My Dad Built A $50 Million Company But Won’t Let Go

Summary

The EntreLeadership Podcast – Episode: "My Dad Built A $50 Million Company But Won’t Let Go"

Host: Dave Ramsey (Ramsey Network)
Date: November 3, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Dave Ramsey tackles real-life business and leadership questions from entrepreneurs, focusing on the challenges of succession, family business dynamics, delegation, and sustainable scaling. The central thread is how growth in any organization is tied tightly to the personal growth and mindset of its leaders—including the difficulty of letting go and empowering others. With his signature direct, compassionate style, Dave addresses delicate issues with callers ranging from family business succession problems to scaling for explosive growth.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Art and Agony of Delegation in Family Businesses

Caller: Jonathan (00:52)

• Situation: Jonathan describes how his father runs a $50M subcontracting company with 100 employees, yet still directly manages nearly everything himself. Jonathan has his own $12M side wholesale operation and manages a large internal department for his father.
• Core Issue: Dad operates as a "treadmill operator"—overworked, highly centralizing, with no clear middle management.

Key Insights:

• Dave notes that reliance on one person (the founder) for every major decision cripples the business. He identifies three dangers: not scalable, not sustainable, and succession planning becomes nearly impossible (03:33).
• Delegation, Dave stresses, is not just a managerial skill but a trust issue. "I learned to turn over sections of this Ramsey company when I can trust the person's competence and their integrity." (04:13)
• True delegation means training someone not just for skill (“competence”) but to do it “the Ramsey way”—the company’s unique flavor and values (07:06–07:18).
• Stages of Delegation:
  1. Stuff you don’t know how to do
  2. Stuff you don’t want to do
  3. Stuff you’re good at and enjoy (05:35–06:41)
• Most leaders struggle with that last stage, particularly in family businesses where personal identity and control are tightly entwined with the company.

Notable Advice:

“Everyone in every position in every organization ought to be working on their replacement at all times. And that means you're training, discipling, mentoring, teaching someone that can finish my sentences in this particular subject.”
— Dave Ramsey (05:37)

Action Plan for Jonathan:

• Approach Dad as a partner in building up trusted middle management, focused on identifying and mentoring those with both competence and integrity.
• Use empathetic mirroring of his father's fears and motivations to have constructive conversations about change (07:44–08:17).
• Dave offers Jonathan his quick-read delegation book for further practical steps.

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2. Family Dysfunction vs. Business Success: When To Stay or Go

Caller: Nicole (11:43)

• Situation: Nicole and her husband work in her husband’s family-owned auto body shop. Although promised succession in the “will,” progress is stymied by the mother-in-law’s behind-the-scenes control and refusal to allow needed changes.
• Core Issue: Emotional and logistical limbo, lack of profitability, inability to make decisions or enact change, and resentment/guilt about potentially leaving the family business.

Key Insights:

• Dave clarifies that family business struggles typically mirror underlying family dysfunction (“family businesses are only as functional or dysfunctional as the family is” — 22:17).
• Succession promises without authority (“in the will”) are traps that often lead to wasted decades and stewing frustrations (14:47).
• Nicole and her husband need clear governance—authority to change things now, not just in some distant future.

Tough Truths and Advice:

“I would ask myself what would have to be true for me to want to stay… An option to buy them out in the next five years, and management control in the meantime. If you will not surrender those two things, I’m going to have to do something else.”
— Dave Ramsey (18:57–19:07)

• If clear, binding changes are not made, “this deal’s over.” Don’t get caught in endless family drama; there are other good jobs and futures outside this shop.
• Only the son (Nicole’s husband) can set this boundary—if Nicole pushes, she risks becoming the “evil daughter-in-law” scapegoat (20:28–21:24).

Memorable Moment:

“She’s a travel agent for guilt trips if he decides he’s going to go somewhere else.”
— Dave Ramsey (18:16)

• Dave urges Nicole and her husband to calmly and clearly set expectations in one final conversation before deciding whether to leave (24:00–24:48).

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3. Brag Call: Success Story of Intentional Brand Splitting

Caller: Ashley (27:48)

• Situation: Ashley previously called for advice about growing her wedding planning business and was encouraged by Dave to create two brands for different markets.
• Outcome: After splitting her brand, she nearly doubled revenue from $300k to $500k, booking more high-end weddings than ever before.

