AILKEMY

"Think Further. Build Smarter. Lead Human."

After an intensive skunkworks and R&D phase, we launched AILKEMY for select client engagements. AILKEMY is a strategic intelligence consultancy that transforms information chaos into measurable alpha generation for investment professionals and leaders navigating AI transformation.

We help fund managers and executives generate measurable alpha by turning information chaos into decision-ready insights. We deliver private, board-ready intelligence that turns noise into decisive action. Confidential by default. It is either useful or it's not. We guarantee.

My Role as Co-Founder:
Product Management: Collaborated on the "Insight Engine", synthesis features, and verification methods across end-user needs.

Client Delivery: Lead MVP Insight Report pilots and the activation session that turns findings into actionable intelligence for our clients.

Go-to-Market: Built branding, sales, messaging, and narrative for executives, hedge funds, PE, VC, and large private investors.

Growth: Structured performance-aligned economics with zero long-term lock-in. Planned and launched campaigns to scale AILKEMY.

Why Clients Choose AILKEMY:
Hedge funds and multi-strategy platforms. Private equity and venture firms. Corporate strategy leaders and product teams. Large private investors and family offices.

✔️ Synthesis over summary: We reveal connections that change the decision.
✔️ Speed to signal: Time kills good ideas. We deliver while timing still pays.
✔️ Tailored intelligence: Built from first principles for your exact context.
✔️ Trusted foresight: Evidence-based and scenario-aware.
✔️ Founder accountability: You work directly with the founding team.

Signal mapping. Competitive and narrative intelligence. Scenario planning. Orthogonal validation. Regime awareness. Decision framing. Board-ready storytelling. Founder-led discovery and activation. The goal is simple: reduce decision latency and increase the quality of action.

Co-Founder, AILKEMY

Kaperider.com

About Kaperider Publishing, LLC

At Kaperider Publishing, we specialize in creating impactful books that inspire, educate, and empower readers across diverse topics, including technology, artificial intelligence, marketing, mental health, fitness, and more. Our mission is to bridge the gap between ambitious ideas and actionable outcomes, helping authors craft content that resonates with audiences and drives meaningful change.

Founded by Daniel Stouffer, a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in strategy, innovation, and digital transformation, Kaperider Publishing offers a unique blend of expertise, creativity, and results-oriented execution. From initial research and topic development to book outlining, authoring, and strategic marketing campaigns, we guide authors through every step of the publishing process to ensure their ideas reach the right audience.

At Kaperider, we believe that great books start with great strategies. That’s why we focus on:

🌟 Comprehensive Support: From concept to launch, we provide the tools, resources, and expertise to help authors succeed.

🌟 Actionable Insights: We simplify complex topics, transforming them into accessible, engaging content for real-world impact.

🌟 Strategic Marketing: Our tailored campaigns connect authors with readers, ensuring their work makes an impact in a competitive market.

What sets us apart is our commitment to excellence and community. Inspired by his role as a professional firefighter in Minneapolis, MN, Daniel Stouffer brings a team-first, mission-driven ethos to Kaperider Publishing. This unique perspective informs our collaborative approach, emphasizing trust, resilience, and the power of clear communication.

Whether you’re an experienced thought leader or a first-time author, Kaperider Publishing is here to help you bring your vision to life. Together, we’ll create books that inform, inspire, and leave a lasting legacy.

Author w/ Book & Newsletter Publishing

Winnebago

I'm in the middle of helping to steer a significant digital transformation initiative at Winnebago Outdoors. We're upgrading the ERP system to a new platform consisting of Microsoft D365, Salesforce, and the Teamcenter systems.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) role is collaborative, involving deep engagement with the Agile Release Train (ART), a composite of agile teams working in concert to achieve a shared objective. Here's a closer look at what an RTE does day to day:

✔️ Navigating Complexity: An RTE acts as the captain of the ship in turbulent digital waters, guiding the ART through planning, execution, and delivery. This involves facilitating Program Increment (PI) planning sessions, a critical event where the roadmap for the next phase is charted, risks are assessed, and strategies are devised.

✔️ Fostering Synergy: One of the greatest strengths of an RTE lies in its ability to foster collaboration among diverse teams and stakeholders. This role ensures alignment across various functions, encouraging transparency and communication. The RTE serves as a bridge between strategic goals and tactical execution, ensuring everyone moves in unison towards common objectives.

✔️ Driving Value Delivery: At the heart of SAFe is the relentless focus on delivering value to customers. An RTE ensures that every element of the ART contributes to this goal, optimizing flows, removing impediments, and managing risks. This consistent drive towards efficiency and effectiveness culminates in accelerated time-to-market and enhanced product quality.

The presence of an RTE within a transformation initiative brings several advantages. These include improved coordination across teams, enhanced clarity and focus on business objectives, streamlined processes, and a significant uplift in the morale and productivity of agile teams. Essentially, an RTE turns chaos into clarity, complexity into simplicity, and plans into action.

Digital Transformation Manager

Fyndr Group

Get Your New Talent Found Faster with Fyndr.org
--------------------------------------------------------
Fyndr.org's mission is to create a more efficient, scalable, zero-cost process for hiring managers and candidates "to fynd each other", by leveraging AI technology to job search at scale.

At Fyndr.org, we help renewable energy, recycling, energy storage, and Green or Clean Tech companies find the perfect job candidate for their open positions; not just in terms of skills and qualifications, but also in personality, culture, and world outlook.

Our AI driven solutions support hiring managers and job seekers every step of the way — by connecting those hiring directly with those looking for opportunities. Job seekers are recommended by someone that knows them personally. 

Because finding your “next fyndr” isn’t just about credentials, it’s about creating opportunities for everyone involved to thrive with the resources, introductions, and opportunities to grow an awesome team.

Note: Fyndr.org is a concept, product, website, and marketing campaign created by Daniel Stouffer, as a case study to demonstrate his talents AND to help with his job search.

https://fyndr.org/about

Program & Product Manager, Owner

reThink-Solar

In 2007, a spark ignited my love for solar, fueling a drive toward a renewable future, one community at a time. Born from a desire to make solar energy accessible and affordable to all, we embarked on a quest to redefine the solar engagement. 

Starting with solar leasing in 2007, then residential sales, to commercial contracts, and now to Community Solar for all.

It's been an exhilarating ride, flavored with challenges, triumphs, and countless learning moments. Today, reThink Solar stands as a beacon for change, guiding individuals and businesses toward a brighter, more sustainable tomorrow. One that can be totally without costs or expense when you have the key ingredients.

reThink Solar's Mission

At the core of reThink Solar pulses a steadfast mission - to weave the benefits of solar energy into the fabric of everyday life. We dream of a world where everyone, regardless of whether they own or rent their home, can tap into the power of the sun.

Our mission is simple yet bold: connect our customers to local community solar farms, ensuring a minimum of 5% savings on their electric bills annually for up to two decades. Now, with our services extending across numerous states in the USA, that dream is becoming a reality. 

