Podcast
Above The Business
Hosted by Bradley Hamner · EN
What if you could step out of the day-to-day and see your business from a whole new perspective? Welcome to Above The Business, where we empower you to rise above the daily grind and embrace a higher way of business ownership. It's time to build your business by design.
www.abovethebusiness.co
55episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
#580: Dealing With Toxic High Performance
4d ago00:12:55Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode, Bradley Hamner addresses a problem almost every business owner eventually faces: the top producer who performs at a high level while quietly damaging the culture. He describes the golden handcuffs that keep owners from acting, and the resentment that builds on a team when everyone can see the problem the owner will not confront.Bradley calls it the Dez Bryant syndrome, using the talented but disruptive athlete as a lens for the toxic high performer in business. He shares what happens when owners finally make the call, why teams often respond with relief instead of loss, and why a company built around one irreplaceable person carries more risk than most owners admit. He also makes the case for documenting what that person does so the business runs on systems rather than dependence.This conversation moves beyond the tactic of simply removing the person. Are you protecting production at the expense of your culture? Have you had the honest conversation, or stuck your head in the sand? And if that person left tomorrow, could your business carry the work forward? If you have ever felt handcuffed to a talented employee who is hurting your team, this episode is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities.With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.
Transcribe →#579: Building a Business That Doesn't Need You with Jason Swenk
1w ago00:39:55Tap to summarizeJason Swenk built a digital agency from scratch to over 100 people and eight figures before selling it twice. He now coaches agency owners through Agency Mastery and has codified the journey into five identity shifts inside his book, Operator to Owner.Bradley and Jason walk through each shift: operator, manager, architect, CEO, and owner. They cover the rubber band effect, the 1-3-1 decision-making method, delegating outcomes vs. tasks, and what separates a CEO from a true owner.This conversation goes beyond tactics and into identity. What happens when your self-worth is tied to the business? And how do you build a company around yourself rather than sacrificing yourself to build it? If you want to move from stuck inside the work to building a business that runs without you, this conversation is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Learn more about Jason Swenk and pick up Operator to Owner: https://www.swenk.comThanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://www.coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day, optimizing your applicant tracking system, posting job listings, and sourcing candidates through social media and local communities.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks is built by business owners, for business owners. They specialize in custom marketing solutions that drive real results. From paid search campaigns to SEO and social media management, they provide comprehensive digital marketing support to help your business grow.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit and actionable recommendations.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale.
Transcribe →#578: Google Maps & Your Business
2w ago00:08:35Tap to summarizeIn this Friday solo episode, Bradley Hamner uses a tool everyone already trusts to make a point about direction. Every time you open Google Maps, it needs two coordinates: where you are right now and where you are trying to go. Bradley argues your business requires the exact same two points, a clear point A and a clear point B.He walks through what happens when obstacles appear between those two points. Maps reroute without ever touching the destination, yet business owners often do the reverse, pulling the vision back the moment things get hard. Bradley explains why a three-year vision should function as a fixed destination, why you keep an old vision as an artifact even when your thinking changes, and how 90-day priorities, one-year objectives, and a long-term picture work together as a roadmap.This episode moves past the metaphor and into how you actually navigate. Do you have a clear picture of where your business sits today across revenue, profit, team, marketing, and systems? Do you know where you want it to go over the next 90 days, 12 months, and three years? And do you have a plan you follow when you get off course? If you tend to move the destination every time the road gets difficult, this episode is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities.With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.
Transcribe →#577: The Three Pillars of Predictable Growth with Stephen Woessner
2w ago00:37:17Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Bradley sits down with Stephen Woessner, co-founder of Predictive ROI, who has owned five businesses and spent 16 years helping agency owners grow. Stephen shares his family's entrepreneurial roots and why he believes risk tolerance, strategic clarity, and team-building form the core of any founder's DNA.They cover the "ones and threes" revenue friction points, Predictive ROI's three pillars of growth (grow audience, nurture leads, increase sales), and why trust has moved so far upstream in B2B buying that most prospects are already pre-sold before a first conversation. Stephen also breaks down where agentic AI is creating real operational leverage today.This goes beyond tactics and into what sustainable growth actually requires. What does owning your addressable market mean in practice? How do you pick one channel when resources are tight? And how do you build trust deep enough that the sales process becomes a foregone conclusion? If you are working to grow more predictably, build a stronger pipeline, and understand how content and AI function as real business tools, this conversation is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.ResourcesLearn more about Stephen Woessner and Predictive ROI: https://predictiveroi.com/Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessnerListen to the Sell With Authority podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2JUWdPxO9zhTzRtalDC59E?si=39125931da4a4247 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sell-with-authority/id1596810706 Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://www.coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day, optimizing your applicant tracking system, posting job listings, and sourcing candidates through social media and local communities.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks is built by business owners, for business owners. They specialize in custom marketing solutions that drive real results. From paid search campaigns to SEO and social media management, they provide comprehensive digital marketing support to help your business grow.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit and actionable recommendations.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale.