Results-Focused Quote:

“…within our very first month of the split, our luxury brand booked three of the highest weddings we've ever done in 10 years. And our lower end brand booked eight weddings in a month. So it was pretty crazy and pretty immediate.”
— Ashley (29:11–29:35)

Key Insights:

• Sometimes the pivot you’re hesitating to make is exactly the one that catalyzes explosive growth—especially when it comes to clarifying your target market and brand proposition.

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4. Practical Growth Strategy: Scaling a Construction Company

Caller: Ryan (32:22)

• Situation: Ryan wants to double his $1.4M construction business. He wonders how to effectively scale without sacrificing quality.
• Core Advice:
  • Only scale “at the speed of quality hires.”
  • Secure enough thoroughbred team members (not “donkeys”), even if it means hiring ahead of the work, to maintain standards and culture (34:17–36:44).
  • Hiring too fast in response to demand can “force you to lower your standards,” creating massive headaches later.

Classic Dave-ism:

“Can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a donkey.”
— Dave Ramsey (34:33)

• Profit margins allow the flexibility to build the right team before increasing marketing—don’t shortcut this.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Delegation & Control (03:33):

  “He’s control-freaking, and he’s setting up a thing, A, that is not scalable, B, it’s not sustainable, and C, no succession plan will work with the way he’s doing it… He’s really in a tenuous situation.”

• On Family Dysfunction (22:17):

  “Family businesses are only as functional or dysfunctional as the family is.”

• On Setting Boundaries (18:57):

  “An option to buy them out in the next five years and management control in the meantime. If you will not surrender those two things, I’m going to have to do something else.”

• On Scalability and Hiring (34:33):

  “Can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a donkey.”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:52–08:16 — Delegation struggles and succession planning for Jonathan’s family business
• 11:43–25:45 — Nicole and family business dysfunction, when to leave or demand change
• 27:48–29:35 — Ashley’s brand-splitting success in the wedding planning business (brag call)
• 32:22–37:04 — Ryan’s construction company: doubling revenue, hiring strategy

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Tone and Language

Dave Ramsey brings a blend of tough love, practical wisdom, patience, and humor, offering both concrete business strategies and personal encouragement. His directness is softened by empathy, especially when dealing with emotionally charged family business scenarios.

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Summary Takeaways

• Businesses, especially family-owned, will only scale when leaders let go and intentionally develop replacement leaders.
• Delayed or denied succession is often a sign of deep-seated family control issues, not just business logistics.
• Growth should never outpace quality; whether people or processes, maintain your standards.
• Sometimes, the right strategic pivot (like brand splitting) can create almost immediate, transformative results.
• Be honest about the true dynamics at play—both in your company and your family—and act accordingly.

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This episode is valuable for any business leader grappling with growth, delegation, or complex family dynamics, offering both actionable tactics and the wisdom to know when to let go.

Transcript

[Dave Ramsey]

From the headquarters of Ramsey Solutions, this is entree leadership, where I take calls from leaders like you about what it takes to win at any stage of business and leadership. I'm Dave Ramsey, your host with over 30 years of experience leading in the trenches right alongside you. If you got a question you want to ask on the show, well, fill out the [e-mail] ask or call and leave a voicemail at 844-944-1070. That's 844-944-10720. Love to have you, boys and girls. Jonathan's with us in Los Angeles. Hey, Jonathan, what's up?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Hey, Dave.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

How you doing?

[Dave Ramsey]

Better than I deserve. How can I help?

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Hey, so my dad's company is a subcontractor for doors, frames and hardware out in socal down here, and they're doing about 40 to 50 million in revenue a year. And I started kind of like a side hustle, wholesaling some of the material, and now that's doing about 12 million a year.

[Dave Ramsey]

Wow. Good for you guys.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

So, yeah, so things are going really well. My dad, unfortunately, is still kind of like a treadmill operator at that size, which is a little bit intense.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, that's pretty, very intense. How many team members you got?

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

We got about. My dad's got about a hundred and we have about 26 at my building.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, so you own your thing and he owns his.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yeah, and then we kind of run like an internal department for him, kind of outsourced to us.

[Dave Ramsey]

But you're. You're. So you're. 12 million is like an internal department for him. It's not your business.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Not. It's not intercom. It's not pass through. It's 12 million outside of what we do for him.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, I'm sorry, you also, in addition to the 12 million, run an internal department for him.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yes, department. It's about $8 million worth of hardware each. 10 million a year.

