The Scaling CEO

People Quit Long Before They Resign | The Scaling CEO Podcast

In this episode, I talk with Ben Behzad Bayat about scaling a fast-growing engineering company and the warning signs leaders often miss. Ben explains how businesses fail the same way structures fail and how small cracks appear long before collapse. We discuss leadership under pressure, hiring through uncertainty, building systems that detect problems early, and using AI to enhance employees instead of replacing them.

Scaling Doesn’t Mean Losing Your Freedom | The Scaling CEO Podcast

In this episode, I speak with Marianne Abib-Pech about what it really takes for founders to scale. We discuss why many investors wrongly assume founders cannot evolve, how scaling can actually expand creativity instead of limiting freedom, and what separates resilient founders from the rest. Marianne also shares her perspective on industrial deep tech, leadership psychology, founder-investor dynamics, and the role of AI in decision-making and capital strategy.

Stop Wasting Energy on the Wrong Battles | The Scaling CEO Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Erik Berggren to talk about the discipline required to scale as a CEO. Erik shares lessons from elite sports, military operations, and hypergrowth companies, including how leaders burn out by focusing on the wrong battles. We discuss prioritization, resilience, scaling teams across cultures, coaching founders through growth, and how AI is reshaping operational leverage inside modern businesses.

Your AI Strategy Is Increasing Activity, Not Results | The Scaling CEO Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Ken Jisser, founder and CEO of The Pipeline Group, to talk about what most companies are getting wrong about AI, sales growth, and scaling globally. Ken shares how he built a 500-person company across 36 countries without raising funding or taking on debt, why adaptability matters more than resources, and how CEOs should actually measure the success of AI inside their organizations. We also talk about SDR turnover, remote culture, pipeline management, and the systems that help companies scale sustainably.

Sometimes the CEO Must Step Into the Fire | The Scaling CEO Podcast

In this episode, I talk with Andy Vaughn, president and CEO of Alliant International University, about leading through pressure, regulation, and organizational change. Andy shares how he helped navigate major regulatory threats, why CEOs sometimes need to personally step into difficult situations, and how relationship-building helped shape critical outcomes for his institution. We also discuss employee engagement, leadership communication, higher education, AI in organizations, and what it really takes to lead during uncertainty.