Transcribe →#576: Unconscious Incompetence
3w ago00:12:03Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode, Bradley Hamner addresses the guilt and shame many business owners feel when they realize they don't know their marketing numbers. Drawing on feedback from the April Above The Business marketing workshop, Bradley explains why not knowing something like customer acquisition cost or lifetime value is not a character flaw. If no one has ever walked you through it, that is unconscious incompetence, not negligence.Bradley breaks down the difference between unconscious incompetence and conscious incompetence, and why the two carry very different weight. He covers how simply measuring something in your business tends to improve it, and shares a clear framework for deciding what to do with new knowledge: act on it, put it on the someday shelf, or trade it for something already in the business.This episode goes beyond marketing metrics and into how business owners process new information. Are you carrying guilt over something nobody ever taught you? What changes once you've been exposed to a concept but still haven't acted on it? And how do you decide what actually deserves a place in your business right now? If you've ever felt behind for not knowing what you didn't know, this episode is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities.With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.
Transcribe →#575: Delegation as a Growth Strategy with Kyle Willis
3w ago00:47:35Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Bradley sits down with Kyle Willis from BELAY, a fractional remote staffing company that places experienced executive assistants with small business owners. Kyle shares how the fractional model works, who it's right for, and what separates business owners who build lasting EA partnerships from those who plateau early.They cover how to build your delegation list before you hire, what BELAY's matching and onboarding process includes, how mismatches get handled, and specific workflows that show what a high-functioning EA relationship looks like in practice.This conversation goes beyond hiring tactics. What is the real cost of doing work that only your EA should handle? How do you turn delegation from a task dump into a growth investment? And what does it take to build a true strategic partner who grows with your business over time? If you are a business owner running out of capacity and wondering whether a fractional EA is the right move, this conversation is for you.Download BELAY's free Freedom Framework: text ABOVE to 55123Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.ResourcesBuy Back Your Time by Dan Martell: https://a.co/d/05Rk66SQ Visit BELAY to get in touch with Kyle and his team: https://belaysolutions.com/ Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://www.coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day, optimizing your applicant tracking system, posting job listings, and sourcing candidates through social media and local communities.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks is built by business owners, for business owners. They specialize in custom marketing solutions that drive real results. From paid search campaigns to SEO and social media management, they provide comprehensive digital marketing support to help your business grow.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit and actionable recommendations.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale.
Transcribe →#574: Coach vs Consultant
4w ago00:09:49Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode, Bradley Hamner breaks down the difference between coaching and consulting and why it matters for business owners in two practical ways: how they lead and develop their team members, and how they think about finding outside help for their own business.Bradley uses a clear analogy to frame the distinction. A doctor starts with diagnostic questions to understand what's wrong, then shifts to writing a prescription. That move from pulling answers out of someone to giving direct answers is exactly the difference between coaching and consulting. He applies the same thinking to team interactions and to working with advisors or growth programs.This episode goes beyond communication style and into leadership clarity. When should you ask questions and let someone arrive at the answer themselves? When is it time to stop asking and give direction? And what should you actually be looking for when you are the one seeking guidance? If you lead a team or are evaluating how to get better help for your business, this episode is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities.With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.
Transcribe →#573: The Customer Experience Advantage with Daniel Daly
4w ago00:41:25Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Bradley sits down with Daniel Daly, founder of Aim High Now, who spent 20 years in automotive retail and helped scale a dealership group to $700 million in annual revenue. Daniel breaks down what customer service actually looks like as an operating system, not a personality trait.They discuss how to train a team around two focused behaviors, how a single feedback call can diagnose 80% of your service failures, and how tiered incentives move culture faster than accountability alone.This conversation goes beyond tactics and into discipline. What are the two things your team could do consistently that would change how customers talk about you? And how do you build standards that actually hold? If you want customer experience to work as a real competitive advantage, this conversation is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Learn more about Daniel Daly and Aim High Now: aimhighnow.comConnect with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-daly1/ Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://www.coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day, optimizing your applicant tracking system, posting job listings, and sourcing candidates through social media and local communities.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks is built by business owners, for business owners. They specialize in custom marketing solutions that drive real results. From paid search campaigns to SEO and social media management, they provide comprehensive digital marketing support to help your business grow.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit and actionable recommendations.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale.
