Built To Lead

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 We know that the foundation of any great business is their team, but most of us are never taught how to lead them.  So I wanted to sit down with the best leaders and founders in the world and find out how they did it.  Who did they hire?  What mistakes did they make? And what do they wish someone had told them years ago? These are the stories they haven't told before and the things that made the biggest difference in their business.  If you want to stop being the bottleneck in your business, delegate properly and build a culture that people can’t wait to be part of Subscribe now wherever you're listening because you won't wanna miss these episodes. 

Episodes

  1. What It Takes to Keep a Business Steady AND Growing During Your Hardest Year with Em Sparrow

    4D AGO

    What It Takes to Keep a Business Steady AND Growing During Your Hardest Year with Em Sparrow

    In every founder’s career, they’re going to go through something huge in their personal lives.  But how do you not let it affect your team? Today I’m sitting down with Em Sparrow, founder of the creative agency Sparo Studios.  2025 was a huge year for Em. Behind the scenes, Em was navigating a full business restructure, cash flow pressure, team changes, and a divorce… all while continuing to grow her agency and retain her A Players. So how did she do it? You’ll hear: 0:00 - Why Em’s first hires failed (and what she realised too late about her leadership at the time) 2:18 - The moment Em recognised she was the problem and what she did next to turn her business around 4:41 - How Em scaled her creative agency without losing creativity OR burning her out 9:06 - How to set standards in the creative world when you can’t rely on normal KPIs 11:55 - What changed when Em removed the office and went fully remote 14:28 - How to build culture across offshore and remote teams 18:44 - The values Em hires for that are just as critical as hiring for talent 21:06 - How Em went through a personal crisis without the team ever realising it was happening 24:12 - What happened when Sparo had to pivot its offer super quickly to keep up + did she involve the team in the decision? 27:40 - Why some people left during the restructure, and how Em processed the guilt 30:18 - Real talk: cash flow in project based agencies 37:15 - How Sparrow trains designers to critically assess their own work and take responsibility for their own development  40:52 - The systems Em has put in place that makes hard conversations easier 47:38 - The biggest leadership mistake Em sees founders make early on 50:29 - How Em empowers her team to lead without her 54:11 - If Em had to rebuild from scratch, these are first three hires she’d make and why Want to work with Em and her team at Sparo Studios? Visit www.sparostudios.com. Or head over to IG @sparostudios If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync

    37 min
  2. The 77 Minute Meeting That Will Build a High Performing Team

    MAR 2

    The 77 Minute Meeting That Will Build a High Performing Team

    What happens when you’re working 100 hours in your business, and then one day at a cafe you start feeling pressure on your chest… and it turns out that you’re having a heart attack. You’re only 40. That’s exactly what happened to Andrew Handosa (Doza for short) and he realised he needed to change everything about how he lived his life and ran his business. He fired his clients, started going on solo CEO retreats and now he has one of the fastest growing businesses in Australia. Not only that but he’s built out his team to 30 people in 2025 (all of which are just as committed to his vision) and he even took them to Hawaii in December because they all worked towards his company vision and absolutely smashed it. So how did he turn his life and company around? That’s what I’m asking him today. Key moments: 0:00 - The moment when Doza couldn’t tell his pregnant wife that they were completely broke 4:13 - The time Doza caught a team member stealing and sleeping on the job 8:52 - The moment that changed everything for him… 16:20 - Why firing his clients and changing his entire business model was one of the best things he did 18:46 - Why Doza put $250k back into the business 20:02 - The 70% decision rule that Doza uses to take action on his ideas rather than wait till he’s ready 23:08 - How to know if you’re accidentally setting your team up to fail 26:00 - The Geronimo Vision Book: How Doza creates a vision his team WANT to participate in 33:39 - Doza’s hiring funnel and why he talks candidates out of taking the job 35:42 - The importance of offshore teams and how to nurture them in your company 39:10 - The stuff founders should NOT be doing if they want to get time back from the business 40:35 - How Doza coaches his clients to become better leaders 46:00 - Separation Sunday: the way Doza and his team stay on track towards their company AND their personal goals each week (it’s a game changer) 56:50 - If Doza had to start from scratch what are the first three roles he would hire for Message Doza on IG @hey.doza ‘empire-jess’ to get his company vision Empire 28 and see how you can apply it to your own business.  If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/

    1 hr
  3. The 5 Speaking Habits that Undermine You as a Leader with Annelise McCarthy aka Her Speaking Coach

    FEB 23

    The 5 Speaking Habits that Undermine You as a Leader with Annelise McCarthy aka Her Speaking Coach

