CEO Bros - After Hours

CEO Bros
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  • 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. 1D AGO

    How to sell your business pt. 1 Lifestyle vs Equity business?

    *Selling Your Business? (It Starts on Day One) S2 Ep 65: Part 1 of 4.* Know which one you're building. Brian's had the conversation a hundred times. Someone says they want to sell. He asks what a buyer would actually be getting. Silence. "We have a good reputation. People like us." That's not a valuation. Turns out they've been taking quarterly distributions for years, paying themselves with the fuel they needed to grow, and wondering later why no buyer showed up. This is episode 65. Why selling your business isn't a decision you make, it's a destination you build toward from day one. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • The lifestyle vs. equity distinction that determines everything • Why quarterly distributions are a red flag that kills your sale before it begins • What a buyer is actually asking when they say "what am I purchasing?" • Why being irreplaceable means nobody can buy you out • The financial reporting rules for businesses built to sell *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Decide upfront: lifestyle or exit. Everything flows from that one choice. • Stop taking distributions if you want to sell. That's growth capital, not salary. • Build yourself out of the business. If it can't run without you, it's not sellable. • Tight financials from day one. P&L, balance sheet, cash flow. No exceptions. *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 just decide, oh, it's June, I'd love to sell the business by the end of the year. That's not going to happen if you haven't built it to sell it." Lifestyle or exit? Do you actually know which one you're building? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Lifestyle or Equity: The Question Nobody Asks 1:31 - The Most Common Call Brian Gets 2:03 - The Four-Episode Breakdown 3:10 - What You're Actually Deciding When You Start 7:36 - "What Is Somebody Actually Buying?" (The Crickets Moment) 7:43 - The Pizza Place That Closed Instead of Selling 11:03 - The Quarterly Distributions Red Flag 13:04 - Why Being Irreplaceable Kills Your Sale 22:27 - Financial Reporting: The Difference That Matters 24:33 - Preview: What a Buyer Is Actually Paying For *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 types of builders. Pick the one that matches how you're running things. 🍸 THE QUARTERLY DISTRIBUTION Brian Balduf - The guy who watched sellers drain their own fuel Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ¾ oz honey syrup • ½ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Looks like profit. Tastes smooth going down. But every time you pour one, you're draining what should have grown the business. Brian's watched sellers do this for years then wonder why no buyer showed up. 🍸 THE LIFESTYLE TRAP Brad Balduf - The operator who built it to scale, not to coast Recipe: • 2 oz reposado tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain over fresh ice The Vibe: Nothing wrong with this drink. It's honest, does what it says, tastes exactly like what you ordered. Just don't call it an exit strategy when someone asks what they're buying. 🍸 THE CLIFFHANGER Matt Croke - The host who already knows what's in part two Recipe: • 2 oz gin • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz simple syrup • 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters • Grapefruit twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: This drink ends before it feels finished. Just like this episode. The real answers live in part two. Hit subscribe so you don't miss them. Make all three. Draining your distributions? Coasting on lifestyle? Waiting on part two? 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 #businessexit #sellyourbusiness #startuplife #ceomindset #smallbusiness