At reThink Solar, we believe that everyone should have access to clean and affordable energy, regardless of whether they own their home or business. That's why our community solar model is designed to connect with renters, homeowners, and small businesses alike.

The power of the sun is for everyone — because reThink Solar believes that change, like sunlight and all renewable energy, should be universal and unbound. There's no simpler path to saving on your electric bill while championing renewable energy.

https://rethink-solar.com

Renewable Energy Advisor, reThink Solar

SunPower Corporation

Coordinated prioritization, roadmap planning, product backlog management, and product team execution for $36M portfolio of related programs. Managed 9 product delivery teams, total of 50 members, engaging internal and external stakeholders and cross-functional teams to create energy storage solutions and renewable energy digital platform capabilities.

* Added 25K more customers to mobile app by developing and launching complex digital features.

* Managed 5 concurrent projects, from defining scope and allocating resources to mitigating risks, consistently delivering project plans, resource allocations, and prioritized backlogs.

* Reduced time-to-market for new SKUs from 6 months to 3 weeks by implementing new and improved new product introduction process (NPI).

What truly sets me apart is my tenacious passion, drive, and motivation. I don't back down when things get tough, even when it seems like everything is on fire. I learned this fearless attitude from my experience in the fire service. When faced with challenges, I don't run away – I run towards them. I bring this mindset to everything I do.

If you're looking for a Technical Program Manager who can navigate the complexities of your projects with confidence, deliver exceptional results, and bring a fiery passion to the table, then look no further. I'm a servant leader when it comes to agile product delivery processes, lean UX, and implementing business agility. I am ready to take on the challenge.

Technical Program Manager (storage solutions)

Elevance Health

Orchestrated product delivery timelines to achieve budget and delivery goals. Managed backlog for 25 user experience designers. Leader behind the scenes organizing and prioritizing projects with stakeholders across 7 different strategic objectives aligned to quarterly product plans. Crafted sprint plans outlining goals, tactics, schedules, risks, and resource allocation for 300+ digital products group.

* Wrote project charter and obtained team resources across 6 business units, built recurring 4-week cycles of “Plan, Do, & Measure” iterative planning cycles, resulting in formation of new business intelligence (BI) analytics team.

* Improved team throughput 11%, providing program support and direction for 5 to 7 scrum teams, clearing obstacles to ensure initiatives were delivered, meeting stakeholder requirements.

* Collaborated with procurement to improve supply chain operations for internal and vendor-maintained products, reducing onboarding of new technology into IT organizations from more than 4 months to less than 6 weeks.

But beyond all the technicalities, I am a firm believer in agile product delivery, lean UX, and embracing business agility at scale. In this fast-paced digital age, it's crucial to be able to adapt quickly to market changes and seize emerging opportunities with innovative, digitally-enabled solutions. 

That's why I leveraged lean and agile product development practices to continuously deliver top-notch products that truly impressed.

Strong advocate of agile product delivery, lean UX, and implementing business agility at scale. Support the ability to compete and thrive in the digital age by quickly responding to market changes and emerging opportunities with innovative, digitally-enabled business solutions. Leveraged lean and agile product development practices to continually deliver innovative, high-quality products (https://www.scaledagile.com).

Digital Program Manager (portfolio strategy)

Ideation, Product Management, and Strategic Thinking -- I have a proven record of managing process driven teams, as well as complex software products and web application development projects, both standard and extremely agile. 

I’ve been a contributor and leader of physical and virtual teams across many projects. I represent the user experience across the organization by breaking down the user needs, strategic vision, and delivery into achievable outcomes that drive user value.

I know exactly what it takes to drive the business, rally the engagement of diverse teams, and effectively manage programs. I’m really a Swiss Army knife relating to program management.

I help manage the user experience resources within the agile product and development processes within Anthem Healthcare. This role requires a cross-discipline approach to understanding process, workflow, and communications. I live "working in the grey" to help development, product, and user experience teams deliver valued product to the Anthem members.

Product Teams Manager (user experience)

Geostella

Executed product strategy, planned and managed road map for Solar SaaS engineering teams. Uncovered customer pain points and industry trends. Led cross-functional teams across 55-person start-up to create solar energy platform. Managed bi-weekly feature releases to drive growth and keeping ahead of the competition.

* Delivered innovative products, expanding market user adoption in first 6 months, by developing and executing revised product roadmap, aligned to company goals and customer needs, increasing leads generated 23% and PV system installations 1.1K.

* Developed and executed product roadmap, aligning with company goals and customer needs, reducing the 500+ backlog items to 75 actionable features

* Implemented agile product development methods, resulting in a 4 capability teams focused on core product lines which created 2 week release windows

* Collaborated with sales & marketing, product engineering, and field operations teams to develop effective roll-out strategies that minimized inventory costs

Geostellar pioneered big-data geomatics to make solar energy accessible, affordable and plentiful. The company is the recipient of numerous awards, including selection as an IHS Energy Innovation Pioneer, the Global Cleantech100, the Global Cleantech Cluster Association's Best of Solar, and the Always On Going Green Global 2000.

Director Product Management (field operations)

Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.

User Experience Design with Mentoring of Agile Teams

Led user and client meetings, collected and analyze product data to determine product feasibility. Created personas, task scenarios, and navigation & solution hierarchies. Helped wireframe and prototype product with various levels of field study and usability testing to ensure ease of use.

* Launched 3 internationalized websites by placing end user in focus during entire design process.

* Co-developed new hybrid approach for agile project delivery across 8 scrum teams, reducing backlogged features 35% and team churn, and delivering more user-friendly solution.

* Decreased slack time between feature start by developers 3 days due to better requirements definition

* Wireframed and prototype the product with various levels of field study or usability testing to ensure ease of use and feasibility.

* Worked with design teams and developers to successfully launch a new partner website.

* Invented user-centered design processes and methodologies that worked within the corporate environment.

User Experience Manager with focus on wireframes, user experience, and mentoring agile teams. Examples of websites where I was the UX Lead include https://www.ameriprise.com/ and https://www.columbiathreadneedleus.com/.

Manager User Experience (product delivery)

Verisae | an Accruent company

Drove platform capabilities guided by roadmap aligned with company goals and customer needs. Conducted market research, identifying gaps in market and helped UX / UI designers better understand how research, feature value, and engineering effort connected.

* Increased market share 20% by conducting thorough market research and competitor analysis to identify opportunities for product innovation.

* Collaborated with key stakeholders, customers, and cross-functional product teams to iterate product and establish tracking metrics, improving user satisfaction ratings 30%.

* Developed and executed public relations plan with industry experts at Gartner, Forrester, and others resulting in several magazine publications and placement of Verisae in the top quadrant of energy and sustainability SaaS platforms.

As an Information Architect then promoted to Digital Product Manager, IOT Energy Management, I help design how to make the right content and features available to the right people at the right time. 

