Podcast Summary:
What Are You Made Of? with Mike “C-Roc” Ciorrocco
Episode: When Pressure Creates Purpose: Architecture, Faith, and the Entrepreneur’s Journey with Lance Cayko
Guest: Lance Cayko
Release Date: December 1, 2025
Episode Overview
In this inspiring episode, host Mike "C-Roc" Ciorrocco sits down with serial entrepreneur, architect, educator, and podcaster Lance Cayko to dive deep into how adversity and faith have shaped both his business and personal journeys. Through stories from his rural upbringing to the founding of his architecture firm, Lance shares insights on the universal law of polarity, the necessity of embracing discomfort, and the habits that create enduring entrepreneurial success. Listeners are encouraged to trust the process, act despite fear, and leverage negative experiences as the catalyst for exponential growth.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
The Law of Polarity: Turning Pressure Into Purpose
- Lance’s “positive reactionary” mindset — He describes himself as someone fueled by positive reactions to negative events, anchored in his faith and understanding of the “law of polarity.”
- “I live and die by the law of polarity. ...when negative stuff happens, it’s all part of the process. That’s when I get excited because when the negative stuff happens, I go, ‘Oh boy, the positive’s coming’.” (00:41, Lance)
- How adversity triggers growth — Both men share how discomfort and setbacks are not only inevitable but essential to progress.
- “When things are getting tough... I get a little bit excited because I know I’m not quitting... I know what’s coming, like you said.” (01:37, Mike)
- Reframing “negative” events — Through personal stories (including conversations with his children), Lance explains that the most significant breakthroughs come after the hardest challenges if you keep the faith and don’t self-destruct.
- “I get scared when everything is going right. That’s when I get anxiety because... something probably negative is coming to balance out the universe.” (02:24, Lance)
- Faith as a transformative foundation — Lance and Mike bond over their relationships with God and how spirituality grounds their response to business and life pressures.
Committing Before You’re Ready & Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Don’t wait for perfect conditions — Successful entrepreneurs wish they’d started sooner instead of waiting for everything to line up.
- “They say, ‘I would just start it sooner. I would have just done it... just trusted the journey.’” (07:36, Lance)
- Commitment directs attention — Mike emphasizes commitment as a filter for attention and effort, underscoring the need to act even when uncomfortable.
- “Commitment identifies the intention, and then your intention directs what you pay attention to. But when it gets hard... if you’re not committed, you won’t do it.” (09:08, Mike)
Lance’s Journey: From Rural Upbringing to Serial Entrepreneur
- Roots and early lessons — Lance grew up on a North Dakota cattle ranch and learned hard work, business basics, and the difference between earning and charging from an early mentor.
- “My journey starts at 13... I was the best gopher he ever had.” (09:52, Lance)
- “This is my first business lesson. How much you think I’m charging the clients?... There’s a multiplier... there’s overhead, the risk, the profit...” (10:45, Lance)
- “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” in real life — Lance identified Bruce, the local builder, as his ‘rich dad’ mentor, learning the mindset and relationship to money that set him on his path.
- “Bruce was the first entrepreneur I ever met... His relationship with money is like night and day compared to my dad’s.” (12:21, Lance)
- Pursuing architecture and beyond — Through tech school and university, Lance intentionally learned every part of the business, from building to design, with an eye toward ultimately becoming a developer and entrepreneur.
- “If I become an architect... I would get the clients first and I could flip them into building clients.” (13:30, Lance)
Launching a Firm: Surviving & Thriving Under Pressure
- Crisis as an opportunity — The Great Recession forced Lance and co-founder Al Gore to react positively to layoffs, seeing adversity as motivation for reinvention.
- “We were positively reacting to being laid off... You want to talk about the law of polarity again? That’s all negative. Okay, what is the opposite?” (16:24, Lance)
- Modernizing an archaic industry — Lance describes how most architecture firms neglected marketing and digital outreach; his firm thrived by embracing these “obvious” tools.
- “I was working for a guy who’s not... there’s no marketing strategy. This is insane. It was all word of mouth.... So when we started our firm it was like, wow, what an opening we have.” (18:42, Lance)
- Achievements: Best of Mile High award finalist/winner, best Denver/Longmont architect via Google-based reviews (20:36, Lance)
The Necessity of Marketing (No Matter the Field)
- Marketing as existential
- “You have to be a good marketer, right, or you have to have somebody that is a good marketer, right? ...Because that’s the oxygen.” (21:36, Mike)
- “I wake up every day and pretend I’m broke and I hustle.” (23:27, Lance)
- The healthy anxiety of maintaining momentum — Both hosts discuss playing “games” with themselves to maintain urgency, while cautioning this tactic may not suit everyone.
