Beyond the Startup

Lliam Holmes
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  • Entrepreneurship

Beyond the Startup features Atlanta-area business owners and leaders sharing their entrepreneurial journeys. We explore how businesses get started, the challenges of growth, and the lessons learned along the way.

Episodes

  1. Jul 15

    Beyond the Startup Ep. 5: Peter Briden

    In this Beyond the Startup episode, Lliam Holmes (CEO of MIS Solutions) interviews Peter Briden, an IT services veteran from Pittsburgh, about his path from struggling in school to launching a career in IT after attending DeVry, then leaving corporate life to start his own company. Peter explains how an attorney connection helped him land his first clients, the challenges of hiring the first employee and managing transactional revenue, and how documentation, processes, and learning finance improved stability and profitability.  He discusses the impact of peer groups like Strategic Coach and industry groups, leadership development as a key growth hurdle, and using tools like Gazelles and EOS. Peter recounts selling PC Network Services after 27 years and shares his post-exit “rules of engagement,” coaching work, and core advice on unique ability, societal value, continuous improvement, and financial discipline. 00:00 Quitting to Start Up 00:41 Meet the Hosts 02:19 School Struggles to DeVry 05:04 First IT Career Break 07:33 The I Quit Moment 10:31 Landing First Customers 13:39 Hiring and Cashflow Reality 16:08 Systems and Profitability 19:28 Strategic Coach Framework 24:02 Peer Groups That Scale 27:34 Choosing the Right Peer Group 28:09 Peer Groups That Work 29:25 Breaking Through Stuck 33:03 Leadership Chasm Explained 34:51 Owner Role and Vision 37:40 EOS And Gazelles Tools 40:12 Selling After 27 Years 43:57 Four Rules Of Engagement 45:52 Purpose After The Exit 51:22 Three Career Lessons 54:27 Spouse Team And Farewell

  2. Jun 8

    Beyond the Startup Ep. 4: Larry Carver

    Building a Hotel Procurement & Design Firm Through Booms, Busts, and Global Expansion In this episode of Beyond the Startup, Larry Carver, founder and president of Carver & Associates, shares how he entered the real estate and design field simply by needing a job after college and the Army. He’s worked with and learned from some of the industry's heavy hitters, including Jack DeBoer, John Portman, and mentor Lowell Goldman, who taught him hotel FF&E procurement. Larry opened his firm in 1983 with $500 and a rented desk, landing major hotel projects and building the business on relationships. He recounts major downturns, including the late-1980s tax changes and savings-and-loan fallout, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and COVID, describing staff reductions, perseverance, and recovery through projects in Taiwan, Korea, Las Vegas, and the Middle East. He discusses risk-taking, hiring experts for finance and design, and advises entrepreneurs to find work they genuinely like. 00:00 Hard Times Happen 00:30 Meet Larry Carver 01:08 First Break in Real Estate 04:07 Atlanta and Colony Square 05:52 Luck Meets Preparation 07:54 Portman and a Mentor 12:27 Starting Carver and Associates 16:32 Bootstrapping with Tech 18:08 Relationships Drive Business 22:16 Surviving the S&L Crash 26:06 Cutting Back to Survive 26:37 Adversity Builds Strength 27:13 Asia Expansion Wins 29:16 Culture And Logistics 31:51 Turnkey Business Pivot 33:45 Risk Taking Mindset 36:43 Know When To Quit 37:58 Money Skills And Delegation 42:50 Crises And Middle East 46:07 Covid Shock And Rebound 47:52 Entrepreneur Reflections 51:04 Advice For New Founders 52:47 Closing Thanks

  3. Apr 2

    Beyond the Startup Ep. 3: Clay Snellings

    Replace Yourself to Rise – Lessons from Clay Snellings of Snellings Walters Insurance Agency Host Lliam Holmes interviews Clay Snellings of Snellings Walters Insurance Agency about growing a family business founded in 1952. Clay shares entering the company in 1986 when it had 10 staff and about $1M in revenue, then key inflection points: buying out his father after retirement in 1993, expanding ownership in 2007 to bring in new energy and scale, and adopting EOS in 2013 to improve execution and accountability. He describes lessons from Vistage and peer groups, the importance of outside expertise, and a stall that led them to put the “right people in right seats,” helping revenue grow to about $30M with 105 employees and 22 shareholders. They discuss culture, alignment, transparent metrics, “replace yourself,” and Clay’s ongoing connection to his father’s principles while mentoring the next generation.   00:00 Control Versus Growth 00:31 Meet Clay Snellings 01:38 Joining the Family Firm 03:56 Dad Retires New Leadership 06:45 Spreading Ownership 08:57 EOS Game Changer 13:59 Outside Help Peer Groups 16:26 Scaling Pains And Systems 17:38 Hiring A COO To Scale 21:29 Embracing Change Early 24:05 Hard Lessons Drive Change 24:52 Lifestyle Business Trap 27:08 Scaling With Ownership 28:16 Culture At 100 People 30:40 Mission And Core Values 31:51 Onboarding For Alignment 35:17 Frameworks That Scale 38:34 Hiring With Culture Index 41:35 Turning Growth Into Action 46:38 Dad’s Lasting Legacy

