Independence by Design™

Ryan Tansom
  • 4.9 (39)
  • Entrepreneurship

Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom. I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27. But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway. After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us. That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell. This show is the one I wish I had. ----- This co-hosted episode features Kim Clark, iBD's Chief Revenue Officer and Ryan's regular co-host on the podcast. Before joining iBD, Kim spent years at ITR Economics, bringing deep expertise in economic forecasting and revenue operations—insights that shape much of the discussion throughout the show.

  1. 7h ago

    #519: How Good Salespeople and Good Companies Find Each Other

    ou want salespeople you can count on. They want a company they can count on, too. Ben Jagim and Brianna Drevlow-Jagim of Soul Like Fire joined me to talk about finding that fit and helping people succeed once they’re on your team. We get into the beliefs behind selling, from handling rejection to talking about money, and how to turn what you learn during hiring into a useful first 90 days. We look at the manager’s role in coaching and accountability, and why curiosity and willingness to learn matter alongside experience. I connect that work to your revenue plan and what your gross profit can support. Then we look at the job through a candidate’s eyes: can they afford the ramp-up, trust your promises and see a future with your company? We talk about the stability you can offer as a private owner and building recruiting relationships before you need a hire. We finish with the difference between selling and product expertise. In my copier business, sales engineers joined discovery calls so reps had the technical support to move a sale forward. Top 10 Takeaways Your salespeople’s beliefs about money, rejection and approval affect whether their skills translate into results. Use what you learn during hiring to guide each salesperson’s first 90 days. Your sales manager’s ability to coach and hold people accountable affects the whole team. Look for curiosity, accountability and willingness to learn alongside the experience your role requires. Plan your sales investment around required revenue, gross profit and time to productivity. Your compensation needs to work while someone builds their pipeline, not just afterward. Earn candidates’ trust with clear expectations, realistic earnings and evidence that you support your people. Your private ownership can attract good people when it provides stability they can trust. Build relationships with potential sales hires before an opening turns recruiting into an emergency. Give salespeople the technical support they need without mistaking product expertise for selling ability. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: The State of Salespeople & Finding the Right People[06:08] From Sales to Learning & Development: Building Better Sales Teams[12:20] Why Salespeople Struggle: The Beliefs and Behaviors Behind Performance[18:18] Sales Psychology: Rejection, Accountability & Understanding Human Behavior[20:02] Measuring Sales Competencies: Assessments, Motivation & the Will to Sell[25:19] The Revenue Function: Sales Structure, Customer Journeys & Acquisition Economics[31:12] Assessing Your Sales Team: Hiring, Screening & the First 90 Days[34:17] The Economics of Hiring: Compensation, Ramp Time & Sales Productivity[37:37] Sales Organization Structure: Leadership, Roles & Team Performance[41:11] Building Accountability Without Sacrificing a Strong Team Culture[46:19] Hiring for Potential: Curiosity, Coachability & Intrinsic Motivation[49:01] Generational Differences: Adaptability, Expectations & What Salespeople Really Want[55:11] Recruiting A-Players: Compensation, Employer Trust & the Hiring Challenge[01:09:48] Private Ownership as a Recruiting Advantage & Building a Sales Talent Pipeline Sound Bites “we know where they're good at, we know where they still need some work, so now we have a roadmap for their first 90-day onboarding.” — Ben Jagim“fewer sellers paid properly is better than having lots of sellers that are not paid fairly.” — Brianna Drevlow-Jagim“being privately held is a huge recruiting advantage.” — Brianna Drevlow-Jagim“You have a sales funnel of sale...

