CEO Bros - After Hours

CEO Bros
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

CEO Bros is an entertaining weekly podcast hosted by the Balduf Brothers and Matt Croke. Brian and Brad Balduf are successful entrepreneurs and CEOs with hundreds of engaging and insightful stories from the trenches. They talk about everything from the challenges of starting a business, to the exhilaration of growing the business, to the ultimate satisfaction of selling a business. They share real-life stories and lessons in an engaging and candid 'after hours' conversation moderated by Matt Croke, an international entertainer, comedian, and author. Join the guys every Friday afternoon for a new episode. Hear some rants, some ideas, some lessons learned, and some funny anecdotes about the world of running your own company.

  1. 3d ago

    Making business meetings more productive ep 85

    *YOUR MEETINGS ARE WASTING YOUR COMPANY'S TIME (Here's How to Fix Them) S2 Episode 85* Most Meetings Don't Need More People. They Need More Structure. You sit in a meeting for an hour, talk about everything, solve nothing, and leave with no idea who's doing what. Then you do it again next week. CEO Bros has a simple prescription: fewer meetings, fewer people, tighter agendas, and someone who actually owns the room. Brian hates meetings so much he once got corporate coaching about it. Brad thinks some meetings are necessary. Matt just wants them to be 30 minutes shorter. Somewhere in there is a system that actually works. And then there's Brian's FBI story. He was running a meeting with about 100 people when agents walked in and pulled him out for an hour. He came back, resumed the meeting, and forgot to explain where he'd been. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why a meeting agenda needs a specific outcome, not just a topic • The one-to-three topic rule that keeps meetings from sprawling • Why you can excuse people from a meeting while it's happening • How to make sure everyone understands the decision before you close • Why "Code 6" became Brian's ultimate escape from a useless meeting *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • One to three specific topics, with a time limit for each • One person owns the agenda, pacing, decisions and close • If someone doesn't need to be there, let them leave • End with clear agreement, action items and accountable people *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* A meeting without an agenda, owner, decision or action item isn't a meeting. It's a time leak. What's the longest meeting you've ever sat through that accomplished absolutely nothing?  👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Why Brian Was Late to the Meeting About Meetings 4:02 - Are Meetings a Necessary Evil? 5:15 - Brian Admits He Hates Meetings 6:16 - Matt's Rule: Make It 30 Minutes Shorter 6:50 - The Agenda Mistake That Starts the Spiral 8:32 - The One-to-Three Topic Rule 9:37 - Someone Has to Own the Meeting 13:43 - When You Should Kick People Out 18:01 - The FBI Walks Into Brian's Meeting 19:17 - When Meetings Become a Crutch 20:15 - The Art of Actually Ending a Meeting 23:59 - Brian's List of Everything Wrong With Meetings 25:20 - The "Code 6" Meeting 26:43 - CEO Bros Officially Adjourn *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three ways to survive a meeting. Pick the one that matches your situation. 🍸 *THE AGENDA* Brian Balduf - The man who'd rather send an email Recipe: • 2 oz gin • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into a coupe The Vibe: Crisp, direct and finished on time. No wandering into topic four. 🍸 *CODE 6* Brad Balduf - The guy willing to call it Recipe: • 2 oz blanco tequila • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz ginger syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass The Vibe: Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is recognize when nothing is getting done. Call Code 6 and walk away. 🍸 *THE SLOW CLOSE* Matt Croke - Still waiting for someone to say goodbye Recipe: • 1½ oz vodka • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz fresh lemon juice • Club soda • Grapefruit peel • Shake first four with ice, strain into a Collins glass over ice, top with soda The Vibe: The meeting ended 12 minutes ago. Nobody has left. Someone just said, "One more thing." This drink knows how that story ends. Make all three. Which one are you ordering after your next meeting? T ag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros  #Entrepreneurship #meetingfails #Leadership #BusinessPodcast #meetings #CEOLife #TimeManagement #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #CEOBros #bestbusinesspodcast #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipskills #leadershiptips #entrepreneur #startups #startupsuccessstories #businessstories #business #founderstory #founder #timemanagement #meetingmanagementskills #meetingmanagementhacks #howto #howtomanagmeetings #ceostory #ceomindset

