Champions are made, not found.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Lance Black, MD, MBID, Senior Associate Dean of Innovation & Strategic Projects of Texas A&M Engineering Medicine’s innovation program, physician, engineer, and startup advisor. They explore what healthcare innovation can teach SMB leaders about customer development, champion building, early partnerships, and scaling without assuming one model fits every business.

Lance shares why the first meaningful partner can become the key to unlocking growth, why founders must keep listening long after the first customer conversations, and how small, nimble teams can use technology as an advantage. From refining your message through real conversations to developing champions with frequency, depth, and diverse engagement, this conversation shows how businesses can move faster, learn sooner, and build growth around actual customer needs.

Key takeaways:

• Why strong champions are developed through consistent, intentional engagement
• How customer conversations reveal the real value, timing, and fit of your solution
• Why scaling requires a custom strategy, not a copied playbook

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:40) How engineering medicine connects innovation and industry

(07:50) Why the first partner can unlock growth

(10:24) What SMBs can learn from healthcare partnerships

(12:07) Why the best pitch starts with conversation

(14:16) How to develop champions with intention

(18:53) Why small teams have an AI advantage

(22:10) The founder mistake that slows growth

(25:27) Why scaling needs a custom strategy

(28:16) How real-world use reveals what customers need

Connect with the team:

Lance Black, MD, MBID on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lance-black-innovation/

Explore Texas A&M School of Engineering Medicine: https://enmed.tamu.edu/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

What if the biggest thing holding your business back isn't a people problem, but a missing piece?

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Brent Robertson, CEO and Founder of Be Generative, to explore why the 150-year-old leadership narrative is leaving business owners burned out and bottlenecked. Brent introduces the choreographer mindset, the idea that leaders who design the right conditions for their teams, rather than controlling every outcome, unlock dramatically higher performance, accountability, and growth.

Brent digs into how creating clarity around authority and decision-making can immediately release the burden from leadership, why vision is most powerful when co-created by the entire team, and how companies approaching succession and exit can use that transition as a catalyst for doubling or tripling in value, rather than simply minimizing disruption.

Key takeaways:

• Designing the right team conditions is what drives lasting performance
• Clarity around authority and decision-making is the fastest way to eliminate leadership bottlenecks
• Co-creating vision with your team transforms employees into owners and accelerates growth through succession

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:47) The old leadership narrative holding SMBs back

(03:59) The choreographer mindset: designing conditions for performance

(07:50) Most problems are symptoms, not the root cause

(09:04) The architecture firm story: what was really missing

(10:36) The $350K waiting tax: what decision bottlenecks cost you

(12:42) Change where you're thinking from first

(13:43) Vision is a story about the future you want to be true

(15:05) Inviting your team to author and own the vision

(17:26) The coming fire sale in businesses and how to stand out

(28:41) Using AI and technology as a growth accelerant

Connect with the team:

Brent Robertson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentrobertson/

Explore Be Generative: https://www.be-generative.com/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/

Unlock the strategies that turn business success into long-term value.

In this episode of Sales Against the Odds, host Lee Brumbaugh sits down with Scott Snider, President of the Exit Planning Institute (EPI), to discuss the Four C's: Human Capital, Customer Capital, Structural Capital, and Social Capital, and their role in driving business value. Scott explains how decentralizing ownership and focusing on value creation, rather than just income generation, can help businesses scale and prepare for a successful exit.

Scott shares how Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPAs) guide business owners through the process of closing the "value gap" and making strategic improvements, such as building strong leadership teams, implementing scalable sales processes, and fostering a culture that aligns with long-term goals. He emphasizes the importance of involving key employees and advisors to ensure sustained growth and value creation.

Key takeaways:

• Decentralizing ownership helps drive long-term business growth and value
• Focusing on the Four C's: Human, Customer, Structural, and Social Capital
• Certified Exit Planning Advisors (CEPAs) help close the "value gap" and guide strategic business improvements

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:33) The mindset shift: success vs. significance

(03:34) Why structural capital drives long-term value

(06:50) Understanding the value gap

(07:33) What is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA)?

(09:21) How CEPAs close the value gap using the 4 capitals

(10:23) How sales consultants drive both revenue and value

(17:07) The 4 C's: what earns outlier multiples

(22:51) Tying key employees to the business through culture and equity

(27:48) The next-gen workforce and the need for purpose

(29:43) Educating employees on the P&L to think like owners

Connect with the team:

Scott Snider on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-snider-epi/

Explore the Exit Planning Institute: https://exit-planning-institute.org/

Lee Brumbaugh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-brumbaugh-7835512b/

Sales Xceleration on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sales-xceleration/

Explore Sales Xceleration: https://salesxceleration.com/