Growth Think Tank

In this episode, Justin Fortier, CEO and CTO of FYC Labs Inc Rank No. 4,499 (2025), shares how he transformed a small creative agency into a technology-driven company built around innovation, ownership, and authentic leadership. Justin discusses how FYC Labs approaches AI and emerging technology through experimentation, why meaningful delegation requires trust and accountability, and how giving employees ownership can strengthen engagement. He also explores the evolving role of leaders in an AI-driven world, including how his "company brain" is helping uncover operational insights. Most importantly, Justin shares how shifting from ego-driven decisions to outcome-focused leadership has changed the way he leads, delegates, and builds his team. Episode Highlights & Time Stamps 4:20 From Creative Agency to Software Company 6:19 Adapting the Business to AI 7:57 Building an Authentic Delegation Culture 10:11 Turning Delegation Into Ownership 13:06 Systems for Clear, Accountable Delegation 16:34 Knowing When to Jump Back In 19:33 Building a Company Brain With AI 20:49 Leading With Stoicism 23:46 Practical Takeaways on Delegation Effective delegation is not about stepping away from your business completely—it's about knowing when to lead from a distance and when to step back in. In this episode of Growth Think Tank, Gene Hammett talks with Justin Fortier, CEO and CTO of FYC Labs, about building a culture where delegation creates ownership, accountability, and growth. Justin shares how authentic culture, clear systems, measurable expectations, employee ownership, and AI-powered business intelligence have helped his company scale without making leadership dependent on one person. Pasted text What You'll Learn ✔️How authentic company culture makes delegation easier and more effective. ✔️Why giving employees ownership can increase engagement and quality of work. ✔️How clear expectations, written processes, and measurable outcomes create accountability. ✔️When leaders should step back—and when they need to jump back into the business. ✔️How AI can provide leaders with better visibility without replacing human judgment. Key Takeaways ✔️Don't create a contrived culture. Authenticity builds trust and encourages employees to speak honestly and contribute ideas. ✔️Delegate outcomes, not just tasks. People become more invested when they understand what they own and what success looks like. ✔️Put expectations in writing. Clear documentation makes accountability objective and reduces confusion. ✔️Use metrics to know when to intervene. Leaders shouldn't disappear from the business; they need enough visibility to recognize when their involvement is necessary. ✔️Ownership changes performance. Giving people a stake in an outcome can increase passion, involvement, and quality—but it can also bring more emotional investment. ✔️Lead with intention, not emotion. Justin's leadership philosophy has evolved toward making decisions based on the best outcomes for employees, the company, and his family. ✔️Justin Fortier is a technology entrepreneur and the founder of FYC Labs, with experience in software development, product strategy, AI, and business leadership. Connect with Justin Fortier on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-fortier-73298969/ FYC Labs: Visit FYC Labs https://fyclabs.com/ FYC Labs Contact Page: Contact FYC Labs https://fyclabs.com/contact/ Want to learn more about Justin Fortier and his work in technology, AI, and business growth? Connect with Justin on LinkedIn or visit FYC Labs to explore the company's work in software development, product design, strategic consulting, and emerging AI solutions. FYC Labs

