Episodes

Why do talented, hardworking teams still feel stuck? In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Cheri Kuhn, a certified EOS Implementer who has run close to 500 sessions with leadership teams and now coaches other implementers at EOS Worldwide. Cheri breaks down exactly what keeps strong teams stuck and what it actually takes to break through. Here's what you'll learn by watching or listening to this full episode: • How to spot the real reas...

What's the real problem leaders are running into with AI? According to David Hickman, it's overwhelm: too many tools and too many opinions about which one is right. In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with David Hickman, expert EOS Implementer and author of the new book The Intelligent Business, to talk about how leadership teams can move past the noise and start using AI with intention. David has spent almost 10 years helping companies get clear o...

What does it take to build a sales team that actually sells? In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Walter Crosby, founder of Helix Sales Development and creator of the Sales Hiring Secrets framework. Walter brings 40 years in sales and direct experience inside 27 EOS-driven organizations to identify the eight blind spots that cause founders, CEOs, and revenue leaders to repeatedly hire the wrong salespeople. This conversation goes deep into the spe...

What if the reason your AI investment hasn't paid off has nothing to do with the tools you picked? In this episode of Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Abigail Merrill, AI consultant, speaker, and founder of Business Growth Partners, who has been working in generative AI since before ChatGPT existed. Abigail breaks down why most businesses are drowning in tools and seeing zero return, and walks through her AI for ROI framework: a three-phase, pilot-based system for t...

What happens when the expert who spent a career studying how the mind breaks down finally has to face her own? In this episode of Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Nino Fincher, a mental performance coach, licensed counselor, and TEDx speaker who works with CEOs and executives stuck at ceilings they can't quite name. Nino's path into this work started with her own experience with depression after years of counseling others through it. The four-step MOVE method she bu...

What if the thing holding you back from your biggest impact isn't skill, money, or connections? What if it's just that you haven't found the right room yet? In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, hosts David Bush and Jeff Bush sits down with Stacey Lauren, founder of the Do the Thing podcast and community, former staffing company owner with a successful eight-figure exit, and creator of the Billion Dollar Impact Marketplace. Stacey has spent years mapping the patterns of what ...

What happens when the founder who built a business to $10 million becomes the very thing keeping it from reaching $50 million? In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Maria Trysla, a former two-time CEO and multi-year CMO of fast-growing technology companies who now works as a revenue architect and go-to-market executive advisor. Maria specializes in helping companies in the $5M to $50M range diagnose what's quietly stalling their growth and build th...

What if the exit planning conversation you've been avoiding is actually the one that unlocks your next level of revenue? In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Mark L. Vincent — founding member and facilitator of the Sage Group Collective, executive advisor, and one of the most experienced guides for organizational succession and business continuity in the game. With more than 30 years of helping owner-founders, C-suite leaders, and partnership s...

In this episode of the Business Builders Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Rich Chiarello — sales leadership strategist at Sandler Training and a nearly two-decade veteran of building high-performance sales cultures for some of the world's most competitive technology companies. Together, they tackle the number one fear of today's CEOs, CROs, and senior revenue leaders: hitting a growth plateau and not knowing how to break out of it. David draws out Rich's most battle-tested framewor...

In this episode of Business Builders Playbook, host David Bush sits down with C12 Chair and organizational leadership veteran Greg Atchison for a candid and inspiring conversation about one of the most complex tensions facing faith-driven entrepreneurs today — how to scale a thriving business without abandoning the Christian values that built it. Greg brings over 40 years of military, corporate, and academic leadership experience to the table, including co-leading a $50M+ enterprise, developi...

In this episode of Business Builders Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Dr. Dennis Cummins, founder of Pro Speaker Academy, to deliver a powerful one-two punch for business owners, consultants, and thought leaders who are ready to stop being invisible — and start converting their visibility into real revenue. Dr. Cummins draws on over a decade of experience across 14,000+ stages on six continents to break down exactly how professionals can use speaking not as a performance, but as a pre...

In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Roderick Jefferson — the man who literally coined the term "sales enablement" — to unpack what it truly takes to build scalable, predictable revenue in an AI-driven world... and what it costs when you build success at the expense of everything else that matters. Roderick doesn't just bring two decades of enterprise sales and enablement expertise to the table. He brings something far more rare — the perspective ...

Try ReferU2 here: https://www.referu2.com/s/user_38as1DVADuKfWccL26yttOt9yVM In this episode of Business Builders Playbook, host David Bush sits down with referral marketing strategist Derek Morgan — founder of Referral Marketing Ideas and the Referral Marketing Formula — to expose why most professionals are quietly bleeding referral opportunities without ever knowing it, and exactly what to do about it. Drawing from over 30 years of business development experience across financial serv...