    27 min

  2. MAY 8

    How to Optimize - When to Innovate

    *He Charged Ford $25,000 for a Box of Chalk (The Invoice Breakdown Changed Everything) S2 Ep 64* *The $1 chalk. The $24,999 lesson.* Ford was losing $250,000 a day on the assembly line. They called in Deming, the god of process mapping. He fixed it in a day. The invoice: $25,000. Ford asked for a breakdown. Deming's letter: box of chalk, $1. Knowing what to do with it, $24,999. Brad scaled By Your Side to 550 employees without reinventing his business once. His word isn't innovation. It's optimization. This is episode 64. Why most businesses are chasing the wrong word. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why "never been done before" is usually a red flag, not a selling point • Ford didn't invent the car. McDonald's didn't invent the hamburger. What they did invent. • Brad's rule: innovation can break a scaled business. What to do instead. • Why Blockbuster didn't need Netflix's playbook to survive • Whether anyone would actually pay for your idea (the question nobody asks) *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Brad's framework: new way = innovation. Better way = optimization. Most businesses need the second one. • The Deming principle: knowing where to draw the line is worth more than the chalk. • Innovate freely when you're small. When you're scaled, innovation breaks things. • Evolve with your customers or get Blockbusted. *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* "We didn't grow by reinventing the business. We got better at what works." Which are you chasing right now, innovation or optimization? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories. No LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Brian's Take on "Never Been Done Before" Pitches 1:04 - Is Innovation Even Necessary? 2:05 - Brad's Framework: New Way vs. Better Way 5:33 - Ford Didn't Invent the Car 7:15 - Matt's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies Quiz 13:47 - "Just Because It's New Doesn't Mean It Should Exist" 15:08 - Why Innovation Gets Riskier As You Scale 17:40 - The Blockbuster Lesson 19:29 - The $25,000 Box of Chalk Story 23:48 - We Didn't Grow By Reinventing Anything *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 takes on getting it right. Pick the one that matches your approach. 🍸 *THE CHALK LINE* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ½ oz honey syrup • ¾ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Deming walked Ford's floor, pulled out a piece of chalk, and marked one spot. The invoice said $1 for the chalk and $24,999 for knowing where to put it. Aged, precise, and worth every penny. 🍸 *THE BETTER WAY* Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled across 11 locations Recipe: • 2 oz tequila blanco • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • Pinch of salt • Lime wheel • Shake hard with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: 550 employees, 11 centers, zero reinventions. Brad didn't chase innovation, he optimized what worked. Clean, direct, no wasted ingredients. 🍸 *THE TOP TEN* Matt Croke - The host keeping it real Recipe: • 1.5 oz vodka • ¾ oz grapefruit juice • ½ oz honey syrup • ¼ oz lime juice • Club soda • Grapefruit wheel • Shake first four with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: Matt did prep. Brought an innovation quiz. Guessed Apple and Amazon, then stalled out. Pfizer? Siemens? Nobody saw those coming. Looks simple, keeps surprising you. Make all three. The chalk expert? The optimizer? The quiz kid who ran out of answers? 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 #innovation #optimization #startuplife #leadership #businessstrategy #ceobros

    27 min

  3. APR 25

    Customer Feedback the good the bad and the ugly

    *Customer Feedback Is Screaming at You (You're Just Not Listening) S2 Ep 12* Brian Balduf spent years building a feedback machine at VHT Studios. Same seven questions every year, sliced by geography, rep, product, and brand. Forty ways to Sunday. Then he stayed at a hotel, got a generic email survey, and ignored it. He had five complaints. They'll never get them. His window is shut. This is episode 62. What your customers aren't telling you, and why it's your fault. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why the guy who built a feedback empire refused to fill out a hotel survey • The $500 Starbucks math that could shape your next five years • Why your survey asks questions that matter to you, not your customers • The "close the loop" rule that turns one-time responders into repeat ones • Why no complaints doesn't mean everything is fine *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Ask in person while they're still there, not days later in a generic email • Tie every survey to something small that shows you value their time • Ask the same questions every year so you can track if you're improving • Close the loop. Tell clients what changed. Or they stop responding. *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* "We offered you feedback. You said no. That guy flamed us online." Your customers have opinions. Are you making it worth their time to share them? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - The Hotel Survey Brian Deleted 2:35 - Where Does Feedback Actually Rank? 5:29 - How Brian Built VHT's Feedback Machine 6:31 - The Same Seven Questions Every Year 9:42 - The $500 Starbucks Math 11:13 - The Close the Loop Rule 13:06 - Boulder Ridge Does It Right 14:19 - Brian Gets Called Out Live 19:34 - What Would Get Brian's Feedback 22:04 - Why JD Power Gets Timing Wrong 26:32 - The Bathroom Button Nobody Will Touch *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 takes on feedback. Pick the one that matches how you handle it. 🍸 *THE FORTY WAYS TO SUNDAY* Brian Balduf - Built the feedback machine, then deleted the hotel survey Recipe: • 2 oz blended Scotch whisky • ¾ oz lemon juice • ½ oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Brian sliced VHT's annual survey by geography, rep, and brand. Same seven questions every year, forty ways to Sunday. Then the hotel sent a generic email and his window slammed shut. Meticulous, complex, worth far more than anyone expects. 🍸 *THE CLOSED LOOP* Brad Balduf - The operator who built 11 centers on following up Recipe: • 2 oz blanco tequila • ¾ oz fresh lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice • Pinch of salt • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: You ask. They answer. You tell them what changed. No kale on the burger. Brad closes the loop because if you don't, they stop filling out the next one. Sharp start, clean finish, just like a feedback cycle that actually works. 🍸 *THE BATHROOM BUTTON* Matt Croke - Watching Brian's window slam shut in real time Recipe: • 1.5 oz gin • ¾ oz elderflower liqueur • ¾ oz lemon juice • Club soda • Lemon wheel • Shake first three with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: Someone thought bathroom feedback buttons were genius. Easy, on your way out. Then reality: the last button you want to touch in a bathroom is one everyone else has touched. Matt's watched Brian argue against surveys for twenty minutes. This drink is his only comfort. Make all three. Building empires you won't use? Closing your loops? Just surviving the chaos? 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 #CustomerFeedback #Entrepreneurship #CEOLife #BusinessPodcast #StartupLife #Leadership #ClientExperience