My role involved the development of content systems and product features that help users find and manage asset, energy, and environmental data and access insights through business intelligence more successfully across the Accruent IoT SaaS platform.

Verisae is a provider of technology (...purchased by Accruent) and services for big retailers, manufacturers and other complex organizations. They do one thing better than anyone else. They  help our clients manage energy, maintenance, GHG emissions, and environmental performance through a single set of closely related technologies, connected devices, and IoT innovation.

Lead Digital Product Manager (energy IoT & SaaS)

The Ground Beneath Leadership Is Shifting

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to lead through uncertainty without a map, welcome. This is where we draw the new ones. AI isn’t knocking politely at the door. It’s rewiring how teams operate, how decisions get made, and how value is created.

Old playbooks don’t bend. They break. And the burden of clarity? It’s falling squarely on you.

If you’re the one responsible for making sense of chaos for integrating new tech, managing team emotions, aligning systems, and staying strategic without burning out, then AILKEMY was built with you in mind.

You’re not a passive observer of change. You’re the one others look to when everything changes. 

AILKEMY exists to help you build that kind of organization. We don’t hype tools. We train humans to lead through disruption.

Why Read AILKEMY? 

AI won’t replace you. But teams who master human–AI collaboration will. This isn’t about man versus machine. It’s about hybrid orchestration, the art of blending automation with empathy, speed with systems thinking, and clarity with courage.

Who Reads AILKEMY? 

AILKEMY is written for the most accountable people in the room—those who don’t have the luxury of waiting for certainty. Whether you lead others, build products, run a team, or want to stay relevant, it helps you lead with clarity, not chaos.

Why I Publish AILKEMY?

I’m Daniel Stouffer. I’m an author of dozens of nonfiction books, a systems thinker, a firefighter, and a futurist. I’ve helped leaders navigate disruption for two decades, not from a theory lab, but from the front lines of change: in startups, classrooms, fire stations, and boardrooms.

I write AILKEMY because I’ve lived the pressure of needing answers when the playbook no longer works. I know what it feels like to be the one people look to in moments of uncertainty. 

This newsletter, and the “Insights-as-a-Service (AIS) we’re launching, is my way of offering a lifeline of clarity, one issue at a time.

https://news.ailkemy.com

Daniel Stouffer

The Real Story Behind Amazon’s Massive Job Cuts

Amazon’s CEO Andy Jassy didn’t hide the reason. He told employees that “AI adoption and improved productivity” would lead to job reductions. Translation: AI agents are doing work humans used to do — faster, cheaper, and without vacation days.

This isn’t new…

AILKEMY Co-Founder, Author, and GenAI Marketer. ╰(*°▽°*)╯ “Think Further. Build Smarter. Lead Human.”

Open article: How Amazon’s 30,000 Layoffs Signal the End of Traditional Corporate Work by medium.com

How Amazon’s 30,000 Layoffs Signal the End of Traditional Corporate Work

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗜? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗨𝗽 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁

AI isn’t a “𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱” anymore. 

It’s already shaping how teams make 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀, and 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲. 

The leaders who understand this aren’t waiting for perfect timing; they’re adapting now.

And here’s the quiet tension most leaders feel but rarely say out loud:

What if the biggest threat to your organization isn’t AI… but staying locked into the same leadership style you used before it arrived?

That’s where 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 steps in. Not as another loud, overhyped tech book, but as a simple, clear guide to help you lead with confidence in a world that’s moving faster every day. 

It’s built for leaders who want to stay 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀, and 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 through change without fear or confusion.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.

https://lnkd.in/gFWwfjUn?

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 “𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹” 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿?

We rarely talk about this on LinkedIn… but many top performers are driven not by passion, but by old survival instincts. 

You learn to excel because slowing down once felt unsafe. 

You smile because showing struggle wasn’t an option. 

You lead because being strong was the only role you ever knew.

And on the outside? You look unstoppable. On the inside? You’re exhausted from carrying a past your mind has outgrown… but your nervous system hasn’t.

This is where 𝗘𝗠𝗗𝗥 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 becomes life-changing. It doesn’t force you to relive trauma, it helps your brain finally process it. The panic quiets. The perfectionism softens. Rest stops feel dangerous.

If you’ve ever wondered, “𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?”, the answer might not be mindset. It might be memory.

Real growth isn’t performing strength. It’s finally feeling safe enough to stop pretending.

https://surl.li/senksy

#EMDRTherapy #Traumahealing

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂, 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘄

You’ve walked through fire.

You’ve sat in therapy with a trembling voice.

You’ve journaled the memories you once tried to outrun.

You’ve meditated long enough to meet both the storm and the silence inside you.

So why does doubt still whisper, “𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗜 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲?”

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘆.

Your life isn’t defined by what happened to you,  it’s defined by the choices you make now.

What you think, commit to, and step into next determines whether you keep surviving… or finally start living.

https://lnkd.in/gCKdXbiD

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘀: 

We look unbreakable in the daylight… yet it’s the quiet moments, hotel rooms, late evenings, and long drives where everything starts to slip.

𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼.

That slow unraveling that doesn’t look dramatic from the outside but feels like your mind is picking a lock from within.

𝗡𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗡𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. 

Just a familiar pull toward the old escape route.

But what if the problem isn’t that you’re weak…what if your toolkit was simply never designed for the life you’re living now?

That question sits at the heart of 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆, the newest playbook in the Beyond Survival series, built not for the broken, but for the brilliantly functioning humans who are still carrying survival wiring.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

https://lnkd.in/gGG3pCdh

The question lingers in the air like static…

If AI can give all the answers, why do they still need us?

AI doesn’t steal your value. It revealed it.

Open article: Why AI Taking Your Old Job Makes You More Valuable Than Ever by kaperider.com

Why AI Taking Your Old Job Makes You More Valuable Than Ever

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺? 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁?

Every expert knows this feeling.

Your wisdom is deep. Your story is powerful. Your impact is real.

But the book inside you?

It sits quietly in the background while you run the show, clients, operations, fires to put out, deadlines to meet. “𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘆” becomes a graveyard for brilliant ideas.

You don’t need more time.
You don’t need to become a writer.

You just need the right system that turns your knowledge into a scalable author business without you writing a single word.

That’s exactly what we built at 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀.

If you’re ready to turn your expertise into authority, revenue, and a platform that works even when you’re not,  your book doesn’t have to wait anymore👇

Open article: How Ghostpartners Turns Your Wisdom Into A Scalable Business Without You Writing by articles.kaperider.com

How Ghostpartners Turns Your Wisdom Into A Scalable Business Without You Writing

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲… 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄?

It hits all the right points, clear, concise, and persuasive.

But something’s off. Something human is missing. That spark that says this is real, this is lived, this is uniquely mine… It’s gone.

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗜 promises speed, efficiency, and scale.
It can produce entire articles, emails, or marketing copy in seconds.

But at what cost?

Too often, it smooths over the quirks, the emotional inflections, the rhythm of your language, the imperfections that secretly make your writing magnetic.

