and why giving your team your best energy is the most important thing you can do for them. Drawing inspiration from powerful business minds like Peter Drucker, Dan Sullivan, and Alex Hormozi, this episode makes the case that your team doesn’t just follow your words—they absorb your energy. Bradley breaks down how small business owners can protect and replenish their energy through prac...
May 02, 2025•12 min•Ep. 458
In this episode, Bradley sits down with Scott Grates — national best-selling author, entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and highly sought-after coach for small business owners. Scott shares his journey of starting multiple businesses from scratch and scaling them into multi-million dollar operations, all while competing against large corporate players. Scott dives into his latest book, Referrals Done Right , and unpacks the Infinite Referral Advantage system — a simple yet powerful framework that helps...
Apr 28, 2025•49 min•Ep. 457
In this week's episode of The Above The Business Podcast , Bradley Hamner kicks off a powerful new three-part series designed to help you refocus on what matters most in building a business that doesn’t depend solely on you. After covering your business roadmap and operating system in recent episodes, Bradley now turns his attention to you , the entrepreneur. The core message? The most important thing you can do for yourself is to protect your confidence . Drawing on personal experience and prov...
Apr 25, 2025•15 min•Ep. 456
In this episode of The Above The Business Podcast , Bradley is joined by seasoned entrepreneur and systems strategist Nick Berry , a man with over two decades of experience in scaling businesses, optimizing operations, and helping owners get out of their own way. Nick has built, co-founded, or acquired dozens of small businesses , with multiple successful exits and consistent recognition for growth, client satisfaction, and company culture . His entrepreneurial journey led him to develop the Bus...
Apr 21, 2025•36 min•Ep. 455
Over the past few weeks, Bradley has walked you through what it looks like to install a true operating system in your business—one that creates clarity, alignment, and execution at every level. In this episode, he breaks down the next essential step in building a business that runs and grows without you: creating business assets using what he calls The 3D Model . What is the 3D Model? It’s simple—but powerful: Do it. Document it. Delegate it. Bradley explains why documenting while you’re doing t...
Apr 18, 2025•8 min•Ep. 454
In this powerful episode of Above the Business , Bradley sits down with global DE&I experts Michel Buffet and Andres Tapia to explore the often-overlooked nuances of workplace inclusion. Together, they unpack the difference between diversity and inclusion, and why representation alone isn’t enough to create thriving, innovative organizations. Michel and Andres share their decades of experience working with leaders around the world to shift mindsets, address unconscious bias, and design syste...
Apr 14, 2025•43 min•Ep. 453
