Business growth takes more than a great product. It takes strong teams, thoughtful reinvestment, and a CEO willing to evolve alongside the company. Are you building the capabilities your business needs for its next stage of growth?

In this episode of The CEO Project Podcast, Jim Schleckser welcomes Drew Allen, President and CEO of Grace Technologies, to discuss building strong teams and reinvesting for success. Drew shares how a costly product launch failure changed his approach to customer validation, engineering capabilities, and product development.

Learn why Drew hires curious, adaptable people who can work across disciplines, and how that approach reduces handoffs and helps ideas reach customers faster. Discover how reinvesting in employee skills, prototyping tools, and manufacturing capabilities supports growth. Jim and Drew also explore how strong teams benefit from leaders who remove bottlenecks, welcome feedback, and approach challenges with greater resilience.

Listen to the full episode for practical lessons you can apply to your business. Consider where an investment in your people, tools, or capabilities could remove a barrier to growth.

Check out:

• 05:00 | A $450,000 lesson in customer validation: Drew shares how a failed product launch changed his approach to testing demand before committing money and engineering time.
• 08:00 | Reinvesting in people and tools: Learn how upskilling engineers and bringing prototyping capabilities in-house helped Grace develop products faster.
• 26:00 | Building strong teams with adaptable generalists: Drew explains how people who work across disciplines can reduce handoffs and accelerate development, with specialists refining the results.

Drew Allen is the President and CEO of Grace Technologies, Inc. Under his leadership, Grace has become a recognized leader in electrical safety and predictive maintenance solutions. Drew is passionate about building intelligent technologies that protect lives, optimize industrial operations, and help facilities achieve zero downtime and zero harm.

He is also the founder of Maple Studios, an industrial venture studio that helps early-stage companies scale from prototype to production. Drew believes in empowering the next generation of industrial innovators through collaboration, entrepreneurship, and a belief that the world needs better leaders.

Is your marketing making promises that your business isn't delivering?

Jim Schleckser welcomes author, speaker, and agency founder Ron Tite to explore how CEOs can connect purpose, strategy, and marketing through his Think Do Say framework. Ron explains why purpose needs a clear connection to how a company makes money, grows, and serves its customers.

Discover how to turn your company's beliefs into actions employees can own and messages customers can trust. Jim and Ron also discuss using AI to improve insights and creative thinking, choosing marketing channels with intention, and maintaining quality as content becomes easier to produce.

Listen to the episode for a practical approach to aligning what your company believes, what it does, and what it says.

Check out:

• 06:00: Use AI to improve your thinking. Ron explains how better insights and personalization can help businesses create stronger marketing.

• 19:00: Connect purpose to everyday action. Ron shares a practical framework for linking company beliefs to business decisions and individual employee roles.

• 26:00: Keep your creative standards high. Jim and Ron discuss judging AI-assisted content by its quality and using human judgment to improve the final result.

About Ron Tite

Ron Tite is a former ad executive turned founder, speaker, author, and comedian — and when it comes to marketing and brand strategy, few people bring the depth of experience he does.

As founder and CSO of Church+State, a top Canadian creative agency, Ron has spent his career challenging the conventions of traditional advertising — creating work that entertains, earns attention, and drives real business outcomes. Before that, he led creative at some of the biggest global agencies in the world.

He is the bestselling author of Think Do Say, The Purpose of Purpose, and Everyone's an Artist, and a globally in-demand keynote speaker who has spoken for companies like RBC, Microsoft, and American Express.

His unique blend of strategic thinking, creative leadership, and real-world application makes him the perfect guide for anyone ready to stop guessing and start growing with clarity and confidence.

Effective exit planning prepares you for more than the transaction by protecting your financial future, personal identity, and sense of purpose after the business is sold.

In this episode of The CEO Project Podcast, host Jim Schleckser speaks with Nate Collins, a former CEO, financial advisor, and Certified Exit Planning Advisor who successfully sold his family business to a private equity-backed media company.

Although the sale exceeded expectations financially, Nate explains why he did not initially consider it a successful exit. He shares the mistakes he made before and after the transaction, from assembling the wrong advisory team to failing to prepare for the emotional realities of no longer owning the company.

You'll learn how to:

• Assemble experienced legal, financial, tax, and M&A advisors
• Begin planning early enough to identify tax-saving opportunities
• Define success using personal, professional, and financial goals
• Build a financial plan before negotiating the transaction
• Prepare for the loss of identity, purpose, community, and authority that can follow a sale
• Evaluate the risks associated with earn-outs
• Create a meaningful next chapter before leaving the company
• Strengthen the business so it is prepared for a planned or unexpected transition

Nate also explains why strong exit planning should focus on purpose, community, and health in addition to valuation. A profitable transaction alone does not guarantee that the owner will feel secure, fulfilled, or ready for what comes next.

Listen to learn how exit planning can help you build a more valuable company, avoid costly mistakes, and move into your next chapter with greater financial clarity and personal confidence.

Check out:

5:42: Why a profitable business sale is not always a successful exit

17:36: The emotional consequences of selling a company without preparing for life afterward

27:48: Why earn-outs can limit an owner's control, flexibility, and ability to move forward

Nate is a former CEO who managed a successful exit to a large, PE-backed media company. He now works with a limited number of business owners, CEOs, and their families to help ensure they are achieving their financial goals. As a Financial Advisor and Certified Exit Planning Advisor, he provides in-depth business exit and financial planning, as well as investment management. Nate helps owners optimize their businesses' value and transition into the next chapter.