    As a leader it’s not just what you say, but how you say it … and most CEOs? They get these 3 things wrong …  So today, I’m sitting down with speaking coach Annelise McCarthy to chat about what confident leadership actually looks like in practice. Annelise works with founders, C-suite leaders and executive teams around the world (from Australia to San Francisco) teaching people how to communicate with authority. We talk about the techniques you can implement to become a better leader, communicator and get (and give) feedback that will change the way your perceived forever.  Key moments: 0:00 - Why confidence isn’t something you’re born with + how leaders actually build it 10:18 - What to do when someone challenges you in front of others 12:01 - The reason why some people sound calm and self-assured even under pressure 16:19 - A breathing exercise to help you get more comfortable speaking at a slower and more confident pace 21:44 - Why a strong voice is one of the most underestimated leadership skills 26:05 - The 3 phrases that will change how you give feedback forever  33:37 - How to get people on your side when you’re pitching (before you even say anything) 40:32 -  The two rules that decide whether people listen to your pitch or tune out 44:55 - Why filler words creep in + what confident speakers do instead 54:41 - What surprised Annelise most about growing her team 10x last year 57:10 -  The moment she realised this work was bigger than just a business 59:48 - Why women still second guess themselves even at the top 1:03:28 - The first three hires Annelise would make if she started again  Want to book tickets to Annelise’s You’re on Mute Tour? Grab them here. Follow Annelise over at @herspeakingcoach and https://www.herspeakingcoach.com/ If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/

    1h 5m
  4. Inside Taki Moore’s Team: How He Runs a Multi-Million Dollar Business with Less Than 10 Staff

    FEB 16

    Inside Taki Moore’s Team: How He Runs a Multi-Million Dollar Business with Less Than 10 Staff

    What happens when a founder stops following the rules… and designs a business around how their brain actually works? Taki Moore, the founder behind Million Dollar Coach (and coach to Dan Martel, Erika Cramer, Jay Wright and so many other amazing founders ) built a multi-million dollar business with a huge team… and then made the decision to strip it RIGHT back.  But not only that…  He got rid of his entire sales team. Taking his business from 30+ team members to less than 10. Now he is booked out months in advance, feels more creative, gets to spend time doing what he enjoys the most AND loves working in his business again. So how did he do this? By ditching the playbook and finally listening to what makes him a great leader. Today I’m sitting down with Taki Moore, and his Head of Strategy Toni Bache, to talk about exactly how they're running their team, what was behind the decision to get rid of their sales team and how they restructured the business so it could grow without Taki burning out. You’ll hear: 0:00 - Why Taki Moore keeps his team intentionally small (and how having less people actually made the business easier to run) 1:49 - The reality behind hiring too many people… What happened when Taki’s business started to feel bloated 6:23 - The point where most founders get stuck when trying to lead a bigger business 8:56 - How to get clear on what you need in your hires so you can stop panic hiring, and start hiring people who lift the bar in your business 9:56 - Does leading your business feel exhausting? You might need to try this approach instead 15:24 - Who manages the team in Taki’s business and why that role changed everything for him 18:29 - They key to having a team that runs well without constantly needing to check in or fix problems 20:48 - The Talent Density Test: The secret behind how Netflix hires 25:30 - What actually happened when Taki told his team he was downsizing his 30+ team to less than 10 31:05 - How to design a team around the way YOU work the best (not the way you think a “proper CEO” is supposed to work) 37:48 - The 5 step process Taki and Toni use to decide what parts of the business they can cut down on to get time and money back 40:26 - Good hires don’t come from job listings - they come from this instead 47:16 - What’s next for Taki and Million Dollar Coach 55:46 -  If Taki had to start completely all over and rebuild his whole team tomorrow… What's the first three roles he’d hire for and why Want more of Taki? Find him on IG @takimoore or over on YouTube here. Follow Toni over at https://www.instagram.com/toni.bache/?hl=en  If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠  Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy  Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠  And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/

    1h 2m
  5. Leading a Team of 700: What Emil Juresic Learnt About Team Retention + Why You Lose Good People

    FEB 16

    Leading a Team of 700: What Emil Juresic Learnt About Team Retention + Why You Lose Good People