In this eye-opening episode of Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with ex-GE executive turned scaling expert Cruz Gamboa to expose the financial blind spots quietly killing your profits... And the simple shifts that unlock $50K-$150K in hidden cash. Cruz breaks down his "Profit Leak Process" – showing you exactly which numbers actually matter (hint: it's NOT the 50 metrics you're tracking now)... How to build a CEO dashboard that gives you clarity in under 10 minutes...

In part three of their 2026 Planning Workshop series, co-owner David Bush and Director of Client Success Jenelle Friday walk entrepreneurs through building a complete sales, leadership, and operations plan from scratch. This is where everything comes together. Learn how to master the sales fundamentals that actually move the needle… Develop leadership habits that compound over time... And create operational systems that scale without adding headcount. David breaks down his proven ...

In part two of this high-impact workshop session, David Bush and Jenelle Friday break down the exact framework business owners need to create a marketing plan that drives predictable revenue in 2026. David walks participants through the critical elements of strategic marketing planning—including how to define your ideal customer profile, conduct a SWOT analysis that reveals hidden opportunities, and craft irresistible offers using the CURSORS framework. He reveals the three core marketing pha...

In this value-packed workshop, David and Jeff Bush reveal the planning systems that separate winning businesses from failing ones. David walks through his proven framework for life planning, time management, and business goal-setting—showing you how to create a calendar that actually matches your desired outcome. Jeff shares hard-earned wisdom from building multiple 8-figure companies, breaking down the financial disciplines every business owner needs to scale beyond themselves. You'll ...

In this episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with Paul Kirch—a former Gallup researcher turned sales leader and creator of the Askology Method—to reveal how asking the right questions can transform your sales conversations and close bigger deals faster. David and Paul break down why most sales professionals struggle with questioning... and how to fix it. Paul shares his powerful framework of four question types (guiding, investigative, empathy, and instigating...

In this raw and revealing episode of the Business Builder's Playbook, host David Bush sits down with his friend of 20+ years, Tony Rubleski - professional speaker, 10-time bestselling author, and the creator of the Mind Capture framework. Tony's launching his most personal book yet: a collection of 50 brutally honest lessons from two decades in the trenches as an entrepreneur, speaker, and author. But this isn't a highlight reel. It's the real story - including the parts most successful peopl...

Want to know how to scale your agency WITHOUT sacrificing your life or going broke? David Bush sits down with his brother Jeff Bush — who went from working solo in a barn (next to his wife's horse) to building a $20 million agency and securing an 8-figure exit. This isn't theory... Jeff hired 1,000+ salespeople over his career. Built multiple agencies. And crushed it in a "dying" industry (direct mail) while everyone said it was dead. Here's what you'll learn: - How to break th...

Tired of feeling like your business is one disruption away from disaster? Mike Richardson spent 23 years obsessing over ONE thing... how to make companies agile enough to turn threats into opportunities. And in this episode, he's dropping the playbook. You're gonna learn: → Why your meetings probably SUCK (and the one change that fixes them) → The "Conversation Flow to Cash Flow" framework that inflects revenue → How to future-proof your business when strategic plans expire eve...

Want to know how to unlock predictable pipeline through strategic partnerships without turning it into another failed "initiative" your sales team ignores? In this episode, David Bush sits down with Alex Buckles, CEO of Forecastable and 20-year enterprise sales veteran (with two exits under his belt), to break down the exact playbook for building repeatable, forecasted revenue through co-selling motions. You'll learn: • Why most partnership programs fail to generate consistent pipeline ...

Most entrepreneurs treat their financials like a horror movie... They close their eyes and hope the scary parts go away. Spoiler alert: They don't. In this episode, David Bush sits down with Alisa McCabe—founder of First Steps Financial and a fractional controller who's saved more businesses than she can count—to break down how to simplify, systemize, and scale your finances WITHOUT needing a PhD in accounting. You'll learn: • Why looking at your bank account to "check...

Sick of being the highest-paid prospector in your own company... While also playing receptionist, bookkeeper, and tech support? This episode is your wake-up call. David Bush sits down with Mary Elaine Baker, founder of VAUSA and master of the "delegate to elevate" philosophy... And she breaks down exactly how entrepreneurs can stop drowning in $40/hour tasks when their time is worth $150+. Here's what you'll learn: • The "Head, Heart, Hands" framework for hiring assistants who ...