Matt Carle

Main Ascent Business Brokers & Advisors

Business Broker & Advisor

Matt Carle, Business Coach

Business Coach

Eastside Timbers

Program Director

Valentis Athletica

Non-Profit company founded to operate value-based youth soccer club in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Board Member

Portland Timbers

Ticket Services

United Soccer Leagues

Youth League Operations Intern

Colorado Rapids

Rapids Academy Intern

Helping you grow your business, and still make it home for dinner. │ Business Coach │ Business Broker │ Former soccer coach turned business coach

I help business owners who are stuck and struggling to make the right move.

Most of my clients come to me because:

- They feel trapped, they know they need changes, but don't know where to start
- Nothing happens in the business without their input
- They lack systems, accountability, & predictability

I coach them to build a business that delivers:

- More freedom & flexibility for the Owner
- Repeatable systems that drive predictable results
- Results that help increase the value of the business, so it's ready to sell when you are

We use a tailored approach to:

- Build repeatable systems so the business works for the Owner (not the other way around)
- Empower their teams, drive accountability, systematize operations, and reduce stress
- Build a business that is “exit ready,” whether that’s next year or years down the road

Here’s a few of the outcomes clients have experienced:

- Packaging company that went from $1.5M per year to $1M per month
- Manufacturing Co. owners who went from overworked to never missing an appointment or a game
- Insurance agent who saw 20% YoY growth in his book of business & increased commissions

Why I do this:

- I’ve spent more than half my life as a coach. First on the soccer field, now supporting business owners
- 9+ years as a business coach, and 3+ years as a business broker supporting owners
- I value time with my wife and two kids outside Denver, Colorado, and I want my clients to enjoy the same freedom

If you’re ready to build a business that is easier to run, more fun to own, and ready to sell when you are...

Click the “Book an appointment” link at the top of my profile to apply to work with me.

Being a dad is hands-down the hardest job I’ve ever had. 

There’s no manual,
there’s plenty of pressure,
and let’s be honest,
it’s not a job with a big paycheck.

But it’s worth every bit of stress.

As I grew my business, I knew one thing: 
I didn’t want to miss the important moments. 

That meant being able to step away for a Friday at the zoo, 
or take my kids out for doughnuts and some playground time,
without having to ask for permission.

Business ownership lets me be present for all the big and small things. 

That flexibility is priceless.

Being a parent is tough - it’s a full-time gig on its own. 

Trying to balance that with building a business isn’t easy. 
(Moms, hats off to you. You have it even harder.)

But putting family first has always been my goal, and I'd never trade that for anything.

The business pays the bills, but if it means missing out on time with my kids, it’s not worth it. 

Family first, always.

Business should support the life you want to live.

Not the other way around. 


Is your business set up to give you the freedom to be there for your family? 
Or does it feel like the business runs you?

I help Small Business Owners go from Stuck, to Streamlined, to Sold. | Soccer Coach turned Business Coach & Broker

Small business owners want to change, want to grow, and want to get better. 

But life in the business gets in the way.

Finding the time and resources to invest in your own growth is tough when you’re busy just keeping things running.

In my experience, working with a coach is hard work. 

At first, it can feel like there’s even more on your plate. 

But the long-term goal is building a business that truly supports the life you want.

Not just one you feel stuck maintaining.

There will always be reasons to wait. 
Big projects, 
employee issues, 
budget worries.

Those things never stop. 

But the longer you wait to get started, the smaller your window of opportunity becomes.

You can choose to stay stuck in the same grind and keep getting the same results. 

Or start making real changes today.

Want to talk about what that could look like in your business? 

Drop a comment or shoot a message, and let’s have a conversation about the changes that matter most for you.

A “good” business isn’t just profitable, it’s also:

Transferable
Predictable
Reliable
Scalable 

OK Matt, sounds good. What does any of that mean?


Transferable: not overly dependent on the owner
• Work gets done without your direct input

Predictable: steady cash flow & repeatable systems
• You know what to expect on a day-to-day basis

Reliable: strong team, contracts, and relationships
• The foundation of the business is rock solid

Scalable: room to grow without adding chaos
• Your systems work and resources are available

And the best part?

A business with all of these traits is fun to own, easy to run, and ready to sell when you are.

Working on your business today makes it more valuable tomorrow.

And a valuable business will support your life, today, tomorrow, and years from now.

Transferable, Predictable, Reliable, Scalable - just a few of the key value drivers that I help business owners with every day.

If you want to check out the full Value Driver framework - leave a comment or send me a DM!

Let's get your business unstuck, streamlined, and ready to sell!

Want to Get More Time Back This Week?

Running a business is a non-stop juggling act.

And most owners feel like you've got zero time left for what matters. 

That’s why I put together this Quick Wins Guide with my a few strategies to help busy owners reclaim hours right now.​

Here’s what’s inside:

• Simple scripts to say “no” (without guilt)
• One task you can delegate today—no micromanaging needed
• Tips for protecting your most productive hours
• Task batching made easy
• The 80/20 Sweep—ditch the stuff that doesn’t move the needle​

No waiting, no new tools.

Just practical steps for less stress and more time.

