Put me in coach, I'm ready to scale

Eugene Terk
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Put me in Coach, I'm ready to Scale features real conversations with business coaches, advisors, and growth-minded leaders helping companies navigate leadership, strategy, execution, accountability, and scale. Each episode delivers practical insights, proven frameworks, and real-world stories designed for CEOs, entrepreneurs, executives, and coaches who want to build stronger businesses and better teams. Hosted by Eugene Terk and brought to you by Align

  1. 3d ago

    The 100% A Player Advantage: How High-Growth Companies Eliminate Mediocrity

    Most CEOs and entrepreneurs accept the conventional wisdom of the bell curve: you will naturally have a few star performers, a few poor fits, and a large middle group of "B Players" who handle the day-to-day work. In this episode of Put Me In, Coach! I’m Ready to Scale, host Eugene Turk sits down with executive coach and author Rick Crossland to dismantle that myth. Drawing from two decades of executive coaching and recruiting experience, Rick explains why having a team of 100% A Players is not only mathematically possible—it is necessary if you want to scale and maximize company valuation. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: The "Are You Thrilled?" Test: Why the simplest calibration of an A Player comes down to your gut feeling about their performance relative to the compensation paid.The Danger of Tolerating B Players: Why B-level performance quietly puts your company at risk, slows down execution, and drives away top talent.Coaching Managers vs. Coachable Employees: When an employee underperforms, where does the blame lie? Rick outlines why managers must own the playbook and how to identify coachability (hunger, humility, willingness to correct) before making a hire.The Power of Panel Interviews: Why traditional one-on-one executive chats allow candidates to game core values, and how panel scorecards create instant team alignment."Observe and Correct": Real-time leadership lessons on catching errors immediately and building an authentic coaching culture rather than relying on outdated annual reviews.Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Rick Crossland’s Website: Learn more about coaching, recruiting, and the Scaling Up framework at A Player Advantage.Free Talent Assessment Tool: Download the A Player Talent Assessment Spreadsheet to evaluate your current team.Rick’s Top Book Recommendations: The 100% A Player by Rick CrosslandIncorruptible by Eric RiesSuper-Players by Verne HarnishThe Leadership Agreement by Dale RobinetteScale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! https://aligntoday.com/insights-by-al... 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoying the show? Don’t forget to follow, rate, and review Put Me In, Coach! I’m Ready to Scale on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows!

    The 100% A Player Advantage: How High-Growth Companies Eliminate Mediocrity

  2. Oct 26

    Uncovering the Hidden Dollars in Your Business to Fuel Future Growth

    With rising interest rates, shifting tariffs, and tightening margins, driving top-line growth is harder than ever—and often comes with high delivery and production costs attached. But what if the easiest way to fund your next stage of growth is already hiding inside your business? In this episode of Put Me In, Coach. I'm Ready to Scale, host Eugene Terk sits down with Scott Mandell—entrepreneur, former founder & CEO of Enjoy Life Foods, and certified Scaling Up coach. Scott shares why overhead optimization is one of the single most overlooked levers for business owners. Unlike revenue growth, every dollar trimmed from recurring overhead drops straight to the bottom line as pure profit—and at typical sale multiples, can instantly add hundreds of thousands (or even millions) to your company’s enterprise valuation. From untangling the "grunge categories" to protecting long-term vendor relationships, Scott walks through practical ways to audit expenses, eliminate fee creep, and keep more money where it belongs: in your pocket. Key Takeaways & Highlights The Math of Overhead vs. Revenue: Why $100K in new sales delivers only a fraction of profit due to COGS, while $100K in overhead savings flows 100% to your bottom line.Valuation Multipliers: How cutting recurring costs compounds your EBITDA multiple ahead of an exit.The "Grunge Categories": Uncovering low-hanging fruit across shipping, merchant processing, utilities, and telecom.Negotiating Without Burning Bridges: How to sharpen pricing pencils while preserving long-standing vendor trust.SaaS & Fee Creep: Identifying the slow-building subscription costs that erode margins over time.Next Practical Steps: Why an objective, no-cost cost audit is the fastest way to spot hidden savings.Resources & Links Mentioned Scott Mandell’s Coaching Practice: Mandell Strategic GrowthScott’s Book Recommendation: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick LencioniScale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! https://aligntoday.com/insights-by-al... 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review!