- “Sometimes... I just get to that point where like, holy cow, we’re gonna be homeless.... It’s just a game I play with myself.” (23:43, Mike)
The Value of Discomfort & Frugality
- Diamonds formed under pressure — Lance champions starting a business during hard times as the ultimate teacher; pressure breeds creativity and resilience.
- “It’ll push you into a corner... and you’ll be under immense pressure. And like, what is created under immense pressure, right?... If you can survive that immense pressure, once the pressure is relieved, you’re going to crush.” (24:31, Lance)
- Delayed gratification and frugal habits — Stories of holding off on luxuries, reinvesting in the firm, and practical living are linked to long-term success.
- “I love that kind of holding that feeling.... And the most, some of the most successful guys in business do this, right? Warren Buffet lives in the same house, drives the same car… he’s so rich.” (26:31, Lance)
Personal Integrity & Demonstration over Words
- Living as an example — Mike and Lance agree the best way to influence others is by embodying values in daily choices, not just talking them.
- “To me, the more important thing is not what I say, it’s what I demonstrate.” (28:44, Mike)
The “Friend, Photo, Fee” Approach & Balance through Nature
- Relationships and experiences with clients — Lance now prioritizes genuine friendships with clients, often bonding through shared experiences like wilderness fishing trips.
- “Every project should have a friend, a photo, and a fee. ...I’m missing the friend part. That’s kind of silly. Why did I think I can’t be friends with these people?” (29:40, Lance)
- Describes epic hikes and fishing adventures with clients and friends as a way to reconnect and foster authenticity.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “I live and die by the law of polarity... when negative stuff happens, it’s all part of the process. That’s when I get excited because... the positive’s coming.”
– Lance Cayko (00:41) - “I get scared when everything is going right... because something probably negative is coming to balance out the universe.”
– Lance Cayko (02:24) - “You have to be a good marketer... because that’s the oxygen. You're cutting the oxygen off if you don’t spend most of your time... bringing business in the door.”
– Mike “C-Roc” Ciorrocco (21:36) - “I wake up every day and pretend like I’m broke and I hustle.”
– Lance Cayko (23:27) - “Best time to start a business is during the Great Depression or Great Recession... you’ll never be hungrier... you will be more creative, more lean, more hungry than ever before.”
– Lance Cayko (24:31) - “Every project should have a friend, a photo and a fee.”
– Lance Cayko (29:40) - “To me, the more important thing is not what I say, it’s what I demonstrate.”
– Mike “C-Roc” Ciorrocco (28:44)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:41 – Law of Polarity & Positive Reactionary Philosophy
- 02:24 – Parenting, Anxiety, and Polarity Story
- 07:36 – Start Before You’re Ready, Fearless Commitment
- 09:52 – Lance’s Early Lessons: Farm to Architecture
- 16:24 – Launching a Firm Amid Crisis
- 18:42 – Marketing Lessons & Winning Business
- 21:36 – Marketing as Vital Oxygen for Business
- 23:27 – Scarcity Mindset for Drive
- 24:31 – Why the Best Time to Start is During Downturns
- 26:31 – Delayed Gratification, Frugality, and Success
- 28:44 – Being a Living Example
- 29:40 – Integrating Friendships with Work
- 30:56 – The Power of Fishing, Nature, and Re-centering
Where to Go Deeper with Lance Cayko
- LinkedIn: Search “Lance Cayko” – “I’m the only Lance Cayko in the world.”
- Website: f9productions.com (for news, newsletter, philanthropy, and firm updates)
- Podcast: Inside the Firm – two weekly episodes on entrepreneurship and architecture
- YouTube: Fishing with Lance – sharing unique wilderness adventures
Tone, Language, and Guest Dynamic
The episode is warm, direct, insightful, and threaded with faith-based optimism. Both host and guest blend personal reflection with practical tactics, making the discussion accessible, encouraging, and actionable for entrepreneurs and ambitious professionals.
This episode is ideal for entrepreneurs, small firm leaders, or anyone wanting to channel adversity into opportunity, cultivate unwavering belief, and build lasting success the authentic, hard-working way.