  2. Sep 25

    How to improve time management at your company ep 84

    *WHY ARE YOU SO DAMN BUSY? (Being Busy Isn't a Productivity Metric) S2 Episode 84* They found the time-management problem hiding in plain sight. Why does a job take 8 hours when it could take 2? Why does everything suddenly become "urgent"? And why does being busy tell you almost nothing about productivity? From the time you walk through the front door to the time you reach your office, you can find 10 things that need doing. Do all 10 and somehow the important work never gets done. That's where this episode starts. Brian, Brad and Matt put their time-management rules on the table, and the crossover is almost nonexistent. Brad's self-imposed deadline rule: if the team says two weeks, give them three. Don't create stress that doesn't need to exist. Then comes the "painting the fence" rule. Give someone eight hours, they'll use eight hours. Give them 30 minutes, they'll work to that limit. Brian saw it firsthand, where 20 people produced 1,000 edits in June and 400 in December. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why everything can't be "urgent" • How to prioritize the work only YOU can do • Why "busy" isn't a productivity metric • How to tell a trend from a one-off problem • Why your calendar needs a gatekeeper *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Set deadlines people can actually hit. • Measure output against time, not output alone. • Ask what the work should take before adding people. • Protect time for work that actually moves the business. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "From the time I walk in the front door to the time I get to my office, I see 10 things that need to get done. If I just did them because I saw they needed to get done, none of the important stuff would ever get done." What eats your time that shouldn't? *TIMESTAMPS* 0:53 - Brian is going bald, apparently 1:26 - Why time management isn't a snooze 3:03 - The self-imposed deadline trick 6:11 - Stop making lists. Start prioritizing. 8:53 - Is it REALLY urgent? 12:11 - The painting the fence rule 14:04 - 1,000 edits vs. 400, same 20 people 16:41 - Can you actually estimate effort? 19:12 - "We're busy" isn't a metric 24:20 - Guard your calendar 25:29 - Spend time where it actually matters 27:11 - The 50-minute meeting rule *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three ways to handle your time. Pick the one that matches your workday. 🍸 *THE DEADLINE EXTENDER* Brad Balduf - The CEO who gives you three weeks when you ask for two Recipe: • 2 oz rye whiskey • ¾ oz fresh lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon peel • Shake with ice, strain over a large cube The Vibe: You said two weeks. Brad said three. Now the clock is real, the stress is lower, and nobody gets to say they didn't have enough time. 🍸 *PAINT THE FENCE* Brian Balduf - The guy who watched 20 people turn 1,000 edits into 400 Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz pineapple juice • ½ oz lime juice • ¼ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Give the job eight hours and somehow it takes eight. Give it 30 minutes and suddenly everyone's focused. This drink is built around the clock. 🍸 *CALENDAR BLOCKED* Matt Croke - The host watching everyone argue about time Recipe: • 1½ oz gin • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ½ oz grapefruit juice • Club soda • Grapefruit peel • Shake first four with ice, strain into a tall glass with ice, top with soda The Vibe: Your calendar is not public property. Guard it, shorten the meetings, and stop inviting people just because you're afraid they'll feel left out. This one is for the meeting that should've been 25 minutes. Make all three. Deadline extender? Fence painter? Calendar guardian? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH] [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/] [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH] [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros] #bestbusinesspodcast #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipskills #leadershiptips #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #startups #startupsuccessstories #businessstories #business #founderstory #founder #timemanagement #timemanagementskills #timemanagementhacks #howto #howtomanagetime #ceostory #ceomindset