And in a world where anyone can generate content in seconds,
𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰.

Open article: When AI Writes, Who Speaks? How Generative AI Threatens Your Voice (And How to Reclaim It) by articles.kaperider.com

When AI Writes, Who Speaks? How Generative AI Threatens Your Voice (And How to Reclaim It)

𝗕𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁… 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁?

If you’re a small business owner, you know the drill:

You’re the 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻, the 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿, the 𝗛𝗥 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, the operations team…and somehow still the one making dinner at 8 PM.

It’s not entrepreneurship. It’s exhaustion dressed as productivity.

And then people say, “𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗜!” As if that magically solves the overwhelm.

𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝘀.

Small businesses don’t need another shiny trend.

They need clarity.
They need simplicity.
They need tools that remove pressure, not add more to your plate.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀? 𝗢𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱?

https://lnkd.in/gPeDVJfu?

If the world moves this fast, why are we still following yesterday’s maps?

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘁. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘁.

And deep down, you know the truth:  𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

We need to teach young people how to 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸, 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁, and 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀, not memorize solutions that might already be outdated.

What’s one way you’re helping your students, or your team, navigate a world that keeps changing?

Open article: Teach Self-Directed Orchestrators, Not Dependents by articles.kaperider.com

Teach Self-Directed Orchestrators, Not Dependents

We were told we could have it all: a 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫, a 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬, and a home that looked like a 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝.

And for a while, we did.

Until the quiet moments started to feel unbearable.

You know the feeling, that anxious buzz beneath your skin, even when everything looks fine. You meet deadlines, remember the snacks, send the emails, show up with a smile… and still collapse at night, wondering why peace feels like something you’ll “earn” later.

It’s not you.

It’s the hustle.

Open article: Success Feels Like Survival: Why Moms Are Ditching the Hustle Habit for Inner Calm by rb.gy

Success Feels Like Survival: Why Moms Are Ditching the Hustle Habit for Inner Calm

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

You didn’t fight your way to sobriety to survive it, did you?

You came this far to feel alive again, to wake up without the 𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞, the 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞, and the ache of pretending you’re “𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞.” 

But if you’ve ever caught yourself white-knuckling through stress, biting back cravings, or wondering why peace still feels out of reach… maybe it’s time to ask a more complicated question:

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠?

Open article: You’re Not Broken, You’re Wired: The Neuroscience of True Sobriety by articles.kaperider.com

You’re Not Broken, You’re Wired: The Neuroscience of True Sobriety

𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Your CRM isn’t a graveyard. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲. But only if you know how to listen.

Most leaders secretly assume the worst: 

Unqualified leads. 
Deals that never moved. 
Prospects who ghosted. 
Follow-ups that die somewhere between “𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸” and “𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻.”

We label these things as failures. 
We move on. 
We rebuild the pipeline from scratch. 
And we burn more money in the process. 

But what if those “𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀” aren’t dead at all? 

What if they’re patterns?
Signals.
Unclaimed revenue you already earned… but never collected?

This is where 𝗔𝗜-𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 (𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗢𝗽𝘀) flips the script.

Your business isn’t underperforming, your visibility is.

It’s time to illuminate what’s been sitting in your CRM all along.

https://lnkd.in/gFPgUn-4

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝘅-𝗙𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀! 

If you’re a 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿, you’ve probably spent years polishing expertise, gathering stories, and collecting insights you know could help people. 

Yet your book still isn’t finished… or it’s published but not producing the clients, revenue, or impact you hoped for.

Here’s the truth most authors never hear:
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

This book isn’t about chasing algorithms, pleasing gatekeepers, or throwing your manuscript into the void, hoping something magical happens.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Open article: The Secret Every Six-Figure Author Knows (But You’ve Been Trained to Ignore) by articles.kaperider.com

The Secret Every Six-Figure Author Knows (But You’ve Been Trained to Ignore)

The latest essay in my 42 Essays Project is live: “When I Die?” 

It begins in a quiet room and ends with a posture you can live by. Evidence beyond the story. Practice beside philosophy. 

If you want a steady way to face endings and love better now, grab the complimentary copy and let’s talk about it.

https://lnkd.in/gEYTnUX7

A Field Guide for the Last Breath and Every Day Before It We measure a life in small sounds: the click of a defibrillator cart cooling in the hall, th

Open article: When I Die? by Daniel Stouffer • 3 min read

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝘀 “𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆,” 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀… 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸?

Ever wondered why remote work feels 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 and 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 at the same time?

Why is your team technically “𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲” yet somehow always behind?

Why does your workday stretch across time zones like a rubber band ready to snap?

"𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸."

It revealed meetings masquerading as clarity. 
Urgency pretending to be progress. 
Teams running on fragments of attention instead of real flow.

If that hits a little too close to home… it should.

Welcome to 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀, the playbook for leaders who want momentum without burnout. Because work shouldn’t feel like you’re sprinting in sand ⬇️

https://lnkd.in/gaTZQNAh

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦?

Remember your first job?
The shaky start. The kind manager. The lessons that shaped your career.

Now imagine that moment… no longer exists.

Because today, the first rung of the career ladder is gone.
AI agents now do what interns, assistants, and entry-level hires once did.

𝐍𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝. 𝐍𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬. 𝐍𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰.

If AI takes the first job, how do humans still begin?

We built hiring systems on “experience required.” But what happens when no one gets a chance to earn experience in the first place?

Read more in 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐫 at Amazon.

👉 https://lnkd.in/gQ5hWBft?

#BrokenLadder #FutureOfWork #ArtificialIntelligence

Remember your first job? 

That shaky start. The manager who showed you the ropes. The small mistakes that taught you big lessons.

Now imagine if that moment, that first chance, no longer existed.

Because in today’s world, it’s disappearing.

Open article: Broken Ladder: Rebuilding Human Beginnings in the Age of AI by danielstouffer.medium.com

Broken Ladder: Rebuilding Human Beginnings in the Age of AI

Another 3 a.m. zinger - Am I alone?

Let me name the first terror clearly. No one can live inside the full movement of your mind. Your thoughts, memories, and sensations are yours. Even the people who love you most cannot climb inside and steer. That privacy is real.

It's all good news once we learn how to hold it without fear.

Aloneness is not a defect. 

It is the space that lets just ‘being’ be truly meaningful...

https://lnkd.in/gK7nEZPv

A Field Guide to First-Person Terror At three in the morning, the ceiling turns into a sky without stars. The room feels bigger than your chest. You l

Open article: Am I Alone? by Daniel Stouffer • 2 min read

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧.

Generative AI has collapsed the 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭, and 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. Campaigns that once required endless approvals now go live in just days. Teams that once required an entire floor of desks now operate with precision, one strategist and one AI system at a time.

But here’s the question leaders can’t ignore:

𝐈𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭…
𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩?
𝐎𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤?

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 isn’t just a guide. It’s a wake-up call. And for leaders bold enough to listen, it’s also a blueprint.

