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
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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.
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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]
- Recommends moving away from annual-only planning; instead, review and sprint on a quarterly basis, with weekly and daily accountability.
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
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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.
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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]
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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
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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.
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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]
- 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:
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.