  3. Sep 18

    How to access cash for your business ep 83

    *DON'T TAKE $75K IF YOU NEED $250K (That's How You Get Trapped) S2 Ep 83* Know exactly what the money buys before you ask anyone to write a check. Need startup cash? How much do you actually need? What does that money get you? And what happens when you run out before you reach the milestone? Matt wants to start a hat business. His first move? Ask Brian and Brad for cash. Their answer becomes a crash course in what investors want before they hand over a dollar. One entrepreneur asked for $250,000 to reach a milestone. He didn't. Then he needed another $250,000. When the investor couldn't put up that much, the entrepreneur asked for $50,000. That $50K would buy about two weeks of operation. Now the original investment is trapped, and saying no means risking the money already in. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why "I need cash" isn't an investment pitch • The $250K request that turned into a $50K two-week problem • Why investors care about milestones, timelines and getting their money back • Why investor updates build financial trust *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Know exactly what the money accomplishes before asking for it • Tie the raise to specific milestones and dates • Start small and build financial trust • Give investors clear, high-level updates on what's happened and what's next *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you need 250, don't take 75 from somebody and then hope you're going to get there." How would you pitch your first raise? What would the money actually buy? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy.  *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Matt asks for cash. The Bros immediately have questions. 2:26 - "I need startup cash" sounds easier than it is 3:45 - The first question every investor will ask 5:07 - Investors don't care how great your idea sounds 6:09 - The $250K raise that went sideways 7:37 - How $50K became a two-week lifeline 8:15 - The trap of taking whatever cash you can get 9:22 - Brian and Brad took two very different funding paths 11:57 - The investor gets a $50K request, then sees the vacation 15:03 - How milestones build financial trust 20:46 - SAFE agreements, ownership and convertible debt 23:06 - Matt realizes he has homework before asking for money 23:42 - The investor update you owe after taking the check *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three ways to handle the money conversation. Pick the one that matches your raise. 🍸 *THE MILESTONE MINT* Brian Balduf - The guy who wants to know exactly where the money gets you Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz simple syrup • 8 mint leaves • 2 oz club soda • Lime wheel • Muddle mint with syrup and lime. Add vodka and ice, shake. Strain over fresh ice and top with soda. The Vibe: Clean, specific, no wasted motion. Brian wants the money tied to a milestone, not floating around waiting for a plan. This drink has a destination too. 🍸 *THE TWO-WEEK WARNING* Brad Balduf - The operator who knows $50K doesn't magically become $250K Recipe: • 1½ oz vodka • 1 oz pineapple juice • ½ oz fresh lemon juice • ½ oz coffee liqueur • ¼ oz vanilla syrup • Pinch of salt • Shake hard with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe. The Vibe: Sweet up front, then the coffee hits. Just like taking a smaller check than you need, it feels good right now. Then you remember you've only bought two weeks. 🍸 *THE SAFE BET* Matt Croke - The guy who came for cash and left with homework Recipe: • 1½ oz gin • ¾ oz dry vermouth • ½ oz elderflower liqueur • ¼ oz fresh lemon juice • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lemon twist • Stir with ice until cold. Strain into a coupe and garnish with the twist. The Vibe: Matt walked in asking for cash and walked out with questions about ownership, interest, terms and investor expectations. That's a SAFE conversation with a lot more homework than a hat business pitch. Make all three. Which one fits your funding style: milestone, warning or SAFE? Tag the Bros. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH] [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/] [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH] [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros] #BusinessStrategy #EntrepreneurMindset #StartupLeadership #BusinessFinance #CEOWisdom #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #CEOBros #funding #raisingcapital #leadership #startingabusiness #hats #businessstories #businesstips #businessideas