Ready to get support on managing your time, and growing your business?

Drop a comment,
or book a time using the link in my profile.

Let's talk!

Quick Wins Guide

I've spent nearly a decade looking "under the hood" on hundreds of businesses.
10,000+ hours, easily.

I'll give you 3 of my biggest lessons in under 3 minutes...

𝟭) 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿

Your business is going to reflect back to you all the decisions you make.

How you think about your business matters.

Stay stuck in the small stuff day-to-day, and your business is going to be a grind.

Delegate, empower, and lead your people, and your business will be a machine.

Whatever you put into the business will be reflected back to you.

𝟮) 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿

Knowing your numbers unlocks so many opportunities inside your business.

You can't grow your business just by guessing.

Having a relationship with your financial reports, and knowing your most important measures puts you in control.

You'll feel calmer, understand inputs and outputs, and can make better decisions.

It's a non-negotiable if you want your business to reach that next level.

𝟯) 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 + 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 = 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀

You need predictable, repeatable systems to grow your business.

You can't be overly reliant on any one person (especially yourself) if you want to grow in the long-term.

It's a balance - you want good people, you want to keep them around - but you can't count on them staying forever.

So you build great systems for everyone to use, and make sure they get the training they need.

That's how you get predictable, repeatable results - and that's how the business succeeds.


So there you have it, the 3 of my biggest lessons from my work with 100+ clients...

I've spent nearly a decade studying businesses and systems, and I'm lucky to have worked with so many great owners over the years.

Owners who are doing their best (but maybe feeling stuck), 

Motivated to succeed (but not wanting to just chase shiny objects), 

And trying to find the best path forward (but maybe unclear on where to start).

This is the work I love to do, and I love working with Owners who want to get better.

If this sounds like you, let's talk!

If you're an owner who works long hours.

Solving every single problem.

For not enough profit or pay.

I have a harsh truth to share:

N͟o͟ ͟o͟n͟e͟ ͟i͟s͟ ͟c͟o͟m͟i͟n͟g͟ ͟t͟o͟ ͟r͟e͟s͟c͟u͟e͟ ͟y͟o͟u͟.͟

There is no magical unicorn buyer who is going to save you with an 8-figure check.

In my coaching practice, I talk to a lot of people who are tired, worn out, and ground down by their business.

In my brokerage practice, I talk to people waiting for a miracle buyer to swoop in and overpay for an underperforming business.

Both groups think they only way out is through a sale.

But when you dig in, you find they started their business because it was something they were passionate about.

They wanted to work for themselves, they wanted to control their own destiny.

But the reality of small business ownership is that it’s HARD.

There are all kinds of challenges, and over time, some people really do grow to resent, even hate their business.

Do you think a buyer wants to buy into that nightmare?

No chance.

So working to build (or rebuild) your business to support the kind of life you want to live is a good starting point.

Build a business that produces predictable, desirable results.
A business that doesn't rely solely on you.
A business that you actually enjoy owning.
I can almost guarantee there is someone out there who wants to buy it from you.

If you build a business that you enjoy owning, the buyers will come to you.

And the cool thing about improving your business, 
is that, along the way, you might rediscover your passion for it.

Plenty of people work to prepare their business to sell, then decide they’re going to keep it.

Because their stress went down and their profit went up.

Because you found out that owning the business doesn't have to be miserable.

You started your business for good reason.

Don’t let the grind turn it from something you love into something you hate. 

Build a business that supports your life, and see the benefits forever.

Easier to run, easier to own, easier to sell.

They all go hand in hand.

And you can start working toward that goal today.

Book a call to learn more.

I'm a business coach, and a business broker.

And I come to this work with a very particular set of skills.

𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵:
I spent the first part of my career in sports.

As a coach on the field, I focused on helping players get better.
- I learned leadership and psychology, to help get results. 

As an Administrator I learned business operations firsthand.
- Running a club with a 7-figure budget, getting 3000+ kids per year on the field.

Then in 2016, my path changed.

Instead of sports, I focused on small businesses.

I learned business coaching in the EMyth system.
- I helped business owners daily, to build systems, and a business that worked.

I worked with Owners from startups to $30M+ in revenue.

Turnarounds, rebuilds, and "don't rock the boat" - I've seen it all.

And I learned more about small business in a few years than most people do in a lifetime.

𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗿:
Then in 2020, I met the founders of Main Ascent | Business Brokers & Advisors - and they patiently showed me the ropes of business brokerage.

I learned that my coaching skills and understanding of small business would come in handy.

Because everything we do is focused on helping business owners.

Helping them build better businesses.

Build more predictable, repeatable, scalable systems.

And being able to sell their business, today or one day, and get that final reward for their hard work.

When it comes to building streamlined, sellable businesses, I've got a background tailored for it - I've been a business coach for nearly a decade.

And when it comes to helping owners navigate the ins-and-outs of growing, and exiting, a business - I've done my 10,000 hours there, too.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀:
I can connect the dots between a business that works today, and a business that will be valuable when you're ready to sell, better than most, I think.

And I love the work that I get to do with business owners daily.

Whether that's navigating the day-to-day operations.
Making changes and building new systems.
Preparing to sell today.
Or some day.

