In this episode of 4200%, Anthony talks with Ben Fertig, CEO of Constructive Capital, who shares how he built and scaled multiple businesses in the private lending space over three decades.

From starting as a loan officer with no mortgage experience to leading a 200+ employee company funding up to a thousand loans a month, Ben breaks down the mindset shifts leaders must make to scale, the lessons from selling to private equity and Blackstone, and how adapting to crises shaped his approach.

He explains the difference between management and leadership, the value of constant iteration, and why focusing on people is the real key to growth and market share.

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(00:00:26) Ben Fertig's unconventional entry into the mortgage industry

(00:01:50) Starting in sales and moving into management in under a year

(00:05:45) How leadership and management differ as teams grow

(00:08:30) Adapting leadership to a changing employee base post-COVID

(00:10:59) Using structured feedback to strengthen culture and efficiency

(00:12:33) Transparency and anonymous feedback at scale

(00:14:27) Selling Jordan Capital twice: lessons from both exits

(00:17:12) Why you shouldn't run a company just to sell it

(00:20:11) The "three milestones" mindset for scaling operations

(00:21:00) Kaizen and constant iteration in building resilient companies

(00:23:06) How crises and market shocks build better businesses

(00:25:06) Planning liquidity and capital relationships to weather downturns

(00:28:19) Why investing in people is the key to durable scale

(00:30:39) Ben's top advice for founders ready to scale

(00:32:20) Book recommendations for modern leaders

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Links:

Anthony Geraci on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-geraci

Ben Fertig on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-fertig-23604170

Constructive Capital:

https://www.constructiveloans.com/

In this episode of 4200, Anthony sits down with Mike Sykes, CEO of US Aviation Academy. Mike unpacks his path from working in his family’s accounting business to building one of the largest flight schools in the US. He shares how a chance opportunity turned a modest maintenance shop and flight school into a major aviation training hub for both international and domestic students. Mike breaks down the pivotal contract that fueled rapid growth, overcoming COVID’s impact, and how relentless sales and marketing rebuilt the business stronger than ever.

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[00:00:00] Meet Mike Sykes, CEO of US Aviation Academy

[00:00:48] Early family business roots in accounting and payroll

[00:01:27] Lessons learned growing up around entrepreneurs

[00:02:19] Gaining experience across sales, bookkeeping, and client service

[00:03:05] The surprising businesses he encountered, like a cloth diaper service

[00:03:57] From shy kid to business owner — Mike’s high school years

[00:04:20] Selling the family business to Intuit and shifting away from corporate life

[00:04:39] The unexpected path into aviation through a small maintenance shop

[00:05:02] Combining a flight school and maintenance to launch US Aviation

[00:06:02] Focusing on training over outside maintenance work

[00:06:30] The challenges of early growth without a clear destination

[00:07:05] The turning point: securing contracts to train Chinese students

[00:07:47] Scaling operations — aircraft, staff, housing, and logistics

[00:08:42] Key hires to expand: senior flight instructors and team building

[00:09:50] Unique contract requirements like aviation English training

[00:10:43] The surprising story behind winning the first airline contract

[00:12:00] How a business card translator unlocked the China partnership

[00:13:01] COVID’s impact wiping out 75% of the business overnight

[00:14:20] Pivoting to domestic students and rebuilding the marketing engine

[00:16:17] Tactics to get leads: sales funnels and digital ads

[00:17:55] Mike’s philosophy on what scaling really means in aviation

[00:19:20] Advice for new flight school owners who want to grow

[00:20:34] Where to find US Aviation Academy online

Links:

Anthony Geraci on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-geraci

Mike Sykes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-sykes-4706a970

US Aviation: https://www.usaviationacademy.com/

In this episode of 4200% Build, Scale, Sell, host Anthony Geraci sits down with Eddie Wilson, CEO of Collective Influence and known as the “King of Exits” with over 100 company exits to his name. Eddie shares his entrepreneurial journey from launching his first ad agency at age 23 to developing an operating system that scales businesses to a billion dollars. He talks about the accidental exit that launched his M&A career, his Empire Operating System framework, and how he balances building companies with making a global impact through his nonprofit efforts. Tune in for genuine insights on leadership, growth, and creating a purpose-driven legacy.

(00:00:00) Eddie's early influences and his family's entrepreneurial roots(00:01:57) Launching his first ad agency at 23 and overcoming risk aversion(00:03:08) How he planned his leap from employee to entrepreneur(00:04:31) Scaling an ad agency to $30M and the accidental exit that changed everything(00:07:22) What he learned from being outplayed by the world's largest ad agency(00:09:54) Building the Empire Operating System to scale any company(00:11:27) Understanding the five phases of business from startup to succession(00:12:32) Identifying single points of failure and when you're ready to scale(00:15:00) Why the secret to scaling is people—and how Eddie finds the right ones(00:17:06) What Collective Influence looks for in acquisitions and distressed businesses(00:18:17) Growing the nation's largest business tour, Aspire, and its impact(00:20:12) Why Eddie's true passion is global impact through Impact Others

Links:

Anthony Geraci on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-geraci

Eddie Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiewilsonofficial

Collective Influence: https://collectiveinfluence.com/

4200%: Build. Scale. Sell. is the podcast for founders who mean business. Hosted by serial entrepreneur Anthony Geraci, this show dives into real-world strategies for rapid growth, raising capital, and planning for exit. From tax planning to scaling techniques and deal-making insights, each episode delivers actionable advice for entrepreneurs ready to take their business to the next level and achieve lasting success.