What if the thing holding your business back isn't a lack of opportunities but too many of them? In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller sits down with Yarin Gaon, managing partner of Fractional Partners, a growth advisory firm for post-product-market-fit companies that aren't scaling cleanly. Yarin built his first company at 14, had two more by 22, and sold his last venture, Israel's largest e-commerce platform for military goods, in 2019.

Yarin shares how he spotted a gap at 14, taught himself to code from a book, and built a platform that helped small websites charge visitors by text message when carriers wouldn't work with them. He also explains how his time as a combat sergeant in the Israeli military led him to launch a hyper-specialized military gear store online. Today, drawing on work with more than 400 founders, he helps companies in the $5 to $25 million range get unstuck and grow profitably.

Chapters

0:00 Intro – Welcome Yarin of Fractional Partners
1:15 Starting a Business at 14
3:20 Building "SMS for Cash"
5:00 Why Not All Mentor Advice Should Be Followed
8:08 How to Mentor Without Pushing Too Hard
11:04 Building Israel's Largest Military Gear E-Commerce Store
17:04 Why Companies Stall Between $5M and $25M
19:13 Growth by Subtraction vs. Growth by Addition
20:22 Pat's Story: Scaling Back and Making More Money
22:07 Why Your P&L Doesn't Tell the Whole Story
24:27 Finding Profit by Revenue Stream
27:58 Why Your Accountant Won't Analyze Your Business
29:07 How Fractional Partners Helps Companies
33:27 The Growth Decisions Canvas
35:15 Free Profit Map Spreadsheet
38:45 Shifting From Operator to Resource Allocator
41:44 The Power of Saying No
46:45 Why Your Leadership Team Needs One Vision
48:36 Where to Find Yarin

Pat's new book — Underdog to Empire: Breaking Barriers and Building Businesses with Strength, Strategy, and a Sense of Humor — is available now.

The story of how a girl who ate last at the dinner table built a construction company from a $100 bill. How she lost her husband and still got back up. How every person who tried to hold her back ended up building her up instead.

👉 Get your copy now at: www.patmiller.net

Connect with Yarin Gaon.

Profit Map Spreadsheet

Discover opportunities to improve profitability by breaking down your business's revenue streams and understanding where your profits are coming from. Access the Profit Map Spreadsheet

Growth Decisions Canvas

Use the Growth Decisions Canvas to evaluate business opportunities, prioritize what matters most and make smarter decisions about where to invest your time, energy, and resources. Access the Growth Decisions Canvas

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaringaon

What do you do when the only job you can get after graduation is nannying, and it ends up launching a 10-year career? In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller sits down with Melissa Farley, an entrepreneur, media host, producer, and founder of her own communications business who has turned storytelling, marketing, and community connection into thriving ventures. Melissa built a marketing company and a daily morning show from the ground up, and she's now working on a book and podcast about mortality.

Melissa shares her "accidental career" path: graduating in 2008 during the recession, taking a nanny job for the editor-in-chief of the Arizona Republic, and rising through the ranks over nearly a decade to manage a team of 20 producers and 38 properties. After being told she was "unmanageable" for standing up for her young team, she decided to bet on herself. She left in 2019, took a deliberate pause, and went on to launch her marketing company, Stronger Today, which passed the six-figure mark quickly. When the work started to feel like a content churn machine, an Instagram video led to her own morning show, giving small businesses a free platform to tell their stories.

Chapters

0:01 Intro – Welcome Melissa Farley
1:11 From Nanny to Newsroom Career
3:23 How Her Morning Show Started by Accident
5:02 Why She Left Corporate Media
6:52 Building a Six-Figure Marketing Business
10:14 Being Underestimated as a Woman
12:41 You Don't Have to Burn Out to Succeed
14:30 Her "Year of the Hermit"
17:27 The Day She Said No to a Promotion
20:05 Journaling and Taking Thoughts Captive
24:41 Advice She Ignored: Scaling Up
31:21 Action Is the Antidote to Fear
33:51 Women, Confidence, and Failing Forward
39:22 Choosing Clients and Business Partners
44:14 New Book and Podcast About Death
50:47 Advice: Schedule Quarterly Check-Ins
54:52 Where to Find Melissa Farley

📖 Underdog to Empire —Available Now

Pat's new book — Underdog to Empire: Breaking Barriers and Building Businesses with Strength, Strategy, and a Sense of Humor — is available now.

The story of how a girl who ate last at the dinner table built a construction company from a $100 bill. How she lost her husband and still got back up. How every person who tried to hold her back ended up building her up instead.

👉 Get your copy now at: www.patmiller.net

Connect with Melissa Farley.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-farley-b8097531

What does it take to walk away from a six-figure salary, a Miami lifestyle, and a 20-year career in luxury fashion? In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller sits down with Melissa Hidrobo, creator of The Stellar Soul, who helps high-achieving professionals design strategic exits from corporate America through a blend of personal clarity and practical strategy. Melissa spent two decades climbing the ladder at luxury brands, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co. before leaving to build something of her own on her own terms.

Melissa shares how growing up around her aunts' luxury boutique in Ecuador sparked a lifelong passion for fashion, which led her to an MBA in international luxury brand management in Paris and a career with Louis Vuitton, her dream brand. She opens up about the night in the summer of 2019 when, sinking into her couch after closing the boutique, she heard a clear thought: "I don't want to do this anymore." Rather than quitting overnight, she built a bridge, earning a master's degree in transpersonal psychology while working full-time, hiring a financial advisor, and forming what she calls her "personal board of directors."

Chapters

0:00 Intro – Welcome Melissa Idrobo
1:52 Growing Up Around a Luxury Boutique
3:12 Landing a Job at Louis Vuitton
5:43 The Night She Decided to Leave Corporate
6:12 Questions to Ask Before Changing Careers
8:29 Building a Quiet Exit Plan
8:57 Studying Transpersonal Psychology
11:18 The Hardest Part of Leaving a Six- Figure Career
12:33 How Her Network Grew After Leaving
15:42 Defining Success on Your Own Terms
19:26 Why a Financial Advisor Was Key
23:11 From Golden Handcuffs to Freedom
24:42 Turning Fear Into Fuel
32:44 Building a Personal Board of Directors
37:04 Letting Go of Perfectionism
43:21 Why Working for Yourself Feels Different
46:13 Advice for Women Who Feel Stuck
51:46 Where to Find Melissa

📖 Underdog to Empire —Available Now

Pat's new book — Underdog to Empire: Breaking Barriers and Building Businesses with Strength, Strategy, and a Sense of Humor — is available for eBook pre-sale now. Widely available everywhere on September 22, 2026.

The story of how a girl who ate last at the dinner table built a construction company from a $100 bill. How she lost her husband and still got back up. How every person who tried to hold her back ended up building her up instead.

👉 Get your copy now at: www.patmiller.net

Connect with Melissa Hidrobo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissahidrobo/