The $100M Entrepreneur Podcast
Episode: From Vision To $100M: A Practical Strategy Playbook
Host: Brad Sugars
Date: December 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this solo episode, Brad Sugars, founder of ActionCOACH, delivers a masterclass on turning bold business visions into reality, sharing his proven strategies for entrepreneurs aiming to scale to $100M and beyond. Brad breaks down the core mindset, planning cadence, and accountability systems required—emphasizing that dreaming big isn’t enough: urgent action and strategic execution are critical.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Vision & Goal Setting

• Set Massive, “Crazy” Goals

  • Brad urges listeners to set goals so ambitious they don’t yet know how to achieve them, differentiating true goals from mere “to-do” items.
  • Quote: “If you know you can achieve it, it’s not a goal. If you know it’s possible, it’s a to-do list item. It’s not a goal.” — Brad Sugars [02:42]
  • Cites personal stories, including setting his own retirement goal by age 25 at just 16, influenced by Jim Rohn.

• Urgency Through Shorter Timeframes

  • Advocates for three-to-five-year targets rather than ten-year plans to create urgency and prompt immediate action.
  • Quote: “If you give yourself 10 years to do it, there’s no immediate action needed… If you give yourself two years or three years… then there’s urgency.” — Brad Sugars [09:45]

2. The Formula for Success

• Brad shares his core formula for achieving big things:
  Dream x Goal x Learn x Plan x Act = Success
  • Each element is essential, from forming expansive dreams to learning continuously and acting decisively.

3. Planning & Execution Cadence

• Quarterly and 90-Day Sprints
  • Recommends moving away from annual-only planning; instead, review and sprint on a quarterly basis, with weekly and daily accountability.
    • Example: Annual resets to deeply evaluate progress; quarterly sprints for rapid progress.
  • Quote: “Quarterly reviews, quarterly sprints, that’s the way we gotta make sure that we build that cadence in…” — Brad Sugars [12:56]

4. Metrics: Leading vs. Lagging Indicators

• Emphasizes shifting focus from lagging indicators (e.g., profit, cash flow) to leading indicators (e.g., lead generation, sales cycle time, email open rates).
  • Quote: “Lagging indicators might have worked to get to a million or three million or ten million... But leading indicators are what’s gonna get you to 100 million.” — Brad Sugars [15:05]
  • Stresses the importance of adapting metrics as the company scales, considering both internal and broader economic indicators.

5. Accountability & Support Systems

• Coaches:

  • Asserts that all entrepreneurs need a coach to install systems and provide objective guidance.
  • Highlights ActionCOACH’s proprietary Business Operating System (ABOS) and its comprehensive strategic planning cards.

• Peer Groups & Community:

  • Champions peer groups for support, referencing Action Nation as a resource for business community and advice.
  • Quote: “Business ownership can be a dang lonely road. And I don’t want it to be lonely for you. I want you to be part of a community.” — Brad Sugars [19:58]

• Board of Directors:

  • Explains the evolving relationship founders must have with boards as they seek external investment and scale operations.
  • Quote: “You don’t report to the board. The board helps you grow the business… learn the distinction between a reactive board... and a proactive board that helps you and your executive team build the organization.” — Brad Sugars [21:33]

6. Building and Refining the Strategic Plan

• Get Help When Needed:

  • Recognizes few can build masterful strategic plans unaided, suggesting facilitators or using ActionCOACH digital tools for live, adaptive planning.
  • Offers a 12-week guided program for developing a living business plan.

• Adapt and Disrupt as You Scale:

  • Reflects on his own experience with ActionCOACH, needing to rethink all systems, people, and branding when the company aimed for $3B rather than hundreds of millions:
    • Quote: “All your systems that are great for 100 million are no longer gonna be good enough for a billion.” — Brad Sugars [07:45]
    • Anecdote from Jeffrey Gitomer: “You’re no longer gonna need the book Good to Great… you need a new book. It’s called Sh*t to Okay.” [07:49]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Setting crazy goals made me do crazy things. Setting a goal to be amazing. Set a goal for a billion. Set a goal for 100 million.” — Brad Sugars [06:13]
• “Hope is not a strategy.” — Brad Sugars [01:30]
• “Metrics do matter. That’s why I brought up Measure What Matters… Leading indicators, not lagging.” — Brad Sugars [15:02]
• “Coach, peer group, next you are gonna need a board of directors…” — Brad Sugars [20:30]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00–03:00] — Vision, goal-setting philosophy, Brad’s Jim Rohn story
• [04:00–07:50] — The case for massive, disruptive goals; moving beyond comfortable targets
• [09:45–13:00] — Planning horizons and urgency, shifts in cadence and prioritization
• [15:00–18:00] — Lagging vs. leading indicators, choosing the right metrics for scale
• [19:20–22:30] — Building accountability: coaches, peer groups, boards
• [23:00–25:00] — The importance and mechanics of strategic planning, available resources

Summary Takeaways

• Start with an audacious vision—one that feels daunting and uncertain.
• Build urgency by condensing timelines (3–5 years), prompting decisive action.
• Implement quarterly sprints and frequent accountability loops to keep momentum.
• Pivot from trailing (lagging) to forward-looking (leading) metrics as you grow.
• Invest in support systems: coaches for guidance, peer groups for community, and (eventually) a proactive board for scaled decisions.
• Regularly revisit and upgrade your plan and systems to remain fit for each new level of scale.

This episode is both inspirational and tactical, equipping entrepreneurs with a playbook to think bigger and execute better—laying the groundwork for their $100M journey.