  4. Sep 11

    How to build a successful business by Top Shelf Ray

    *TOP SHELF RAY HAS A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT BUSINESS (And It Makes Perfect Sense) S2 Ep 82* Top Shelf Ray breaks down buying businesses, hiring people, communication, and why good businesses happen on purpose. What can a bartender teach you about buying a business? More than most owners want to admit. Ray starts with the people, not the bar, pool tables or books. Then he looks at the numbers and asks: If I own this place Monday, what do I want to fix? From there, he gets into communication, hiring and the advice he's picked up from years behind the bar. Then he casually drops that he founded and sold a 500+ location pizza chain. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why Ray looks at people before the numbers • Three communication rules owners forget • What Ray looks for when hiring • Why attitude can beat experience • The business advice Ray picked up from the Bros *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Watch the people before judging the business • Tell people what you know, even when you don't know • Listen before you announce • Hire curiosity, hunger and attitude *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "You can teach somebody a skill. You can't teach somebody to give a damn." What's the best advice Ray gave you? SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Meet Topshelf Ray 2:59 - Ray's first rule for buying a business 4:03 - The question he asks before buying 5:49 - Ray's three communication rules 7:43 - What he looks for when hiring 9:33 - Why everyone calls Ray with business problems 9:56 - How Topshelf Ray got his name 11:21 - Ray's best business advice 12:57 - Ray's Surfside recommendation *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Four drinks for four guys with four very different takes on business. Pick your poison. 🍸 *THE SURFSIDE* Topshelf Ray - The bartender who somehow became the business guy Recipe: • 2 oz strawberry vodka • 3 oz strawberry lemonade • ½ oz lemon juice • ½ oz simple syrup • 2 strawberries • 1 oz club soda Muddle strawberries, syrup and lemon. Add vodka and lemonade, shake with ice, strain over fresh ice and top with club soda. The Vibe: Ray's personal favorite, and the drink he sent us home with. 🍸 *THE GOOD STUFF* Brian Balduf - Give people something worth remembering Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes bitters • Lemon twist Shake with ice and strain over a large cube. Garnish with lemon. The Vibe: Ray's "give them the good stuff" philosophy sounds a lot like Brian. Good advice, good conversation and no reason to serve the cheap stuff. 🍸 *THE GIVE-A-DAMN* Brad Balduf - Hire the person who cares Recipe: • 2 oz tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave • ½ oz grapefruit juice • Pinch of salt Shake with ice and strain over fresh ice. Garnish with grapefruit. The Vibe: Brad liked Ray's hiring rule immediately. Skills can be taught. Giving a damn is harder to find. 🍸 *LISTEN FIRST* Matt Croke - Maybe don't give the speech yet Recipe: • 1½ oz gin • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz simple syrup • 2 oz club soda Shake everything except soda with ice. Strain over fresh ice, top with soda and garnish with lemon. The Vibe: Ray's advice to listen before announcing might be exactly what Matt needed to hear. Which drink fits you? *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #businessstrategy #leadership #hiring #businessadvice #ceobros #businesstips #businessideas #businesscoach #businessowner #startups #startupjourney #startuptips #startupfunding #TopShelfRay #howto #howtostartabusiness #hiring #bartender

  5. Sep 4

    Setting, Achieving and Celebrating Milestones ep 81

    *He Hands Out $100K Candy Bars for Every Milestone (The celebration trap that kills trust) Season 2 Episode 81* Brian keeps hearing founders confuse a goal with a milestone, so he brought receipts. At VHT Studios, every time they passed another $100,000 in recurring revenue, he handed out $100,000 candy bars to the whole team. Then the guys realize they've been guilty of the exact mistake they're warning everyone about: blowing past their own milestones without stopping to celebrate them. This is episode 81. Goals versus milestones, and the celebration trap that kills momentum. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why a goal and a milestone are not the same thing • The exact moment VHT Studios started handing out $100,000 candy bars • Why skipping the celebration after a milestone breaks your team's trust • How a road trip to California explains motivation better than any business book • Why Brian sets milestones quarterly instead of monthly or annually *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Pick milestones tied to your actual end goal, not just easy numbers to hit • Communicate the milestone before you reach it, not after • Celebrate every time, even the small ones, or people stop believing you • Set milestones on a quarterly rhythm so the next one always feels close  *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you set a milestone and don't celebrate it when you hit it, people start to think the leader isn't being honest with them." What's the last milestone your team hit that nobody stopped to celebrate? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy.  *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 Why We're Talking About Milestones This Week 1:23 Toasting to 1 Million Views and 13,000 Subscribers 3:20 Goals vs Milestones: The Mixup Killing Momentum 6:41 The Rocket Test Flight on the Way to Mars 7:53 VHT's $100,000 Candy Bar Rule 9:02 Nebraska's Fake World's Largest Paper Airplane 20:04 The Trap: Set a Milestone, Skip the Celebration 21:02 Turning a Milestone Into a Team Incentive 25:24 The Bros Take Their Own Medicine *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three milestone styles. Pick the one that matches how you celebrate. 🍸 *THE HUNDRED GRAND* Brian Balduf The guy who hands out candy bars for every six figures Recipe: 2 oz bourbon ¾ oz caramel liqueur ¼ oz crème de cacao 2 dashes chocolate bitters Orange peel, torched Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass The Vibe: Sweet, rich, a little indulgent. Every $100,000 milestone at VHT got a candy bar and a round of applause. This one's the grown-up version, proof that celebrating the small wins is what keeps everyone chasing the big one. 🍸 *THE ELEVENTH CENTER* Brad Balduf The operator who scaled across 11 locations Recipe: 1½ oz gin ¾ oz elderflower liqueur ½ oz fresh lemon juice ¼ oz simple syrup Splash of soda Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, top with soda The Vibe: Bright and easy to drink. Every new center Brad opened was a milestone worth marking, not just a number on a spreadsheet. This one's for anyone who knows scaling only works if you stop to notice you got bigger. 🍸 *THE EMPTY WRAPPER* Matt Croke The host who calls out the trap before anyone else sees it Recipe: 1½ oz mezcal ½ oz Ancho Reyes ½ oz lime juice ¼ oz agave syrup Chili salt rim Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass over one large cube The Vibe: Smoky with a bite at the end. Matt's the one who calls it out when a leader talks up a milestone and then never celebrates it. This drink hits the same way: sweet start, sharp finish, the truth waiting at the bottom of the glass. Make all three. Handing out candy bars? Opening center number eleven? Calling out the leader who skipped the celebration? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #leadership #businessstrategy #teamculture #CEOBros #motivation #milestones #goals #goalsetting #startups #startuplife #startupsuccess #achieveyourgoals #howtosetgoals #howtostartabusiness #businesstips #businessideas #founders

