Mick Unplugged – Episode Summary

Episode: "Bryan & Shannon Miles: Secrets to Remote Culture and Servant Leadership Success"

Host: Mick Hunt
Guests: Bryan & Shannon Miles
Date: September 13, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Bryan and Shannon Miles, visionary entrepreneurs who co-founded Belay, a remote staffing company, and later established the nonprofit Owner. The Miles share candid insights on servant leadership, building thriving remote-first cultures, faith-driven entrepreneurship, and stewarding success. Mick and the Miles dissect the untold "messy middle" of business growth, practical personal finance lessons from their journey out of debt, and lessons learned from a $100 million+ exit.

The discussion weaves together faith, leadership evolution, and strategies for building resilience and purpose—making it an inspiring listen for leaders, founders, and anyone seeking to transform their impact by going deeper than “why” to find their true “because.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “Because” over “Why”—Finding Your Deeper Purpose

• [01:41] Shannon’s ‘Because’: “I truly believe everything belongs to God. And because of that deep belief...it has enabled me to have a unique perspective on business and business ownership and mentoring.” —Shannon Miles
• [02:23] Bryan’s ‘Because’: “Your life is just not for you...99.9% of it's for other people. And that is my deep because that's inside me.” —Bryan Miles

Mick reframes leadership motivation through the lens of service and stewardship, not self-fulfillment or accolades.

2. Servant Leadership: What It Means and Why It’s Rare

[03:25] Bryan on Societal Pitfalls:

• “We’re trained to ‘go get it’—but people sacrifice a lot for the sake of business or their purpose.”
• Social media and consumer culture drive self-focus and entitlement, even in spaces like church.
• “Hopefully as you mature, you realize you’re to be a blessing to others... you weren't born just for you.”

Memorable quote [04:44]:

“You weren't born just for you. That's the best answer I can give you at the moment.” —Bryan Miles

3. Navigating Faith in Leadership

[05:27] Shannon on Faith in Business:

• Balances openly living Christian beliefs with inclusivity: “I never want my faith and my beliefs to be off putting...so that other opinions can't be welcomed."
• Personal story: Parents were saved when she was 13, family baptized together.
• Finances transformed by the church principle of “give, save, live.”

[07:26] Overcoming $80k Debt (Practical Faith-Business Story)

• “In 18 months we got out of $80,000 in debt with no change of job. It was a miracle.” —Bryan
• Strategy: Prioritized giving (even off unemployment), saving, and then living on what remained. “It wasn’t the amount. It was about the consistency.”
• Emphasis: Consistent small steps created major financial and relational transformation.

4. From Corporate Life to Founders: Making the Leap

[12:42] Shannon:

• Once assumed she’d retire from her corporate job—until, “one day it just stopped working... Maybe this isn’t my forever job.”
• Sought change aligned with bigger dreams and risked entrepreneurship.

[13:41] Bryan:

• Hated “cubicle hell.”
• Both left jobs within 45 minutes of each other (Oct 2010), launching Belay right after the Great Recession—despite 9.8% unemployment and 2- and 5-year-old children.

5. Inspiration Behind Belay: The Domestic Virtual Assistant Need

[15:29] Bryan:

• Read The 4-Hour Workweek (Tim Ferriss) but saw only overseas VA solutions in 2010.
• Realized a domestic solution was missing. Saw “virtual” not just as technology, but as a way to help U.S.-based leaders.
• Within a month also launched a remote bookkeeping service (distinct workforces).

[17:07] Shannon:

• “We wanted to create the type of business we always wanted to work for...and that worked for the clients and the contractors. The organization had to be fulfilling on all sides and sustainable.”

6. Building Remote Culture: Strategies That Work

[19:03] Bryan on Culture:

• Belay won Entrepreneur magazine’s #1 Top Company Culture (2017)—as a fully remote team.
• Counter to common wisdom: “Company culture has nothing to do with an office. It has everything to do with shared vision.”
• Leadership must “communicate, cast vision...compelling, transferable, and magnetic.”

[20:57] Shannon on Trust:

• Remote work is built on trust: “If I can’t see you, how do I know you’re working?”
• Build trust through consistent results, “radical accountability,” and vulnerability.
• Leaders must address missed expectations or “nothing will erode trust worse.”

