BusinessManagementEducationSelf-Improvement

Built To Lead

TBC Studios

We know that the foundation of any great business is their team, but most of us are never taught how to lead them.

So I wanted to sit down with the best leaders and founders in the world and find out how they did it.

Who did they hire?

What mistakes did they make?

And what do they wish someone had told them years ago?

These are the stories they haven't told before and the things that made the biggest difference in their business.

If you want to stop being the bottleneck in your business, delegate properly and build a culture that people can’t wait to be part of Subscribe now wherever you're listening because you won't wanna miss these episodes.

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S1 · E30
Monday · 24 min
Getting Acquired: What Actually Happens + the Identity Loss No One Prepares You For ft Mikhailla from 26 Talent
From running two successful marketing businesses to shutting one down and selling the other, Mikhailla Fitzgerald has lived through the parts of leadership most founders don’t talk about.Today I’m sitting down with Mikhailla, Founder of 26 Talent Agency which was acquired and changed to Huume. Mikhailla is getting real on what actually happens when you sell your business, including how decisions get made before you feel ready, what it does to your team, and the identity loss that finally hits after the deal is done.You’ll hear: 0:00 - How to spot a real business opportunity before you feel ready2:27 - Why shutting down Mikhailla’s ‘safer’ business was one of the best decisions she made4:36 - The key to making BIG businesses decisions even when you’re not 100% sure yet5:27 - Can there truly be balance when you run a business and have a young family?7:00 - Why acquisition conversations can (and should) happen before you’re even thinking of selling9:00 - How to protect your team when you’re starting to sell your business10:20 - Who you actually to hire during an acquisition and why it might change the outcome completely13:55 - What does Mikhailla’s role look like now that the business doesn’t depend on her?15:23 - The truth behind what it’s like to manage influencers16:16 - How to hire for people management roles without wasting weeks of your time interviewing19:30 - The identity loss no one prepares you for after selling your business22:30 - The hire Mikhailla would make if she had to rebuild her team from the beginningIf you want more of Mikhailla then head over to IG @mikhailla or reach out to her on LinkedIn here.If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E29
August 17 · 54 min
The $100M AI Founder Playbook Every Founder Needs with Jeremy Cabral
Is your business bogged down by bloated teams and outdated marketing playbooks? In this episode, I sit down with Finder co-founder Jeremy Cabral to unpack the exact strategies he used to help scale Finder to over $100M in revenue. We also dive into why the next 12 to 18 months will define which businesses win and which fall behind. If you’re a founder looking to break through revenue ceilings, streamline AI into your day-to-day operations, or make smart hiring decisions, this episode is packed with practical takeaways. Jeremy shares honest insights on how SEO is shifting to AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude, how to run a lean core team, and why real human connection will always give you a competitive edge. Key moments: 00:00: This Is What It Actually Takes To Build A $100M+ Business 1:23: What Is Happening To Traditional SEO And Link-Building 14:00: Why Your Current Growth Playbook Is Stopping You From Scaling 22:44: How To Push Your Business Past The $5M–$10M Wall 29:54: Why Tech Layoffs Aren't Actually Caused By AI 41:12: The Thing You Need That AI Can Never Replace 47:19: How To Run A Lean, High-Performing 3-Person Core Team Want to learn more about AI strategy and scaling operations? You can connect with Jeremy Cabral directly on LinkedIn or Instagram @jeremyjcabral. To check out his latest advisory work and private leadership network, head over to jeremycabral.com or visit executiveark.ai/ – If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E28
August 10 · 16 min
I Thought AI Would Replace EAs. Here’s What’s Happening Instead
Have you thought about the cost of using AI in your business? Most founders think it’s going to be a great cost saver for them. Build the automation, set it up once and replace a wage … but I’ve spoken to hundreds of founders building with AI right now and they are all making the exact same mistakes. In this solo episode I’m going to tell you what they are, what they’re costing you and how to fix them. Find the Delegation playbook here - https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ or visit ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E27
August 3 · 52 min
The Daily Habits Top Performers Use to Avoid Burnout with Exec Performance Coach - Jess Spendlove