[Dave Ramsey]

I got you. Okay, cool. All right. And so he's got. You got 100 team. He has 100 team members working for him. And he said a treadmill operator. How in the world.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Pretty much.

[Dave Ramsey]

Pretty much all these guys. All these guys directly report to him.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yeah, basically there's really no middle mid level management.

[Dave Ramsey]

What do they do?

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yeah, so we have basically a team of project managers that run all their projects. We have, you know, more senior estimators, but definitely, like, he still runs the estimating meeting. He runs the project management meeting where they schedule labor. He runs all those conversations. So, you know, he Overlooks all the invoices. Yeah. So he's. He's putting in a ton of hours, and I'm trying to do my part here to get him down to like two to three hours a day, enjoy his life.

[Dave Ramsey]

How old is he?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

He's 60.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. I mean, I don't know that he has to work two or three hours a week, but he's also. It's not a very efficient way to run a business, period. No, I don't care if he's 40. I don't care if he's 10. I mean, we're not trying. I'm not worried about him retiring. I'm just worried about the efficiency of this. And so you're. He's struggling with delegation.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yeah, definitely.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. All right.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Well, my question really is, how do I help him feel comfortable? Because he'll often ask a question like, who else can run this company? Like the whole thing. And I frequently tell him, no one can run it like you. But that's why we kind of have to recreate.

[Dave Ramsey]

Thank God. Because we don't want to run it like him. No, no, no, I don't want to do that. You sure don't want to do that? No, no. The deal is this, okay? He's control freaking, and he's setting up a thing, A, that is not scalable, B, it's not sustainable, and C, no succession plan will work with the way he's doing it. And so it's really dangerous for him. He's really in a tenuous situation. So the thing I would tell him is this. I learned to delegate, and he has delegated some things. There's a lot of stuff he doesn't do anymore.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Correct.

[Dave Ramsey]

But he still got his hands on a lot of other things. I learned to turn over sections of this Ramsey company when I can trust the person's competence and their integrity. Okay, Right. And so the reason he hasn't turned over the estimating meeting is because he hasn't found someone that he trusts their competence and their integrity. And that usually is going to come from first tapping someone on the shoulder and then training them, mentoring them, discipling them to become someone that you can trust their competence and their integrity. If he thought it was being done right and he knew he could trust the person, then you can turn loose. Until then, you shouldn't turn loose.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

But he's not even working toward that. That's what's disturbing for me. And consequently, he's carrying a lot of weight. He goes home very tired at the end of the Day?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Yeah.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Exhausted.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yep. I know. I used to do it. That's how I can, you know, you just flop down on the couch and go, what'd you do today? Crap. I don't know. But I did a lot of it. You know, it's just like, sheesh, man. And so it's like I run around with a fire extinguisher all day putting out fires.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

That's what we always joke, that he's a fireman.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. The first thing I had to learn to do was to delegate. Stuff I didn't know how to do. The second thing I learned to delegate was things I didn't want to do. The last thing I learned to delegate was the things I was good at and didn't mind doing. You know, So I. You know. But eventually you should always be working on your bench depth. Everyone in every position in every organization ought to be working on their replacement or all times. And that means you're training, discipling, mentoring, teaching someone that can finish my sentences in this particular subject. So like project managers. He's delegated to them.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

He's not running those projects.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

So he's already done that. So he has experienced this emotion. But what it amounts to is he's really good at estimating. It's second nature to him. And he doesn't. And he doesn't hate it. That's why he hadn't turned it loose.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

It's the last stage of delegation. The delegation of something I like doing and I am good at. That's the thing.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yeah. I think he feels like. It's probably what you said, that he feels he doesn't have a qualified person, that he feels comfortable releasing the reins.

[Dave Ramsey]

But he needs to identify and start to pull somebody into that. You got a head estimator in there that can do this stuff?

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Oh, yeah, definitely.

[Dave Ramsey]

You know, and so, okay, I trust what he does. But do I trust he's gonna do it my way? That's important. That's part of competency, you know? Just cause you know how to do something doesn't mean you know how to do it the Ramsey way. Right.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

You gotta do it the Ramsey way for me to turn it loose to you. Because this is Ramsey. Yeah. And it's a certain. It might have a little different flavor to it. It might have a little more spice on the gumbo or whatever. Right. So. Or less. I don't know, whatever. But that, you know, you gotta. That's what you're looking for. So that's the core thing.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

I should be doing like from my kind of. Because I'm like, I would consider me and our controller like our two closest. Is two closest confidence, you know?