    29 min

  4. APR 17

    The business of sports and how it relates to your business ep 2-61

    *The PGA Didn't Pay Their Best Players (Then Watched Them All Leave)* The Business of $ports and your business. Throw out the complacency playbook. The PGA had the best players in the world. Instead of paying them what they were worth, they held the line. Saudi money came in, LIV Golf launched, and the biggest names on tour walked out the door. Now the PGA is losing viewership, losing sponsors, and negotiating a merger they never saw coming. This is episode 61. What the PGA, Sears, and Blockbuster can teach you about the competitor you never saw coming. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* * Why the PGA's best players left and what every business owner can learn from it * Sears invented what Amazon does and still went completely bankrupt * Brian's honest admission: even VHT became a legacy company and felt it * Why the Florida lacrosse tournament circuit is a racket (Brad learned the hard way) * Brian's four-year prediction for college sports *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* * Never forget who the customer is. The leagues forgot it was the fan. * New entrants are always hungrier, faster, and not tied to your legacy systems. * Complacency doesn't feel dangerous until it's already too late. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf built By Your Side Autism Therapy to 550+ employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you sit around too long and don't evolve, somebody comes along and cuts your feet out from underneath you. And you go: where did that competitor come from? That's because you weren't paying attention." Which business in your industry is the PGA right now? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Is curling a sport? (Important debate) 1:43 - The case for a sports business podcast 3:25 - Baseball's 2027 lockout: they forgot who the customer is 7:04 - PGA vs. LIV: the business lesson hiding in golf 9:34 - Blockbuster said "eh" when Netflix came knocking 10:16 - Brian admits: we became a legacy company 18:04 - Sears invented what Amazon does (then disappeared) 21:36 - Brad flew his daughter to Florida (someone else cashed in)  *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 lose your lead. Which one is your business? 🍸 THE MULLIGAN Brian Balduf - The guy who admitted his company got complacent Recipe: * 2 oz bourbon * ¾ oz lemon juice * ½ oz honey syrup * 2 dashes Angostura bitters * Lemon twist * Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: A mulligan is golf's version of "we should have handled that differently." Brian built VHT into a legacy company and felt the weight of systems too set in their ways to move fast. This drink is for every business owner who needs a do-over they're honest enough to admit. 🍸 THE LIV WIRE Brad Balduf - The operator who gets up every day asking what has to change Recipe: * 2 oz mezcal * ¾ oz lime juice * ½ oz agave syrup * ½ oz Aperol * Lime wheel * Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: LIV didn't ask permission. They just showed up with Saudi money and a better offer. Brad's been running By Your Side for 16 years and still gets up every morning asking what has to change. This drink doesn't wait to be invited. 🍸 THE EMPTY STANDS Matt Croke - The host reminding everyone who actually pays the bills Recipe: * 1.5 oz gin * ¾ oz elderflower liqueur * ¾ oz grapefruit juice * ½ oz simple syrup * Club soda * Grapefruit peel * Shake first four with ice, strain, top with soda The Vibe: The leagues forgot the fan. The PGA forgot the fan. The baseball owners forgot the fan. Matt keeps asking the one question nobody wants to answer: who's actually paying for all of this? This drink is clean, easy to like, and completely ignored until it's gone. Make all three. Mulligan business needing a do-over? LIV Wire that saw it coming? Managing Empty Stands after everyone left? 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 #businessstrategy #startuplife #leadership #sportsandbusiness #bestbusinesspodcast #leadership #entrepreneurs #startups #pga #livgolf #mlb #ncaa