I have the experience and the skills to help you.

So if you're ready to take the next step in your business,
Whatever that might be right now,
Let's talk!

Book a call using the link in my profile, or send me a DM now!

Ascend Growth Ventures

Ascend Growth Venture provides strategic, corporate finance and Scaling Up services. 

Leveraging 20+ years of experience in Strategy, Corporate Finance and Business Development. As a trusted advisor and team member, I work closely with my clients on complex business issues to ensure successful outcomes. 

At Ascend Growth Ventures, we help founders and CEOs scale up beyond $10M. 

Ascend Growth Ventures is a brand of Zonda Strategic Consulting LLC

Why Work With Me?
I’ve spent over 20 years leading finance and strategy teams at GE and left GE to build a cleantech startup and eventually started my own company. 

Here’s what I learned: most entrepreneurs hit a wall when scaling their business when they reach around $3M to $7M in revenues.

The truth is growth gets messy without the right tools and frameworks. 

That’s why I created Ascend Growth Ventures—to help 10 thousand entrepreneurs like you break through growth barriers and scale with clarity, confidence, and profits.

I combine the Scaling Up framework with CFO-level financial insights & support to give you the strategies and systems you need to grow sustainably—without losing sight of your vision. 


Ascend's Corporate Values

• We are passionate about our client’s audacious goals.
• We lead with authenticity and want you to enjoy “the process”.
• We track and exceed our commitments to you.
• We always do the right thing for you, us, and the planet.
• We don’t let perfection get in the way, we believe in daily progress

CFO & Chief Strategist | Founder

Scaling Up Coaches

Certified Scaling Up Coach

ProCFO Partners

Principal | CFO at ProCFO Partners

Mendoza Ventures

Mendoza Growth Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in technology companies focused on fintech, AI, and cybersecurity,

Limited Partner

Growth Institute

Executive Scaling Up Coach

Carbon America

Built a world class project development organization, with project finance expertise to tackle complex carbon capture projects. Established a pipeline of emitter and land led opportunities. Partnered with the University of Illinois on two DOE applications for DAC hubs which were ultimately awarded in 2023.

CFO and Chief Commercial Officer

GE Vernova

Responsible for advancing GE's carbon management agenda by building relationships and partnerships with customers and partners in the Americas. In this role I am working on developing new product lines and business models that will allow us to position GE as a leader in the Energy Transition. Focused on post Combubstion Carbon Capture and Hydrogen as the pillars for decarbonizing Gas turbines.

Decarbonization Strategy & Partnerships Leader (Americas)

Responsible for sales of GE Heavy Duty and aero-derivative gas turbines for the south cone (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay). Reporting to Americas sales VP, leads sales. Manages +100M sales budget, and a team of 5.

Managing Director Sales

Lead Sales and project development for GE's Aero-derivative gas turbine power generation projects in Latin America. Reported to LATAM GM.

Director Of Sales And Business Development

Responsible for GE's LATAM Gas Power systems finance and commercial finance organization. Partnered with LATAMs GM to build an effective organization driven by success metrics and lifecycle customer outcomes. Structure projects and secure financing as required for GE's customers.

Chief Financial Officer Gas Power Systems LATAM

Managed a capital market team of 7 to secure external and balance sheet financing for GE customers. Forged and maintained relationships with regional and global financial institutions.  Reported to Latam Corporate CFO.

Managing Director Capital Markets 

GE Capital

Supported the origination, financial modeling, structuring, closing, and portfolio management of structured & asset backed loans for middle market industrial companies. Reported to Managing Director.

Vice President - Structured Finance Underwriter of Middle Market Cash Flow loans

NBCUniversal

Responsible for NBC's Business development finance department and FP&A activities, and managing a portfolio of 12 international and domestic Joint Ventures. Reported to Business Development CFO.

Finance Manager Business Development

Strategy & Finance Executive | Scaling Impact-Driven Companies Beyond $10M | Strategic CFO | Certified Scaling Up Advisor

Scaling Founders Beyond $10M with Strategy, Financial Clarity, and Leadership Expansion

Most companies stall not because of lack of effort—
but because the founder has outgrown the systems, strategies, and financial models that once worked.

At Ascend Growth Ventures, we partner with CEOs of $3M–$10M companies to implement Scaling Up, strengthen financial infrastructure, and elevate leadership teams—building businesses that scale profitably and predictably, without burning out the founder.

By integrating Scaling Up, Exponential Organizations, and CFO-level financial insights, we deliver a complete, battle-tested system for sustainable, high-performance growth.

🔹 We Work With CEOs Who Want To:
✔️ Scale revenue and profits without chaos
✔️ Build self-managing leadership teams
✔️ Unlock hidden cash flow and improve financial decision-making
✔️ Sharpen their strategy for exponential growth
✔️ Prepare for capital raises, acquisitions, or exits

🔹 Our Core Focus Areas:
  * Strategic Scaling Up Implementation

  * Financial Strategy & Cash Optimization

  * Leadership Team Development

  * Systems for Predictable Growth

  * Valuation Prep and Exit Strategy

✅ Why Work With Me?
25+ years of experience scaling businesses from the inside out:
➡️ Regional CFO, GE Gas Power (LATAM, +1.5GW record year)
➡️ Strategic finance and underwriting leadership at GE Capital
➡️ Business/project development for 8-figure ventures
➡️ Trusted advisor to founders scaling past $10M and beyond

✅ Industries We Specialize In:
✔️ Clean Energy & Decarbonization
✔️ Industrial Goods & B2B Services
✔️ Impact-Driven Companies
✔️ Scaling Coaching & Consulting Firms

🧠 If You're Ready to Scale Intelligently and Sustainably

Let's have a strategic conversation about where you are—and where you can go.