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, just say dad, dad, dad, dad. In order for us to scale this and for us to create it to be sustainable, we've got to train people to where you can trust their competency and their integrity. And until we do, you should not turn this loose. Right, but we need to be working to cause that to happen. And how can I help you get that done? But I don't want you to turn it loose until then because it'll get screwed up. And he'll go, because that's what he's thinking. You need to say what he's thinking back to him.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

And then go, but we gotta fix it together by getting somebody that you can trust their competence and their integrity. I'm gonna send you a copy of the little book we did, little quick read we did on delegation. And it'll help you, it'll help you. You know, you guys can read through it and you'll go, oh yeah, that's it. That's what we're doing. You guys can read through it. It's like 37 pages. I mean, it's like a chapter is all it is. And so they're called quick reads. And this one's on delegation in the entree leadership materials. What does the future hold for business? Ask nine experts and you'll get 10 different answers. Economic growth or a recession, Business taxes will go up or down. AI will help us do work or replace us all. But there's no such thing as a crystal ball. That's why more than 42,000 businesses have future proofed themselves with NetSuite by Oracle, the number one AI cloud enterprise resource planning system. Ramsey Solutions uses NetSuite and you should too. Whether your company is earning millions or even hundreds of millions, NetSuite helps you respond to immediate challenges and seize your biggest opportunities with one unified business management suite. There's one source of truth for the visibility and control you need to make quick decisions. NetSuite's real time insights and forecasting can help you see into the future with actionable data. And when you're closing the books in days, not just weeks, you spend less time looking backward and more time focusing on what's next. And speaking of what's Next, download the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at netsuite.com Ramsey it's free at netsuite.com Ramsey we just opened registration for Entree Leadership Master Series 2026 and over 200 of the 800 available spots are already claimed on day one. So if you want in, you better register. You're going to have a little FOMO fear of missing out. Yeah, except it won't be a fear of you will be missing out. So Master Series is a five day business conference where our executive team and I will will open up our playbook and show you the exact tactics we have used to grow Ramsey solutions into a $300 million company. You're gonna walk away with a custom plan to scale and a network of small business owners who face the same challenges you do. Thousands of attendees have called Master Series the most tactical and transformational event they've ever attended. So if you're tired of winging it and you want a proven plan to scale and get the wrinkles out, baby, well, you need to be at Master Series November 8 through 13, 2026. Yeah, that far off. Don't wait. Tickets are already going fast. Claim your spot today. Entreeleadership.com masterseries or click the link in the show notes. Nicole is in Los Angeles. Hi, Nicole, how are you?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

I'm good. How are you?

[Dave Ramsey]

Better than I deserve. What's up?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

So I am the bookkeeper, office manager of my husband's family's auto body shop. We have about 12 employees and we did about two and a half million in revenue last year. And my question is, how do me and my husband know if it's time for us to step away from the family business to protect ourselves?

[Dave Ramsey]

Protect yourselves?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes.

[Dave Ramsey]

Why would you need protection?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

So there it is a family business and there's a lot of hard family dynamics within the family business.

[Dave Ramsey]

Oh, within the family. And it shows up in the business.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Exactly. So a few, about a year and a half ago, we actually were setting up to kind of walk away from it and restart kind of our careers. And I actually ended up going back to school. And he ended up staying because his family said that there was no reason for him to leave and that he was going to get the business in the will. And so he ended up staying, but it was kind of under the condition that he would be allowed to actually make changes to the business that needed to be made because it's not profitable right now. So he actually asked his mom, like, for a raise last week and the conversation was kind of just like, no, we don't make money. And that's it. There was no conversation of like, why aren't we making money? How can we get the business back on track? And it Just feels like anytime we try to actually solve anything that's wrong within the business, there's no conversation that can be had. So it just kind of feels like we're on, like a hamster wheel going in circles, and we can't actually make any forward progress with anything.

[Dave Ramsey]

So his mom works there, his dad work there.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

His dad more so than his mom. I have kind of taken over all of her responsibility. She always did the book.

[Dave Ramsey]

And then why did he ask his mom for a race? She doesn't work there.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

She still kind of controls the. His dad kind of answers to her, and then she kind of makes the final decision on everything. So even though she's not in the business, she still is the one that says yes or no or veto, pretty much vetoes any ideas that we have to try to actually make changes. So that's kind of where we're at a point where he's set to, quote, unquote, get the business in the will.

