What happens when your biggest market differentiator becomes the exact label that stops decision-makers from buying? In this episode, host John SmallMtn sits down for part two of our time-capsule series with Jon Selig, founder of The Credibility Gap. Looking back at where his business stood two years ago in 2024, Jon shares a transparent masterclass on founder burnout, navigating corporate misalignment, and the resilience required to execute a total brand pivot.

We break down why branding yourself purely on 'uniqueness' can damage enterprise sales value, how to transition from high-pressure digital content to high-value warm networking, and the exact storytelling frameworks technical teams must adopt to communicate human business outcomes. Whether you are currently experiencing startup fatigue or mapping out your next strategic shift, this grounded guide details how to build long-term structural clarity in your business.

Connect with Jon Selig:

Website: https://jonselig.com/

LinkedIn: Jon Selig

Connect with John Hill:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblanehill/

Website: https://adaptedgrowth.com/

Newsletter: https://podcast.adaptedgrowth.com/podcast

Book: Selling From Scratch

Workshops: Revenue Evolution Workshops

How do you build a sustainable communication strategy that resonates with a highly specific cold target market? And how do you do it without getting your outreach completely ignored because, let's face it, you sound like a robot?

In this episode of the Founder's Growth Show, we break down early-stage business messaging with Jon Selig, who, at the time of the interview two years ago, was the founder of Comedy Writing for Revenue Teams.

Jon highlights the immense structural overlap between testing messaging with an audience and executing founder-led B2B sales development.

We cut through the noise of corporate "10x" slogans to focus on pure messaging alignment, establishing clarity, and overcoming customer friction. Jon shares his framework for navigating early market discovery, mapping out buyer roadblocks below the waterline, and shifting from empty jargon to high-impact "insider language."

Whether you're an analytical leader establishing target personas or a founder refining your team's outreach channels, this conversation offers a deeply grounded approach to customer validation, intentional active listening, and building real pipeline traction.

Best of all, while learning about his impactful lessons from then, we'll also get to compare them to where he is today in next week's episode.

That's right. This interview was recorded in 2024, when both John Small Mountain and his guest were in different places. So, this interview has been edited to focus solely on the broader themes that remain important to Jon today. And then, next week, we'll get to see what compelled him to leave and then return to the founder role, and how he helps people with their messaging today.

Connect with Jon Selig:

Website: https://jonselig.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonselig/

Connect with John "Small Mountain" Hill:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblanehill/

Website: https://adaptedgrowth.com/

Newsletter: https://podcast.adaptedgrowth.com/podcast

Book: Selling From Scratch

Workshops: Revenue Evolution Workshops

How do you transition from a "scrappy dream" to a highly structured, multi-million dollar enterprise?

In this episode of The Founder's Growth Show, host John Hill, AKA Small Mountain, sits down with JP Keesy, Co-Founder of Fort Worth-based managed service provider F1 IT. JP shares his 25-year journey scaling an IT services firm past $5M in gross revenue while navigating high-stakes industry regulations, such as CMMC Level Two certification.

Ditching standard startup clichés, JP delivers a masterclass in alignment, operational resilience, and founder humility. He unpacks the real-world mechanics of a successful business partnership between starkly contrasting personalities, explaining how a unique compatibility test paved the way for an enduring enterprise.

JP also shares a vulnerable turning point in his leadership journey, demonstrating how implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) enabled his team to hold him accountable, take tasks off his plate, and break through growth bottlenecks.

The conversation also explores utilizing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to capture niche market functionalities, building high-trust communities for business owners, and navigating the cyclical shifts between technological advancement and analog human connection.

Join host John Hill, AKA Small Mountain, and his special guest Dan Bennett, founder of Hot Sauce Video, for a deep dive into the psychology of founder growth and the power of authentic storytelling.

Dan shares his journey from a touring musician to a high-end filmmaker and agency owner, revealing how he eventually embraced the very service he tried to avoid: video editing.

He also explains why "video is just the vehicle," and the real power behind viral moments is in the story and how it's shared.

Notable Topics for Founders and Business Owners:

• Overcoming Friction: How to identify when you are fighting your own market value.

• The "Solar System" Framework: A creative approach to understanding business systems and lead generation.

• Strategic Video: Why "Contact Us" pages are the hidden goldmine for video conversion.

• Permission to Fail: The importance of "shooting for the edit" and giving yourself grace during the messy stages of growth.

• The 7 Deadly Sins of Content: Avoiding the trap of trend-chasing and envy in marketing.

If you've been avoiding a crucial part of your business because it doesn't excite you, Dan's story about how he made it work without hating his job may change your mind.

Connect with Dan Bennett:

Website: https://hotsauce.video/dan-has-links/

Connect with John "Small Mountain" Hill:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblanehill/

Website: https://adaptedgrowth.com/

Newsletter: https://podcast.adaptedgrowth.com/podcast

Book: Selling From Scratch

Workshops: Revenue Evolution Workshops

In this episode of The Founder's Growth Show, host John Hill, AKA Small Mountain, sits down with Brent Garrett, the founder of Sirius Plumbing and Air Conditioning and a veteran business consultant known as The Skilled Trades Coach.