  6. Aug 28

    Top Sales Tips ep 80

    *We Ranked the 6 Sales Rules That Actually Close Deals (One Won) S2 Episode 80* Six rules. Three sales guys. One blind ranking. And one rule Brian says is Sales 101. If your sales numbers are bad, are you blaming the wrong thing? Is your team chasing better pitches when the real problem is the pipeline? And are your salespeople talking so much they never learn what the customer actually needs? Brad brought six rules he's relied on throughout his sales career. Brian and Matt had to rank them on the spot, one through six, with no repeats. The rules get surprisingly practical. Walk away from a deal and the buyer may call you back. Respect a 15-minute meeting and you may earn meeting two. Show up with no purpose and you're wasting the client's time. Then Brian reveals the rule he would have ranked number one: ask questions. Lots of them. One 30-minute meeting can be nothing but discovery if that's what it takes to understand the buyer. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why walking away from a deal can actually help you close it • The two places every sales problem starts: pipeline or close • Why running past a client's 15-minute window can kill trust • Why genuine and likable can beat experience and product knowledge • Why Brian says asking questions is Sales 101  *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Build enough pipeline before blaming the pitch • Have a purpose for every sales call and meeting • Respect the time a client gives you • Ask questions before you start selling your solution *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism Therapy to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will.  *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you don't ask probing questions to get at hot buttons, pain points, opportunities, you're just pushing product." What sales rule would you put at number one? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy.  *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Six Sales Rules Go on Trial 4:20 - Rule #1: Be Ready to Walk Away 5:54 - "You're Always Selling" 8:51 - The Two Things Killing Your Sales 11:42 - Respect the Client's Clock 16:19 - Genuine Beats Knowledge? 21:23 - Never Call Without a Purpose 26:01 - Brian's Number One: Ask Questions 28:46 - Why Sales Blood Has to Flow  *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches.  🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three sales styles. Pick the one that matches your situation.  🍸 *THE WALK-AWAY* Brian Balduf - The guy who knows when to leave the table Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • ¾ oz pineapple juice • ½ oz dry curaçao • ¼ oz fresh lime juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass The Vibe: Rich, sharp, and just a little tropical. You leave the deal, get 15 minutes down the road, and suddenly the phone rings. Sometimes the best move is knowing you don't need the deal badly enough to take a bad deal.  🍸 *THE TIMEKEEPER* Brad Balduf - The operator who respects the clock Recipe: • 1½ oz cognac • ¾ oz sweet vermouth • ¼ oz Campari • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into a coupe The Vibe: A measured drink for a measured meeting. You got 15 minutes, you use 15 minutes. No rambling, no hijacking the client's schedule, no wondering why they never called back.  🍸 *THE DISCOVERY CALL* Matt Croke - The host who keeps the questions coming Recipe: • 1½ oz blanco tequila • ½ oz fino sherry • ½ oz grapefruit juice • ¼ oz maraschino liqueur • 2 dashes grapefruit bitters • Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora The Vibe: Dry, bright, curious. The point isn't to unload your pitch. It's to find out what the buyer actually needs before you decide what to sell them. Make all three. Walking away? Watching the clock? Asking questions until you actually understand the deal? Tag us.  *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH] [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/] [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH] [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros] #entrepreneurship #sales #businessstrategy #leadership #businessdevelopment #CEOBros