  4. Mar 25

    Beyond the Startup Ep. 2: Andy Cheatham

    Built to Last: How Advantage Fire Turned Niche Focus into 34 Years of Growth On Beyond the Startup, host Lliam Holmes interviews Andy Cheatham of Advantage Fire, a full-service fire protection company started in spring 1992 after Selasco’s bankruptcy. Cheatham describes launching with four employees and a 4,000 sq. ft. facility, rapidly scaling by hiring former Selasco staff and assuming leftover jobs, and growing to about 175 employees and 80 vehicles. He explains pursuing an MBA for broader business perspective and learning to upgrade vendors (including IT support) as the company grew. Advantage differentiated by specializing in complex medical projects and later data centers, using layered protection like nitrogen systems and dry sprinklers. He stresses investing in quality materials, protecting reputation by fixing costly mistakes (including a $100,000 early failure), developing middle management by answering questions with questions, and choosing a strategic acquisition to benefit employees; he also cites ESOPs as an exit option. 00:00 Costly Choices00:38 Meet Advantage Fire01:50 Why Start a Business02:35 Bankruptcy Push04:05 Funding and Capital05:22 First Office and Hiring07:42 Landing Early Customers09:49 Early Lessons on Growth12:03 MBA and Scaling Vendors17:09 Niche Strategy Medical to Data22:04 Risk and High Stakes Work23:44 Data Center Fire Systems25:28 Vendor Quality Choices27:56 Reputation Beats Low Bid29:44 Costly Early Mistake33:19 Strategic Sale Decision38:13 Life Inside Big Company42:00 Advice for Every Stage47:26 Exit and ESOP Options49:49 Closing Thanks

  5. Mar 25

    Beyond the Startup Ep. 1: Pilot

    Beyond the Startup Ep. 1: From Chaos to Control — How MIS Solutions Was Built to Scale In the pilot episode of Beyond the Startup, temporary host Scott Pressimone interviews Lliam Holmes, founder and CEO of MIS Solutions, an Atlanta IT company serving small to midsize businesses with help desk, purchasing, and support. Lliam recounts starting MIS in 1995 after his Fortune 100-focused employer repeatedly turned away small-business requests. With encouragement from his mentor, Pete, Lliam bootstrapped the company with his wife, Jennifer, and another partner—MasterCard. He describes early lack of strategy, learning to say no to non-core work, and major lessons, including failing to save for taxes, hiring timing, and the need to pause growth to build policies, processes, and standards. Lliam emphasizes that technology constantly resets (internet, cloud, cybersecurity, AI), argues for investing early to gain “battle scars,” credits EOS for managing chaos, and stresses scaling beyond the founder by delegating decisions, developing people, and focusing on client value and community learning. 00:00 Bootstrapping MIS Origins00:34 Podcast Kickoff and Guest Intro01:35 What MIS Solutions Does02:26 1995 Tech Landscape and Opportunity04:26 Pete’s Push to Go Solo05:32 Credit Cards and Early Cash Flow09:23 Finding Focus and Saying No14:59 Tech Industry Constant Reinvention18:19 From Backups to Cloud to AI22:58 Early Adoption as a Moat27:49 Battle Scars and Tax Shock30:45 Learning Business Skills31:26 Hiring Growing Pains32:01 Building Processes34:32 Scaling Costs Reality37:13 Delegation Mindset Shift40:39 Letting Go of Control42:47 Strengths and Ego44:52 When Founders Step Aside47:04 EOS Managing Chaos49:00 Future Tech and AI54:13 Value and Expectations56:17 Community and Podcast Mission01:00:14 Final Thanks and Wrap

  • 5 Episodes

About

Beyond the Startup features Atlanta-area business owners and leaders sharing their entrepreneurial journeys. We explore how businesses get started, the challenges of growth, and the lessons learned along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Lliam Holmes
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Lliam Holmes