  2. Nov 5

    #518: AI, Work and the Assumptions We Live By

    Watch on YouTube You’ve built a business around what you know, what people pay you for and what makes the work worth it. Kim and I talk about how AI can remove limitations you’ve worked around for years, while also creating pressure to rethink how work gets done and what happens to the people whose jobs are affected. We also get into money, purchasing power and whether all the work is moving you toward the time, cash flow and wealth you want. The conversation leaves room to question familiar beliefs and think differently about what you want to build. 00:00 Introduction: AI, Communication & the Future of Work 03:04 Removing Personal Bottlenecks: How AI Changes What’s Possible 07:22 Breaking Through Limitations: Seeing New Possibilities 11:47 The Promise of AI vs. Its Impact on People and Jobs 14:19 AI in Business: Productivity, Ownership Goals & the New Operating Model 17:54 Rethinking Business Operations: Value Creation vs. Overhead 25:30 The Economics of AI: Competition, Efficiency & Market Deflation 31:38 Adopting AI: Moving Faster Than the Competition 36:18 Directing AI: Knowing What Good Looks Like 38:16 Protecting Your Data: Building a Foundation That Works Across AI Tools 44:29 Building SOPs, Capturing Knowledge & Creating Repeatable Workflows 46:12 Personal AI, Ownership Goals & Designing a Life of Independence 51:15 Challenging Old Beliefs: Psychology, Incentives & the Resistance to Change 01:12:11 Navigating Disruption: New Ideas, Financial Reality & Thinking for Yourself Top 10 Takeaways AI can remove a limitation you’ve built your whole way of working around. The value of getting time back depends on knowing what you want it for. Your competitors can change your market’s economics before you’re ready to change with them. Rethink how the work gets done, starting with the outcome your business actually needs. You can be excited about AI and concerned about the people whose livelihoods it affects. Your company’s knowledge should remain useful as the AI tools you work with change. Knowing what good looks like matters when you’re directing AI and reviewing its work. Changing your mind gets harder when an old belief supports your identity or income. Working harder doesn’t tell you whether you’re getting closer to the independence you want. You can explore new ideas without accepting every claim that comes along with them. Sound Bites "I feel like I have jetpacks right now." — Ryan Tansom "And then every time I acquire a new skill from using it, I feel badly for different people that I know that that's their job." — Kim Clark "And unless we have those clear about what we want to do with our time, how much cash flow we need, and how much wealth needs to protect our cash flow, no advisor, no coach, no AI will ever be able to give anybody good advice." — Ryan Tansom "your brain's just going to make stuff up based upon the data that it currently has, which is why I'm always trying to find more data." — Kim Clark Resources Mentioned Claude. AI tool discussed in our writing and company-work examples. Claude. ChatGPT. Referenced in our discussion of AI-supported work. ChatGPT. HighLevel. The CRM in the discussion about interacting with business software through AI. HighLevel. Fathom. Meeting recordings and transcripts in Kim’s video example. Fathom. The Growth Playbook. Kim Clark and Alan Beaulieu’s podcast, referenced in the content-production discussion. Listen to their rates-of-change conversation. All-In. Referenced in the discussion of investors and AI. All-In. The Diary of a CEO. One of the podcasts mentioned during the conversation....