Open article: The Future of Marketing Is Faster Than You. Here’s How to Catch Up. by surl.li

The Future of Marketing Is Faster Than You. Here’s How to Catch Up.

Strategy & Finance Executive | Scaling Impact-Driven Companies Beyond $10M | Strategic CFO | Certified Scaling Up Advisor

Scaling Founders Beyond $10M with Strategy, Financial Clarity, and Leadership Expansion

Most companies stall not because of lack of effort—
but because the founder has outgrown the systems, strategies, and financial models that once worked.

At Ascend Growth Ventures, we partner with CEOs of $3M–$10M companies to implement Scaling Up, strengthen financial infrastructure, and elevate leadership teams—building businesses that scale profitably and predictably, without burning out the founder.

By integrating Scaling Up, Exponential Organizations, and CFO-level financial insights, we deliver a complete, battle-tested system for sustainable, high-performance growth.

🔹 We Work With CEOs Who Want To:
✔️ Scale revenue and profits without chaos
✔️ Build self-managing leadership teams
✔️ Unlock hidden cash flow and improve financial decision-making
✔️ Sharpen their strategy for exponential growth
✔️ Prepare for capital raises, acquisitions, or exits

🔹 Our Core Focus Areas:
  * Strategic Scaling Up Implementation

  * Financial Strategy & Cash Optimization

  * Leadership Team Development

  * Systems for Predictable Growth

  * Valuation Prep and Exit Strategy

✅ Why Work With Me?
25+ years of experience scaling businesses from the inside out:
➡️ Regional CFO, GE Gas Power (LATAM, +1.5GW record year)
➡️ Strategic finance and underwriting leadership at GE Capital
➡️ Business/project development for 8-figure ventures
➡️ Trusted advisor to founders scaling past $10M and beyond

✅ Industries We Specialize In:
✔️ Clean Energy & Decarbonization
✔️ Industrial Goods & B2B Services
✔️ Impact-Driven Companies
✔️ Scaling Coaching & Consulting Firms

🧠 If You're Ready to Scale Intelligently and Sustainably

Let's have a strategic conversation about where you are—and where you can go.

Easiest way to work with me?

Book a private power hour call and let's create your vision.
https://calendly.com/cruzagamboa/90-min-power-hour

Cruz Gamboa

The market tells stories. Your financials & metrics tell truth.

In 2001, Amazon's stock cratered from $113 to $6.

Wall Street declared it dead.

Let's be clear: that had to be terrifying. Even for Bezos.

Watching 95% of your valuation evaporate. Hearing the whispers. Feeling the pressure from every direction.

But here's what separated him from founders who fold in those moments, he kept coming back to his dashboard:

Customer acquisition costs...improving. 

Fulfillment efficiency...improving. 

Contribution margin per unit...improving. 

Defect rates...declining.

The stock price reflected fear. 

The operating metrics reflected reality.

Confidence isn't the absence of fear. It's choosing to trust what you can measure over what you can't control.

This is Financial Intelligence: knowing which numbers actually predict your future, especially when everything around you is screaming that you're losing.

Watch the video. Bezos is calm. 

Not because he wasn't scared, but because he had clarity.

He knew exactly what was true inside his business.

That's how you survive what looks like a reversal, and come out the other side stronger.

That's how $6 becomes $1.7 trillion.

So here's my question for you:

What would it be worth to have that kind of clarity the next time everything feels like it's falling apart?

To know—not hope, not guess—that you're on the right track?

That's the game worth playing.

Check out comments for details

#founder #growth #ceo #scalingup

Helping Founders Break the $10M Ceiling | Strategy, Cash Flow & Leadership Systems | Scaling CFO

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

Hamdi Ulukaya didn’t just build a yogurt brand, he redefined an industry.

No investors. No marketing budget. Just purpose, grit, and belief.

In 2005, he saw an ad.
An abandoned Kraft yogurt factory.

Everyone saw a money pit.
He saw possibility.

He didn’t have the money.
So he took a loan.

Bought the factory.
Kept 5 employees who believed when no one else did.

No income.
No sales.
No marketing.
Just faith, and a recipe from home.

Two years later, in 2007, Chobani was born.

No ads. Just bold packaging and pure taste.

Retailers hesitated.
But the people loved it.

Within 5 years, #1 yogurt in America.

Over $1B in sales.
The giants, Dannon, Yoplait, couldn’t catch up.

He stayed private.
Gave 10% of the company to his employees.

Hired refugees.
Put people before profit.

When asked why, he said:

👉 “Business is the strongest force for good, if it puts people first.”

From a shepherd in Turkey…
To a billionaire who still walks the factory floors.

Lesson?
You don’t need investors.
You need integrity.
You don’t need luck.
You need courage.

Because the dream still works, if you do.

Loved this story. Let me know your comments. 

What problem in your business keeps calling for your most creative energy?

#CEO  #FOUNDER #GROWTH #SCALINGUP

Two friends, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

One dropped out.
One got rejected from med school.
But both wanted to build something.

First idea: bagels.
Too expensive.
So they pivot to ice cream.

No experience. No investors.
Just a $5 correspondence course from Penn State.
$2.50 each.

They find an abandoned gas station in Vermont.
Borrow $12,000.
Do the renovation themselves.

Ben can’t even taste properly, a condition called anosmia.
So he focuses on texture.
Big chunks. Wild swirls. Bold flavours.

What others saw as a weakness became their edge.

Within months, lines formed outside the door.
Free Cone Day became a tradition.
Word spread fast.

Few years later, they launched Cherry Garcia.
The brand took off across the country.
Soon, Ben & Jerry’s was making over $500M a year.

All from $12,000 and a $5 course.

Lesson?
You don’t need the perfect start.
You need creativity, courage, and the guts to turn constraints into leverage.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

They emailed eBay 200 times.
eBay ignored every single one.
Most people would’ve given up.

But Marc, Oliver, and Alexander Samwer weren’t “most people.”

They cloned eBay.
Launched it in Germany.
Executed with speed and perfection.
Within months… eBay bought it back for $43 MILLION.

Then the brothers doubled down.
They built Rocket Internet, the company that turned cloning into a billion-dollar machine.

They copied.
They improved.
They scaled.
And they sold again, and again, and again.

Here’s the truth:

👉 They weren’t chasing approval, they were chasing execution at scale.
👉 They didn’t wait to be discovered, they created their own leverage.
👉 They mastered the one principle most founders overlook:
Doing it better beats doing it first.

Critics called them “copycats.”
But behind the noise, the Samwer brothers built an empire worth billions.

Most people stop when they hear “no.”
The one who succeed?
They push when it’s uncomfortable.
They build when others hesitate.
They turn rejection into momentum.

If you want outsized results, do what most won’t:
Step past comfort.
Step past doubt.
Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live right beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #bostonfounders

li_at

JSESSIONID

LinkedIn Login, Sign in | LinkedIn

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁.

Steve Jobs said it best, the greatest people are self-managing.

They don’t need direction. They are the direction.