Most founders treat recovery like a luxury or a reward for hard work, but high performance isn't sustainable when you're running on empty. In this episode, I sit down with Jess Spendlove, Executive Performance Coach, Accredited Sports Dietitian, author of For The Long Run, and former health advisor to over 30 professional sports teams, Special Forces units, and executive leaders at PWC, AirTree, and QBE. If you are a busy founder struggling with chronic fatigue, relentless stress, or the trap of hustle culture, this conversation will equip you with practical micro-habits, recovery rhythms, and actionable strategies to safeguard your health while scaling your business. Key moments: 00:00: What Founders Get Wrong About Biohacking and Wellness Fads 4:24: Why You Should Fix Your Morning Domino Habit Firs 12:49: This Is The Guide to Eliminating Afternoon Energy Crashes 13:50: What Most Leaders Don't Realise About Workplace Culture 16:28: Why You Should Learn How Special Forces and Athletes Recover 32:15: What Founders Need to Know About True Burnout and Deloading 37:41: This Is The Guide to Balancing Ambitious Business Goals with Motherhood 45:31: Why You Should Build a Personal Health Operating System to Scale You can secure your copy of Jess’s new book For the Long Run via Amazon or Booktopia. Want more insights from Jess? Check out her website jessicaspendlove.com/, follow her on LinkedIn, and Instagram (@jess_spendlove_dietitian), or subscribe to her podcast Stay at the Top. If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E26
July 27 · 43 min
120,000 Orders, Why So Many Founders Have ADHD …And How to Use It with Tarah Elizabeth from Voomie
She built a business that's sold 120,000 orders in two years, with the same ADHD brain she once thought was working against her. Tarah Elizabeth Clark is the co-founder of Voomie Supplements, a brand for busy brains. Since launching in May 2024, she's grown her team from 5 to 17, sold out twice in the first two months, and shipped over 120,000 orders. Today, we talk about ADHD, the culture Tarah's built for neurodivergent minds, and the hiring lessons and leadership shifts that came with scaling a business fast. Key moments: 00:00 - Selling out 12 months supply in 24 hours 10:25 - Why Corporate Offices Don’t Work for most people with ADHD 11:34 - How to build a culture that increases productivity (even if it doesn’t look like it) 13:24 - The Small Leadership Move That Changed How Her Team Worked 14:34 - Is ADHD a superpower? 15:58 - What Workplaces Get Wrong About Supporting Mums 19:00 - Do you really need to hire another person? 20:59 - How Tarah and Barry Split Their Roles in the Business 30:11 - The Hiring Lesson Tarah Had to Learn the Hard Way 34:04 - The one thing ADHD founders struggle with 37:01 - Should Founders Tell Their Team They Have ADHD? 39:32 - The First 3 Hires Tarah Would Make If She Started Again You can follow Tarah, Barry and Voomie on instagram on @tarahelizabeth_, @tarah.and.barry amd @voomiesupplements If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E25
July 20 · 44 min
The Hiring Strategy Behind an 8-Figure Side Hustle That Scaled Using Airtasker with Dean Leibbrandt
The year they went full time … they tripled. In this episode, I sit down with Nakie co-founder Dean Leibbrandt to unpack the team and hiring decisions behind their growth. They went three and a half years without paying themselves, used Airtasker to survive Black Friday, and built a lean remote team around life rather than growth at any cost. Dean also shares the mistakes that cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars, including one discount code error that wiped out $205,000 in profit. If you’re building a business around a full-time job, struggling to know when to hire, or wondering how to scale without creating a business that owns you, this episode is for you. Key moments: 00:00: How to Turn a Problem You Care About Into a Product That Sells 03:47: How to Get a Manufacturer to Say Yes When Everyone Else Says No 06:55: Why Your Next Product Could Grow Revenue Faster Than More Ads 08:07: The First Hire That Gives E-commerce Founders Their Time Back 09:16: How to Know When It’s Finally Time to Quit Your Day Job 16:31: The Scrappy Hiring Hack That Can Save Your Biggest Sales Period 19:19: How Running Out of Stock Can Unlock Better Supplier Terms 21:22: How to Build an Eight-Figure Business Without a Bloated Team 23:06: The Offshore Hiring Mistake That Costs You Great Employees 23:42: Why Weekly Check-ins Keep Good Employees From Leaving 24:52: The Leadership Habit That Earns Your Team’s Respect 26:27: The Hiring Advantage Remote Businesses Have Over Everyone Else 31:41: The Fastest Way to Learn What Bigger Businesses Already Know 38:34: The Tiny Discount Error That Cost $205K in Profit To see more from Dean you can follow him on instagram @dean.leibbrandt or on LinkedIn. To find out more about Nakie you can follow them @nakie or nakie.com If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E24
