The Strategic Business Influencer presented by Zilker Media

From Founder-Dependent to Future-Ready: Laurie Barkman on Business Transitions

What if the ultimate measure of a successful business is whether it can thrive without its founder? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Laurie Barkman, entrepreneur, advisor, author, and former CEO who has spent her career helping business owners build companies that create both enterprise value and personal freedom. After leading a $100 million transportation and logistics company through acquisition by a Fortune 50 organization, Laurie launched her own firm to help founders navigate one of the most important, and often overlooked, business challenges: reducing owner dependency and preparing for transition long before it's necessary.

The Missing Logic in Leadership: Why Entrepreneurs Need Both Growth and Sustainability

What if the biggest challenges in leadership aren’t problems to solve, but tensions to manage? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Dr. Tracy Christopherson and Michelle Troseth, co-authors of The Polarity Intelligence: The Missing Logic in Leadership, healthcare culture transformation experts, longtime business partners, and founders helping entrepreneurs rethink how leadership actually works. After meeting during hospital orientation in 1986, Tracy and Michelle built a decades-long friendship that evolved into a business partnership centered around one powerful idea: leadership isn’t about choosing one path over another. The strongest leaders learn to navigate both.

The Business of Care: Lina Supnet-Zapata on Advocacy in Healthcare Leadership

In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Lina Supnet-Zapata, CEO of Mir Senior Care Consultants and incoming president of the Aging Life Care Association. With more than 30 years in healthcare, Lina has dedicated her career to patient advocacy, ethical care management, and helping families navigate some of life’s most complex and emotional decisions. She shares the story of stepping into a family-founded business, expanding it across Texas, and leading with compassion in a highly regulated healthcare environment. The conversation also explores Lina’s experience completing the Influence ID exercise from The Strategic Business Influencer and how hearing honest feedback from trusted peers transformed the way she shows up as a leader. Through reflections on mentorship, caregiving, and building a culture that supports working women, Lina offers a powerful perspective on leadership rooted in integrity, service, and confidence. If you’re a leader balancing growth, responsibility, and purpose, this conversation offers meaningful insight into how influence is built through authenticity and care.

From Operator to Visionary: Growing Beyond Your Comfort Zone

What does it really take to scale a service business without sacrificing culture, quality or your sanity? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Bart Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of 512Financial, to unpack the real story behind building a fast-growing services firm in today’s market. Bart started his career in traditional accounting at PwC before stepping into the entrepreneurial world alongside a seasoned investor. Since launching in 2022, the firm has grown more than tenfold, now serving over 70 clients while maintaining an exceptional Gallup engagement score.

Diagnose Before You Scale: The Biz Doctor’s Approach to Leadership and Growth

What if scaling your business didn’t require sacrificing your sanity, your health, or your life outside of work? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Lauren Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Golden Key Partnership, widely known as The Biz Doctor. With a background that spans pediatric neurology to business consulting, Lauren brings a rare diagnostic lens to leadership, operations, and team dynamics. Lauren shares her unorthodox entrepreneurial journey, the moment she realized businesses need diagnosis before prescription, and how her 4D framework helps founders transition from Chief Everything Officer to confident, effective CEO.