  3. Oct 29

    # 517: Self-Awareness and Leadership

    Watch on YouTube Episode Summary You want to trust your team, enjoy your work and have something left for the people at home. Understanding your own habits is part of making that happen. Your confidence can sound like a final decision when you’re still thinking. Your instinct to help can turn into telling someone what to do. And the person who gets under your skin might be bringing up something worth looking at in yourself. Rich Hoffmann joins me to explore how self-awareness helps you notice those patterns and choose what to do next. We talk about where those habits come from, the pause between a reaction and a response, and the practice it takes to change. You’ll hear personal stories about meditation, psychedelics and learning to see yourself beyond your thoughts, your past and your business. These ideas show up in everyday decisions: when to speak, when to listen, who to hire and who gets your time. You’re choosing the people you’ll spend years working with and the kind of life your business supports. Knowing yourself helps you make those choices deliberately. Top 10 Takeaways Self-awareness starts with noticing your own patterns and how they affect the people around you. A habit that once helped you feel safe may be getting in your way today. Your confidence can sound like a decision when you’re still thinking out loud. You don’t need every answer to lead; curiosity can help others find better ones. What bothers you in someone else can reveal something worth examining in yourself. Be honest about whether you’re helping someone choose or steering them toward your answer. You may not control your first reaction, but you can practice choosing your response. An insight becomes useful when you practice it in the moments you usually struggle. Your thoughts, your past and your business are parts of you, not your entire identity. Choose people you enjoy; your relationships shape both your work and your experience of life. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: Leadership, Self-Awareness & Emotional Intelligence  [02:35] Childhood Coping Mechanisms: What Helps Us and What Holds Us Back [05:11] Confidence, Thinking Out Loud & Understanding How You Affect Others [09:19] The Need to Belong: How Childhood Shapes Our Leadership Patterns [14:19] From Tyrannical Leadership to Becoming a Learner-Centered Leader [19:27] Leading Through Curiosity, Presence & Better Questions [22:17] The Shadow Self: Projection & What We See in Others [33:33] Self-Integration: Moving Beyond Old Patterns & Resentment [37:24] Coaching vs. Consulting: Helping People Discover Their Own Answers [40:25] The Socratic Method: Curiosity, Intent & the Difference Between Coaching and Manipulation [44:21] Leadership, Power Structures & Staying True to Your Values [54:09] Breaking Automatic Reactions: The Power of the Pause [01:00:16] Rewiring Old Patterns: Self-Awareness, Practice & Personal Responsibility [01:17:04] Choosing the People Around You: Relationships, Trust & Enjoying Your Work Sound Bites "And then I'll select the best thought to share instead of the first thought." — Rich Hoffmann "So that's where I think in leadership, it's good to do leadership with people and not to people." — Rich Hoffmann "And that pause… Is where th... Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction: Leadership, Self-Awareness & Emotional Intelligence(00:02:35) - Childhood Coping Mechanisms: What Helps Us and What Holds Us Back(00:05:11) - Confidence, Thinking Out Loud & Understanding How You Affect Others(00:09:19) - The Need to Belong: How Childhood Shapes Our Leadership Patterns(00:14:19) - From Tyrannical Leadership to Becoming a Learner-Centered Leader(00:19:27) - Leading Through Curiosity, Presence & Better Questions(00:22:17) - The Shadow Self: Projection & What We See in Others(00:33:33) - Self-Integration: Moving Beyond Old Patterns & Resentment(00:37:24) - Coaching vs. Consulting: Helping People Discover Their Own Answers(00:40:25) - The Socratic Method: Curiosity, Intent & the Difference Between Coaching and Manipulation(00:44:21) - Leadership, Power Structures & Staying True to Your Values(00:54:09) - Breaking Automatic Reactions: The Power of the Pause(01:00:16) - Rewiring Old Patterns: Self-Awareness, Practice & Personal Responsibility(01:17:04) - Choosing the People Around You: Relationships, Trust & Enjoying Your Work

  4. Oct 22

    #516: How to Measure and Forecast Your Business Value with the Three-Statement Model

    Watch on YouTube Episode Summary What is your business worth if you keep it, what might a buyer pay, and what would you actually take home from a sale? In this episode, we walk through all three using the three-statement model, connecting today’s cash flow and annual budget to your five-year ownership goals. We trace earnings, leadership costs, operating risk, debt and working capital through the three-statement model. More growth can eat the cash you want to take home. A higher sale price can leave you waiting on money you don't control. Your monthly budget connects those trade-offs to the five-year plan; quarterly reviews show whether the plan is working. You choose the goals and assumptions, then use the numbers to challenge the choices. We finish by reading the difference between revenue and margin performance: in the Advanced Solutions example, sales beat budget while weaker margins leave gross profit about $105,000 short. Top 10 Takeaways Your valuation target belongs beside the time and cash flow you want from ownership. Connect your five-year target to today's numbers before choosing reinvestment or distributions. Value keeping your company through future distributions and the business you still own. Trace earnings through all three statements to see cash after reinvestment and leadership costs. Support your planning multiple with operating evidence and a defensible market range. Debt, cash and working capital determine how much enterprise value belongs to you. Faster growth can consume distributions and force borrowing or dilution you don't want. Compare take-home sale proceeds with your wealth goal, including money still at risk. Your monthly budget and quarterly reviews connect today's performance to the five-year valuation. You choose the goals and strategy; the model shows what those choices require. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: Business Valuation & the Owner’s Financial Model [04:16] From Running a Business to Understanding Its Value [05:46] Valuation as a Goal: Balancing Time, Cash Flow & Wealth [10:13] Connecting Your Five-Year Valuation Target to Today [16:47] The Three Lenses of Business Valuation [22:00] The Three-Statement Model: Connecting Operations, Capital & Cash [25:00] Owner Distributions & the Discounted Cash Flow Method [32:22] The Value of Keeping the Business: Future Cash Flow & Returns [38:50] Market Multiples, Normalized EBITDA & Proving Your Value [47:09] Enterprise Value, Debt, Cash & Working Capital [50:51] Growth, Reinvestment & the Cash Flow Trade-Off [58:15] Transaction Value: What You Actually Take Home When You Sell [01:03:14] The Owner’s Scorecard: Sale Proceeds & Your Wealth Goal [01:06:52] Monthly Budgets, Quarterly Reviews & Reaching Your Five-Year Target Sound Bites "Like, what are you going to work for every day if you don't have a target in mind?" — Kim Clark "If we can't see how it creates more cash, there was no return." — Ryan Tansom "We want to plan around probable, Not possible." — Ryan Tansom "So, like, all of the goals, all of the assumptions, all of the strategies, all of the sales stuff, all the operations, all the ownership decisions are 100% your call. The math is not." — Ryan Tansom Ab...

