Keep It Brief

Natalie Dawson

The show that gives you the insight you'd usually only get from being on the inside. Each week, Natalie Dawson sits down with the operators, founders, and investors who move money and build companies and pulls out what you need to know. Not the headlines, but how businesses actually grow and make money. Across four pillars we cover Money, Operations, Capital, and Influence - Keep It Brief shows you how wealth is really built, how businesses are really run, how capital really moves, and how power really works. The information most people spend a decade absorbing, distilled into every episode.

Episodes

  1. 5 days ago

    Ex-SVB COO Explains the True Story No One Reported - Phil Cox

    Most executives run from a company that's about to collapse. Phil Cox ran toward it. He was the COO of Silicon Valley Bank the day $42 billion left in a single afternoon, and the bank was gone by morning. The former Silicon Valley Bank COO breaks down how a bank built on safe government bonds became the fastest bank failure in U.S. history, why 93% of its deposits were uninsured, and what it was actually like inside the building during the 40 hours nobody saw. He also reveals why executive bonuses got paid out the same morning regulators seized the bank, what it was like watching longtime employees show up to work the week their retirement savings hit zero, and the business he spent 10 years building that ended up selling for one pound. You'll also hear what he'd change if he could go back, and why he still doesn't tell most people where he used to work. Watch to understand what really took down Silicon Valley Bank, and what nobody got right about it. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN How to protect your business if your bank suddenly can't move your money Why 93% of Silicon Valley Bank's deposits were uninsured when it collapsed Why bonuses were paid out the same morning regulators seized the bank CHAPTERS 00:00 The $42 billion bank run that changed banking forever01:21 What really caused Silicon Valley Bank to fail05:00 Why the bank’s investment strategy made sense at the time11:28 The announcement that triggered the panic15:43 How social media accelerated the first digital bank run18:14 Inside the operations room during the collapse22:36 The moment the bank was taken over25:06 What happened after regulators seized SVB28:36 Why Phil Cox chose to stay30:28 Leadership, accountability, and executive decisions35:56 Did venture capital firms have another choice?40:36 How crisis changed Phil’s leadership forever43:57 Building a culture that survives adversity48:32 What Phil would change with hindsight50:47 Living with the SVB legacy54:57 What every business owner can learn from high-growth companies58:07 The most important rule for leading through a crisis Comment KEEP IT BRIEF 11 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode! FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF: 📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON: 📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson 🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/ Teamwork: https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork Take my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq Check out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE 🌐 Website: https://cardoneventures.com Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

  2. 20 Jul

    9x Founder Was Fired & Broke But Never Quit - Kim Perell

    Kim Perell built her first company with a $10,000 loan from her grandmother after getting laid off during the dot com crash. Now a nine time founder, investor in 150+ startups, and bestselling author, she explains why resilience beats confidence, how to build when nobody is coming to save you, and the mindset behind creating businesses worth hundreds of millions. SPOTIFY EPISODE_KIM PERELL.txtIn this episode:• Why rejection is feedback, and how to use it to build a better business.• The hiring, sales, and leadership lessons that helped scale from a kitchen table to a $235 million exit.• How investors evaluate founders, why product market fit matters, and the mistake that stops most entrepreneurs before they begin. SPOTIFY EPISODE_KIM PERELL.txtFor every episode, I take my own personal set of notes. DM BRIEF10 on Instagram and I’ll send you my notes and biggest takeaways from this episode. SPOTIFY EPISODE_KIM PERELL.txtFOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpodMORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/Teamwork: https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamworkTake my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbqCheck out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEEMORE FROM KIM PERELL:🌐 Website: https://100.co📸 https://www.instagram.com/kimperell/Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com 2025CHAPTERS00:00 The $10,000 loan that changed everything01:41 Why women founders are winning despite less funding04:07 Meet Kim Perell and her entrepreneurial track record05:19 Growing up with failure and learning resilience08:32 The dot com boom, layoffs, and hard business lessons12:33 Why every founder must learn sales16:10 Getting fired and betting on herself18:19 Starting a company from a kitchen table20:05 Comparison, confidence, and competing with yourself23:12 Scaling to $100 million and building winning teams26:17 Leadership, disagreement, and better decisions29:09 Life after a $235 million exit34:18 What Kim looks for before investing in a founder36:20 Mentorship, AI, and learning from customers40:17 The one question every founder should ask a mentor43:00 Removing opinion and letting customers decide44:54 Building purpose driven brands with Juni47:03 The mindset of playing to win48:00 The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make50:10 Teaching children resilience through failure52:15 Building a family legacy alongside business54:15 Why only quitting makes you a failure

