The fastest-growing companies all share one trait: a CEO who never stops learning from customers.

In this conversation, Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Bryan Cressey, Co-Founder and Partner at Cressey & Company, to reveal the traits that set great CEOs and founders apart. Bryan shares why creativity, genuine customer engagement, and the humility to hire exceptional people consistently predict stronger companies. He explains how leaders can evaluate whether a business truly has the potential to scale, starting with new ideas, bold aspirations, and healthy margins.

Bryan explains why founders must be their company’s first seller, and how real customer conversations uncover insight no metric can. He breaks down the leadership red flags to watch for, the moments when change becomes the only path forward, and why pairing new technology with real customer needs creates advantage.

Key takeaways:

• What traits distinguish founders and CEOs who can truly scale a company
• Why founders must be the first to sell and validate real market differentiation
• The leadership red flags that signal a company may struggle to grow

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(03:09) The mindset and traits shared by exceptional founders and CEOs

(04:18) Why founders must sell first and test real market differentiation

(06:00) Leadership red flags seen in CEOs who struggle

(10:06) How great hiring and team-building fuel long-term growth

(13:31) Three indicators to evaluate scalable companies

(17:02) Why customer conversations are the key to innovation and clarity

(21:24) Tech only wins when it solves real customer problems

(25:50) The future of CEO leadership and casting a long-term vision

(28:23) Questions to ask before starting a business

Connect with the team:

Bryan Cressey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-cressey/
Explore Cressy & Company: https://www.cresseyco.com/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

Explore EOS Worldwide: https://www.eosworldwide.com/

Growth begins to stall long before most leaders recognize the root cause.

In this conversation, Lee Brumbaugh chats with Kurt Schneiber, experienced CEO and EOS Implementer, to uncover the two primary obstacles that hold many businesses back: having the wrong people in key sales roles and lacking a repeatable sales process. Kurt shares his expert insights on how to assess whether a sales leader has the right coaching abilities, and why focusing on all the buying influencers, beyond just the champion, is crucial to keeping deals on track.

Kurt provides practical steps leaders can use to create clarity, consistency, and trust in the sales organization. From identifying hunters and farmers to building a process the team will follow, this conversation gives founders, CEOs, and sales leaders what they need to improve results with less friction.

Key takeaways:

• Why the wrong people in key sales seats hold companies back
• How to assess whether your sales leader can truly coach and manage
• What a predictable sales process should include and why most teams lack one

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:31) How Kurt found his path to EOS

(06:23) The core components every SMB must excel at

(10:30) Why sales leadership breaks as companies grow

(17:34) How to achieve expertise in the sales trust process

(23:21) Understanding who really influences the deal

(28:59) Using CRM tools to create consistency

(30:57) Coaching and training that elevate a sales team

(33:43) Why relationships still matter in modern selling

(37:34) Aligning with what customers actually need

Connect with the team:

Kurt Schneiber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtschneiber/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

Explore EOS Worldwide: https://www.eosworldwide.com/

Most SMBs don’t lose because they lack effort, they lose because they lack structure.

In this Challenge of the Day episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh puts Tom Gardner, Chief Community Officer at Sales Xceleration, on the hot seat for a rapid-fire round of five questions that hit at the heart of SMB growth.

From embracing AI and building repeatable sales processes to hiring and developing top talent, Tom shares practical insights drawn from supporting hundreds of business owners and sales leaders nationwide. Along the way, he offers stories, lessons, and a few laughs (plus a shot of espresso or two).

Key takeaways:

• Why repeatable sales processes drive predictability and insight
• How AI helps SMBs scale smarter and faster
• Why onboarding and coaching separate good teams from great ones

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:37) Question 1: The biggest opportunity for SMBs to grow smarter

(02:50) Question 2: The mistake most business owners don’t see coming

(04:32) Question 3: How AI is changing the sales game for SMBs

(05:38) Question 4: A career lesson every sales leader should remember

(07:33) Question 5: What to look for when hiring your next sales rep

(09:01) Lee takes the hot seat and shares his biggest takeaway

Connect with the team:

Tom Gardner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tgardner1/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/