  7. Aug 21

    How to tell if this is a business or just an interesting idea ep 79

    *We Tried to Kill the Business Idea (Before You Bet the Farm) S2 Episode 79* Four tests that can kill a bad idea before you waste months and money. You've got the idea. But will you still want it in a month? Will a stranger actually buy it? What happens when everything goes wrong? And where does the money come from? Brian, Brad and Matt finish their four-hurdle test for turning an idea into a business. The first two were the clock and stranger hurdles. Now come the bullet and dollar hurdles, the two that can expose a business before you pour money into it. Brian explains why he sometimes spends an hour telling an excited entrepreneur everything that could go wrong. They pressure-test pickleball, cryotherapy and the difference between a real business and a feature someone else will give away. Then comes the dollar hurdle. Can you put revenue and expenses on paper and prove the business works? Not a 40-page financial model. A sanity check. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why the bullet hurdle is designed to kill your excitement • The question that separates a business from a feature • Why hot trends can hide bullets • How to sketch revenue, expenses and net income before signing a lease • Why "everyone will buy it" isn't a business model *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Blow holes in the idea before the market does. • Ask what can stop the business, then build answers for each bullet. • Identify exactly who will buy, what they'll pay and how you'll reach them. • Put revenue and expenses on paper. If the net doesn't work, stop.  *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf built and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf scaled By Your Side Autism to 11 centers and 550+ employees. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "You can't ask people if they'll pay for it. The only way to test if people will pay for it is to sell it." What business idea are you sitting on right now? Has it cleared all four hurdles?  👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Clock, Stranger, Bullet, Dollar: The Four Hurdles 3:39 - Brian's Favorite Way to Deflate an Entrepreneur 5:45 - Is It Really a Business or Just a Feature? 7:12 - The Pickleball Hype Test 9:25 - The Bullets Nobody Sees Coming 12:17 - Why Blowing Up Your Idea Is Part of the Process 15:18 - The Dollar Hurdle: Will It Actually Make Money? 18:25 - "How Are People Going to Find Out About It?" 19:31 - Likes, Testimonials and Zero Sales 22:25 - The Fake Math Behind "20% of a Huge Market" 24:09 - You Passed All Four. Now What?  *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches.  *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS*  🍸 Three drinks for three ways to pressure-test an idea. Pick the one that matches your hurdle. 🍸 *THE BULLET HOLE* Brian Balduf - The guy who wants to know what can kill it Recipe: • 2 oz dark rum • ½ oz amaro • ¼ oz coffee liqueur • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain over one large cube The Vibe: Dark, bitter and built for finding problems. Brian doesn't want to hear how great your idea is. He wants to know what happens when the insects eat the crop, the neighbors hate the noise or the competition gives your feature away.  🍸 *THE DOLLAR MENU* Brad Balduf - The operator who wants the numbers Recipe: • 1½ oz apple brandy • ¾ oz dry vermouth • ½ oz apricot liqueur • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lemon twist • Stir with ice, strain into a chilled coupe The Vibe: No fantasy revenue. No "everybody needs it." Just what's coming in, what's going out and what's left. This is the cocktail equivalent of putting the business on a napkin and seeing if the math survives.  🍸 *THE STRANGER TEST* Matt Croke - The guy asking the question nobody wants to answer Recipe: • 2 oz fino sherry • ½ oz dry curaçao • ¾ oz fresh grapefruit juice • ¼ oz simple syrup • 2 dashes grapefruit bitters • Grapefruit peel • Shake with ice, strain over crushed ice in a rocks glass The Vibe: Bright, dry and skeptical. A stranger doesn't care that your mom loves the idea. They care whether they'd actually buy it and what they'd pay. Make all three. Bullet holes? Dollar signs? Stranger with a wallet? Which hurdle is your idea facing?  *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* [https://x.com/CeoBrosAH] [https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/] [https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH] [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros] #BusinessStrategy #EntrepreneurMindset #StartupLife #BusinessLessons #Leadership #CEOBros

