Ep 429: The Leadership Vacuum Killing Your Company's Growth

Ep 429: The Leadership Vacuum Killing Your Company's Growth

In this episode, Michael LeJeune explains why businesses often stall between $1 million and $5 million in revenue, not because the opportunity disappears, but because the founder is still leading like it’s a startup. He breaks down the differences between leading in the military, corporate America, and a growing small business, and why those leadership styles don’t always translate. You’ll also learn how to identify whether your company has the right leaders, the right culture, and the right mindset to scale beyond its current ceiling. If your company has stopped growing and you can’t quite figure out why, this episode may help you find the answer.

Ep 428: How Smart CEOs Use AI

In this episode, Michael sits down with Ben Thompson from The Operations Guide to explore what AI looks like when it becomes part of your business instead of just another chatbot. They discuss building an AI productivity headquarters, connecting tools like Google Drive and Read.ai, using Claude Code and Codex to automate real work, and identifying the repetitive business problems AI can solve today. If you’ve been frustrated with AI, overwhelmed by constant updates, or unsure where to begin, this conversation will completely change how you think about it. You’ll walk away with practical examples, a better framework for using AI, and a simple question every business owner should ask before investing in another tool: What work gets deleted if I use this?

Ep 427: The BD Lie of Busyness

Most government contractors are measuring the wrong things. They celebrate phone calls made, emails sent, and capability statements distributed, while completely ignoring the only metrics that actually predict contract wins. In this episode, Michael breaks down why activity is one of the biggest lies in business development. He explains the difference between being busy and making progress, why meaningful conversations should be your primary KPI, how many Sources Sought and proposals you should realistically target each month, and the critical difference between P-Win and your actual win rate. If you’re tired of spinning your wheels and want a BD process that produces results instead of excuses, this episode gives you the framework to start measuring what actually matters.

Ep 426: The Biggest CMMC Mistakes Contractors Are Making

CMMC is no longer a future problem. It’s becoming a requirement for contractors that want to compete for Department of Defense work. In this episode, Michael sits down with Ed Terensky of DTS to break down what contractors need to know about cybersecurity, compliance, and protecting sensitive government information. They discuss CUI, common misconceptions about CMMC, how to evaluate cybersecurity providers, and why many companies are creating bigger problems by looking for the cheapest path to compliance. If you’re a government contractor trying to prepare for the next phase of CMMC enforcement, this conversation provides practical guidance on how to secure your business and avoid costly mistakes.

Ep 425: Founder to CEO: The Shift That Changes Everything

Most business owners never actually become CEOs. They stay stuck in founder mode, doing sales, delivery, operations, customer service, problem solving, and putting out fires every single day. The business grows, but eventually the chaos grows faster than the company. In this episode, Michael LeJeune breaks down the critical transition from founder to CEO and explains why this shift usually needs to happen around the 10 to 15 employee mark if you truly want to scale. He walks through the evolution from founder to Chief Growth Officer to CEO, how to think strategically instead of tactically, why operations leadership matters, and how to stop becoming the bottleneck inside your own company. If your business feels heavy, chaotic, or overly dependent on you, this episode will probably hit hard.