TL;DR:Sam Goodner is a Swiss-American serial entrepreneur who co-founded Catapult Systems in 1993 with just $17,000 and scaled it into Microsoft's number one global partner — before later growing Flash Parking from 12 employees to unicorn status. In this episode, Sam joins Phil Rose to share the leadership principles behind sustainable business growth, drawing on three decades of entrepreneurial experience and his time as a Swiss Special Forces officer. You'll come away with a fresh perspective on clarity, culture, and the power of building systems that outlast any single leader — what Sam, drawing on Jim Collins, calls moving from "time telling" to "clock building." His book Like Clockwork is essential reading for every founder who wants their business to run with the reliability and precision of a Swiss watch. Full shownotes: In this episode of Sparks by Ignium, Phil Rose sits down with Sam Goodner — serial entrepreneur, author of Like Clockwork, and one of the most compelling voices on leadership and operational scalability in business today. From founding Catapult Systems on a shoestring in Austin, Texas, to scaling Flash Parking to unicorn status, Sam's story is a masterclass in building something that genuinely lasts. And woven through it all is the influence of his Swiss Special Forces training — a lens that shapes how he thinks about clarity, culture, decentralised decision-making, and what it really means to lead. In this episode, discover: • Why clarity is the non-negotiable foundation of any scalable business — and the 8 dimensions every founder must nail before they can grow • The "clock building vs. time telling" philosophy from Jim Collins that shaped Sam's entire approach to leadership and legacy • How a midnight Special Forces cliff assault became the defining metaphor for decentralised decision-making in business • The prescriptive onboarding playbook that made Catapult Systems legendary — and why your new hire's first day could be costing you loyalty you'll never recover • What it really means to build an extended company family — from Catapult Kids Day to a company lake house — and why "sticky" culture is your greatest competitive advantage • How Sam turned the dot-com crash into a strategic pivot that made Catapult the number one Microsoft partner in the world • Why your core values are the rules your people follow when you're not in the room — and how to uncover them using the Mission to Mars exercise • The single piece of advice Sam would give to his 26-year-old self — and why asking for help sooner is the fastest route to growth 🎧 You'll love listening to this episode as much as we loved recording it. Remember to like and subscribe to get the word out to others and drop us a comment too. We'd love to hear what you think. ♻️ Feel good about sharing this podcast with someone who'll find it helpful; that would mean so much to us and them. More about Sam: Sam Goodner is a Swiss-American serial entrepreneur, author, and business mentor based in Austin, Texas, where he has lived for over 30 years. He co-founded Catapult Systems in 1993 with two colleagues and just $17,000, building it over two decades into one of the most respected Microsoft partners in the world — earning Microsoft's number one global partner title multiple years in a row — before a successful exit to a public company. He later joined Flash Parking as President, scaling it from 12 employees and $3 million in revenue to unicorn status in six years. Sam now channels three decades of hard-won experience into mentoring young entrepreneurs at Capital Factory in Austin and coaching founders on building businesses that run with the precision and reliability of a Swiss watch. His debut book, Like Clockwork, weaves together the leadership principles of the Swiss Special Forces with a practical framework for operational scalability. Website: www.samgoodner.com Book: Like Clockwork — available on Audible and all major book retailers Mentoring: Capital Factory, Austin — capitalfactory.com Note for content creator: Sam's email and social media handles were not captured on air. Please add before publishing if available. Key nuggets to listen out for: "When I have clarity, everything becomes easy. It's when you don't know that you have this anxiety." "Discover who you are through challenge." — The words Sam has never forgotten from his first day in Swiss Special Forces training. "You can read the clock, or you can build the clock. Those who build visionary companies tend to be clock builders." "Unless you have clarity, you can't scale — because you're just going to scale chaos." "These are the rules that employees follow when you're not in the room. If you hire based on core values, they become self-enforcing." "Go find mentors. Go find a coach. Go find people who have done this before — you'd be surprised how willing they are to share what they've learned." Texts mentioned: Sam Goodner — Like Clockwork (2025) Jim Collins — Built to Last Jim Collins — Good to Great Vern Harnish — Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) Vern Harnish — Mastering the Rockefeller Habits Simon Sinek — Start with Why Learn More: Visit the Ignium website: https://www.igniumconsult.com Subscribe for more exclusive content in the Ignium Spark Tank: https://www.igniumconsult.com/the-spark-tank Listen to the show on Transistor: https://sparksbyignium.transistor.fm/episodes Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sparks-by-ignium/id1525777023 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7KDlz9FFdVJuJTJWAZmrvG?si=9d3c43e07d9b4478 Keywords in this episode: Sam Goodner Like Clockwork book Catapult Systems Flash Parking unicorn scaling a business entrepreneurial leadership business systems and processes operational scalability clock building vs time telling core values in business decentralised decision making company culture and employee retention Sparks by Ignium podcast Phil Rose podcast Vern Harnish Scaling Up