[Dave Ramsey]

But how old are they?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

She is 63 and his dad is 70.

[Dave Ramsey]

So are they in bad health?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

No, they're in great health. So.

[Dave Ramsey]

So it's going to be 30 years before you get the business.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Exactly. And so my husband is kind of at a point where he's like, I've. He's 30, turning 31, and he kind of just feels like, at what point do I keep holding on for something that I may not even get the keys to if we can't even keep this thing surviving? And should I, you know, start exploring other options?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

But it's hard because why are you back there?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Why am I there? I. I'm only there part time because when I, Like a year and a half ago, when we had, like, a big family falling out, I quit.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

And then his mom asked me to come back and I wouldn't have, like, a set because I'm in nursing school. She's like, you don't have to have a set schedule. I'll still pay you, you know, X amount. And, you know, she didn't want to go back to work, so after I left, she kind of asked me to come back. And we need the money still because we're not really financially where we want to be to where, you know, we can just live off of my husband's salary. And so it was too late by that time to try to, like, kind of find another job while I just started nursing school. So it was kind of more for us so that we wouldn't have to sell our house.

[Dave Ramsey]

How much do you like completing nursing School.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

I like it a lot.

[Dave Ramsey]

How much, Lack? How long before you complete it?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Oh, I have about a year left until I'm done.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. So what does your husband do? Is he the general manager of the auto parts business?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

He is. So it's an auto collision center. So he is the production manager, like on paper, but in reality, he kind of runs the entire thing.

[Dave Ramsey]

So this is a body shop. Okay.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes. All right.

[Dave Ramsey]

And so if he was working for another company doing the exact same thing, what would he be paid?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

He would be paid around 110,000 a year.

[Dave Ramsey]

Why don't you just go get that job?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

I think that he feels guilty.

[Dave Ramsey]

I know.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Like leaving his.

[Dave Ramsey]

But there's no reason. There's no reason mechanically, he couldn't just go get that job.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

No. There's no reason.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

No.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. All right. In which case, you could go to nursing school and not work there.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Exactly.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. So then you just got to decide. You have decided, but he hasn't, apparently.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes. So he. That's kind of where we're at right now, is deciding, do we.

[Dave Ramsey]

No, you've decided. He just hasn't.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

He hasn't decided yet.

[Dave Ramsey]

He isn't ready to leave and you are. And so, you know, the thing I do on these kinds of things is I extrapolate it and say, okay, 10 years from today, where are we going to be if we stay?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Mm.

[Dave Ramsey]

Well, the story you have told me, to the extent you're being accurate, and I assume you are, is you're gonna be sitting exactly where you're sitting. These people aren't going to change anything.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

And mother rules the roost and is a bit of a control freak.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes. That's pretty accurate.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. Well, that's the way you've told the story anyway. You didn't mean to, but you did. And so. But, I mean, she sits back in the background and throws grenades in the middle of stuff instead of actually coming over there and getting crap done. I don't want to work, but I do want to screw with everything, you know, and everybody, so. And then she's a travel agent for guilt trips if he decides he's going to go somewhere else. So I would ask myself what would have to be true for me to want to stay. Okay. And I can tell you, if I'm in your shoes, what that's going to be.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

An option to buy them out in the next five years and management control in the meantime.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

If you will not surrender those two things, I'm going to have to do something else.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

Because they are not willing to make changes that are going to allow you to do this gradually. So it's going to have to be more abrupt. Yeah, because they lied before.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

They said, we're doing the changes. We'll let you do changes. And then they didn't. And so, guys, we're going to make these changes. I'm going to be running the shop. Does dad work there every day?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Pretty much.

[Dave Ramsey]

What does dad do?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

He just. He kind of just runs around. And does what? He just can't sit still. So he doesn't really do much of the.

[Dave Ramsey]

I mean, if I gave him a title, what would he be? What was title be? Is he the manager of the whole place? And your husband runs production?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

He's manager when he wants to be and he's manager when he doesn't want to be. So they sell my husband. It's your shop. It's your shop when it's convenient for them to go do what they want to do. But then when he wants back in the driver's seat, then he takes back the reins. So it's very messy. It's very. There's no clear.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah, well, I'm gonna. I'm going to address that. If you. But you can't do it.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

You're gonna end up being the Wicked Witch of the west in this story.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes.