  8. Aug 14

    How to tell if it's a business or just an interesting idea ep 78

    *Friends Validate. Strangers Evaluate. (Your Idea Just Failed the Clock) Season 2 Episode 78* Two of four hurdles that decide if an idea becomes a real business. Got a "great idea"? Still talking about it in three weeks? Would a stranger actually buy it? Or are you just collecting yeses from people who love you? Matt keeps building AI apps and asking the same question: is this even a business? Brian and Brad answer with four hurdles every idea has to clear: Dollar. Clock. Bullet. Stranger. This episode they only clear two. The Clock hurdle kills most ideas. Someone gets charged up, tells everyone, then two weeks later the energy is gone. Brian's test is simple. Put the idea down for a week. Don't talk about it. Come back. Still obsessed? Still waking up thinking about it? Then maybe. Brad is still fired up about buying a pool hall weeks later. That's the signal. Most people fail this without noticing. Then the Stranger hurdle. Friends validate. Strangers evaluate. Your friends will say it's brilliant because they like you. If you can't get a stranger interested in buying the thing, you don't have a business. You'll discover: • Why most "great ideas" fizzle in under 30 days • The one-week silence test that separates conviction from temporary excitement • How to get honest product feedback without your friends lying to you • Why the Clock hurdle has two parts (excitement + actual time) • What Bullet and Dollar will demand next week  *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Force a one-week silence before you spend a dollar • Ask strangers "Would you buy this?" never "Should I start this?" • Treat lasting energy after the pause as the first real signal *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "Friends validate. Strangers evaluate." Still excited after a week of silence? Drop the idea below. We'll tell you if it clears the first two hurdles. Subscribe for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy.  *Timestamps* 0:00 - Four hurdles: Dollar, Clock, Bullet, Stranger 1:06 - "Is this idea even a business?" 2:02 - The four tests every idea has to pass 5:26 - Which hurdle is easiest to lie to yourself about 7:01 - The Clock hurdle and why most ideas die here 11:04 - The one-week silence test 12:09 - Still talking about the pool hall weeks later 16:50 - Friends validate. Strangers evaluate. 17:24 - How Brian got real feedback on his memoir 23:39 - Only two hurdles cleared. Bullet and Dollar next. *ABOUT CEO BROS after hours* CEO BROS - After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three vodka drinks for three ways your idea can die. Pick the one that matches where you're stuck. 🍸 *THE CLOCK STOPPER* Brian Balduf - The guy who waits a week before he believes anything Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • ¾ oz dry vermouth • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lemon twist • Stir with ice, strain into chilled glass The Vibe: You were all in on Monday. By Friday the fire was out. This one forces the pause. If you still want it after the first sip goes cold, maybe it's real. 🍸 *SHINY OBJECT SYNDROME* Brad Balduf - The operator who has seen too many ideas evaporate Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • ¾ oz triple sec • ¾ oz cranberry juice • Splash of lime • Shake, strain, serve up The Vibe: It looked perfect under the lights. Two weeks later nobody remembers the name. Drink this when you're about to chase the next bright thing instead of finishing the last one.  🍸 *THE RANDO* Matt Croke - The one who asks people who have zero reason to be nice Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • ½ oz lime juice • ½ oz simple syrup • Soda water • Lime wheel • Build over ice, top with soda The Vibe: Your friends already said yes. This drink only cares what a stranger would pay for. No compliments. Just the truth in the glass. Which hurdle is currently killing your idea? Clock or Stranger? Tell us below.  *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #bestbusinesspodcast #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipskills #leadershipmindset #leadershiptips #startups #startupsuccess #startuptips #businesstips #businesssuccess #businessadvice #entrepreneur #entrepeneurlife #entrepreneurmindset #howto

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

CEO Bros is an entertaining weekly podcast hosted by the Balduf Brothers and Matt Croke. Brian and Brad Balduf are successful entrepreneurs and CEOs with hundreds of engaging and insightful stories from the trenches. They talk about everything from the challenges of starting a business, to the exhilaration of growing the business, to the ultimate satisfaction of selling a business. They share real-life stories and lessons in an engaging and candid 'after hours' conversation moderated by Matt Croke, an international entertainer, comedian, and author. Join the guys every Friday afternoon for a new episode. Hear some rants, some ideas, some lessons learned, and some funny anecdotes about the world of running your own company.

Information

  • Creator
    CEO Bros
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    84
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    CEO Bros - After Hours