In this episode, I’m joined by Jim Schleckser, founder and CEO of The CEO Project, to break down how CEOs identify and fix the real constraint in their business. We cover practical signals for finding the “kink in the hose,” including where inventory accumulates, cycle time slows, congestion builds, or customer complaints spike—and why top-performing CEOs consistently spend meaningful time at the constraint. Jim explains when the CEO becomes the bottleneck (as the constant decider or by staying stuck in a functional role) and shares his Five Hats framework: learner/analyst and player to find constraints, and architect, coach, and engineer to solve them through business design, talent, and systems. We also dig into why values and mission are part of the operating system, Jim’s grounded view of AI as mostly augmentation amid hype, and what business types may be more resilient long term.

01:25 Why Constraints Matter

03:27 Finding the Business Kink

04:51 When the CEO Is Bottleneck

07:27 Five Hats Framework

09:14 Design Talent Systems Fixes

12:27 Big Model Shifts and Pivots

13:24 Balancing CEO Hats Over Time

13:59 Client Story Clairvoyant Service

14:38 Firing Unprofitable Clients

15:39 Small Shifts That Matter

16:13 AI as Human Amplifier

17:06 Hype Cycles and ROI

18:39 Is AI Creating New Value

21:18 Professional Services Pricing Shock

22:29 Best Businesses in an AI Future

24:46 Constraints Versus Opportunities

25:19 CEO Surprises and AI Doomsday

Connect with Jim:

• IG: @the_ceoproject

• Twitter: @the_CEO_Project

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CEOProject

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimschleckser/

• Links: Podcast: https://theceoproject.com/the-podcast/

• Website: https://theceoproject.com/ and https://jimschleckser.com/great-ceos-are-lazy/

Connect with Raul:

• Work with Raul: https://dogoodwork.io

• Free Growth Resources: https://dogoodwork.io/resources

• Connect with Raul on LinkedIn (DMs open): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dogoodwork/

I sat down with John Johnson, founding CEO of Patmos Hosting, to unpack how he bootstrapped a data center company with no outside capital after a big tech host threatened to cancel a client, leading him to pursue independence by “controlling the dirt.” We talk about his rule “he who pays, rules,” why he believes VC money erodes a founder’s mission, and how owning infrastructure and going upstream helps you control your destiny and protect your data. John also explores AI’s risks—counterfeit human personhood and reducing humans to artifacts—while arguing for a renaissance where authentic humanity becomes a premium. He shares how Patmos is redeveloping the old Kansas City Star printing press into a C-PACE financed, assessed clean-energy data center plus a downtown tech hub to create jobs and urban renewal. We also discuss his Albertus Magnus Institute and his North Star: human freedom.

03:25 Counterfeit Humanity & the Organic Human Market

08:07 AI and the Technocratic Paradigm

11:21 The Human Renaissance: Practical Counter-Revolution

14:08 Owning the Dirt: Freedom Through Education & Independence

14:20 John's Journey: From Ministry to Data Centers

22:55 Patmos: Free Speech Hosting & AI Infrastructure

27:23 Data Centers, Sustainability & The Kansas City Story

32:20 Owning Your Own Data & Patmos Phase Two

Connect with John:

• https://patmos.tech/

• https://magnusinstitute.org/

Connect with Raul:

• Work with Raul: https://dogoodwork.io

• Free Growth Resources: https://dogoodwork.io/resources

• Connect with Raul on LinkedIn (DMs open): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dogoodwork/

In this podcast, I sat down with Ronan Leonard, founder of Intelligent Resourcing, to break down how he helps sales teams eliminate the 40% of their day spent manually researching companies and instead deliver real buying signals directly into the CRM so reps can take action. We talked about how fast AI is reshaping business models—Ronan compared it to waking up and finding the snow gone overnight—and why he refuses to build SaaS right now. He explained “dark data” hidden in sales call transcripts, how he enriches CRMs into “evergreen” systems, and how those insights feed content and GEO/answer optimization. We also covered tool-stack volatility, internal tooling vs productizing, structuring teams around learning speed, value-based pricing and price elasticity, and we had an honest disagreement on co-risking and revenue-share deals.

01:36 AI Overwhelm and Pace

03:19 Snowstorm Business Models

04:13 No SaaS Moat Strategy

05:09 Signals Into the CRM

06:45 Dark Data and Transcripts

08:55 Scaling Clients and LTV

15:49 Team Structure and Learning

19:41 Agents vs SOP Iteration

24:39 Standardize Custom Work

24:59 Value Based Pricing Framework

27:48 Cost Savings Case Study

30:16 Pricing as Perception

31:49 Why Upside Deals Fail

35:36 Confidence and Client Execution

36:34 Staying Ahead of AI Curve

39:37 Creativity and Feedback Loops

Connect with Ronan:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronan-leonard/

https://intelligentresourcing.co/

Connect with Raul:

• Work with Raul: https://dogoodwork.io

• Free Growth Resources: https://dogoodwork.io/resources

• Connect with Raul on LinkedIn (DMs open): https://www.linkedin.com/in/dogoodwork/