Easiest way to work with me?

Book a private power hour call and let's create your vision.
https://calendly.com/cruzagamboa/90-min-power-hour

Cruz Gamboa

He spent 15 years in prison.
Struggled with addiction.
Hit rock bottom.

By 18, he was in prison.
Over the next 15 years? In and out 4 times.
Lowest point: he considered ending it all.

Then something clicked.
In his last sentence, he learned graphic design.
For the first time… he saw a future.

At 38, he got out.
No money. No resume. Just hope.

He went back to his family bakery.
Started small. Cleaning trays.
But he asked one question:

👉 “What if bread didn’t just exist, what if it actually mattered?”

He created Dave’s Killer Bread.
Protein, fiber, whole grains.
Tasted amazing. Sold out instantly.
People didn’t just buy bread, they bought redemption.

Within a few years, it was in every grocery store in the U.S.
2015: acquired for $275M.
Today: worth over $1B.

Dave didn’t just build a business.
He changed lives.
Hired ex-cons. Spoke on mental health. Gave second chances.

He said:
"I don’t bake bread anymore. I help people get back up."

Lesson?
You don’t need a perfect past.
You don’t need a degree.
You need vision, execution, and the courage to act when no one believes in you.

#ceo #founders #scalingup #secondchances

5 IBM employees quit on the same day.
Their bosses laughed.

They weren’t visionaries.
They weren’t rich.
Just five engineers who saw something no one else did.

The year was 1972.

IBM had just turned down enterprise software, called it a “distraction.”

But these five? They saw the future.

No funding.
No fame.
No Silicon Valley.

Just conviction.

They started small, in a garage.
Their goal? Fix how businesses ran.

Back then, every department was disconnected.

Finance didn’t talk to HR.
HR didn’t talk to operations.
Data was chaos.

So they asked one question:
👉 “What if one system could run the entire business?”

They built it.

Called it Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung.

Later shortened to something simpler, SAP.

Their first client?
A chemical company that needed a payroll system.
They delivered it, fast, clean, revolutionary.

Then came the big leap, 
A system that connected every department.

Real-time data. Central database. Seamless workflow.

No one had done this before.

By the 1990s, SAP wasn’t software.

It was infrastructure.

Coca-Cola. Nestlé. Boeing. Walmart.

If you were big, you ran on SAP.

Today?

➡ Worth $230B
➡ 400,000+ customers
➡ Powers 77% of the world’s transactions
➡ Runs 99 of the Fortune 100

And the founders?
No social media. No hype. No noise.
Just quiet execution for five decades straight.

Lesson?
You don’t need to be loud.
You don’t need permission.

You just need to see what others ignore, and build like your conviction is your only asset.

#founders #entrepreneurship #scalingup #leadership

A TEXAS DAD SOLD HIS COMPANY FOR $51 MILLION… THEN DID SOMETHING NO ONE SAW COMING.

He didn’t buy a yacht.
Didn’t retire.
Didn’t move to an island.

He built an amusement park,
For kids with special needs.

Meet Gordon Hartman.

A successful homebuilder.
A proud dad to his daughter, Morgan, born with cognitive and physical disabilities.

One day, at a hotel pool, Morgan tried to join a group of kids playing nearby.

They backed away, not out of cruelty, but confusion.

And in that single moment, Gordon felt something break inside.

Because he saw his daughter wanting to belong...
But not being included.

That night, he asked himself:

“Where can kids like Morgan go to feel included?”

The answer was: Nowhere.

So he sold his company for $51 million.
And used every dollar to build something the world had never seen,

A theme park where kids of all abilities can play together.

No long lines.
No blinding lights.
No noise overload.
Just joy. Freedom. Belonging.

He called it Morgan’s Wonderland.
In honor of his daughter, and every child like her.

It’s completely free for kids with special needs.
Built with input from doctors, therapists, and families.
Every detail designed for inclusion.

✅ Wheelchair-accessible Ferris wheel.
✅ Sensory village.
✅ Splash zone where everyone feels equal.

Since 2010, over 2 million visitors from 120+ countries.

It’s not a business. It’s a legacy.

Most people build wealth to retire.
Gordon built wealth to give it meaning.

One father.
One painful moment.
One life-changing question.

And millions of smiles later,
He proved what real success looks like:
Turning pain into purpose.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #purpose

JSESSIONID

li_at

FIRED AT 49. BUILT A $380 BILLION EMPIRE! 

Most people would’ve given up.
Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank? 

They got even, by building The Home Depot.

Two middle-aged men.
No money.
No plan.
Just pure conviction.

