The Operator's Code

Suresh Sharma grew up in India with a father earning the equivalent of $4 a month. His family couldn't afford schoolbooks. Years later, he helped grow GE businesses that became billion-dollar businesses.   Looking back, he calls those early limitations a blessing in disguise.   In this episode, Scott Bowman sits down with Suresh to explore the choices and standards behind that journey—from studying under trees and borrowing books to naval aviation, a NASA research project, and business leadership at GE.   Suresh shares his personal 60/30/10 rule for hard work, adaptability, and being ready when opportunity comes. He explains what GE taught him about operational excellence, why leaders need to break down departmental silos, and how his father's small paycheck changed the way he thinks about creating jobs.   At 48, he left corporate life to become an entrepreneur, despite friends and colleagues telling him he was crazy. They also discuss America's untapped innovations, the difference between growth and greed, and why learning and mentorship matter at every stage of leadership.   If you're building a business or leading a team, this conversation will challenge how you think about limited resources, opportunity, and the responsibility that comes with growth.   IN THIS EPISODE • Why Suresh sees his childhood poverty as a blessing in disguise • The lessons his father taught him when they couldn't afford books • His 60/30/10 rule for hard work, adaptability, and opportunity • Leading by example in naval aviation • Lessons from GE during the Jack Welch era • Operational excellence, breaking down silos, and the 21-minute rule • Why creating jobs became his calling • Becoming an entrepreneur at 48 • Turning research into businesses outside Silicon Valley • Growth, lifelong learning, and finding the right mentors   CHAPTERS 00:00 From $4 a month to billion-dollar businesses 01:06 Why Suresh sees poverty as a blessing 02:51 Borrowing books and getting ahead 05:46 The 60/30/10 rule 07:41 Naval aviation and earning people's trust 10:21 The choices behind opportunity 13:06 A NASA research project and advanced composites 15:21 Joining GE during the Jack Welch era 16:56 Building with talent around the world 20:11 Operator's Truth: systems create freedom 20:56 Operational excellence and the 21-minute rule 24:56 From engineer to business leader 27:01 Leaving corporate life to become an entrepreneur at 48 30:21 America's innovation logjam 34:46 Open Range and industrializing innovation 35:36 Rethinking education and personalized learning 37:46 Global thinking and local manufacturing 39:41 The difference between growth and greed 40:51 Lifelong learning and sharing what you know 45:26 Finding mentors—and becoming one   CONNECT WITH SURESH Open Range Capital Partners: https://openrangecapitalpartners.com/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suresh1sharma/   SIMPLIFY YOUR OPERATIONS The Operator's Code is made possible by Strategic Alliances, Inc. If you're spending more time managing chaos than leading your company, learn how SAI helps build operating systems that create room to grow: https://sainc.biz/   Subscribe to The Operator's Code for more conversations with founders and operators about the standards that shape how they lead.   #TheOperatorsCode #Entrepreneurship #Leadership  

At 12 years old, Zoran Todorovic was forced to flee his home during the war in Yugoslavia.   A few years later, he arrived in America without speaking English, worked his way through high school and college, and eventually took a job pushing carts at Sam's Club.   That job became the beginning of a career that would take him into leadership at Walmart.   In this episode of The Operator's Code, Scott Bowman sits down with Zoran to unpack the experiences and principles that shaped that journey.   They talk about:   -losing everything and starting over -why survival changed Zoran's definition of pressure -learning English while working and going to school -starting at Sam's Club as a cart pusher -how doing good work when nobody was watching changed his career -the role mentors played in opening doors -why over-preparation became one of his greatest advantages -faith, continuous learning, and refusing to quit -choosing the right people to surround yourself with -adapting to AI and the changing world of retail   Zoran's story is a reminder that careers are rarely built through one massive break.   They're often built through years of doing the next right thing well.   Chapters:   00:00 From war-torn Yugoslavia to Walmart 01:06 The war begins overnight 06:11 Given 24 hours to flee 11:06 Forced to leave everything again 13:11 Celebrating a birthday while escaping 14:46 The opportunity to come to America 16:21 Starting over without speaking English 22:36 Going from everything to nothing 24:41 Why Zoran wanted a job at 16 26:21 Starting at Sam's Club pushing carts 28:41 From cart pusher to Walmart director 32:41 What kept him from quitting 36:06 The character traits survival created 41:06 Why you need mentors 42:26 The introduction that changed his career 46:16 Doing the right thing when nobody's watching 48:31 You can make a million and still be poor 51:41 Choosing the right partner 54:46 Faith, AI and continuous learning 58:51 Never giving yourself the option to quit 1:00:21 How over-preparation became an advantage   The Operator's Code explores the principles, decisions, and experiences that shape exceptional operators.   The show is hosted by Scott Bowman and made possible by Strategic Alliances.  https://sainc.biz/   Scott's firm SAI helps you build the operational spine that lets you keep the promise you made when you signed the contract.  