    24 min

  5. APR 10

    AI - Artificial Intelligence - get ahead of it or be trampled by it ep 2-60

    *Take the AI Red Pill (Your Competitor Already Did)* Brad was a skeptic. Now he's all in. Brad was the skeptic in the room. Brian said AI was for everybody. Brad looked at him and said it plainly: "That ain't going to happen. The world is full of foolish and ignorant people." He said it with full conviction. Now he runs multiple AI platforms and laughs that he's leading the foolish and ignorant people himself. This is episode 60. The AI red pill most business owners are still refusing to take. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* * Why Brad thought AI would never work for regular people and what flipped him * Operation Star Trek: how Brad rolled AI out across his entire leadership team * Why Matt needed Brad's explicit permission before he'd open a single tool * The three stages of AI: search, answer, and full agent mode * Brian's warning about the guy in a basement building your business right now *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* * Search "top 20 AI tools for [your industry]" before anything else * Use platforms together, not separately. They don't get jealous. * Find the task you think is "stupid." That's your starting point with AI. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf built By Your Side Autism Therapy to 550+ employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke hosts and asks the questions nobody else will. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "You can either use AI or compete against it. Someone's in their basement right now. Bam website. Bam e-commerce. Bam product. Twenty agents, zero employees." Have you taken the red pill yet? What are you actually using?    #bestbusinesspodcast #AI #artificialIntelligence #leadership #businessgrowth # startups # entrepreneurs

    26 min

  6. APR 3

    Reviews, Rewards and Recognition - The fuel for improving productivity

    *They Told Him He Was Stubborn (He Immediately Proved Them Right) Season 2 Episode 9* You think your team knows how you're performing? You think annual reviews actually help people improve? You think working hard guarantees a raise? Brad says annual reviews are lazy. Managers avoid tough conversations all year, then dump everything in one meeting. Brian says it gets worse when nobody sets clear objectives. So reviews turn into "I worked hard" instead of "Did you hit $10K/month or not?" Then it gets real. Brad walks through a 360 review and hears it from every angle. His team. His peers. His boss. Brian and Brad (brothers) both hear "You're stubborn." Brian's response? Immediate denial. Argument. Proves the point in real time. This is what actually happens inside companies. People don't know how they're doing. Managers avoid conflict. Reviews become surprises. And raises get tied to effort instead of impact. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why annual reviews are a copout for bad management • The $10K objective test that eliminates opinion • Why employees get blindsided when they're fired • The real difference between recognition and rewards • What a "5" rating actually means (hint: not showing up on time) *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Set clear, measurable objectives upfront • Give feedback in real time, not once a year • Tie compensation to impact, not effort • Define your rating system so everyone understands it

    28 min

  7. MAR 27

    Views on News - Perspectives on other CEOs' challenges ep 57

    *Hey! You Got Your Cost-Cutting in My Peanut Butter (The Grandson Noticed. So Did Everyone Else)* Wild Card Friday: five business autopsies, one lesson they all skipped. Matt showed up with six news story cards the brothers had never seen. Hershey quietly changed the Reese's recipe, denied it when caught, then admitted it. The founder's grandson went public, it went viral, and Brad's take was the backlash probably helped sales. That was just card one. This is episode eight. What actually kills a brand, and why you never see it coming. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why Hershey thought nobody would notice (the founder's grandson proved them wrong) • The craft beer bubble: why 30 crazy flavors killed the industry and what survivors did instead • How Red Lobster's most successful promo ever also filed for bankruptcy • 12,200 stores closing in 2026: bad locations or dying brands? *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • A loss leader only works if it drives other purchases. All you can eat shrimp is not a strategy. • One great SKU beats thirty mediocre ones. Distribution doesn't lie. • Somebody is always watching what you quietly change. *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. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "The brands going out of business are the ones that don't take time to figure out how their business is actually evolving." Which brand death surprised you most? Or did you see it coming? 👇 ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Spotted Cow and Tito's: Not a Sponsored Combo 1:21 - Wild Card Friday Begins 1:54 - Hershey Changed the Recipe (Then Denied It) 6:38 - Craft Beer Bubble: Too Many Flavors, Not Enough Drinkers 11:01 - Narrow to One Great SKU or Die 14:10 - Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp Was a Math Problem 19:36 - Walgreens Forgot What Business It Was In 23:04 - 12,200 Closings: Bad Location or Dying Brand? 27:04 - You Don't Evolve, You Fail ———————————— *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 companies that thought nobody was watching. Pick the one that matches your Friday mistake. 🍸 THE SECRET INGREDIENT Brian Balduf - The guy who spotted the PE firm's fingerprints on the peanut butter cup Recipe: • 2 oz tequila reposado • 3/4 oz fresh lime juice • 1/2 oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Looks exactly like what you ordered. Tastes exactly like what you ordered. Until something's off. PE firms cut corners quietly and hope nobody notices. The grandson noticed. So did everyone else. 🍸 THE ONE GREAT SKU Brad Balduf - The operator who knows twenty flavors is how you go bankrupt Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • 3/4 oz lemon juice • 1/2 oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: No grapefruit juice. No pear juice. No crazy can with a wild label. Just a drink that's really good at being one thing. Brad's advice to every dying craft brewery: find your one great product and stop apologizing for not being twenty. 🍸 THE WILD CARD Matt Croke - The host who showed up with six cards and zero warning Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 3/4 oz lemon juice • 1/2 oz honey syrup • 1 egg white • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Dry shake, add ice, shake hard, strain into coupe The Vibe: Looks simple. Has more going on than you expected. Matt pulled cards nobody saw coming: Reese's, Red Lobster, Walgreens, and watched the brothers react in real time. This drink rewards the same thing: paying attention. Make all three. Figure out which mistake you're closest to. Quietly changing the recipe? Spreading too thin? Or the one holding the cards? 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 #businesslessons #brandstrategy #startuplife #ceomindset