They’d just been fired from Handy Dan Home Improvement.
Broke, humiliated, and written off as “too old to start over.”

But they saw what others didn’t:
A broken hardware market that needed a revolution.

So they imagined something wild,
A massive warehouse where customers could find everything under one roof.

Low prices. Great service. Real experts.

Everyone said it wouldn’t work.
But one man, Ken Langone, believed.

He raised $2M.
And in 1979, two stores opened in Atlanta.

Orange aisles.
Passionate staff.
A brand that felt different.

They didn’t just sell tools,
They empowered builders, dreamers, and creators.

Fast forward:

→ 1981: IPO at $12/share
→ 1984: $250M revenue
→ Today: $380 BILLION company

All built by two men who refused to stay defeated.

Sometimes, getting fired isn’t the end.
It’s the plot twist that writes your greatest story.

Lesson:

Don’t let rejection define you.
Let it refine you.
#ceo #founders #scalingup #growth

HOMELESS. BROKE. WITH A BABY TO FEED.

Meet John Paul DeJoria, the man who went from sleeping on streets to selling tequila to billionaires.

He wasn’t born lucky.
He was born fighting.

Raised in a tough LA neighborhood.
Started selling newspapers at 9 to help his single mom.
By 20 — broke.
By 30 — homeless with a baby.

Most people would’ve quit.
He didn’t.

He had two things:
→ Relentless optimism
→ Refusal to quit

He started selling shampoo door-to-door out of his car.
Rejected by everyone.
Till one salon said yes.

That “yes” changed everything.
It became Paul Mitchell Systems — a billion-dollar haircare empire.

But he wasn’t done building.

In 1989, he discovered a tequila so smooth he called it liquid silk.
Everyone laughed —
“Americans won’t pay for premium tequila.”

He bet against them.
Created Patrón.
Gave out samples to bartenders.
Made tequila luxury.

Result?
Sold to Bacardi for $5.1 BILLION.

From gangs to Forbes.
From a car seat to boardrooms.
From nothing to everything.

But he never forgot where he came from.
He pledged to give away 99% of his wealth.

Lesson:
You don’t need money to start.
You need belief that doesn’t break.

#ceo #founders #scalingup #growth

No alternative text description for this image

HE GOT FIRED FROM MCDONALD’S 3 TIMES.
THEN THEY PAID HIM $6 MILLION.

For 5 words.
“I’m lovin’ it.”

Let me break this down.

Before the fame, before the beats — Pharrell Williams was just another broke kid in Virginia Beach.
Working minimum wage.
No degree.
No plan.
Just a dream.

He worked at McDonald’s. Got fired.
Rehired.
Fired again.
3 times.

But every failure pushed him closer to what he actually loved, music.
While everyone else clocked in for shifts…
He was clocking in hours making beats in his bedroom.

Then he teamed up with a friend.
They called themselves The Neptunes.
At 19, they produced “Rump Shaker.”
And suddenly, doors started opening.

Jay-Z.
Britney Spears.
Nelly.
One after another.

Then — 2003.
McDonald’s came knocking.
The same company that fired him 3 times.

They wanted a modern campaign.
So they hired Justin Timberlake for vocals…
And The Neptunes for the music.

Pharrell wrote 5 words that changed branding forever:
“Ba da ba ba ba… I’m lovin’ it.”

He got paid $6 million.
No royalties. No long-term cut.
Just a one-time check.

That jingle went global.
100+ countries.
20+ years later, still running.
Worth hundreds of millions in brand value.

Pharrell moved on.
Built fashion lines.
Launched skincare.
Produced albums.
Today he’s worth over $250 million.

Here’s the lesson:
Your job doesn’t define your potential.
Your failures don’t define your future.
What you build in the dark defines how the world sees you in the light.

He got fired from McDonald’s.
Then made them a global sound.
That’s full circle.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

I met Jake at a Mastermind event in San Diego.

He walked on stage, and I thought he was a Canadian Brand Influencer, but within minutes, I was blown away.

This wasn't just another founder story.

This was real.

He was the class clown in school. The troublemaker… 

Almost didn’t graduate with his class. His grades were terrible. 

After college, he failed to land a single job in investment banking. 36 straight rejections. 

Sitting on his parents' couch, jobless, he had a choice:

Give up. Or go all in.

Then something clicked.

While watching Shark Tank, he saw a guy with mortgages, responsibilities and so much risk… But he looked alive, excited, energized and passionate. 

He had a true “WHY”. 

That's when Jake knew:

👉 "What if I stopped proving I'm not a “societal failure” to the world, and started building something that actually mattered to me?"

His sister and brother-in-law had an idea: Mid-Day Squares.

A functional chocolate bar. Real ingredients. No junk.

Jake brought the secret weapon: storytelling.

No budget to compete with the big CPG companies?

He decided to build a strategy that turned customers into fans instead.

How?

Created an online sample program. $0.25 a bar that was delivered by hand to your home. To get people to try the bars. 

Delivered polaroid pictures with handwritten notes mentioning their dog.

Showing the Behind-the-scenes on Instagram, the good, bad, and ugly.