Want to get promoted as a manager? Doing your job well is no longer enough. In this episode of Growth Think Tank, Gene Hammett speaks directly to managers who want to move up, and to the CEOs who want them to. Too many managers say they take ownership, then blame people, process, or circumstances when things go wrong. Promotion goes to the manager who owns outcomes and makes the leader above them more effective. Gene breaks down three moves that get you noticed: take work off your leader's plate, solve a valuable problem outside your own team, and develop your replacement so you are free to move up. You will hear how one new manager turned a weekly meeting agenda into earned trust in just three weeks. This is managing up done right, and it is how leadership potential becomes a promotion. CEOs, share this episode with your managers. Then visit Core Elevation to learn how to build a business that runs without you. Episode Highlights & Timestamps 0:04 How Managers Get Promoted 3:24 Go Beyond Doing Your Job 4:13 Take Work Off Your Leader's Plate 7:15 Solve Problems Beyond Your Team 9:07 Build Your Replacement 11:11 Turn Initiative Into Promotion What You'll Learn ✅How taking work off your leader's plate can demonstrate ownership and initiative. ✅Why solving problems outside your immediate team can increase your visibility. ✅How proactively creating solutions can signal that you're ready for greater responsibility. ✅Why developing your replacement is essential to moving into your next leadership role. ✅How consistently performing at the next level can create a natural path to promotion. Key Takeaways ✅Don't just do your job—look for ways to add value beyond it. ✅Take ownership of responsibilities that reduce your leader's workload and stress. ✅Look beyond your team for problems you can meaningfully solve. ✅Develop your people instead of becoming the person everyone depends on. ✅Build someone who can eventually step into your role. ✅The best candidates for promotion are already demonstrating the behaviors and ✅responsibilities of the next level. Pasted text(3) Resources & Next Steps 📘 Founder Freedom Download the book for free and learn more about breaking through founder dependency: GetFounderFreedom.com 🎙️ Founder Freedom Strategy Call If you're a founder who has built something significant but still feels too deeply involved in the day-to-day, Gene offers a free 30-minute strategy call to explore what's keeping you stuck. Schedulewithgene.com 🌐 Explore More: training.coreelevation.com 🎧 Listen to the Full Episode: Growth Think Tank Podcast

In this episode, Ben Hodson shares how AI is helping the engineering team deliver customer-facing work four times faster than six months ago. Ranked No. 1,884 on the 2026 Inc. 5000, JobNimbus continues to accelerate growth through technology, leadership, and innovation. He also discusses evolving company processes, strengthening cross-department communication, and building clearer documentation as the organization scales.  Hodson reflects on his leadership journey from personally solving problems to empowering employees to take ownership, learn from mistakes, and embrace accountability. He also shares how JobNimbus's annual leadership training program helps develop stronger leaders and a more accountable culture. Episode Highlights & Time Stamps 1:08 The Journey to a Billion 4:19 JobNimbus and Its Rapid Growth 6:04 Adopting AI at Scale 10:10 When Growth Breaks What Works 13:01 Fixing Communication Between Teams 16:35 Escaping the Founder Hero Complex 19:29 Developing More MVPs 21:52 Leading Through Accountability 26:21 Closing Reflections on Leadership What You'll Learn ✅Why business systems that work at one stage of growth eventually stop working. ✅How AI can accelerate productivity, improve customer value, and support business growth. ✅Why communication breakdowns between departments become more common as companies scale. ✅How founders can overcome the hero complex and develop independent, capable leaders. ✅Why accountability and employee empowerment are essential for sustainable growth. Key Takeaways ✅Build systems for your current stage: Continuously evaluate and improve processes as the business grows. ✅Fix problems before they become bottlenecks: Watch for early signs of declining efficiency and performance. ✅Strengthen departmental handoffs: Clearly define expectations, responsibilities, and deliverables between teams. ✅Stop being the company's problem-solver: Shift from providing answers to helping employees develop their own solutions. ✅Use AI to increase value: Focus on measurable productivity gains and better customer outcomes, not simply reducing headcount. ✅Create leaders, not dependents: Build a culture where employees take ownership and hold themselves accountable. Connect With Today's Guest Ben Hodson is the founder of JobNimbus, a software company that helps roofing and home-exterior contractors manage their businesses more efficiently. Under his leadership, JobNimbus has grown significantly, scaling its team, improving its systems, and embracing new technologies like AI. Ben shares valuable insights on business growth, leadership, team development, and the challenges founders face as their companies expand. His experience highlights the importance of building strong teams, empowering employees, and creating a business that can thrive without depending on the founder for every decision. How to Connect With Ben To learn more about Ben and his work at JobNimbus, visit the company's website and connect through its official channels. Website: https://www.jobnimbus.com/ LinkedIn: Search for Ben and JobNimbus on https://www.linkedin.com/in/benlanehodson/ to find his professional profile and connect with him. Follow Ben's journey to learn more about scaling a business, developing effective leaders, and building systems that support sustainable growth. Resources & Next Steps Ready to take your leadership energy to the next level? Explore free training and resources at training.coreelevation.com to help you identify energy leaks, strengthen your leadership presence, and elevate your team's performance. 🌐 Explore More: training.coreelevation.com 🎧 Listen to the Full Episode: Growth Think Tank Podcast

