The Brian Beers Show – Ep 243

How to Replace Yourself To Grow Your Business | Guest: Matt King, CEO of GoBundance

Date: December 16, 2024
Host: Brian Beers
Guest: Matt King

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the art and strategy of replacing yourself as a business leader to unlock scalability and growth. Brian Beers sits down with Matt King, CEO of the high-level mastermind GoBundance and right-hand man to a prolific entrepreneur, to break down how entrepreneurs can avoid becoming their own bottleneck. They discuss the Chief of Staff role, fostering team autonomy, maximizing vision, and the power of leveraging masterminds. Listeners get actionable advice, anecdotes, and a look behind the scenes of running multiple high-performing businesses.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Role of a Chief of Staff & Replacing Yourself ([01:43]–[09:09])

• Being a Sponge and a Student

  • Matt emphasizes the importance of active listening:

    "God, the universe, whatever you believe in, gave us two ears and one mouth. And I think so few people use those in direct proportion, but if you use those in direct proportion, it's amazing the things you can learn..."
    —Matt King ([01:50])

  • He practices explaining new concepts in "safe spaces"—friends, strangers, even TSA agents—to build his own expertise.

• Responsibilities of a Chief of Staff

  • Described as the "air traffic controller"—must have eyes on everything (calendar, hiring, firing, financials) but never become the expert in one area ([04:41]).
  • Key: execution, accountability, and being an extension of the entrepreneur.

• Tips for Empowering a Chief of Staff

  • "The more of a glass house that you can spend your life and your business in, the better." ([06:54])
    Full transparency (email, calendar, even journals) accelerates trust and efficacy.
  • If your team can’t handle seeing your goals and success, "then you have the wrong effing person. Move on." ([08:25])

2. Defining Your Highest Value & Delegating ([09:09]–[12:34])

• Finding Your “Three Things”

  • Each business leader must identify their top three high-dollar, high-impact activities. For David (Matt's principal): vision, talent flow, and deal flow.

    "If he was not doing any one of those three things, I was failing him..."
    —Matt King ([09:43])

• The Art (Not Science) of Delegation

  • Progressively filter out nonessential tasks—even considering delegating personal cell phone management ([10:21]).
  • R&D as "Rip-off and Duplicate" instead of "Research and Develop"—don't reinvent what already works; adapt and adopt proven models ([11:17]).

3. Building Organizations That Attract & Retain Talent ([13:09]–[14:42])

• Growth Within the Leader’s "Balloon"

  • “The bigger my world gets, the more opportunities get created for people to rise within my world.” —Brian Beers ([13:09])
  • Matt uses the metaphor of the leader’s vision as a balloon: it must be big and elastic enough for other people to grow inside it.

    "You have to first make that balloon big enough that other balloons can fit inside of it. But then you must make sure that your balloon remains elastic enough..."
    —Matt King ([13:45])

• Why People Leave

  • "One of the reasons most people leave their job is because they no longer see a way to achieving their goals inside the opportunity they’re in now."
  • Solution: Leaders must understand team goals and align the organization's vision accordingly.

4. Evolution of Leadership & Letting Go ([14:42]–[20:00])

• Filtering Opportunities

  • Matt acts as first filter for new ventures, only escalating what matches vision and values ([15:25]).
  • "We're always looking for opportunities...to make this business even more supercharged..." —Matt King

• Transitioning Authority

  • Avoid promoting/handing over responsibility too quickly; gradual transition is key.
  • The “I do it, we do it, they do it” model for handing over business functions ([17:57]):
    1. I do it (founder leads)
    2. We do it (founder with successor)
    3. They do it (successor leads; founder monitors closely, then gradually steps away)

• Notable Quote:

  "Has the shine worn off the penny yet or is it still shiny? ...all of them have a shine and at some point will begin to rust in places..."
  —Matt King ([17:57])

5. The Power & Pitfalls of Masterminds ([20:00]–[29:08])

• Why Join a Mastermind?

  • It’s about accountability, getting what you need to hear, not just what you want ([20:55]):

    "Most people like to surround themselves with people that tell them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear."
    —Matt King

  • Eagles soar with eagles (not pigeons); a mastermind should elevate you, push and challenge you.

    "There's only one bird that can fly at the altitude of an eagle. That's an eagle..."
    ([21:28])

• How to Vet a Mastermind

  • Beware of “silver bullet” promises. True masterminds aren’t about Instagram lifestyles, but about supporting real, meaningful growth ([23:24]).
  • “Vetting a mastermind is the same as vetting an employee—check references, dig past the surface, see real results.” —Matt King

• Maintaining Connection As Organizations Scale

  • The heart of value: members feeling seen, heard, and loved ([25:52]).
  • Practical strategy: focus on intentional check-ins, engagement metrics, and policies for connection.
  • Lessons from the Savannah Bananas (book “Fans First”)—win through reducing friction and creating meaningful experiences ([26:45]).

6. Matt King’s Vision for GoBundance ([28:02]–[31:42])

• Future Aspirations

  • “If we can change a man, we can change a family, we can change a business, we can change a community...we truly can change the world.” ([28:09])
  • The collective impact of men improving their whole lives, then rippling those benefits outward.

• Work-Life Integration

  • Matt doesn’t strive for strict ‘balance’ but instead integrates family and business, bringing kids along on calls and trips ([29:31]):

    "I just let it all flow...If I'm out of line, my wife will kick me in the teeth...I bring my family along on business trips..."
    ([29:31])

  • Real life example: his daughter attending business events and participating, learning firsthand.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Listening and Learning:

  "If you find the ability to ask questions and even more importantly good questions, and then just shut up, people will tell you everything."
  —Matt King ([02:09])

• On Transparency:

  "The more of a glass house that you can spend your life and your business in, the better."
  —Matt King ([06:54])

• On Building Big Opportunities:

  "The bigger his world gets, you will continue to rise within it... That's how you attract and retain really high quality people."
  —Brian Beers ([13:09])

• On Mastermind Community:

  "We are the five people we spend the most time with. And if we really want to evolve and grow as humans, we have to spend time with five people that aren't afraid to kick us in the teeth when we need to be kicked in the teeth."
  —Matt King ([22:42])

• On Parenting & Business Integration:

  "They want to be seen, they want to be heard, and they want to be loved."
  —Matt King ([25:52])

• On Vision:

  “If we can change a man, we can change a family, we can change a business, we can change a community, we truly can change the world.”
  —Matt King ([28:09])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:43] Matt’s approach to being an effective #2 and learning by listening
• [04:41] The Chief of Staff defined as an “air traffic controller”
• [06:54] Tips for setting up a Chief of Staff for success
• [09:23] Managing 35+ companies and identifying your highest-value activities
• [13:45] Nurturing talent so people’s dreams fit inside your business vision
• [17:57] The slow and structured path to delegating
• [20:55] The power and caveats of mastermind groups
• [26:45] Membership growth, community, and “Fans First” lessons
• [28:09] Matt’s vision for the transformative potential of GoBundance
• [29:31] Blending family and professional life

Tone & Takeaways

Matt King and Brian Beers keep the tone straight-talking yet encouraging, focused on actionable wisdom and humility. Key takeaways include:

• The necessity of radical transparency when building a trustworthy team.
• The power of freeing yourself from day-to-day bottleneck tasks.
• Growth is about building a “balloon” that allows people to reach their dreams within your organization.
• Real growth and success require honest feedback, seen in both business and mastermind communities.
• Work and family do not have to be compartmentalized—bring both along for the journey to model and share success.

For More

• GoBundance: gobundance.com
• Brian Beers: brianbeers.com