When you’re scaling, this is the difference between speed and stagnation.

You can’t build a $10M company micromanaging every move.
You build it by surrounding yourself with people who:

➡️ See the problem before you do.
➡️ Fix it without asking.
➡️ Then tell you how they made it better.

That’s who scales companies.
Not followers.
Not “yes” people.
Builders.

If you have to keep pushing your team to move, 
you don’t have a scaling problem,
you have a people problem.

The truth?
The best teams don’t need managing.
They need mission.

Hire those who act like owners.
Give them the target.
Then get the hell out of their way.

That’s how you scale.
That’s how you win.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

He built a dating site that generated exactly zero activity.
No users. No traction. No revenue.

Most leaders call that a failed model.
I call it an early audit.

Three ex-PayPal employees launched “Tune In Hook Up,” expecting market fit.
What they got was silence.
Operational cost? Rising.
User acquisition? Non-existent.
ROI? Negative from day one.

But here’s what mattered:
They reviewed the data instead of reacting to the emotion.

They noticed users trying to upload videos
Not for dating, but for everyday moments.
Unintended behaviour, but real demand.

So they executed the smartest financial move any early-stage team can make:
A low-cost pivot.

Same infrastructure.
Same upload system.
Zero additional burn.
Just a shift in positioning:
Share any video.

And that decision changed their entire valuation trajectory.

Users scaled exponentially.
Cost per acquisition plummeted.
Engagement skyrocketed.
Suddenly, they weren’t running a dating site…
They were running the internet’s first true video platform.

By 2006, their risk profile had flipped
High growth. High virality.
And high legal exposure.

Enter Google.
They offered $1.65B in stock for a business that still had no established monetisation engine.
From a financial lens?
That’s called derisking the future.

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim accepted.
Smart move.
They transferred operational liability…
And secured generational wealth.

Today, YouTube contributes over $40B in yearly ad revenue
and sits at a valuation north of $500B.

All from a product that started as a complete miss 
until the data told a different story.

Lesson:
You don’t scale perfection.
You scale what the market proves it wants.
Listen to the numbers, not the narratives.
And never underestimate the ROI of a well-timed pivot.

#CFOInsights #Leadership #Strategy #Scalingup

She sold her engagement ring for $10,000.
Ten years later, Vicky Tsai built a $500M skincare empire.

Most people call that crazy.
I call it commitment.

She walked away from a six-figure job…
Moved back into her childhood bedroom at 30…
Got rejected for 18 months straight…
And kept going anyway.

1,000 units.
Her last $5,000.
No safety net. No backup plan.

Month one? $2,000 in sales.
Most people quit here.
Vicky didn’t.

She packed every order by hand.
Wrote thank-you notes to strangers.
Built trust one customer at a time.

Then the internet found her.
Demand exploded.
Sephora called.
And the bedroom startup became one of the fastest-growing skincare brands in America.

In 2019, Unilever bought Tatcha for $500 million.
The $10,000 ring she sold?
It turned into 50,000x.

Lesson?
You don’t need permission.
You need conviction.
And the courage to burn Plan B. 

#ceo #founder #growth #scalingup

He got fired.
The company he built said, “We don’t need you anymore.”
Everyone forgot him.

But Steve Jobs didn’t stop.

He poured tens of millions into a failing company called Pixar.
Everyone thought he was crazy.
Most would have quit.

12 years later… that gamble sold for $7.4 BILLION.

Here’s the thing:

👉 He wasn’t chasing money. He was chasing vision.
👉 He embraced risk when others ran from it.
👉 He bet on what he believed in, even when the world said no.

Most people quit right before the payoff.
The real winners? They push through when it’s hardest.
They see opportunity where others see failure.

If you want massive results, you need to do what most won’t.
Step past comfort. Step past doubt. Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live just beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup  #growth #ceo

Steve Jobs

He built pole barns to pay for college.

Decades later, John Menard Jr. built Menards, an $18B home improvement empire.

Most people call that luck.

I call it financial discipline.

He opened a small lumber yard in 1964…

Kept prices rock-bottom by building his own factories…

And built every store with cash, not debt.

No investors. No loans. No noise.

While others chased speed and Wall Street, John chose control.

He knew his margins by product line. He tracked cash flow like a pilot tracks altitude. He made the numbers his single source of truth.

Store by store. State by state. Slow, steady, unstoppable.

When 2008 hit, he didn't scramble; he expanded.

Today?

340+ Menards stores. $13B+ revenue. 3rd third-largest home-improvement chain in America. Still 100% private.

The lesson?

You don't need to grow fast. You need to grow right.

That means: 
→ Knowing your profit margins by service line 
→ Tracking cash flow weekly, not just at tax time 
→ Building systems so the business works, not just you

Financial clarity isn't about being a "numbers person."
It's about building simple, repeatable habits that let you scale with confidence.

Have the courage to own every decision, starting with your numbers.
#founder #growth #businessmindset #financialclarity #scalingup

Most people think success comes from working harder, dreaming bigger, or thinking smarter.

Here's the truth: none of that matters if you don't act.

In one simple test, a $50 bill was up for grabs. 

Everyone wanted it. 
Everyone talked about it. 
Everyone wished they had it…

Except Debbie.

She stood up. She walked forward. She took it.

That's it. 

That's the difference between winners and everyone else.

While everyone else burns time and money chasing online strategies that become less effective every day…

The smartest entrepreneurs thriving in 2025 are walking away from their screens and adding an extra 7-figures through live events.

Real humans. In-person communities. High-profit partnerships.

The ultimate advantage in the age of AI isn't replacing humanity with efficiency; it's experiences that are deep, connective, transformative, and profitable.

Getting face-to-face with your ideal clients AND peers is the most consistent solution to the Trust Recession.

I'll be at Event Profit Engine in Austin (December 10-12)...and I still have 4 discounted tickets.

If you're ready to get clarity on the financial blind spots keeping you from scaling, this is your moment.

Don't sit in the room wishing. 

Be Debbie.

P.S. Stop waiting for perfect timing. The money, the deal, the break… it's waiting for the first person who moves. Will it be you? DM me AUSTIN for ticket details.
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

He was dropped at an orphanage at seven.
No food. No money. No choice.

By 14, he was on a factory floor, making metal frames.
One wrong move crushed part of his finger. Permanent injury.

Most people would quit. Most people would settle.
He didn’t.

He watched. He learned.
Every machine. Every process. Every decision.
Night classes. Every penny saved. Knowledge accumulation.

At 26, he opened a tiny eyewear shop in the Italian Alps.
Nothing fancy. No connections. Just him, a few employees, and an obsession with understanding the craft end-to-end.

Most competitors sold parts. He had a different idea: make complete frames. Control the product. Own the market.

By the 1980s, he was making designer frames for fashion houses.
By 1995, he bought LensCrafters—suddenly he controlled both the product and the retail.

Then came Ray-Ban.
Everyone said he overpaid $640 million for a dying brand.
He didn’t see risk. He saw opportunity.