July 13 · 50 min
You are the biggest bottle neck in your business … do this to fix it Matt Srama
Most founders think the answer to "I need to grow" is to work harder. But Matt Srama learned the opposite. Matt Srama went from wrestling 100 kilo men on an NRL field to running Srama Property, the 2026 Buyers Agency of the Year and when his growth really started? The moment he realised he was the bottleneck. In this episode, I sit down with Matt to unpack the discipline he carried over from professional sport, the framework that changed how he hires ("who, not how"), and the exact process he used to find his first team members, right down to filming his own house cleaning routine to hire a house manager. If you're a founder stuck doing everything yourself and wondering when it's actually time to let go, this episode is the playbook. Key moments: 00:00: The 60/40 split every founder eventually has to make 01:50: Why building people comes before building the business 8:06: The one skill that separates founders who make it from those that don’t 11:53: Why the first six month of any business has to be just you 13:19: The first hire you make is rarely the right one, and that’s OK 14:51: The Finder, Minder, Grinder framework every service business needs 16:04: Why chasing the “Unicorn” hires early is a trap 17:17: The real test of hiring people form your own network 22:09: The book that will rewire how you think about scaling 24:38: Why paying more for experience beats training from scratch 34:54: The time and energy audit that will expose where you're leaking focus 37:10: Upgrading from a personal assistant to an executive assistant and why is changed everything 41:20: The unconventional way to hire a house manager You can follow Matt on instagram @matt_srama and Linkedin. Or to Matt’s property podcast Buying Gold Coast. If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ If you want to get access to our time audit tool, head over to https://agentsync.com.au/founder-freedom-formula Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E23
July 6 · 59 min
Nobody Talks About the Messy Truth of Scaling to Exit with Lisa Jones
Three multimillion-dollar businesses. One very expensive lesson in letting go. Lisa Jones is a best-selling author, keynote speaker and founder of SHE-com, a powerhouse community of 40,000 women backing female founders of product-based businesses. She's built, scaled and exited multiple companies, and she is currently in hypergrowth mode with one goal: a major exit. In this episode Lisa spills everything. What really happened when she stepped back and watched her business quietly erode for nearly 12 months. How she rebuilt it from the inside out with AI doing the heavy lifting. And how she's built a team she would walk through fire for. Lisa is also one of the most disarmingly honest founders you will ever hear speak. Key moments: 00:00 Why stepping back from your business might be your biggest mistake 5:10: What the agitator role actually looks like in a scaling business 7:49: How to spot a taker before they destroy your culture 10:05: The one world that tells you everything you need to know about a new hire 19:37: Why phantom shareholder agreements might be the retention tool you’ve never heard of 29:04: Building without fatigue. Why every decision needs to answer to this one question 32:11: How to build AI in the back end without losing your human touch 47:23: Why Stepping Back From Your Business Might Be Your Biggest Mistake 52:54: What a decade of being told you’re not good enough does to a leader and how to come back You can find Lisa on instagram @lisajones_co or via Shecom.co If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E22
June 29 · 34 min
What it Takes to Keep a Brand Alive, Relevant AND Profitable for 20+ Years with Nikita Sernack from Nookie
Most brands don’t survive one trend cycle, let alone 20+ years. But Nikita Sernack has built Nookie through the pre-social media days, the rise of founder-led brands, international stockists, COVID, AND the launch of a second label (Rumer). In this episode, I’m sitting down with Nikita to chat about what actually keeps a brand relevant for that long. From building a cult customer base, to knowing when growth isn’t profitable, to hiring people who can take the business further than you can alone. Key moments: 0:00 - How Nikita built Nookie before social media, e-commerce and founder-led brands became the norm 6:21 - Building a guilt following before social media really took off 9:22 - The hiring mistake that makes founders busier than ever 13:48 - What happens when your core product is built for events people suddenly can’t attend 15:03 - Why launching a second brand can expose weaknesses your first brand was strong enough to hide 17:45 - How to lead a team without becoming the person every decision has to come back to 20:13 - What a founder should focus on once the business has grown past the early stage 24:14 - The cost of saying yes to the kind of growth most brands dream of 27:54 - The decision to go global 28:52 - How a major retailer partnership can become more than just a sales channel 29:58 - What it looks like to evolve a brand without losing the reason people loved it in the first place 30:24 - The three hires that can protect the parts of your business customers actually experience Find Nookie on IG @lovenookie and watch Rumer’s relaunch at @rumerthelabel If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E21