Brent shares his profound journey from working at the end of a shovel to building, scaling, and successfully selling a multimillion-dollar residential services enterprise.

The conversation focuses heavily on navigating the "messy middle"—that precarious growth phase where founders hit a sudden ceiling of complexity and experience unsustainable operational friction. Brent breaks down why working harder isn't a viable long-term solution, how to effectively shift from tactical execution to strategic delegation, and the psychology required to step back into your true zone of genius.

He also unpacks his two non-negotiable business commandments that every leader must protect to maintain cultural alignment and financial resilience. Plus, he shares what future founders need on Day 1 to ensure they survive their first year and beyond.

Connect with Brent:

Website: The Skilled Trades Coach

LinkedIn: Brent Garrett

Connect with John:

LinkedIn: John Hill

Website: Adapted Growth

Newsletter: https://podcast.adaptedgrowth.com/podcast

Book: Selling From Scratch

Free Workshops: Revenue Evolution Workshops

Why do so many rapid-scaling startups struggle to sustain their revenue after an influx of new clients? Because they mistake reactive customer support for a proactive growth strategy.

In this episode of The Founder's Growth Show, host John Small Mountain sits down with Noah Hallett, a startup consultant and fractional Chief Customer Officer (CCO).

Operating from Lisbon, Portugal, Noah shares his raw perspective on transitioning a business internationally and details why long-term company value is determined entirely by what happens after a sales contract is finalized. The conversation delivers a masterclass in separating reactive customer service from revenue-generating customer success frameworks.

Noah breaks down how early-stage founders can:

• navigate user experience (UX) friction,
• handle the operational handoff between sales and customer success managers (CSMs),
• leverage radical transparency in marketing to build brand trust,
• and reframe high-friction "Struggle Bus" accounts into a blueprint for product development.

Whether you're trying to fix a leaky pipeline, realign your client retention strategy, or understand the deep human element behind scaling an organizational structure, Noah's grounded approach offers immediate clarity for founders looking to build a resilient business.

Connect with Noah Hallett:

LinkedIn: Noah Hallett 🦦

Connect with John "Small Mountain" Hill:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblanehill/

Website: https://adaptedgrowth.com/

Newsletter: https://podcast.adaptedgrowth.com/podcast

Book: Selling From Scratch

What is the true difference between building a scalable business and simply monetizing a personal skill set? In this episode of The Founder's Growth Show, host John SmallMtn sits down with Michael R. Hunter, the co-founder of Spiffy Checkouts and PersonalBrand.com, to unpack the hidden mechanisms behind sustainable business growth and leadership alignment.

Michael shares his evolutionary journey from running a growth marketing agency to bootstrapping a fintech software company to an eight-figure valuation. Together, they pull back the curtain on how to identify true product-market fit, why a defined brand reduces friction in your sales pipeline, and the necessity of managing team capacity at 85% to protect against burnout. Michael also drops a powerful reframe on operational patience, relationship communication with co-founders, including one who is also his spouse, and navigating a macroeconomic "trust recession" by building a resilient operational foundation. If you want to stop forcing hollow milestones and design a personal definition of success, this episode offers an essential roadmap.

Notable Topics Discussed:

• Distinguishing between starting an enterprise and monetizing expertise.

• Redefining brand as consumer consensus rather than content marketing distribution.

• The 4 Fs framework (Fame, Freedom, Fortune, and Fun) for high-ticket client alignment.

• Blending vision work and abstract brand alignment to elevate sales team conversions.

• Embracing imperfect action, active patience, and setting strict constraints under modern AI environments.

Connect with Michael R. Hunter:

Is AI a threat to your livelihood, or the ultimate tool to scale your next venture?

In this episode, host John Hill, AKA Small Mountain, sits down with tech pioneer, former NASDAQ company CEO, and international bestselling author Jay Samit to dissect how seasoned professionals can claim their "Second Act Advantage."

Jay pulls back the curtain on his newest book, sharing insights gained from raising nearly a billion dollars in Silicon Valley, launching foundational internet systems with the White House, and advising global brands like McDonald's and Coca-Cola.

We dive deep into actionable founder-centric topics, including:

• The "Zombie Idea" stress-test framework,
• How to deploy zero-cost AI toolsets to rapidly prototype businesses,
• The psychological mechanics of the Pygmalion effect on team performance,
• And strategic alternatives to toxic credit card debt when funding a startup.

Jay also lays out a practical framework for the historic multi-trillion-dollar boomer wealth transfer, explaining how everyday entrepreneurs can acquire cash-flowing brick-and-mortar operations using government-backed SBA structures.

Whether you are a corporate executive looking to exit the matrix or a young founder seeking sustainable business frameworks, this episode delivers the hard-earned wisdom required to future-proof your trajectory.

Connect with Jay Samit:

Website: https://jaysamit.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaysamit

Newest Book: The Second Act Advantage

Connect with John "Small Mountain" Hill:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnblanehill/

Website: https://adaptedgrowth.com/

Newsletter: https://podcast.adaptedgrowth.com/podcast

Book: Selling From Scratch