  5. Oct 15

    #515: John St. Pierre | Protect Your Equity at All Costs

    Watch on YouTube Summary You built the company. Your name is on the culture. Then one board meeting ends it. John St. Pierre spent fifteen years growing a business to about $55M in global revenue, then got fired from his own company owning roughly eight percent. Not malice so much as misaligned incentives meeting unprotected equity. I sat down with him on the ownership red pill most operators never swallow. There is a second game under ops and growth: valuation, capital allocation, and control. We walked his seven principles, starting with protect equity at all costs, build your own cash machine for growth, pay yourself first, and move from CEO to chairperson. He names what I call the owner-operator trap. Growth takes cash. Three options all hurt. You can grow yourself poor. Your P&L is only the first chapter. Cash, the balance sheet, and the incentive game behind PE and VC decide who keeps sovereignty. Without a life plan, the valuation math is noise. His biggest lesson: patient ambition. Top 10 Takeaways There's a second game under ops and growth: valuation, capital, and control. Control can vanish overnight when you never protected yourself. It's rarely malice. Misaligned incentives put you on a train you didn't choose. Protect your equity at all costs. Better 100% of $10M than 8% of $100M. Fund growth from your own cash machine, or you dilute what you own. Pay yourself first. Owner's liquidity is oxygen, not greed. Move from CEO to chairperson. Own a business asset, not a job. Growth takes cash. Three options all hurt. You can grow yourself poor. Your P&L is the first chapter. Cash and the balance sheet finish it. Without a life plan, valuations are noise. Build with patient ambition. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: The Ownership Game Behind the Business [01:48] Losing Control of the Company You Built [03:24] Misaligned Incentives & Protecting Yourself [07:30] Seven Principles of Entrepreneurial Success [10:28] Learning From Failure: Reflection, Journaling & Rebuilding [13:16] Perspective, Gratitude & Responsibility to Your People [18:13] Pay Yourself First: Owner Liquidity & Financial Discipline [19:59] Growth Takes Cash: Avoid Growing Yourself Poor [25:55] Identity Beyond the Business: Who Are You Without Your Company? [37:19] Understanding Capital, Incentives & the Ownership Game [39:27] Beyond the P&L: Cash Flow, the Balance Sheet & Business Value [45:56] Life Plans, Ownership Goals & Becoming a Chairperson [57:23] Building an Owner-Led Business: Holding Companies & Leadership [01:14:38] Patient Ambition: Building for the Long Term Sound Bites "The ownership red pill, is what I call it, where you're like, oh, there's this whole other game that's being played that I think a lot of owner-operators like us, when we start out, we didn't realize that there was a whole other set of rules that was going on." — Ryan Tansom "I could have grown a $10 million company and owned 100% of it, and been a lot better than trying to grow a $100 million company at 8%." — John St. Pierre "People don't understand that growth takes cash. You can grow yourself poor." — John St. Pierre "Patient ambition. The idea that I always had ambition. But I had zero patience."...

  6. Oct 8

    #514: Joel Trammell | You Own the Business. Do You Want the CEO Job?