June 22 · 57 min
What Could Change For You in Business if You Knew the Right People? A Conversation with Daniel Hakim & Kirsten Scott
Some business owners seem to always know the right person. The person with the answer, the intro, the opportunity, the client, or the advice you didn’t even know you needed. That’s what happens when you stop treating networking like awkward small talk and start building a real network. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Daniel Hakim, CEO of CUB and co-founder of BOA, and Kirsten Scott, co-founder and CEO of BOA, to talk about how the right business relationships can open doors you’d never find on your own. We’re chatting about what makes their style of networking work, why trust compounds over time, how Kirsten went from CUB to co-founder of BOA, and what founders need to know about hiring salespeople, building offshore teams, growing through referrals, and making the right first hires. Key moments: 0:00 - How to bring someone into a bigger leadership role without forcing it, and what happened when Daniel invited Kirsten into BOA 10:39 - Why “networking” and having a real network are completely different things 13:19 - How to walk into a networking event when you’re scared, awkward, or worried you won’t know what to say 22:16 - What to look for when hiring in a growing business, and Daniel’s advice for finding salespeople who can actually sell 30:45 - The biggest lessons Kirsten has learnt from building BOA 33:51 - How CUB started, and what Daniel realised people were really joining for 41:29 - What needs to be in place before an offshore team can genuinely take work off your plate 43:58 - Why Daniel believes your first hire should usually be sales, and how CUB grew without relying on a huge marketing budget 50:27 - What does the next 12 months look like for BOA and CUB? 54:09 -The first three hires Daniel and Kirsten would make if they were starting again today If you’re interested in joining CUB or BOA you can find the links here. www.cub.club www.bornofambition.com If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E20
June 15 · 59 min
The Betts Rebrand: Why They Closed Half Their Stores and Cut EVERY Brand But One (With CEO Michael Breckler)
Betts have just had a rebrand and chances are, you’ve seen it pop up on your social media. Behind that rebrand is Michael Breckler, the fifth-generation CEO of the 133-year-old Australian footwear brand, who has spent the last few years making some huge calls about where the business needed to go next. In this episode, Michael is sharing with me what really happened behind the scenes - from cutting half the store network and removing entire product categories, to tripling online revenue and rebuilding Betts into a brand the next generation actually wants to buy from. Key moments: 0:00 - How Michael became the fifth-generation leader of a 133-year-old family business 5:46 - When simplifying the business becomes the smartest move for growth 9:44 - The reality of closing stores, downsizing teams and making decisions that affect real people 12:42 - What it takes to reposition a legacy brand without losing the trust you worked so hard to build 17:14 - The hard conversations you have when family and business are so closely connected 21:15 - What Michael looks for when hiring A-players beyond skills and experience 25:14 - The tech, content and marketing changes that helped Betts triple online revenue 27:43 - Inside the rebrand process, from website and social content to packaging and product 30:57 - The key to staying culturally relevant 36:10 - Why being great at your job doesn’t automatically make you ready to lead people 38:25 - How to get your team on board with big business decisions (because people hate change!) 42:56 - Keeping your team accountable without holding constant meetings 50:53 - How to stay close to your customer when trends keep changing 56:13 - Modernising a family business without alienating the customers who got you there (it’s not easy) If you want to connect with Michael, visit Linkedin here or his IG @mikebreckler Check out Betts and the teams rebrand over at www.betts.com.au If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E19
June 8 · 49 min
Hyro: How Steve Chapman Is Building a $100M Brand With a 5-Person Team