    29 min

  8. MAR 20

    Keeping your business in the black - it's all in the reports ep 56

    The financial reports every founder needs from day one. Brian once worked with an accountant who never left the corporate office. Never visited a city, never went on a sales call, never attended a single event. But he could look at quarterly statements and tell you exactly what was happening in Cleveland, Detroit, and Minneapolis as if he'd been in the room all week. That's what knowing your numbers actually looks like. And it starts with three reports most founders either skip or don't know exist. This is Season 2, episode 6. The three reports that tell you everything. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • The difference between P&L, cash flow, and balance sheet and why you need all three • Why a profitable business can still run out of cash and go under • The accountant who never left his desk but knew more than every regional manager • Why bad financial reporting kills acquisitions before they start • How to get your books in order from day one, even if you're a solo founder *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, get all three from day one, even if you're solo • Hire a part-time bookkeeper before you need one, even give them a small piece of equity • If your financials are a mess when you sell, buyers go through every single closet *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* "It's always going to get more complicated as you go. If you instill it as a practice from day one, when it becomes important, you're not starting from scratch and scrambling." Are you tracking the right numbers right now? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - All in Black, All About the Black 3:11 - The Room That Didn't Know Red Was Bad 4:57 - Why Bad Financials Kill Acquisitions 6:19 - Your Business Vitals (And How to Read Them) 9:04 - The Accountant Who Never Left His Desk 16:06 - Why Profitable Businesses Still Go Broke 17:35 - Managing the Ins and Outs 22:46 - The Three Reports That Actually Matter ————————————  *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 reports. Pick the one your business needs most right now. 🍸 THE ORACLE Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's been there and sold the company Recipe: • 2 oz Scotch whisky • ½ oz honey syrup • ¾ oz lemon juice • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Brian's accountant never left his desk but could tell you exactly what was wrong in every city just by reading the numbers. This drink is quietly powerful. No flash, no noise. Just the truth in a glass. 🍸 THE BALANCE SHEET Brad Balduf - The operator who scaled to 550 employees across 11 centers Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • ¾ oz sweet vermouth • ¼ oz Benedictine • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Assets minus liabilities. That's your number. Brad runs 550 people and knows exactly where every dollar sits. This drink is sophisticated, layered, and tells you more than it looks like it will. 🍸 THE CASH FLOW Matt Croke - The host keeping it real Recipe: • 2 oz añejo tequila • ¾ oz lime juice • ½ oz agave syrup • 2 dashes orange bitters • Lime wheel • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Out of cash is out of business. Game over. Space Invaders. This drink moves fast and hits harder than expected. You think you've got more time than you do. Make all three. P&L, balance sheet, cash flow. Which one are you missing? 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 #financialreporting #startuplife #smallbusiness #cashflow

    28 min
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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
    65
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    CEO Bros - After Hours