In this heartfelt episode, we dive deep into the real reasons behind why so many small business owners and entrepreneurs take the leap—often unintentionally—into the role of CEO. From building a business around family needs to redefine success with purpose and intention, this conversation explores what it truly means to live life and run a business on your own terms.

Our hosts reflect on their own journeys into entrepreneurship, the struggles of balancing parenting with business, and how the pursuit of presence—not just profit—can lead to a more fulfilling life and business.

💡 Key Topics Discussed:

🏠 Building a Business Around Family

• The catalyst for starting the business: being more present for children.
• The challenges of corporate life and the decision to prioritize family over career.
• Real stories of attending client meetings on the road while supporting children’s dreams.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 From Corporate to Coaching: A Personal Journey

• Transitioning from a traditional 9-5 to a remote, flexible business model.
• Designing work hours around kids’ schedules—and why that worked even better for clients.

💼 The Accidental CEO Phenomenon

• Why so many business owners never intended to become CEOs.
• How accidental CEOs build businesses out of a skill or need, not strategy.
• The importance of asking, “What do you want?”—and why so many struggle to answer it.

🎯 Purpose, Vision, and Mission Explained

• The danger of being “busy” without intention.
• Redefining vision as decision-making direction, and mission as daily action.
• Why your vision must drive your decisions, and your mission must align with daily actions.

🧠 Presence and the Trap of “Always Building”

• Why new entrepreneurs can’t stay present—and how to break free.
• The shift from building to running your business as a pathway to peace and clarity.
• Solving today’s problems so you can plan for tomorrow’s dreams.

🧱 Simplify to Scale

• How success often leads to overcomplication.
• The counterintuitive truth: doing less but better is the path to growth.
• Why the most successful entrepreneurs take on unreasonable effort to achieve simplicity.

💬 Limiting Beliefs & Relationship Shifts

• How societal and relational beliefs hold accidental CEOs back.
• The impact of friends and family projecting their limitations onto entrepreneurs.
• Personal growth often means changing who you spend time with.

🔦 Client Spotlight:

• A young man inheriting a $4M construction business struggling to find his “why.”
• A single mom esthetician transforming her business and motherhood by letting go of people-pleasing.

🛠️ Tools & Resources Mentioned:

• Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield – for navigating friendship shifts and leveling up.
• The Simple Focus System – a tool to align your vision, mission, and action.
• Free Tools and Resources from Atomic Business Coaching – including assessments, courses, and workshops to help you grow as a business owner.

🔁 Quote Highlights:

“Your vision is in your

In this episode, Tom and Adam dive deep into the messy reality of running a business in today’s rapidly evolving tech environment. From software updates disrupting workflows to business owners struggling with delegation, they explore why simplicity in business often gets lost in the search for optimization. The conversation flows through topics of technology overwhelm, the myth of the perfect system, the fear of failure, and the importance of embracing the journey—mess and all.

The hosts discuss why so many entrepreneurs create new problems after solving old ones, how technology functions like an employee, and why relearning is often the path to mastery. They also unpack the cycle of comfort → fear → learning → growth and why getting stuck in comfort zones kills progress. Throughout the episode, Tom and Adam challenge listeners to rethink their relationship with failure, focus on the process instead of the result, and use technology as a tool for meaningful growth—not just convenience.

Key Topics Covered

🔧 Technology: Friend or Frustration?

• The constant updates and changes in software and hardware.
• Technology as a delegation tool — but what are you doing with the time it frees up?
• Why finding the “perfect” software won't solve your business problems if you’re unclear on your purpose.

🧠 Delegation & the Problem with Free Time

• How new business owners often fill freed-up time with busy work instead of growth activities.
• The critical question: Are you improving your processes, or just trying to avoid them?

🚨 Choosing the Right Problems to Solve

• You will always have problems in business — but are they the ones you choose to solve?
• How to stop reacting to meaningless problems and start tackling the ones that drive your business forward.

😨 Fear of Failure and the Comfort Zone Trap

• Why leaving your comfort zone triggers fear—and why fear is actually your gateway to learning.
• The four stages of growth: Comfort → Fear → Learning → Growth.
• The difference between those who stay “stuck” and those who achieve mastery.