[Dave Ramsey]

The evil. The evil daughter in law who messed up everything. Everything was fine till you came along. If you keep running your mouth, that's where you're gonna be. So you're gonna have to. Your husband's going to have to grow a backbone and decide where he stands on this. Is he finally going to stand up to his mommy or not? And is he going to decide? Okay, mom, these are the terms. If you violate these terms, you are firing me because I'll be leaving. So you are deciding for me to leave. If you take back the reins again, you are deciding for me to leave. If we don't execute on the option for me to purchase this business from you all, and if you don't want me here, it's okay. I can go over there and make 110,000 and Nicole can go to nursing school, and we're fine with that. We love y'.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

All.

[Dave Ramsey]

We want you to win. We want you to have a good life. We're not mad at you. But if you want me here, I cannot stay in this limbo environment where you've got one foot on the dock and one on the boat. And the boat's leaving.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

And it's just it's driving me nuts, Mom. And so mom and dad, we're gonna sit down, and if you even attend the meeting, you don't say a word.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

You just. And don't. Do not open your trap. Period. I'm serious. Cause this woman is gonna tag you and label you, and you're gonna get stuck with this for the rest of your life with your kids and her grandkids. And you gotta keep this clean because she's used to being in control. And when she realizes she's not, it's going to be a harsh experience for her.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

And if it gets labeled on you, you don't want that, kiddo. I promise you. I've done a bunch of coaching around this stuff. And so one of the things we discover with family businesses is family businesses are only as functional or dysfunctional as the family is.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

And this family was operated by mom, not by dad. At home. Yes, she wears the pants. And then that translates down there. And she's used to throwing her weight around and getting her way. And her word is the word. And, you know, that's okay. You're allowed to do that if you own the business. That's what you do. I expect that around here. I own the place. I want people to listen when I say something. Right. But. So I don't blame her for that. But you can't mix those metaphors back and forth and then, you know, go, well, we don't make any money, so I can't pay you. But I won't make the changes it takes for us to be profitable that you're suggesting. So anyway, all that to say is, this deal's over. Y' all just need to. If you want to give it one more shot, the one more shot is very clear. Expectations calmly laid out in person. And I really would prefer your husband do this, but I'm not sure by himself without you there. But if you need to go, just for moral support, to make sure he actually does it, because he gets in there and he crawfishes, too. The script he's been taught since he was a little boy is when mom speaks up, you back up.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes.

[Dave Ramsey]

And this time when she speaks up, he's got to step up.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Okay?

[Dave Ramsey]

It's gonna disrupt the family script. It's gonna be bloody.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes.

[Dave Ramsey]

But you need to be kind and calm. No raised voices, no cuss words. And if that starts, you guys just exit the building and go, Gosh, guys, I'm sorry. I didn't come here to fight with you. I came here to Love you. And let's just slip out the back door and listen, we'll let you know. I'm going to go ahead and give you notice now that we're going to move on. Okay. And you know, just, just be kind and calm. But we're not going to be abused and we're not going to use your mom voice on me. I'm a 35 year old freaking grown man.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

And so that, you know, you just kind of have these things in your head before you go in there and then lay out very clearly where do we want to be? And I don't think they change.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

Unless they just completely divorce themselves of it and walk away, which is what I'm asking them to do.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

So I would pay dad's salary and not let him come in.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

He doesn't even take a salary from.

[Dave Ramsey]

The business anymore and he needs to not come in. Yeah, he's quit coming down there and putzing around, screwing up everything. He's 70 years old. You know, it's time go do something else, you know, because you're jerking around on this thing. That's the whole thing. So. Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. Wow, that's a tough one. It's a hard one. But yeah, Nicole, you've. You're over it, I can tell. And the question is, when your husband's finally over it, is he actually going to give them one more shot to turn it or is he just going to walk? That's really what you're down to. If you just want to walk too, that's okay because this is a mess. You're right. It's a jumbled mess.

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[Dave Ramsey]

One of the things we know about small business in particular is that leadership is lonely. And one of the things that goes with that loneliness is there's not anybody you can really go. And just when you're having it, when you're killing it and you're getting the trophy and you're cashing the checks and you're winning, there's no place to brag. You can't tell your buddies because it sounds like you're bragging and there's not a bunch. You know, there's no place to go to celebrate when you're winning in small business. Well, we fixed that. This is the place. We want you to come here and celebrate and brag and we're gonna blow trumpets and throw confetti with you that you're smart and that you're winning and way to go. And Ashley is one such brag call from Fort Worth, Texas. Hey, Ashley. Brag a little.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Hi, Dave.