What does it actually take to build a brand people trust, talk about and buy from before you have a huge team behind you? Steve Chapman is the founder of Hyro, the Australian electrolyte brand growing fast with high-profile investors including Sarah’s Day, Quade Cooper and Daly Cherry-Evans. Before Hyro, he scaled Shine to more than $60 million in retail sales across 7,000 stores, so he’s not guessing when it comes to brand, retail, marketing or growth… We're covering everything from how Steve is building Hyro to a $100M brand, his ambassador-investor partnerships, AI agents and the brand strategy that's designed to stand out in one of the most crowded categories in the market right now. Key moments: 0:00 - How Hyro is building a fast-growing brand with a tiny team and five AI agents 4:33 - What Steve learned after his first business was shut down by Facebook 7:53 - How Steve spotted the gap in the electrolyte market before Hyro existed 9:18 - The high-profile ambassadors into investors that gave Hyro instant credibility 14:31 - How Steve balances building a global brand while raising a young family 16”62 - Why Steve invested in brand and website experience from day one 19:00 - A look into Hyro’s content strategy 22:26 - Tips on finding a product opportunity in Australia 24:35 - The unhinged strategy Steve used to get Shine stocked in major retailers 28:23 - The journey into selling a product in America 30”33 - What Steve knows he’ll need to change as Hyro expands into America 32:49 - How Hyro is using AI agents across customer service, finance, logistics and operations 36:09 - Getting your team bought into AI when it’s replacing their roles 38:31 Which parts of the business Steve believes still need to stay human 39:31 - How building in public helps Hyro attract high-performing talent 40:48 - The responsibility split between Steve and his wife Taylor 43:15 - The leadership mindset that helps Steve move quickly 44:38 - The first three hires Steve would make if he was starting again today 45:13 - What’s next for Hyro as the brand expands beyond core electrolytes If you want to learn more about Hyro visit www.drinkhyro.com or connect with Steve on IG @stevechapman If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E18
June 1 · 1 hr 2 min
We Hired Our Marketing Team Before Our Engineers … Here's Why with Frank Greef & Tahlia Kennedy
Build the product. Find the team. Then go to market. That's the playbook everyone follows. Frank Greef did it completely differently when building Kinso AI. After founding Real Hub, merging with his biggest competitor Campaign Track and exiting Real Base with a team of over 400 across multiple countries, Frank came back with one unconventional bet. Forget the product launch. Build the audience first. Attract the talent through content. And by the time you go to market the right people are already watching, already applying and already bought in. In this episode Frank and Kinso Marketing lead Tahlia Kennedy sit down to break down exactly how they did it. How to build a team that actually wants to stay. Why your employees building their own personal brand is an advantage not a risk. And how to stay human in a world where AI is making everything sound the same. This is the new playbook. And it starts before you think you're ready. Key moments: 00:00: What nobody tells you about leading at scale 03:05: Why surrounding yourself with yes people is the most dangerous thing in your business 7:24: How to know you’re actually hiring the best candidate and not least worst 10:17: How to build a team, before you have a single customer 11:18: What actually the best people to come work for you and it’s not your culture page 17:39: Gen Z isn’t lazy. They have have 10, 000 hours of native skills most founders don’t 23:56: How trusting your team to own the content frees you up to build the business 30:09: Why the approval process is killing your content before it even gets seen 33:01: The Selfish Hour. How investing in your teams personal goals is the reason your best people never leave 36:28: The Netflix character strategy. How KinsoAI built multiple audiences through one team 39:10: Why letting your team build their personal brand is your biggest unfair advantage If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync AI Delegation - https://agentsync.com.au/ai-delegation
S1 · E17
May 25 · 1 hr 10 min
The First AI System Every Founder Should Build with Specialist Luke Heka