    Watch on YouTube Your plan for next year calls for growth, but every decision still comes back to you. Coming out of the Owner’s Summit and into Q4 planning, I’m revisiting my conversation with Joel Trammell from Episode 422. We start with how the CEO job changes as a company grows and why your team needs decision criteria instead of your answer to every problem. Your ownership goals give that work direction: what do you want from your time, cash flow and wealth? Joel connects those goals to the value the business must deliver to customers and employees, then turns a three-year plan into quarterly commitments. Every department needs to predict where it’s going, not just report what happened. We also get into why a great department head needs training to become a CEO, how to decide whether you want that job, and what to look for in someone who does. The business can be a good investment even when you’re tired of running it. Before you put another growth target in the plan, who will do the CEO’s work? Top 10 Takeaways As your company grows, the CEO’s job shifts from solving today’s problems to managing the future. Give your team decision criteria so every operating decision no longer needs your approval. Clarify your ownership goals before asking a CEO to decide where the business should go. Every major CEO decision trades resources among customers, employees and the people who own the business. Your long-term plan needs customer and employee goals alongside its revenue and profit targets. Agree on quarterly outcomes so you can oversee the company without taking back everyone’s job. Ask every department to predict results, not just report what it has already done. Success running one department doesn’t automatically prepare someone to run the whole business. Define the CEO’s actual job before deciding whether you want to keep doing it. Look for a CEO who is curious about the whole business and willing to learn. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction: The CEO Role & Managing the Future 03:55 The CEO Should Have No Tasks 06:24 From Operator to CEO: The Paradigm Shift 10:16 Decision Criteria: Scaling Leadership Through the Organization 12:57 Balancing Customers, Employees & Shareholders 17:26 Building a Strategic Plan Beyond the Financials 19:24 The CEO & Ownership: Aligning Mission, Values & Strategy 21:59 From Three-Year Objectives to Quarterly Goals 25:30 Managing the Future Through Predictions 31:20 Why Great Executives Don't Always Make Great CEOs 35:00 The CEO as a Generalist, Not an Expert 38:12 The Psychology of Stepping Away From the Work 40:25 Defining the CEO Job Before Hiring One 44:29 What Makes a Great CEO: Curiosity, Judgment & Business Understanding Sound Bites "Every single decision will ripple through time, cashflow, or equity." — Ryan Tansom "Customer quits, customer causes a problem, we fire drill. Employee quits that we thought was a good employee, fire drill. But there's no strategic approach to either one of those groups." — Joel Trammell "If you want to be the VP of sales, hire a CEO and go be the VP of sales." — Joel Trammell "The CEO's the generalist. I gotta know just enough about each area to be able to evaluate a...

  7. Oct 1

    #513: Jim Brown | The Imperfect CEO

    Watch on YouTube You are the shareholder, the board, and the CEO, and somehow every meeting is still a mess. Same people. Same table. Nobody knows which hat is talking. Jim Brown has spent thirty years on that problem. I wanted to get specific with him about how an owner separates those jobs without pretending to be perfect at all of them. His line: the board answers the what and the why, and they have to release the how to management. Even when the same three owners run the company, you still run a board meeting, take coffee, then a management meeting with a different chair. Not for status. For clarity. The seats exist whether you admit them or not. When you skip that split, you override the CEO you hired, people stop telling the truth, and everyone pretends they are perfect. Imperfection is not incompetence. It is how a real leadership team covers each other's weak spots. Figure out who you are in which seat, or the company stays stuck on you. Top 10 Takeaways Shareholder goals come first: cash flow, valuation, and timeline. Shareholder, board, and CEO are three seats, even when one person wears all three. The board owns what and why. Management owns how. Different chairs for board and management are clarity, not ego. Override the CEO you hired and you told them you do not trust them. A good board asks harder questions because it believes in you. Imperfection is not incompetence. Name the weak spot and borrow strength. Projecting perfection is insecurity. Truth from the top unlocks the room. Leadership is people. Management is stuff. People stay for pay, meaning, and relationship. Board votes for the whole company, then leaves the room supporting the decision. Chapters: [00:00] The Imperfect CEO & Imperfect Board [06:23] From Hard Lessons to Better Leadership [11:22] Creating Meaningful Work & Engaged People [15:27] Purpose, Planning & the Leader’s Responsibility [17:06] Shareholder Goals, the Board & the CEO [20:20] Three Seats: Ownership, Board & Management [23:10] What & Why vs. How: The Board’s Role [24:23] Different Hats, Different Roles & Clarity [27:59] The Board as a Partner, Not an Interrogator [30:49] The Imperfect Leader: Strengths, Weaknesses & Trust [34:51] Insecurity, Authenticity & the Pressure to Be Perfect [40:13] Leading People Through Changing Expectations [47:43] Leadership Is About People, Management Is About Stuff [51:57] Vulnerability, Board Accountability & Supporting the Decision Sound Bites "And here's some gold for you. The board has to answer the what and why questions. And they must release to management the how questions." — Jim Brown "No one in the world needed to know who was our board chair, because it wasn't about status, it was about clarity." — Jim Brown "Well, you just told the CEO that you hired that you don't trust them, actually." — Jim Brown "These roles exist whether we admit it or not." — Ryan Tansom "It would be so much better if we would just admit our imperfection. Which is not incompetence." — Jim Brown "Leadership is about people. It's not about stuff. Management is about stuff, leadership is about people." — Jim Brown About Jim Brown Jim Brown is the founder of OrgHealth (The Org Health Team), bas...