[Caller 4 (Ashley)]

I'm so happy to be talking to you today. Thanks for having me on.

[Dave Ramsey]

Sure. Tell me what good's going on, kiddo.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Caller 4 (Ashley)]

So I'm the owner of a wedding planning company in the DFW area. We have six full time team members. I've been in business for about 10 years. I actually called in to the show last summer just needing some guidance on where it should go next. And your advice really helped out. Clearly, here I am calling. So at the time, we were averaging about 300,000 in revenue, but after the advice you gave me, we're on track to hit about 500,000 this year.

[Dave Ramsey]

Whoa. I love it. Way to go.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Excellent.

[Dave Ramsey]

What did you do? What was the big thing that made the difference?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes.

[Caller 4 (Ashley)]

So during my last call, we were really just at a crossroads with the company of what kind of weddings we were servicing. At the time, we weren't fully serving the luxury market, but we were also starting to price out of the lower end weddings. And we just seemed to be in limbo. And so you had encouraged me to split the brand where I would create a lower end brand to serve the lower end clientele and leave my current business to continue growing and moving upward. So I honestly had been considering a similar idea. So for you to hear my story for less than a minute and immediately recommend that same thing was just extreme confirmation that it was going to be the right move.

[Dave Ramsey]

Cool. And it worked. And your revenues are almost double.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yes.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yeah.

[Caller 4 (Ashley)]

So within a week of our call last year, I had my team on board. Got them to see the vision where we were going. Within 45 days, we officially launched the split. And within our very first month of the split, our luxury brand booked three of the highest weddings we've ever done in 10 years. And our lower end brand booked eight weddings in a month. So it was pretty crazy and pretty immediate.

[Dave Ramsey]

That is so cool. I am so proud of you. Way to go. Very, very cool. Well, that is exciting. You did it. You did it. You did it. I'm so. I don't know what else to say. That's about as good as it gets right there, Ashley. Man. Well, it's rewarding to me to hear that I actually said something that worked. That's good too, because sometimes we say these things and we never hear back. We don't know what happened. Right. Did you go try it or did you do what we said to do? Or did I give you bad advice? I think it's good advice or I wouldn't give it to you. But wow, that's so cool. Doubled your revenue by a simple brand split strategy. And your hustle and your alignment and your strong leadership. You can tell she's a great communicator and is a great leader as well, actually. I'm so proud of you. Way to go. That is absolutely amazing. Very, very well done. Touchdown, Boys and girls. Brag a little when you win. Master Series 2026 just opened for registration and already on day one, over 200 of 800 spots are gone. So if you want in, you gotta register. Today at Entrez Leadership Master Series, My executive team and I will open our playbook and show you the exact tactics we used to scale Ramsey solutions into a 300 million dollar company. You'll walk away with a custom plan to grow your business and a network of small business owners who face the exact same challenges you do every day. This may be the smartest investment you make in your business in the next year. Thousands of attendees have called Master Series the most tactical and transformational event they've ever attended. So if you're tired of winging it and want a proven plan to scale without working 70 hours a week, you'll need to be at Master Series November 8 through 13, 2026. But don't wait because tickets are already going for fast. Claim your seat [e-mail] masters or click the link in the show notes. Hey, gang, if you like this show, you can hit the subscribe button, the follow button. It helps us with the algorithm, causes the show to get pushed forward into people's face and we appreciate when that happens. And the old you can share. If the platform you're on has a share button, use that. Or click the or just cut the link out and send it to somebody. Go, hey, this guy's crazy, but he's got something. So. Or whatever, whatever description you want to use for the show, I'll take any of them as long as they're positive. Oh, and those five star reviews, that helps the algorithm too. Thanks a bunch, guys. Ryan is in Minneapolis. Hey, Ryan, what's up?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Hi, Dave. How are you doing?