What if using AI in your business gets to be easier than it looks online? Luke Heka has built over 4,000 automations across 250+ businesses through his agency Sellr, and in this episode, he’s breaking down what actually works when it comes to implementing AI inside a real company. And the best part is that Luke is a huge advocate for keeping it simple so that you can get AI off the ground and running in just a couple of weeks. There is so much AI content online that it’s getting harder each day to figure out what works, what’s achievable and what is just marketing for the algorithm. So today, we’re getting into where most founders go wrong when they start with AI, how to identify the part of your business that will being in more money when you learn to automate it, and what an AI specialist role would look like day to day if you’re looking at hiring one. Key moments: 0:00 - The step most founders skip before touching AI (and why everything breaks without it) 5:15 - The fastest way to figure out what’s worth automating in your business 7:56 - One AI feature that every founder can use that will save them time and money today 10:33 - Most founders are making AI harder than it needs to be 13:42- The build that’s outperforming complex AI systems and is way more simple 14:25 - Luke’s current tech stack 20:00 - How to get AI to do the work for you instead of answering questions 29:40 - Why Luke’s cut his team in half (and what replaced them) 31:54 - When you should hire someone specialising in AI for your business 36:51 - Should you move to Claude? 41:16 - The one role inside every business that AI should be built around 48:42 - The security measures you should have in place when playing with AI 54:03 - What the ‘AI person’ in your team actually does day to day 1:00:00 - How to find the one automation that will move your business forward 1:04:02 - The first three hires Luke would make if he had to start again today 1:08:06 - The mindset shift leaders need before bringing AI into their team If you want to work with Luke or join his next workshop, follow him on IG @mr_heka or Sellr on @selr__ai If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E16
May 18 · 1 hr 1 min
Build a Team That Tests, Fails and Grows Faster Than Your Competition with Grace Miller
Making decisions on gut feel and hoping something sticks? There's a word for that…. It's called guessing. And it could be costing you more than you think. Grace Miller is the Head of Experimentation and Failure at Diary of a CEO and Flight Story, the team behind one of the fastest growing podcasts in the world, scaling from 100,000 to over 16 million subscribers. And none of that happened by accident. In this episode Grace breaks down why experimentation is the most underrated growth strategy in any scaling business, how to hire for culture before skill, and what to do when someone on your team isn't performing. If you're building a team, scaling a business and tired of making decisions in the dark, this one's for you. Key moments: 2:50: You need to start experimenting in your business today 5:02: Stop hiring for just skills. The culture test DOAC uses to find A-Players 8:30: Why employee generated content is outperforming founder content 21:58: How to build psychological safety so problems surface before they become expensive 24:29: How to build a testing culture across different countries and cultural norms 26:48: They tested for a year with zero results…then one experiment changed everything overnight 33:22: How to use AI to help your team work faster without losing what actually matters 41:25: Tall Poppy Syndrome, is costing Aussie founders and what to do about it 49:29: The one thing founders need to hear before they post their first piece of content If you want to learn more from Grace, you can follow her on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-miller-linked-in/ Instagram: @graceexperiments If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E15
May 11 · 1 hr 7 min
Should You Hire Offshore… or Replace It All With AI? What You Need to Know Before You Do ANYTHING with Marissa Kos
Are you saving AI posts and prompts on IG? Are you using Chat GPT here and there but have no idea what it could look like to actually incorporate it into your business? Or even wondering if you should ditch the team and buy a Mac Mini to build your business with Open Claw? Take a deep breath and listen to this episode. The AI landscape is moving FAST and it can feel very hard to keep up with (and that’s because it is hard to keep up with). I wanted to chat to someone who has been in the industry from the start. So today I’m sitting down with Marissa Kos (aka The Blonde Bot and founder of MXM), who is helping founders build AI systems, train their teams and actually make it work inside businesses. Key moments: 0:00 - How many human vs AI team members does Marissa actually have 04:17 - The AI struggle - should you use it and do you still need an offshore team? 13:26 - Chat GPT versus Claude 17:29 - The prompt to move everything over to Claude from Chat GPT 20:08 - Is OpenClaw worth the hype? 22:35 - What “AI agents” actually are 25:19 - How agents work together inside a business 28:48 - What an AI workflow looks like inside an existing team 30:08 - What to do when your team resists AI 35:47 - Where to actually start with AI in your business 39:11 - How Marissa uses AI in real life (not just business) 52:48 - Do you need to understand everything as a founder? 58:21 - Using AI as a business knowledge base 1:01:05 - If Marissa had to start from scratch, who would her first 3 hires be? 1:04:48 - The skill that matters most in the AI era If you want more from Marissa, you can find her here: Instagram @marissa_kos YouTube @marissa_kos TikTok @marissa_kos Substack www.marissakos.substack.com If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E14