    Uncovering the Hidden Dollars in Your Business to Fuel Future Growth

  3. Oct 19

    Driving Explosive Growth: Aligning Your Team to Scale B2B Revenue

    Why do roughly 67% of strategic plans fail to deliver on their promises? It’s rarely just a "bad strategy." Most of the time, execution falls apart because teams lack the alignment, skills, or beliefs needed to carry the plan across the finish line. In this episode of Put Me In, Coach! I'm Ready to Scale, Eugene Terk sits down with veteran business coach Mark Allen Roberts for an insightful look into what it really takes to scale B2B revenue and eliminate pipeline clutter. Mark shares key lessons from his 40+ years of experience helping manufacturers and B2B organizations scale—from leveraging the Voice of the Customer to rethinking traditional sales training. Key Takeaways: The Execution Gap: Why even sound strategic plans flop when leadership and sales teams aren't truly aligned.Mindset & Beliefs: How limiting beliefs silently sabotage sales performance and how to reframe them.Reinventing Sales Training: Why 2-day workshops fail (the "forgetting curve") and how spaced, stacked learning creates lasting results.Voice of the Customer: How gathering direct customer insights can double your company's growth.No Smoke & Mirrors: Practical steps to eliminate pipeline clutter and hold teams accountable without micromanagement.Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode: 🌐 Connect with Mark Allen Roberts: Website: nosmokeandmirrors.com 📚 Mark's Recommended Reading List: Driving Explosive Growth by Mark Allen Roberts: https://amzn.to/4itU7JR Profit from the Core by Chris Zook: https://amzn.to/4BlsiuWHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie & Scaling Up by Verne Harnish: https://amzn.to/4hVeqQnEnjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review! Scale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! https://aligntoday.com/insights-by-al... 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review!

    Driving Explosive Growth: Aligning Your Team to Scale B2B Revenue

  4. Oct 12

    Mastering the Flywheel Effect: How Small Steps Build Unstoppable Momentum

    In this episode of Put Me In, Coach! I'm Ready to Scale, host Eugene Terk is joined by seasoned business coach Barry Gleason to break down the power of Jim Collins' Flywheel Effect. Together, they explore how growing companies can move away from linear sales funnels and build a closed-loop system that generates compounding momentum over time. Barry shares real-world insights on navigating the initial heavy push of building a flywheel, aligning leadership teams, eliminating friction in business processes, and avoiding the dreaded "Doom Loop". Whether you're a CEO, founder, or executive leader looking to scale your business, this episode provides a practical roadmap for creating sustainable, long-term success. Key Takeaways: Understanding the Flywheel Effect: Why scaling a business requires continuous, self-reinforcing effort rather than relying on linear sales funnels.Building Your Flywheel: How to identify the 4 to 6 core components that drive your company's unique momentum, starting from your brand promise or core strength.Navigating the Early Phase: How coaches help impatient leaders stay the course through the initial heavy phase before noticeable ROI shows.Eliminating Friction: How to pinpoint specific process bottlenecks when growth stalls instead of overhauling the entire business.Avoiding the Doom Loop: Strategies to filter out "shiny object syndrome" and maintain focus on your core strategy.Quarterly Maintenance: Why reviewing and sharpening individual flywheel components each quarter keeps leadership teams aligned.Resources & Links Mentioned: Guest Website: Learn more about Barry Gleason and his coaching services at The Kelsey Group.Book Recommendation #1: Good to Great by Jim Collins Book Recommendation #2: Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great by Jim CollinsConnect With Us: Scale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! https://aligntoday.com/insights-by-al... 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review!

    Mastering the Flywheel Effect: How Small Steps Build Unstoppable Momentum

  5. Oct 5

    From Swiss Special Forces to Scaling Businesses: Lessons on Leadership and Discipline

    What happens when you apply military-grade tactical precision to the world of entrepreneurship? In this episode of Put Me In, Coach, host Eugene Terk sits down with serial entrepreneur, business coach, and author Sam Goodner to unpack the actionable framework behind his book, Like Clockwork: Running Your Business with Swiss Army Precision. From serving in the Swiss Special Forces to founding and scaling tech companies like Catapult Systems and FlashParking, Sam shares how clarity, discipline, and intentional culture turn chaotic startups into operationally scalable powerhouses. Key Highlights & Takeaways Clarity Above All: Why providing total clarity around roles, customer focus, and top priorities is the single most important lever for scaling a company.Bootcamp Onboarding: How a dedicated "Cultural Indoctrination Day" sets execution standards, builds momentum, and aligns new hires with your mission from day one.The "Mission to Mars" Exercise: How to unearth authentic core values from the front lines of your team rather than dictating them from the top down.Predictive Critical Numbers: How to select 1–3 real-time operational metrics instead of drowning in an endless dashboard of lagging KPIs.Total Defensive Readiness: How to stress-test your financials with a "Black Friday" exercise to recession-proof your business before a downturn hits.The CEO Litmus Test: The simple indicator that proves your business is finally running like clockwork without you.Resources & Links Mentioned Connect with Sam Goodner: samgoodner.com Sam’s Book: Like Clockwork: Running Your Business with Swiss Army PrecisionRecommended Reads: Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets by Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, and Kevin ManeyScale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! https://aligntoday.com/insights-by-al... 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review!