Created a reality show of entrepreneurship on social media as the marketing strategy. 

People didn't just buy chocolate.
They bought a connection.

The kicker?

26 co-manufacturers said they couldn't make the product.
So they built their own factory.

Took 3 years. Massive debt. Daily challenges.

But they did it.

Today: 
✅ Selling in 10,000 stores across North America. 
✅ Sold over 65 million bars.
✅ 750,000+ Polaroid pictures and handwritten notes shipped.
✅ Produces over 135,000 bars per day in their own factory. 
✅ Have gotten tens of millions of organic views on social media.

Jake didn't just build a chocolate company.

He proved that authenticity beats advertising.

He said:

"People want to buy from a friend, not a faceless brand."

Lesson?
You don't need a perfect resume.
You don't need a massive budget.
You need to be unapologetically yourself, build in public, and turn customers into believers.

Jake is an amazing human being, and I fell instantly in love with his and Mid-Day Squares' story.

What's one brand that makes you feel like you're buying from a friend, not a corporation?

Thank you Jake Karls for being a pioneer and a role model for authentic entrepreneurship. We love you!
#CEO #FOUNDERS #GROWTH #SCALINGUP

FAILED IN SCHOOL. STRUGGLED WITH DYSLEXIA. BUILT A $58B EMPIRE.

Meet Ingvar Kamprad, the man who turned simplicity into a global revolution.

He wasn’t born gifted.
He was born determined.

Raised in a small Swedish village.
Couldn’t spell. Couldn’t read aloud.
But at 5 — he was already selling matches door-to-door.
At 17 — he started a tiny business called IKEA.

Everyone laughed.
Cheap furniture? Self-assembled? Who’d buy that?

But he wasn’t building furniture.
He was solving problems.

→ Furniture was too expensive.
→ Shipping was a nightmare.
→ Assembly needed professionals.

So he flipped the model:
Flat packs.
DIY assembly.
Affordable design for everyone.

While luxury brands chased the elite,
he built for the everyday family.

And it worked.
IKEA became a household name.
$47B in annual revenue.
Stores in 60+ countries.

But success didn’t change him.

He drove a 10-year-old Volvo.
Flew economy.
Ate in the IKEA cafeteria with his employees.

Because real success isn’t loud.
It’s purposeful.

From a dyslexic farm boy to redefining capitalism for the everyday person,
Ingvar Kamprad proved one thing:

You don’t need privilege to build an empire.
You need vision that never blinks.

#Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Growth #scalingup #Inspiration

PUSHED OUT OF HER OWN COMPANY.
BUILT A $10 BILLION EMPIRE.

Most would’ve quit.
But Whitney Wolfe Herd fought back louder.

At 22, she co-founded Tinder.
Named it. Designed the logo. Built the brand.
But when things turned toxic, she was erased.

Harassed. Silenced.
Written out of the story she created.

But Whitney wasn’t done.

In 2014, she met Andrey Andreev (founder of Badoo).
Together, they built a new kind of dating app, one where women make the first move.

Bumble was born.

A platform that flipped the entire dating game.
Women-led. Respect-driven.
A movement, not just an app.

→ Year 1: 100k users
→ Then 1M
→ Then 10M
→ Now over 100M

Bumble grew from dating to:
→ Bumble BFF (Friendships)
→ Bumble Bizz (Networking)
→ Bumble Empowerment (Women-first tech)

In 2021, Whitney took Bumble public.
Rang the NASDAQ bell, baby on her hip.

At 31, she became the youngest self-made woman billionaire in history.

Tinder was sold.
Whitney? Still leading. Still winning.

Sometimes, being pushed out isn’t your downfall.
It’s your launchpad.

Lesson:
They tried to silence her.
So she built something louder.

#ceo #founders #resilience #startups #womenintech #scalingup

Jonathan A. Ifechukwu

In 2009, General Motors was on the verge of collapse.
Thousands of jobs were at stake.
America’s biggest car company was dying.

Then they hired Ed Whitacre.
He’d never sold a car.
He came from AT&T. No ties to Detroit. No car experience. Just results.

He had 9 months to save a 100-year-old icon.

Day 1, he skipped the tours.
Walked into a meeting. Asked one question:
👉 “Why are there so many people in this room?”

He slashed bureaucracy. Cut pointless meetings. Eliminated layers of middle management.
If a leader couldn’t explain their strategy in plain English, they were out.

Externally? Bold move:
"If you don’t love your new GM car, return it."

People noticed. Investors noticed. Sales climbed. Trust came back.

9 months later: GM was profitable.
Bailed-out money paid back. IPO launched. Reputation restored.

Whitacre never sold a car.
He just understood people, speed, and decisions.

Sometimes, the best solutions come from outside the industry.

Lesson?
You don’t need experience in a field to transform it.
You need vision, courage, and the ability to act fast when everyone doubts you.

#ceo #scalingup #founder #growth

$6.2 MILLION. NO DEAL. STILL WINNING.

Meet Alexander Eburne, the man who turned a simple idea, a meal prep station that keeps all your containers, tools, and cutting boards in one neat setup, into a growing empire.

He pitched Prepdeck on Shark Tank.