Ray-Ban wasn’t just glasses anymore.
Movies. Celebrities. Fashion statements.
Value multiplied. Brand exploded.

He kept buying. Oakley. Sunglass Hut. Prada. Versace. Chanel. Pearle Vision.
Vertical integration? Check. Market dominance? Check. Monopoly? Almost.

When he died in 2022, Leonardo Del Vecchio had $25.8 billion.
One orphan. One factory worker. One relentless learner.

Lesson:
You don’t need luck. You need mastery, observation, and relentless execution.
Start small. Learn everything. Then own the ecosystem.

#ceo #scalingup #growth #founder

Most founders don't fail because of competition.
 They fail because of the blind spots they never see coming.

Cash looks fine… until it doesn't. Revenue grows… but profit disappears. You hire fast… and spend months fixing mistakes. You work harder… but scale refuses to unlock.

I spent 20+ years at GE Capital navigating these exact challenges at a corporate level.

Closing an $800M+ power plant deal? That taught me cash flow precision. Managing international transactions? That revealed the profit leaks most miss. Building high-performance teams? That showed me the cost of hiring fast vs. hiring right.

Those frameworks didn't just help me lead deals—they gave me the blueprint for scalable growth.

Now I help founders apply these same battle-tested systems to their businesses.

The 7 blind spots in this carousel? They're the ones holding 90% of founders back from predictable, profitable scale.

If you want to go deeper… Download my free ebook in the comments. 

Fix the blind spots. Scale with clarity. Build a business that runs like a pro—because you learned from one.
#scalingup #founder #ceo #growth

7 Blind Spots

𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿.

Most founders know Pinterest.

Almost no one knows Paul Sciarra, the guy who paid early salaries out of his own pocket, skipped taking income, and carried the company when no one else believed.

He wasn’t a “supporter.”
He was the architecture.

And then the quiet part of startup life happened.
Not a blow-up.
Not a fight.
Just… inches.

One meeting he wasn’t invited to.
One decision he didn’t have visibility into.
One board conversation that happened without him.

By the time Pinterest crossed millions of users and raised over $100M…
Paul was out.

He walked away with ~$15M.
Not nothing.
But painful when your original idea becomes a $25B enterprise.

This isn’t a story about betrayal.
It’s a story about leadership, governance, and identity.

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘆.
They lose it when:
 • they stop owning the financial strategy
 • they delegate governance without understanding it
 • they avoid hard conversations
 • they let investors define the path
 • they disconnect from the role of architect

You can build something extraordinary…
and still get written out of your own success if you don’t stay in the seat you were meant to own.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 $𝟯𝗠–$𝟭𝟬𝗠 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻.
The product works.
The company has traction.
Teams are growing.

 But governance, capital strategy, and leadership identity aren’t keeping pace.
That’s the real risk.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻:
Your idea can change the world,  but only if you stay in the role of architect as it scales.

Own your equity.
Protect your seat.
Upgrade your thinking.
Build with intention.
The threat isn’t being pushed out.
The threat is drifting out of your power.

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
 Are you building like the founder…
 or leading like the architect?

#ceo #founder #scalingup #growth

Passion isn’t happiness.
It’s pain.
It’s grinding when no one is watching.
It’s suffering through every mistake, every rejection, every late night, just to build something nobody thought was possible.

Jensen Huang didn’t follow the market.
He didn’t wait for AI to be big.
He invested 10,000 engineer-years ahead of demand.
He pivoted Nvidia from graphics chips to AI dominance.
That’s vision. That’s first-principles thinking. That’s suffering smarter than everyone else.

Breakthroughs aren’t born in comfort zones.
They’re born when you refuse to quit, when you embrace the grind, and when you’re willing to suffer today for what the world will celebrate tomorrow.

Extraordinary isn’t given.
It’s earned.
Through struggle.
Through relentless work.
Through being willing to do what everyone else won’t.

If you want to be great, get comfortable being uncomfortable.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

Mastermind Scaling Dinner 

This past Wednesday night in Boston, twelve leaders got uncomfortably honest about their real constraints.

No pitch decks. No surface-level networking. 

Just the Hero's Journey framework and one question: 

"What's actually stopping you from scaling?"

Three principles guided the conversation:

🪞 Your Business is a Mirror 

The bottleneck in your business is a reflection of a constraint in your leadership. 

Stop fixing symptoms. Fix the leader, and the business scales.

🐉 Constraints are Your Greatest Leverage

 Your biggest constraint is not a problem—it's the dragon guarding your next treasure. 

The right constraint, once identified and solved, unlocks massive, non-linear growth.

⚖️ Not All Success Has the Same Price

 You can build a company that breaks you, or one that fulfills you. 

Alignment + Clarity = Sustainable Success.

🎯 What showed up:

Estate planning. Cybersecurity. Medical devices. Food distribution. Banking. Fractional sales leadership. IT services. M&A law. Green infrastructure. Urban revitalization. Job search acceleration.

Different industries. Same truth: Every business grows until it hits a constraint, then grows no further.

The magic wasn't in solving everything in one night. 

It was in naming the real constraint out loud - not the sanitized version we tell at networking events, but the 2am version that keeps us up.

Some constraints were about capital. Others about people, partnerships, or positioning. A few were about letting go of what got them here to embrace what gets them there.

🤝 The vulnerability created immediate value: Real partnerships forming. 

Actual introductions being made. Problems being reframed. Resources being shared.

Thank you to Adrian Mendoza and the Mendoza Ventures team for hosting us.

And to everyone who showed up: Marco A. Schiavo , Geoffry Gilton, Joshua Sigsworth, PT, DPT, Dominic Endicott, Jacques Cohen, Maud Dentico, Vasant Narayan, Raffi Yardemian, CSL, Paul Smith, Alex Khalarian, and Sam "Butch" Nigro.

This is what happens when you build community around truth instead of transactions.

The Mastermind dinner happens monthly ( but we are taking a break in December). If you're a founder or executive in Boston or Greater Boston working on something real and willing to get honest about your constraints, let's talk.

We are going to start hosting Metro West dinners as well. More to come.

P.S. - Curious about finding the constraint for your business? Drop a comment or DM.

Most founders don’t fail because they’re lazy.
They fail because their goals are small.

Small goals keep you grinding.
Big goals force you to rebuild the system.

When you raise the target to 10x, everything changes:
your strategy, your thinking, your standards, your circle.

You stop playing in the crowded middle
and start operating where very few people dare to go.

10x isn’t harder.

It’s cleaner. 
It’s clearer. 
It’s smarter.

Stop playing safe. Start playing big.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

I wanted to grow my LinkedIn presence to 100K in a year.
I had 2k followers. 

A few people said that it would take years and that I was unrealistic.

Maybe they would have been right - if I'd believed them

I tried anyway. 
I took a course to learn from others who were ahead of me.
I showed up here every day.
Continuously improved my content (and my mindset)
Hired people to help me.