May 4 · 1 hr 28 min
The Personal Brand Playbook for Time-Poor Founders with Dain Walker
If you’re running a business and you don’t have a personal brand, you’re already behind. But for most founders they’re already time-poor as it is … creating content and starting a personal brand feels difficult, exhausting and like just another thing to add to their to-do list. Today I sit down with Dain Walker who is the founder and CEO of Rivyl, Host of Agency Podcast and Author of The 90 Day Brand. He’s worked with brands like Culture Kings, Nutrition Warehouse, spoken on stages with Gary Vee and Steven Bartlett, has over 600,000 followers and grown his podcast to over 1 million subscribers. We talk about why most founders don’t get the results they want from their content, why building a brand is no longer optional and the exact steps to make sure you stand out. You’ll hear: 1:31: Why you need to have founder led content as part of your strategy in 2026. 11:25: The key to building a high performance offshore team regardless of their roles 13:01: How to know when it’s time to hire an EA and what that role should actually do 43:25: The 5 things that block most founders from building a personal brand and how to remove each one 51:44: Why your content isn’t getting traction and how to fix it 58:25: How to build a ‘crowd’ that actually want to engage with your content 1:07:10: The 3 circle exercise that will help you determine your audience, niche and content 1:16:52 How to create a product or service your audience actually want to buy 1:22:54: The leadership mindset shift that will put you back in control of everything Follow Dain over at https://www.instagram.com/dainwalker/ and @agencypodcast_ or over at https://www.rivyl.com/ Not sure how to start using AI in your business? Want to know what to delegate (and how)?Get your Founders AI Playbook to see exactly which parts of your workflow to automate, keep human, or cut entirely. Download your copy here. Find out more about building your off-shore team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes of the podcast over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠
S1 · E13
April 27 · 41 min
How to Find A-Players (and keep them) with Taylor Fielding
Usually you have to choose between scaling and building an epic culture, but TFM Digital is the exception to this. They were named as one of the best places to work in Australia and landed on the AFR 100 two years in a row. Today I speak with Taylor Fielding about how he attracts a-players, the biggest mistakes he’s made scaling so quickly and how he’s built a business that allows him to travel more and more every single year (in fact it’s actually an intentional strategy!) We talk about the hire that nearly blew up the business, why they invest 46% of profits back into their team and the organisational chart you need to implement if you want to scale your own business. If you've ever hired someone and regretted it, tried to hand off leadership too fast, or told yourself you'll take a real break once things settle down, this one's for you. Key moments: 00:00: The biggest mistakes growing from 1-29 staff 03:58: Where to start if you want to invest in your team 7:52 Attracting, retaining and developing a-players 11:56: How to use your culture to attract the right hires and repel the wrong ones 14:16: The organisational chart every founder who wants to scale needs 17:39 How to use AI to maximise your teams out put (and what not to do) 23:10: The key to setting any senior hire up for success 37:31 Stepping back from the day to day operations AND scaling your business You can connect with Taylor on LinkedIn | Instagram: @taylorfielding | TikTok/Instagram: @tfmdigital Not sure how to start using AI in your business? Want to know what to delegate (and how)? Get your Founders AI Playbook to see exactly which parts of your workflow to automate, keep human, or cut entirely. Download your copy here. Find out more about building your off-shore team over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes of the podcast over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ And ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠
S1 · E12
April 20 · 1 hr 3 min
AI, Agents and why you can’t wait… What every founder needs to know about AI to 10X their business