⏳ The Myth of Instant Success

• Why unrealistic timeframes crush motivation.
• Using technology (like AI) to help set realistic expectations for learning curves and project timelines.

🔍 Relearning vs. Learning Something New

• Success often comes from reminding yourself of what you already know, not constantly chasing new skills.
• Reconnecting with your foundational skills instead of constantly searching for the next shiny object.

🧩 Vision, Mission, and Missing the Point

• Most people confuse their mission (what they do daily) with their vision (what they aspire to become).
• Why clarity on your mission helps you build your future vision more intentionally.

💡 The Accidental CEO Mindset

• Business owners who accidentally find themselves leading a company without realizing it.
• Shifting from doing everything yourself to building processes, teams, and tools that drive growth.

Key Quotes

“Success starts with suck. You can’t have success without sucking at it first.”

“Technology is like an employee. But what do you do with the free time it gives you?”

“Fear is the gateway between comfort and learning. Most people stop at fear instead of pushing through.”

“The real failure isn’t doing...

In this powerful and reflective conversation, Tom and Adam unpack the experience of transitioning from running a business by chance to intentionally leading one as a CEO. They reflect on their recent morning workshop, the dynamics of energy in virtual versus in-person sessions, and the importance of intentional leadership. They also dive into how mindset shifts around leadership, hiring, and personal healing influence business growth.

Throughout the episode, they discuss the themes of awareness, permission, and evolution in both business and personal relationships, sharing real-life coaching examples and their own leadership journeys.

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Key Topics Covered

☀️ Morning Energy & Virtual Workshop Reflections

• Tom and Adam share insights from their recent morning online workshop, observing how time of day and participant energy shape the session’s dynamics.

• They discuss the difference between morning and evening attendees — morning participants often being more intentional, sacrificing other commitments like family or fitness to show up.

🧭 From Accidental to Intentional CEO

• The duo opens up about how they both stumbled into their CEO roles, initially treating their business as a side hustle before realizing they had built something real.

• They emphasize the journey of accepting leadership roles and defining their responsibilities as CEO and COO.

• The transition from doing everything themselves to building a team and defining the business intentionally took 3–5 years.

🔑 The Power of Permission & Intention

• Many accidental CEOs struggle with giving themselves permission to succeed, lead, and delegate.

• One client example: an architect who became an intentional CEO by investing in his team, advertising, and trusting the process of cause and effect.

• Healing from past limiting beliefs and stepping into the CEO mindset is a key part of the transformation.

❤️ Healing Through Relationships

• Tom shares the importance of the relationship with oneself and how personal healing impacts leadership and team relationships.

• A powerful coaching example highlights a client who worked through past relationship wounds to show up fully in a new, healthier relationship.

• The conversation explores how unresolved past experiences resurface until they are addressed and integrated.

🧰 The "What Went Right, What Went Wrong, What Do You Need Help With?" Framework

• Adam explains how this simple three-question framework, inspired by his mentor, helps CEOs reflect on their wins, challenges, and areas where they need support.

• This tool encourages business owners to actively ask for help rather than staying stuck in their own heads.

🛠️ Building and Managing a Team

• The 40/60/80% employee competency model:

o 40% competent: Task-doers who free up the CEO’s time but require training.

o 60% competent: Core team members who perform well independently.

o 80% competent: High performers who may eventually outgrow the role and need to be challenged or promoted.

• When to hire specialists and how to ensure hires are aligned with business needs rather than personal gaps.

🔄 Letting Go of Misaligned Team Members

• A real-world coaching story where a client made the difficult but necessary decision to shift a misaligned employee to a different role or release them.

• The key lesson: act in the best interest of the business, not personal comfort.

🕰️ The Value of Reflection Time

• The workshops provide business owners a rare space to pause, reflect, and strategize away from the daily grind.

• Creating intentional space is essential for leadership growth.

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Key Quotes

"Many accidental CEOs are just waiting for permission to succeed."

"You’re packing...