Asked: $750K for 7.5% of the company.
Sharks loved the product. Liked the sales. Thought it was overvalued.
No deal.

Most would’ve quit. He didn’t.

He did three things:

→ Expanded the product line (Prepdeck Mini + accessories)
→ Fixed shipping and supply issues
→ Focused on delighting customers

By 2025? $18M+ revenue. Profitable.

Available online, on QVC, even at Costco.

Lesson: A “no” isn’t the end. It can be the start of something bigger.

#entrepreneurship #founders #startups #growth #scalingup

He was rejected by the U.S. 8 times.
No degree from Stanford. No perfect English.
Just a dream, to connect people.

In 1994, he fell for a girl 10 hours away.
He couldn’t afford train tickets.
So he imagined a world where people could meet… without moving an inch.

He tried to move to America.
Visa denied.
Again.
And again.
8 rejections.

Most would’ve quit.
He waited 2 years and tried again.
This time — approved.

He joined a small startup called WebEx.
Worked hard.
Became VP of Engineering.
But the product? Clunky. Frustrating. Broken.

He wanted to fix it.
No one listened.
So he left.

Started from zero.
No investors. No hype.
Just one goal:
👉 “Make online meetings not suck.”

Everyone said he’d fail.
Big players already owned the market.
Google. Microsoft. Giants.

But he built it anyway.
Names it Zoom.

At first, no one cared.
Then one by one — teams, teachers, families — they tried it.
And said: “This actually works.”

Then 2020 hit.
The world shuts down.
Offices closed. Schools closed. Life paused.

Except for one thing — Zoom kept it running.

Weddings. Funerals. Boardrooms. Classrooms.
All connected by one man’s obsession.

From 8 visa rejections to a $25B company.
From long-distance love to global connection.

Eric Yuan didn’t just build a product.
He built the bridge the world needed.

Lesson?
You don’t need luck.
You need obsession.
You need resilience.

What would make your journey as entrepreneur more meaningful and impactful?

Comment below or DM me.

#founders #scalingup #entrepreneurship #resilience #startups

The world’s most powerful encryption? Built by a man no one knew.

His name: Moxie Marlinspike.
A coder. A surfer. Obsessed with privacy.

He didn’t trust Big Tech. So he built something better.

Signal.

No ads. No tracking. No investor pressure.
Open-source. Nonprofit. Built for one mission: privacy for all.

Here’s what makes it insane:

👉 Even if your key is stolen, the Signal Protocol self-heals to protect future messages.

👉 FBI subpoenaed Signal? They got literally nothing.

👉 No metadata. No backups. No surveillance.

All of this?

Run by 50 people. Protecting 2 billion users. Funded entirely by donations.

The heroes behind it:

➡ Jack Dorsey, giving $1M every year.
➡ Brian Acton, walked away from $850M in unvested stock to make privacy right.

No VC. No IPO. No billions.
Just a team with conviction. A mission to give power back to the people.

Every message. Every call. Every photo.
Protected by code built for freedom, not profit.

While Big Tech watches your every move…
A few rebels saw what everyone else ignored.
They built something that actually matters.

#founders #entrepreneurship #privacy #leadership #techforgood

In 1982, a jet-lagged marketer in his 40s sipped a strange Thai drink.

It wasn’t cold.
Wasn’t fizzy.
And honestly? 
It tasted terrible.

His name was Dietrich Mateschitz.
A middle-management toothpaste guy.
No background in beverages.
No experience in sports marketing.
Nothing suggested he’d disrupt the world.

But he didn’t see a drink.
He saw a global category waiting to be born.

Everyone laughed at the idea.
Focus groups hated it.
Retailers rejected it.
Experts said Westerners would never buy it.

Dietrich ignored them.
He didn’t sell caffeine.
He sold energy, adrenaline, and identity.

He turned a weird pharmacy syrup into:

▶️ A brand that sponsors skydivers, cliff divers, and F1 drivers
▶️ A lifestyle that screams risk, speed, and performance
▶️ A movement that made “Red Bull gives you wings” a culture

By the time the world understood…

Red Bull was everywhere.
12 billion cans a year.
$11B+ in revenue.

A category leader, because it created the category.

Mateschitz didn’t start with a “great product.”
He started with a different idea, and the courage to make it real.

Lesson?
You don’t need approval to build something iconic.
Just a vision bold enough to fly.

#ceo #founder #growth #scalingup

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁.

It’s just a long term strategy.

He could’ve been a millionaire.
Instead, he became something far greater —
a founder who understood exactly what game he was playing.

Jean-Baptiste Kempf built VLC Media Player, used by over 6 billion people worldwide.
He turned down multi-million dollar offers to load it with ads, trackers, and “monetisation.”

But this isn’t about giving it away for free.
It’s about building leverage through trust.

VLC wasn’t his business model, it was his brand engine.
The mission vehicle that built global credibility.

The profit came later through Videolabs
His for-profit company is helping NASA and major media organisations with advanced video tech and integrations.

He didn’t reject profit.
He rejected misaligned profit.

While others chased short-term revenue,
he played the long game:
Purpose → Trust → Leverage → Profit.

That’s not idealism.
That’s clarity.