  8. Sep 24

    #512: Alan Beaulieu & Kim Clark | Turn Economic Uncertainty Into a Plan

    Watch on YouTube Summary Your 2027 budget needs a price, a hiring plan and a cash number, even when the economic headlines disagree. Kim and I sat down with economist Alan Beaulieu to work through what owners can do with that uncertainty. We start with the difference between rising sales and real growth, then connect bond-market trends to pricing, margins and the payback on borrowed money. I push Alan on the risks I see in government debt, China and the monetary system. He keeps bringing us back to the business and the people inside it. We talk about AI, the industries your customers depend on, and why a profitable market today may not be the one you want tomorrow. The work is turning those possibilities into a plan before you need it, with a team willing to listen and change. For me, that means a three-statement model connecting operating decisions to your time, cash flow and wealth. If revenue falls 10%, what happens to cash, and what will you do? Top 10 Takeaways Check how much of your revenue growth comes from higher prices rather than more business. Watch bond-market trends instead of building your plan around the next Fed announcement. Protect your margins with pricing that explains customer value, not just your rising costs. Test whether new debt pays for itself before a downturn squeezes your cash. Build scenarios for different economic outcomes instead of betting your business on one forecast. AI changes more than payroll. Plan for its impact on employees and customers. Your customers' industry exposure can put your cash flow at risk even when business looks strong. Decide how you'll respond to falling revenue before you're trying to do it in a crisis. Your team sees risks and possibilities you miss. Listen before you lock the plan. Test business decisions against the time, cash flow and wealth you want from ownership. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction: Navigating an Uncertain Economy [03:02] The Bond Market Is the Signal to Watch [07:39] Inflation, Pricing & Protecting Your Margins [09:25] Debt, ROI & Preparing for a Downturn [10:07] The Nonlinear Economy & Planning for Risk [19:07] China, Debt & Global Economic Pressure [24:19] Deflation, Productivity & the Business Cycle [31:30] AI, Productivity & the Human Cost [35:14] Protecting Your People While Adopting AI [38:11] Customer Exposure, Industries & Cash Flow Risk [41:06] Knowing When to Pivot or Sell the Business [48:26] Building a Playbook for Multiple Economic Scenarios [55:54] Listen to Your Team: Leadership Through Uncertainty [01:05:36] Ownership Goals, Time, Cash Flow & Wealth Sound Bites "Have the plan on the shelf, open it up and go. This is what we're doing. Step one. It's already been decided." — Alan Beaulieu "Because you're doing that planning when you're not in crisis mode." — Ryan Tansom "A leader who does not listen is not a good leader, in my opinion." — Alan Beaulieu "you can just see the impact of every one of your ideas on your time, cash flow and wealth." — Ryan Tansom About Alan Beaulieu and Kim Clark Alan Beaulieu is an economist who spent decades helping business leaders apply economic forecasts at ITR Economics. He returns to the show with his daughter, Kim Cla...

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About

Independence by Design™ is a framework to help owner-operators get out of the weeds and lead from the boardroom. I built it because I lived this trap. In 2009, I joined my dad in our $21M family business. We turned it around and sold it for eight figures in 2014 — enough to pay off debt, cover taxes, let my dad retire, and leave me with a chunk of cash at 27. But the sale gutted our team, systems, and identity. It looked like a win, but it didn’t feel like freedom. I bawled in the driveway. After 450+ interviews, thousands of owners, and multiple ventures, I saw the real issue: we didn’t know the difference between being owners and operators. Our goals weren’t aligned. And we had no framework to guide us. That’s why I built iBD — to help owners avoid regret, reclaim their time, grow real equity value, and build a business that gives them freedom — whether they stay, scale, or sell. This show is the one I wish I had. ----- This co-hosted episode features Kim Clark, iBD's Chief Revenue Officer and Ryan's regular co-host on the podcast. Before joining iBD, Kim spent years at ITR Economics, bringing deep expertise in economic forecasting and revenue operations—insights that shape much of the discussion throughout the show.

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