    From Swiss Special Forces to Scaling Businesses: Lessons on Leadership and Discipline

  6. Sep 28

    Why Every Business Needs Voice of the Customer Data

    Are you building your business strategy around what you think your market wants… or what your customers are actually telling you? In this episode of Put Me In, Coach! I'm Ready to Scale, host Eugene Terk sits down with Dave Sluka—Scaling Up Coach and practice leader at MAGNET—to explore the critical role of Voice of the Customer (VOC) data in strategic growth. Dave breaks down why relying solely on internal assumptions or basic Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys can create blind spots. You'll learn how to structure unbiased customer interviews, navigate internal resistance, and convert raw feedback into actionable quarterly priorities that move the needle. Key Highlights: Beyond the Echo Chamber: Why leadership teams often fall trap to believing their own internal narrative instead of market reality.NPS vs. VOC: How NPS shows you where to dig, while Voice of the Customer conversations do the actual digging.Finding the Root Issue: Why feature requests are usually just symptoms of deeper, underlying problems customers will pay to solve.Third-Party Neutrality: Why customers share unfiltered truths with an objective interviewer that they would never reveal to your sales team or CEO.Turning Insights into Action: A simple 3-step framework for turning market intelligence into execution-ready priorities.Resources & Links: Learn more about Dave Sluka and MAGNET: https://www.manufacturingsuccess.orgScaling Up by Vern Harnish: https://amzn.to/3V23yacStart to Scale by Vern Harnish: https://amzn.to/46vKXFTScale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! https://aligntoday.com/insights-by-al... 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review!

    Why Every Business Needs Voice of the Customer Data

  7. Sep 21

    Balancing Utility and Equity: Choosing Between a Lifestyle Business and Long-Term Enterprise Value

    In this episode of Put Me In Coach, I'm Ready to Scale, host Eugene Terk speaks with Dr. Keith Fairhurst, founder of Scale Up Partners. Drawing from his extensive experience in turnaround consulting, corporate governance, and executive coaching, Keith breaks down the critical decision every founder faces: running a lifestyle business for short-term utility versus building a company designed for long-term enterprise value. They explore the "Scale-Up Choice," the vital financial metrics every business needs to monitor, and how leadership and governance directly impact your valuation multiple. Key Topics Covered: The fundamental tension between "Utility Value" and "Equity Value" in entrepreneurship.Red flags that signal a business is undercapitalized or losing enterprise value.Financial vital signs: Budgeting, cash flow forecasting, and profitability.How to calculate a realistic valuation multiplier using leadership, vision, talent, and governance.Grounding founder expectations in market realities without losing growth momentum.Resources & Links: Scale Up Partners Website: scaleup.partnersRead Keith's Article: "The Scale Up Choice"Recommended Books: Generation to Generation: Life Cycles of the Family Business by Gersick et al.Good to Great by Jim CollinsMastering Leadership by Robert J. Anderson & William A. AdamsScaling Up by Verne HarnishScale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! https://aligntoday.com/insights-by-align/ 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review!

    Balancing Utility and Equity: Choosing Between a Lifestyle Business and Long-Term Enterprise Value

  8. Sep 14

    Why Being a Busy Leader is Stalling Your Business

    Is your busy schedule actually hiding a leadership bottleneck? In this episode of Put Me in Coach, I'm Ready to Scale, host Eugene Terk sits down with veteran executive coach Bill Gallagher to unpack the core lessons from his book, Busy Is Broken. Bill shares why "busyness" isn't a badge of honor, how overachieving founders fall into the "eighth-grade group project" trap, and how to test whether your company can survive—and thrive—without you. In this episode, we cover: The true cost of micromanagement and failing to delegateThe "1-Month Vacation Test" to expose your business bottlenecksImplementing lightweight, immediate 360-degree feedback loopsPractical strategies to rewire your brain from telling to askingConnect with Bill Gallagher: Website: scalingcoach.comBooks Mentioned in This Episode: Busy Is Broken by Bill Gallagher: https://amzn.to/4xPWMTw Superteams by Ron Friedman: https://amzn.to/4r0wv2lThe Octopus Organization by Phil Le-Brun and Jana Werner: https://amzn.to/4xAvzU5Scale Your Business with Align: Ready to flawlessly execute your company's scaling strategy, track your KPIs, and align your team’s daily energy with your biggest corporate priorities? Start your free trial of Align today! 🎁 Special Listener Bonus: Enter the promo code "Podcast" when you sign up to receive an exclusive 10% discount on your subscription. Enjoyed this episode? Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave us a review!

    Why Being a Busy Leader is Stalling Your Business
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Put me in Coach, I'm ready to Scale features real conversations with business coaches, advisors, and growth-minded leaders helping companies navigate leadership, strategy, execution, accountability, and scale. Each episode delivers practical insights, proven frameworks, and real-world stories designed for CEOs, entrepreneurs, executives, and coaches who want to build stronger businesses and better teams. Hosted by Eugene Terk and brought to you by Align

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