  3. 29 Jun

    Ex Wall Street: The Lie Keeping Women Out of Finance - Tiger Sisters, Cherie Brooke Luo & Jean Luo

    In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Jean Luo and Cherie Brooke Luo, your Wall Street and Silicon Valley big sisters. Harvard MBA, Ex Goldman Sachs, Stanford MBA, Ex LinkedIn, these two are here to break down why women score lower than men in every single financial literacy category after a decade of tracking. We unpack why the gap has nothing to do with intelligence or access, why the finance world was never designed for women to win, and what they learned inside the rooms most women never get into. Comment Brief 7 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode! FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF: 📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON: 📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson 🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/ Teamwork: https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork Take my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq Check out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE MORE FROM JEAN LUO AND CHERIE BROOKE LUO: 🌐 Website: https://tigersisterspodcast.com/ Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

  4. 1 Jun

    How This Single Mom Sold Her Business With Zero Investors - Ashley Tyrner-Dolce 

    In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Ashley Tyrner-Dolce, founder of Farmbox RX and Operating Partner at HLM Investment Partners, to break down how she built and sold a healthcare company without taking a single dollar from outside investors. She created a category that didn't exist until a single policy change made it possible. She makes the case that no matter how fast you're hiring, the founder has to stay the nucleus of sales. And she breaks down what it actually looks like to pivot your entire company identity while the plane is still in the air. Comment Brief 3 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!  FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:  📸 ⁠https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:  📸⁠ https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson 🎥⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/ Teamwork: ⁠https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork Take my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq Check out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE MORE FROM ASHLEY TYRNER-DOLCE:  🌐 Website: https://www.hlminvestmentpartners.com/ Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [⁠CardoneVentures.com⁠] (⁠https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

  5. 18 May

    Negotiation and Closing, with former FBI hostage chief Chris Voss

    In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Chris Voss to break down the negotiation frameworks every business owner should actually know. We unpack why chasing “yes” kills deals, and how one simple shift, getting the other side comfortable saying “no”, helped a recruiter cut 300 cold calls down to 75 while producing the same results. Chris also explains tactical empathy, why phrases like “it seems like…” open people up faster than “I understand,” and how labels can lower resistance in high-stakes conversations. We get into why “splitting the difference” creates lose-lose outcomes, the psychology behind bad compromises, and how the best negotiators build deals that hold long term. Finally, we break down the three emotional traits that drive peak performance in negotiation: curiosity, playfulness, and gratitude, and why your mindset impacts your ability to spot red flags before you walk into the wrong deal. Comment Brief 1 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode! FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF: 📸 ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON: 📸 ⁠ 🎥 ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson💼 ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/Teamwork: ⁠https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamworkTake my breakpoint quiz: ⁠https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq Check out my next event: ⁠https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE MORE FROM CHRIS VOSS:🌐 Website:  Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com⁠ ⁠ 2025

About

The show that gives you the insight you'd usually only get from being on the inside. Each week, Natalie Dawson sits down with the operators, founders, and investors who move money and build companies and pulls out what you need to know. Not the headlines, but how businesses actually grow and make money. Across four pillars we cover Money, Operations, Capital, and Influence - Keep It Brief shows you how wealth is really built, how businesses are really run, how capital really moves, and how power really works. The information most people spend a decade absorbing, distilled into every episode.

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