Did I accomplish my goal?
NO. 

I am still at 72k followers today, a year into that challenge.
But I am still grateful for the results. 

Can you imagine what would have happened if I had played small?
I may be at 15K followers at best. 

And that's the whole point. 

Even if you miss the 10X mark, it beats linear thinking. 

This same principle is why I help founders identify the 7 financial blind spots killing their scale - because small thinking about money keeps you grinding, while 10x financial clarity forces you to rebuild the system.

Want to apply 10x thinking to your finances? 

I've identified the 7 blind spots most founders miss. 

Download the guide; link is in the comments. 

#founder #ceo #growth #scalingup

10X Thinking = 10 X Results

He bought a bankrupt textile factory for $15 million.
Forty years later, Bernard Arnault built a $500B luxury empire.

Most people call that impossible.
I call it vision.

He didn’t invent anything.
He didn’t design a product.
He didn’t chase trends.
He just saw what others couldn’t.

Buried inside that dying company was a forgotten gem: Christian Dior.
Everyone overlooked it.
Arnault didn’t.

He sold everything except Dior.
Bet the house on one iconic brand.
And rebuilt from zero.

Then he made an even crazier move
He went after LVMH.
Louis Vuitton. Moët. Hennessy.
The crown jewels of French luxury.

The elite hated it.
The media mocked it.
It was the most hostile takeover France had ever seen.
Arnault didn’t blink.

He bought the shares quietly.
Took control boldly.
And turned LVMH into a global machine.

One acquisition at a time.
Fendi. Tiffany. Givenchy. Sephora.
Dozens of brands reborn under one ruthless strategy:

Let creators dream.
But keep the business razor sharp.

While tech giants chased disruption…
Arnault chased timelessness.

While others discounted…
He raised value.

In 2023, he became the richest man on Earth.
Quiet. Precise. Unshakeable.
He outplayed every tech titan without writing a single line of code.

Lesson?
You don’t need to invent.
You need to see the hidden gem
And have the courage to bet everything on it.

#entrepreneur #growth #businessstrategy #founder #scalingup

𝗛𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀.
𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Back in the early 2000s, Jon Oringer wasn’t building empires, he was just trying to find affordable stock photos for his tiny online business.

But what he found instead… was an opportunity.

Stock images back then cost $300+ per photo, a luxury small creators couldn’t afford.

So Jon did something different:

▶ Bought a camera
▶ Took 100 photos a day
▶ Built his own website
▶ Uploaded 30,000 photos
▶ Charged $49/month for unlimited downloads

That’s how Shutterstock was born.

No fancy investors. No marketing team.

Just a subscription model, executed brilliantly.

He wasn’t selling images,
he was selling convenience, freedom, and access.

And the best part?

Every sale cost him nothing to reproduce.Pure passive income.

By the time Shutterstock went public in 2012,
Jon still owned 55% of it.

His net worth crossed $1 billion,
built from a camera, a simple website, and consistency.

That’s not luck.
That’s vision meeting execution.

Because the smartest entrepreneurs don’t wait for an opportunity,
they create it by solving a problem once
and selling the solution over and over again.

𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧:

Stop chasing “new.”
Find one problem.

Solve it better than anyone else.
Then systemize, scale, and sleep while your solution works for you.

#Entrepreneurship #ceo #BusinessModel #founder #scalingup

While everyone's fighting over TVs today, I'm fighting for your 2026.

One stage does what 6 months of content can't.

That's why I'm speaking in Austin December 10-12.

Here's what I've learned:

You can spend hundreds of hours posting content, cold DMing event hosts, vetting podcast opportunities, and hoping something sticks...

Or you can walk into one room where the work is already done.

That's Event Profit Engine.

Hosted by Alex Moscow ($130M in client results) and Eben Pagan (built 10 seven-figure companies, 3 over eight figures).

200 founders doing $500K-$2M+ in one room.

The kind of people you'd normally pay $25K to join a mastermind just to meet.

But this isn't networking. It's deal flow.

On Day 3, they run facilitated sessions where they literally pair you with:

→ High-caliber stages for 2026 
→ Aligned promotional partners 
→ Sponsors for your events (I am one of the sponsors for this event)

Not "hope you meet someone cool at the cocktail hour."

Strategic. Intentional. Partnerships that lead to revenue.

The stages you actually want to be on in 2026? They're in this room. The relationships that would take 6 months to build? Done in 3 days.

I'll be speaking on why most founders are operationally excellent but financially blind—and how to fix it.

This is for you if:
→ You're a founder doing $1M-$10M 
→ You want stages and partnerships locked in for 2026 
→ You're tired of cold outreach that goes nowhere 
→ You'd rather be in the right room than grind online for 6 more months

This is NOT for you if:
→ You're just getting started (under $500K) 
→ You're not ready to invest in growth 
→ You think "networking" means collecting business cards

Here's my Black Friday deal for you:

$1K tickets (normally $4K, goes to $5K on Monday).

I only have a few left. First come, first served.

You can fish with a pole for the next 6 months.

Or you can grab a net and walk into this room.

Comment "AUSTIN" or DM me and I'll send you the code before they're gone.
This is the only deal worth buying today.

See you in Texas.
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

He started with $5,000 and a pizza shop paycheck.
Nobody cared. Nobody believed.

Most people would’ve stayed broke.

Dan Gilbert didn’t.

He looked at a broken mortgage industry slow, complex, full of middlemen and said: “There’s a better way.”

He worked 18 hours a day. Seven days a week.
He studied every inefficiency.
He simplified the impossible.
He moved online when the internet was “just a fad.”
He ignored the naysayers.

It all started with Rock Financial. 
And eventually
Rock Financial became Quicken Loans.
Applications went from weeks to minutes.
Rates went from hidden to transparent.
Customers went from frustrated to obsessed.

Then he didn’t stop.
He bought the Cleveland Cavaliers, poured money into the city, and turned it upside down.
Downtown boomed. 
The team won a championship. 
The city transformed.

Here’s the lesson most people miss:

👉 You don’t need a perfect idea.
👉 You don’t need permission.
👉 You need to see broken systems, fix them better, and move faster than everyone else.
👉 And then, reinvest the wins into something that actually matters.

From pizza shifts to $28.5B, Gilbert’s story isn’t luck.
It’s obsession, timing, and execution.

Most people quit at “too hard.”
The few who succeed? 
They see the gap, go first, and keep building while others sleep.

If you want outsized results, do what most won’t:
Step past the “impossible.”
Step past the doubters.
Step past comfort.

Because fortune isn’t at the starting line, it’s at the point where everyone else stops.

#growth #scalingup #entrepreneurship #CEO #execution

taplio

The Battle

Daniel Stouffer

Cruz Gamboa

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreDaniel Stouffer's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCruz Gamboa's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Daniel Stouffer

Cruz Gamboa

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Daniel Stouffer's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreCruz Gamboa's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreDaniel Stouffer's LinkedIn Performance