Transcribe →#572: The Hawthorne Effect
Jun 500:09:31Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode, Bradley Hamner explores a phenomenon that applies directly to every small business owner tracking time, marketing, or team performance: the Hawthorne Effect. The principle is straightforward. When you begin measuring something, behavioral changes follow, often before any formal analysis takes place.Bradley draws on his own nine-week experience tracking every working hour, a marketing dashboard experiment his clients ran after a recent workshop, and a real client situation where a team was being asked to update thirteen different metrics each week. He explains how measurement alone shifts behavior, how too little data leaves owners without the visibility to improve, and how too much tracking creates its own problems by pulling people away from the work that actually matters.This episode moves beyond the mechanics of measurement and into a more fundamental question for business owners. Do you have enough visibility into your time, your marketing, and your team to make clear decisions? Are you asking your people to track so many things that the measuring has become the job? And what would change if you focused only on the metrics that actually move the business forward? If you want to use measurement as a lever for improvement without creating unnecessary complexity, this episode is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.Thanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day. They optimize your applicant tracking system, post job listings, and source candidates through social media and local communities.With their continuous recruiting approach, you can save time, reduce hiring costs, and receive pre-screened candidates without paying hiring fees or commissions.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks specializes in digital marketing solutions designed for business owners who want measurable results. Their team supports companies through paid advertising, SEO, and strategic marketing systems that help generate consistent leads.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit where their team reviews your website, SEO, content, social media, and paid advertising, then provides actionable recommendations. If you partner with them, all setup fees will be waived.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale without their constant involvement.
Transcribe →#571: What Has to Change as Your Business Grows with Brad Farris
Jun 100:41:16Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Bradley sits down with Brad Farris, founder of Anchor Advisors and executive coach, who has spent nearly two decades helping entrepreneurial founders build businesses that can grow beyond them. Brad shares his path from engineering to general management and explains why the skills that launch a business are often the same ones that later limit it.They discuss how the leader's role must evolve at each revenue stage, why profit often shrinks in the $300K to $500K range before it climbs again, and how Brad's three-by-five card method helps founders break their own job into roles that can actually be hired for. The conversation also covers the identity shift from doing the work to running the business, why sales is the last thing to delegate, and how resistance to systems keeps owners stuck.This conversation goes beyond delegation tactics and into the identity behind them. At what stage of growth are you operating from? Are you the bottleneck in your own business? And what would it take to let go of the parts of the work that are keeping you there? If you are navigating the shift from solo operator to business owner and want to understand what has to change at each stage, this conversation is for you.Visit https://workshop.blueprintos.com to register for the upcoming Above The Business workshop.ResourcesLearn more about Brad Farris and Anchor Advisors: https://www.anchoradvisors.comTake the Growth Phase Assessment: https://www.anchoradvisors.com/growth-phaseThanks to our sponsorsCoach P ConsultingCoach P found great success as an insurance agent and agency owner, leading a large and stable team of top-performing professionals. Today, he shares the systems, delegation strategies, and specialization methods he developed along the way. Gain access to weekly training calls and mentoring at:https://www.coachpconsulting.comBe sure to mention you heard about it on the Above The Business Podcast.Autopilot RecruitingAutopilot Recruiting helps small business owners solve staffing challenges by taking the stress out of hiring. Their dedicated recruiters work on your behalf every business day, optimizing your applicant tracking system, posting job listings, and sourcing candidates through social media and local communities.https://www.autopilotrecruiting.comMention Above The Business Podcast when you reach out.Direct ClicksDirect Clicks is built by business owners, for business owners. They specialize in custom marketing solutions that drive real results. From paid search campaigns to SEO and social media management, they provide comprehensive digital marketing support to help your business grow.Exclusive offer for listeners:https://directclicksinc.com/abovethebusinessGet a free marketing campaign audit and actionable recommendations.About Above The BusinessAbove The Business is hosted by Bradley Hamner, founder of BlueprintOS, and focuses on helping small business owners transition from Rainmaker to Architect by building systems, teams, and operations that scale.
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