[Dave Ramsey]

Better than I deserve. How can I help?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Yeah, so I run a construction company that we do about $1.4 million in revenue. And I build basically pole buildings around the area and I'm looking to kind of double my revenue and just look at advice on that.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, well, I mean, you already know there's two possibilities, right? Double your prices or double your volume or some combination of the two. You already knew that before you called.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Yep.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

And we'd be looking to I guess, double our, our revenue with basically, I'm kind of set up. I think I have the ability to run two crews. I run one crew. I employ three guys right now, and I think I have two foremans with me and only one's an actual foreman. And so I'm looking to kind of, you know, see how I can market my way into doubling, you know, the amount of projects we can do.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. How long you been open?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

About a year and a half.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay, and you've already done 1.4 million?

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Yes.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Yes, sir.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. So you think there's a ton more business that. That is like low hanging fruit. You can just go pick it?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

I kind of do, yeah. I need to advertise better. I'm just looking for ways to do that. But from what I'm seeing, there's. There's a lot of work in the area and I think I can do it. And I just want to kind of start, I guess last year we started like you say, kind of crawling. This year we're kind of walking and next year I want to start running. So.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. Okay, so what I want you to do is grow at the speed of quality hires. Yup. I don't Want you to double your volume and hire some donkeys.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Right.

[Dave Ramsey]

I want thoroughbreds on the team. Can't win the Kentucky Derby with a donkey. So you got thoroughbreds now. And you're a little bit spoiled with that. And you're automatically extrapolating that into double. And that's good. I like that. That's good ambition. But the, the naive part of that is that you're just assuming you can get another set of thoroughbreds. And honestly, in business, it is not unusual to say the number one or number two problem is attracting and keeping high quality people to get the job done.

[Caller 2 (Jonathan)]

Correct.

[Dave Ramsey]

It's like the hardest.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

I have three guys, like I said, I have two that, you know, one's an actual foreman. One, he's 23. He can be a foreman in the next year or two. We want to take care of him. And then I have a summer help that's, you know, working part time through college.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

And he's actually.

[Dave Ramsey]

I mean, you've got to duplicate that exact lineup. You got to have that. You got to have that many more to do the same volume at the same quality. Yep.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

And that's where I've been. I've been very blessed with that. I'm just trying to figure out what.

[Dave Ramsey]

Was your profit on the 1.4.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

About 20 to 25%.

[Dave Ramsey]

Okay. So you made a quarter million dollars, correct?

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Yep. So last year we did about. Last year we did about a million at 20%.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

This year it's going to be about 1.4 at 20%. And I'm kind of at the point where I guess my.

[Dave Ramsey]

One, the reason I asked that is I would go ahead and hire the next three for the next crew. Even if you don't have the work.

[Caller 3 (Nicole)]

Sure.

[Dave Ramsey]

You can afford it. You got the margin. And then as soon as you get them in there and you know that they know what they're doing, you're working alongside your existing crew to prove their worth, to prove their competency. Then that gives you a lot of comfort to lean into the marketing hard and go get a bunch of work and separate the crews. But you don't have to go get the marketing done and then hope you get the crew.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

That is very true.

[Dave Ramsey]

That scares me. I would get, I would get the crew on the ground.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

It should be hard to, to get the same guys I have times two. It's going to be very hard to do that. I do understand that completely.

[Dave Ramsey]

Yeah. And so I'm going to go ahead and start working on that now. And even if you don't have enough work for them. You put them on payroll because you got the margin to pay them.

[Caller 1 (Ryan)]

Okay.

[Dave Ramsey]

And as soon as you get them on the payroll and they're out there swinging a hammer and they're putting up pole barns and, or, you know, you're ready to go, then you go, okay, I can now I can comfortably, with confidence, lean into the marketing and go ahead and get that volume up, because now I've got the guys in place. I'm afraid if you go get the marketing, that you're going to feel the pressure to hire and end up hiring donkeys instead of thoroughbreds. I've done that. I've gotten something that was booming so hard that I had to have the help. Had to have the help, had to have the help. And the pressure to do that caused me to lower my standards. And then that created cultural problems and all kinds of idiocy inside my building, and I had to have a crazy eviction and evict some crazy and a donkey ectomy. Right? And so, yeah, you got it. And they're painful. They're really freaking painful. So you don't want to do that. You want to get the thoroughbreds in the saddle ready to go and get them ready to, you know, get them out there swinging a hammer, and then you're gonna. You're gonna make it happen. That's pretty cool, man. Congratulations. You're doing really well. Very proud of you. Very, very done. Folks, remember, better a wary warrior than a quivering critic. This world needs more high quality leaders, so take courage and lead. I'm Dave Ramsey, your host. Thanks for joining us on entree leadership.