Accountability vs. Ownership is the difference between a team you have to chase and a team that runs without you. Most founders say, "My team isn't accountable," then add more check-ins, more dashboards, and more follow-up. It feels like leadership. It is actually founder dependency in disguise. Every time you chase a deadline, you become the accountability engine, and the company stays wired through you. In this solo episode, Gene Hammett breaks down why accountability is pushed from the outside and ownership is pulled from the inside. You will learn the signs your leadership team is complying instead of owning, the mistake founders make when they hold employees accountable, and the leadership shift that builds an ownership culture. Gene shares how CEOs move from managing tasks to giving real decision rights, so leaders own outcomes before you ask. If you want a business that runs without you, start here. Learn how at coreelevation.com. In This Episode, You'll Learn - The difference between accountability and ownership - Why accountability often creates more work for the CEO - How ownership creates initiative and pride - Why founders become bottlenecks in growing companies - Why employees need decision-making authority to take ownership - How to transfer responsibility without creating dependency - How to build a culture that encourages ownership - Why ownership matters when scaling a company - How team ownership can contribute to greater business value - What founders can do to move from managing tasks to leading people Key Takeaway ✔️Accountability means people do what they have to do. ✔️Ownership means people do what they believe needs to be done. ✔️The goal isn't to build a company where the CEO constantly checks whether work is getting done. ✔️The goal is to build a company where capable people take responsibility for the outcome and have the authority to make it happen. ✔️That's the shift from accountability to ownership, and it's one of the most important shifts a growing company can make. About Gene Hammett Gene Hammett works with growth-minded companies and leaders to help them scale from $5 million to $20 million and beyond. His work focuses on leadership, founder freedom, team performance, and building companies that can grow beyond the founder.     Resources & Next Steps 📘 Founder Freedom Download the book for free and learn more about breaking through founder dependency: https://book.coreelevation.com/ 🎙️ Founder Freedom Strategy Call If you're a founder who has built something significant but still feels too deeply involved in the day-to-day, Gene offers a free 30-minute strategy call to explore what's keeping you stuck. https://links.myleadpro.io/widget/bookings/founder-freedom-call

In this episode, we sit down with Mike Thompson, founder of SVI, ranked No. 3,013 (2025) on Inc, and Learner Mobile, to explore how AI is transforming how frontline workers access critical information when they need it most. Mike shares why frontline employees are essential to business success, how SVI is breaking down barriers to learning and information, and how technology can help people work smarter, faster, and safer. We also discuss SVI's evolution from a services-based company to a services-and-software model, along with the importance of culture, agility, continuous improvement, and thoughtful leadership. Discover how combining innovation with care can empower people and drive lasting business growth. Episode Highlights & Time Stamps 4:55 Frontline AI in Action 7:02 Culture Through Change 11:13 Services and SaaS Balance 13:18 Loving People at Work 18:21 Hiring for Agility 20:40 Authentic Leadership Today In This Episode, You'll Learn: ✅How AI is changing the way frontline workers access information ✅Why a strong mission makes organizational change easier ✅How to build a culture of agility and continuous improvement ✅Lessons from SVI's transformation from services to SaaS and AI ✅Why overdependence on a major customer can become a serious business risk ✅How to balance love, trust, recognition, and accountability ✅What to look for when hiring people who can thrive through change ✅Why grit and the ability to move quickly matter in today's business environment ✅How authentic leadership can help organizations navigate complexity ✅Why successful AI transformation ultimately starts with people Connect With Today's Guest Mike Thompson is the founder of SVI, whose flagship product, Learner Mobile, is an AI-powered knowledge ecosystem designed to help frontline workers access critical information in the moment of need. SVI works with organizations ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, helping frontline teams access the knowledge and resources they need to perform at their best. How to Connect with Mike Thompson LinkedIn: Mike Thompson (LinkedIn) Company Website: www.sviworld.com– to learn more about his work and platform Get In Touch with Mike at learnermobile.com