For Founders Scaling Now:

You don’t have to choose between money and meaning.
You just need to know:
👉 Which vehicle builds trust.
👉 Which one drives profit.

When those align
You scale with integrity, abundance, and control.
#scaling #founder #growth #ceo

WHILE OTHER KIDS WERE PLAYING WITH DOLLS—
She was flipping Beanie Babies for profit.

Meet Christina Cacioppo, the woman who quietly built a $4.15 BILLION tech empire…
without hype, headlines, or a Harvard degree.

At 12 — she was running eBay arbitrage.
At 22 — she was working with billion-dollar founders.
At 30 — she was building her own billion-dollar company.

No funding.
No shortcuts.
Just pure execution.

At Dropbox, she spotted the gap nobody wanted to touch, security compliance.
Everyone hated it.
She fixed it.

Quit her job.
Learned to code.
Built the product herself.

That product became Vanta, a platform that turned months of work into minutes.
Startups called it magic.
Enterprises called it essential.

While others chased fame — she built systems.
While others built hype — she built Vanta.

Now Vanta is valued at $4.15B with thousands of clients.
And a lesson every founder needs to hear:

👉 You don’t need to be loud to win.
You just need to build something that works.

#entrepreneurship #founders #startuplife #growth #womenintech

Security Verification | LinkedIn

S𝗛𝗘 𝗡𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘.
𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗧.

World Aquatics Championships, 2022.

Artistic swimmer Anita Álvarez delivers a flawless routine.

The crowd cheers. 
Judges clap. 
Cameras flash.

𝗡𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.

She sank.
Silently.
Unseen.

Everyone saw the brilliance.

No one saw the danger.

Except one person. Her coach, Andrea Fuentes.

She didn’t wait.

She didn’t hesitate.

She dove in fully clothed.

She pulled Anita up… and saved her life.

𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.

You hit your revenue target.

You close the quarter strong.

Your team celebrates. 

Your board applauds.

And no one notices you’re drowning.

The business scaled.
You didn’t.

Every decision runs through you.
Every crisis lands on you.
Every bottleneck points back to you.

From the outside? Successful entrepreneur.

From the inside? Trapped operator.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹.

𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀.

Most advisors see your performance.

They celebrate your revenue.

They miss the constraint breaking you.

The constraint isn’t your competition.

It’s not your market.
It’s not your team.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

The decision you’re avoiding.
The system you should have built.
The identity gap between who you are and who you need to become.

Your business doesn’t have 17 problems.

It has one constraint.

And until you identify it, everything else is just noise.

Who notices when you’re drowning?

More importantly - do you?

Remember there is always a better way.

Life is good, let’s build it!

 Cruz Gamboa
Ascend Growth Ventures

#scalingup #growth #ceo

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲.

Scott Galloway nailed it,
“The more time you spend at home, the fewer chances you have to meet people, build skills, or find opportunities.”

If you want to scale your life, your network, your impact,
you’ve got to be out there.

Out there learning.
Out there meeting people.
Out there testing ideas.
Out there failing fast and iterating faster.

Here’s the reality:

You don’t scale in isolation.
You scale through connection, execution, and momentum.

Every person you meet could be your next investor, cofounder, or key hire.

Every conversation could unlock a new market or insight.

➡️ Growth happens in motion.
➡️ Scaling happens in the field, not from the couch.

Keep moving. 
Keep building. 

#scalingup #growth #ceo #founder
Stay visible.

The fastest way to make a bad decision? Assume you already understand it.

I’ve watched brilliant founders lose deals, investors pass on unicorns, and leaders alienate their best people, all because they judged the situation before understanding it.

The companies that scale aren’t the ones with the best initial instincts. They’re the ones that pause long enough to see what everyone else missed.

3 ways perspective accelerates growth:

→ Ask “what am I not seeing?” before you ask “what do I think?”
The gap between what happened and what you think happened is where opportunities hide.

→ Understand the constraints, not just the outcome
That “bad” decision might make perfect sense when you know the budget, timeline, or data they were working with.

→ Turn disagreement into data
When someone sees it differently, that’s not noise, it’s signal. Mine it.

Judgment is fast.
Understanding is scalable.

#leadership #growth #strategy #mindset

The $80,000 Lesson Most Founders Learn Too Late

You think doing it yourself saves money.
Reality: It costs way more than you imagine.

Esteban Arroba Del Castillo (EADC)  CEO @ Team & Tonic, spent close to $80K testing designers before building a better way.

Here’s the truth:

Posting jobs, reviewing applications, interviewing candidates… it adds up fast.

Half of your hires will fail, meaning more time, more money, more frustration.

By the time you “get it right,” you’ve lost months of momentum.

The smarter move? Delegate to pre-vetted talent:

Hire in 72 hours

Top 0.8% tested

Project management handled

Low failure rate

💡 DIY isn’t cheap. It’s expensive.
Time, focus, momentum, opportunity… all gone if you try to do it all yourself.

Ask yourself: 

What non-value task is draining your ROI right now?

What belief are you holding onto that prevents you from taking action?

Comment below ⬇
#ceo #scalingup #growth

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. Esteban is my friend and a founder I admire.

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