Memorable moment [19:03]:

“Culture is shared vision...it’s the job of the leaders to connect their heart to what you’re doing.” —Bryan Miles

7. Owner: Mission and Resources for Entrepreneurs

[23:10] Shannon on Legacy:

• Used 401ks to fund Belay, sold for 9 figures (2021), now creating Owner as a nonprofit legacy.
• Owner’s vision: “What breaks our hearts is that business owners would go through life thinking they’re alone...We create a nonprofit community for safety and belonging.”

[25:16] Bryan:

• Owner provides tools for the “messy middle,” not just startup/exit stories.
• Key resource: “Owner’s Intent” exercise—most founders don’t know their endgame.
• “The heart is to help others realize you’re safe here as a business owner—bring your tough stuff and wins.”

[29:36] Shannon on the Business Owner’s Journey:

• Owner's framework: hustler → entrepreneur (needs a team) → leader (grow and serve team) → CEO (specialists & scale) → owner (preparing for sale or legacy).
• Owner’s content: Documentary, 3 seasons of 8 episodes, guidebooks—all donation-based. “We want the resources available to those people who need it most.”

[32:31]: Resource links:

• Documentary: ownerdocumentary.com
• Nonprofit: o-nr.org

8. Quick Five (Rapid Fire) — Fun & Practical Wisdom

• Better cook? [33:11] “Oh her. My goodness.” —Bryan (Shannon agrees, but Bryan’s the grill master)
• One thing leaders shouldn’t delegate? [33:56] “The things they love doing...don’t delegate what you love.” —Bryan
  • Example: A high-powered leader mows his own lawn for peace of mind.
• Mental escape? [35:09]
  • Shannon: Yoga & meditation (“mind, body, spirit connection”)
  • Bryan: Working on their camper/fifth wheel (“Total old man, but I love doing that.”)
• Favorite vacation? [36:14]
  • Both: Switzerland and Iceland (“It’s just alive...the earth is still separating there.”)
• Most underrated leadership trait? [37:31]
  • Shannon: Humility (“That’s how you scale—hire people better than you, go deep within yourself.”)
  • Bryan: Casting vision (“Articulate the North Star. Don’t just execute—show where we’re headed.”)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:41] Shannon:
  “I truly believe everything belongs to God...It’s enabled me to have a unique perspective on business.”

• [02:49] Bryan:
  “Your life is just not for you…99.9% of it’s for other people.”

• [04:44] Bryan:
  “You weren’t born just for you.”

• [07:26] Bryan:
  “In 18 months we got out of $80,000 in debt with no change of job. It was a miracle.”

• [19:03] Bryan:
  “Company culture has nothing to do with an office. It has everything to do with shared vision.”

• [20:57] Shannon:
  “We worked very hard to establish trust... nothing will erode trust worse than having an expectation for someone, they miss it and you don’t address it.”

• [23:10] Shannon:
  “What breaks our hearts is that business owners would go through life thinking they’re alone...”

• [38:18] Bryan:
  “The ability to cast vision—that’s really underserved. A lot of business owners need to work on it.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:41] - Bryan & Shannon share their driving “because”
• [05:27] - Faith’s role in leading and building business
• [07:26] - Eliminating $80k in debt—practical faith in action
• [12:42] - Mindset shift: From stable careers to founders
• [15:29] - Genesis of the domestic virtual assistant market
• [19:03] - How Belay built world-class remote company culture
• [20:57] - Building trust and radical accountability remotely
• [23:10] - The launch of Owner (the nonprofit) and its mission
• [29:36] - Owner’s framework: entrepreneur’s growth journey
• [32:31] - Where to find documentary and Owner resources
• [33:02] - Rapid-fire questions—food, delegation, escapes, vacations, leadership
• [37:31] - Most underrated leadership trait (humility and vision)

Final Thoughts & Action Steps

Host’s Closing Challenge:
“Go find your two things [from Owner’s resources]. Message me what your two things are, and if you did a donation, maybe I’ll match it. How about that?” —Mick Hunt [39:31]

Call to Listeners:

• Explore Owner’s free/donation-based resources
• Reflect on your “because”—go deeper than your “why”
• Build leadership on purpose, stewardship, and service—not ego

Links:

• ownerdocumentary.com
• o-nr.org

This episode is highly recommended for:

• Entrepreneurs and business owners
• Leaders in or aspiring to remote-work cultures
• Anyone interested in faith-driven leadership
• Those seeking practical tools for debt elimination, personal growth, and legacy building

Memorable sign-off:
“Remember, your because is your superpower. Go unleash it.” —Mick Hunt

Want more actionable leadership and impact insights? Subscribe to Mick Unplugged and check out Owner’s resources for modern entrepreneurs!