At some point, every entrepreneur faces this uncomfortable truth:

The business you built for freedom… can quietly become your prison.

In this episode, Patrick Burnell, founder of Soul Search Energy, shares the pivotal decision that changed everything — downsizing his fast-growing recruitment firm back to a team of one.

After scaling to six employees, predictable revenue, and market momentum, Patrick realized something was wrong. The business was growing. But so was the stress, exhaustion, and disconnection from the work he loved.

We unpack:

1. The hidden cost of scaling too fast
2. Why “more revenue” isn’t always better
3. How burnout creeps in unnoticed
4. The strategic power of intentional downsizing
5. Why rest is not weakness — it’s leverage

If you’re building a business and feeling stretched thin, this conversation will hit home.

Growth isn’t about size. It’s about alignment.

Follow + review the show if this episode resonates.

He collapsed in his backyard.

Massive pulmonary embolism. Nearly died.

And all he could think about wasn’t legacy — it was the mess he’d leave behind.

An IRS lien. $187,000 hidden from his wife. A business that would die the moment he did.

In this episode, Lyn Askin shares the brutally honest story of how building a “successful” marketing agency nearly cost him everything — and the framework that transformed his company from owner-dependent chaos into a scalable, sellable asset.

We unpack:

1. Why most entrepreneurs accidentally build jobs, not businesses
2. The hidden cost of operating without structure
3. How implementing a business operating system created clarity, profit, and freedom
4. What it really takes to remove yourself from day-to-day operations

If you’re a studio owner feeling stretched thin, stressed, or stuck in survival mode — this conversation will hit home.

Because freedom isn’t revenue.

It’s control.

Follow + review the show if this episode shifted something for you.

What happens when your best business decision is also your most terrifying?

Drew Larison built Five Door Media with bold ideas, big swings, and a visionary mindset. But for the first five years, he was running fast — without structure.

Then came the decision that changed everything:

Asking his wife Erin to leave her stable nonprofit job — complete with health insurance and free childcare — to go all in on the business.

It wasn’t just a financial risk.

It was a marriage risk.

A culture risk.

A leadership risk.

In this episode, Drew breaks down:

1. Why visionary founders eventually hit a ceiling
2. What really happens when your spouse becomes your business partner
3. How they used marriage counseling to prepare for working together
4. The emotional weight of employee resignations
5. Why EOS forced them to grow up as leaders
6. And how structure unlocked the next level of scale

If you're building something meaningful — and feeling the tension between freedom and structure — this episode is your roadmap.

Because sometimes the best decisions are the ones that scare you the most.

What if your most painful business failure was actually setting you up for your greatest success?

In this first episode of Best Decision Ever, Bryce Conlan shares the story behind founding Dance Motion Marketing — now the world’s leading marketing agency for dance studios.

But this didn’t start with success. It started with a failed partnership, $41,000 in high-interest credit card debt, losing a $300,000 client, team fallout, and deep burnout during the pandemic.

Then came a question that changed everything: How much are you willing to commit for the next 90 days?

This episode is about partnership risk, founder scar tissue, niche marketing strategy, and why sometimes your mastermind is wrong.

If you’re a dance studio owner, entrepreneur, or founder navigating a hard season — this conversation will challenge how you think about risk, trust, and long-term leverage.

Follow + review the show if this resonates.