    How do business owners manage hundreds of people… and most of them actually want to stay in the company in an era where people only stay 1 year? Emil Juresic is the founder of multiple businesses (including NGU Real Estate) with over 700 people across his companies. And within that, team members are staying for 5, 10 even sometimes 20 years. How has he become a leader that incredible people want to work for? What did he have to learn to be able to hold onto his talent? Today we’re talking about how great leaders think about responsibility, how to set expectations early in your team (including when you’re hiring CEOs) and how to create teams that naturally grow into leadership roles without needing to be replaced every couple years. You’ll hear: 0:00 - Why I got Emil on  02:40 - Emil’s perspective on employees after 27 years that quietly changes how long people want to stay working for you 06:15 - The life experiences that happen early in your life that might be shaping the way you show up at work 08:30 - The expectation founders always bring into hiring that causes BIG problems later down the line 11:05 - Why the first hires almost never fail (and it’s not for the reason you think) 13:15 - The one question Emil now asks to check if someone truly fits into his businesses 16:50 - How to get your team thinking about being a part of your businesses in the long term 24:00 - The strategy you need if you are going to bring in senior leaders  25:55 - What long term growth inside a business actually looks like in real life 31:05 - Should you recruit within … or bring someone in from outside?  33:55 - Why incentives alone don’t work 37:15 - How Emil stays across multiple businesses without being involved in everything 39:10 - The one factor that determines whether offshore teams become an advantage or a headache 45:05 - The shift leaders need to make to stay relevant in today’s world  47:00 - Which role Emil would hire first if he was starting over again  Connect with Emil over at https://www.instagram.com/emil_juresic/?hl=en and https://www.instagram.com/ngu_real_estate/?hl=en  If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠  Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy  Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠  And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/

    43 min
  6. How to Build a Team That Doesn’t Need You Every Day With Jack & Amanda Delosa

    FEB 16

    How to Build a Team That Doesn’t Need You Every Day With Jack & Amanda Delosa

    What actually needs to happen before a founder can step back from their business… without everything falling apart? In this episode, I’m sitting down with Jack and Amanda Delosa to talk about what it really takes to build a business that doesn’t rely on the founder for every decision, every hire and  every problem. Jack has built, scaled and exited multiple companies, and now leads The Entourage with a team that operates without his daily involvement (his operational requirement is 1 hour a fortnight). And because one of the most important 'teams' you'll ever be part of I wanted to speak to his wife Amanda to talk about how they make they're relationship dynamic work and the biggest mistakes they see most founders make when it comes to their home life. You don’t have to choose between life and your business, but if you want a business that runs and growth with out you pushing every single day you do need to put some systems in place. That’s what we’re talking about today.  You’ll hear: 0:00 - Everything that had to be in place before Jack could step back from the business and move countries 3:28 - Should you bring your partner into the business? All the pros and cons 7:32 - The two roles every scaling business needs 13:59 - Why promoting your best technician to manager could be the worst thing you do 14:42 - Why you’ll never hire an A Player through a job ad 18:21 - Jack swears by hiring from this one industry (you won’t guess what it is) 20:28 - Amanda’s secret to balancing motherhood and her business 24:41 - Jack’s model for scaling a successful business 26:51 - What a founder’s role looks like once the business is no longer dependent on them every day 33:42 - How to spot the weaknesses in your team just by looking at your org chart 35:47 - The secret to building cash flow before building a bigger team 37:54 - The framework Jack uses to decide what to fix next in a scaling business 40:44 - The three roles Jack would hire first if he had to rebuild everything from scratch 41:16 - Amanda’s perspective on building a team when you know you’re just not wired for operations Want to work with Jack and his team at Entourage? Find out more at www.the-entourage.com If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/

    43 min
  7. What do the teams behind the best founders look like?

    TRAILER

    What do the teams behind the best founders look like?

    We know that the foundation of any great business is their team, but most of us are never taught how to lead them.  So I wanted to sit down with the best leaders and founders in the world and find out how they did it.  Who did they hire?  What mistakes did they make? And what do they wish someone had told them years ago? These are the stories they haven't told before and the things that made the biggest difference in their business.  If you want to stop being the bottleneck in your business, delegate properly and build a culture that people can’t wait to be part of Subscribe now wherever you're listening because you won't wanna miss these episodes.  If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠  Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy  Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠  And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/

    1 min

Trailer

About

 We know that the foundation of any great business is their team, but most of us are never taught how to lead them.  So I wanted to sit down with the best leaders and founders in the world and find out how they did it.  Who did they hire?  What mistakes did they make? And what do they wish someone had told them years ago? These are the stories they haven't told before and the things that made the biggest difference in their business.  If you want to stop being the bottleneck in your business, delegate properly and build a culture that people can’t wait to be part of Subscribe now wherever you're listening because you won't wanna miss these episodes. 

Information

  • Creator
    TBC Studios
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Built To Lead 2026
  • Show Website
    Built To Lead

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