Some founders are firing their whole team and replacing them with AI…or pretending it’s not happening at all. But Joe Stolte thinks differently. Joe Stolte has built 6 companies, exited 4 (including Lottery.com which went public at $526 million), worked at Microsoft and generated over $100 million in sales. He now helps businesses to deploy and integrate AI agents and knows exactly what separates the business that will survive the shift to AI, from the ones that won’t. In this episode, we chat about building teams of AI agents, empowering your staff to use AI and ways you can 10x your business. If you’ve been waiting for a sign to get started with AI, this is probably it. Key moments: 00:00: Hire people or hire AI. What founders should actually be thinking about right now 1:19: The matrix that will help you decide what should be done by AI and what should be done by your team 3:09: How AI can completely change the game for sales teams before during and after every call 4:19: What your best employees are actually costing you when they aren’t using AI 5:07: What most founders get wrong when using AI 15:07:: The four stages of AI: what's coming next and why the timeline is shorter than most people expect 30:15: Chatbots vs Agents. What’s the difference and which one you should use 21:52: The three agents worth setting up today and how to actually get started 23:30: Is Open Claw worth it? What it can do, where it falls short and 45:33:How delegation changes when your team is AI-powered and what that means for you as a leader 1:01:00: The one daily habit that moves the needle and how to make it stick in your business Drop a JESS in Joe's DMs at dmjoe.com to get his free Constraint Test bot plus a stack of AI resources and training to get you started. No email, no pitch, just good stuff. And if you want to connect with him or follow what he's up to, that's the place to start. Not sure how to start using AI in your business? Want to know what to delegate (and how)? Get your Founders AI Playbook to see exactly which parts of your workflow to automate, keep human, or cut entirely. Download your copy here. If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync
S1 · E11
April 13 · 35 min
Hiring a CEO: The Decision That Changed Everything at Kivari for Kiki Keysers
This one’s interesting because on paper, Kiki Keysers’ built the kind of business most founders say they want. 14 stores. 130 staff. A clothing brand people recognise. But the reason I wanted to get her on wasn’t to talk about growth. It was to understand what actually changed behind the scenes to make that possible… because she’s done something most founders avoid for way too long… She stepped out of running the business. In this episode, we get into what that actually looked like. The point where Kiki realised she was the bottleneck in Kivari the Label. The hires she made too late (and the ones she’d make immediately if she started again). And what really happens when you bring in a CEO and have to stop jumping in every five seconds. Key moments: 0:00 - The moment you realise your “side thing” is actually turning into a real business… and what changes after that 4:57 - Hiring your first employee when you have no idea what you’re doing (and why waiting too long will slow everything down) 6:40 - Why your business starts to feel messy as you grow across locations and what actually keeps everything aligned 09:01 - How to develop leaders who can run things without you being involved in every decision 12:06 - The 5 hard truths that keep founders stuck at the same level 15:46 - What ‘good culture’ actually looks like day to day 18:17 - What scaling to the next level really looks like when you already have stores, a team and momentum 19:18 - The one investment that changed how Kiki leads and thinks (and why most founders avoid it) 20:24 - Why putting money into yourself grows your business faster than putting it back into the business 22:08 - What it actually looks like to work with your partner, live together and build a business at the same time 27:52 -What really happens when you bring in a CEO and start letting go of control 29:26 - The hire that gave her back time and changed how the business operates day to day 31:00 - Building a fashion brand with zero experience and figuring it out as you go 32:33 - The first 3 hires she’d make if she had to start again (and why they matter early) 33:35 - Where to start with marketing if you’re building a brand today and don’t have a team yet If you want more of Kiki, follow her on IG @kiki_keysers or visit www.kivari.com.au Listen to Taki’s episode on Spotify or Apple or watch it on Youtube. If you want help building your offshore team, send me a message over at @jesswhatman_agentsync - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jesswhatman_agentsync/⁠ Not sure what you could delegate or the next role you need? Ask Andy - https://agentsync.com.au/meet-andy Find out more about off-shore employees over at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/agentsync_/⁠ and ⁠https://agentsync.com.au/⁠ And see behind the scenes content over at https://www.instagram.com/built.to.lead.podcast/ AgentSync

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