Stan Miele's father was drafted into the Korean War as a .50 caliber machine gunner.    Life expectancy in that seat was measured in minutes. Then General MacArthur's band held an audition for a saxophone player, and his father, self-taught since sixteen playing nightclubs in Boston, sat on the back of a deuce and a half with five other men and played for his life.   He got the seat. Music saved him.   Years later, when his kids turned six, he handed each of them an instrument and said: whether you like it or not, you will learn discipline through this.   In this conversation, Scott Bowman sits down with Stan Miele a 30-year friend, former U.S. Army officer, and biotech and med tech operator of nearly 40 years, to trace how one father's near-death moment shaped four kids, how a trombone at age six became an ROTC scholarship to the University of Dayton, how a Bad Kreuznach infantry division launched a career that included Abbott Laboratories, Syntex, and the Sucampo IPO, and how at 62 he now bikes 63 miles and rucks 12 more to fight veteran suicide. Here's what Stan covers:   - The .50 cal gunner audition that saved his father's life on the back of a deuce and a half - Getting a trombone at six with a shoelace tied to the slide because he couldn't reach seventh position - "It's what you do when nobody's watching" — the discipline lesson that shaped four kids - Modest means in an affluent New England town — mowing lawns at eleven so he'd never have to ask - ROTC scholarship at the University of Dayton, ranked third of 168 Midwest programs - Meeting Scott in Bad Kreuznach, Germany — 8th Infantry Division, 21 years old, 70 people to lead - The pivot from military to medical sales — how he beat officers with Fortune 500 internships - Abbott's 2,200-product portfolio and converting two Raleigh hospital systems from the basement up - Sucampo — first of 14 employees, IPO, global licensing, strategic exit - Consulting physician scientists today — the Rolodex, the equity, the framework - Humility is not being a chameleon — it's how you treat materials management the same as the C-suite - The 82nd Airborne materials manager who escorted him out of a hospital and became his neighbor - Arizona 75 — 63 miles biking and 12 miles rucking a 35-pound pack for veteran suicide prevention - Why AI will never replace the human-to-human interaction that closes the deal - Failure teaches us grace — humility, judgment, and moving forward   Chapters:   0:00 Cold Open — Discipline, Humility, and What You Do When Nobody's Watching 0:36 .50 Cal Gunner Odds: Five Minutes to Live 2:00 The MacArthur Audition on the Back of a Deuce and a Half 3:15 The Trombone at Six (and the Shoelace) 4:20 It's What You Do When No One's Watching 6:00 Modest Means in an Affluent Town 7:00 Mowing Lawns at Eleven — Never Ask 9:30 ROTC at Dayton — Third of 168 Midwest Programs 12:00 Bad Kreuznach, Germany — Where We Met 14:15 Running the Nahe River Valley at 21 16:30 The Pivot From Military to Medical Sales 18:00 Syntex Labs — Carrying the Bag for Naprosyn 19:30 Abbott's 2,200-Product Portfolio 20:30 Converting Two Raleigh Hospital Systems From the Basement 22:00 The Jump to Startup Biotech — The Dark Side 22:45 Sucampo — First of 14 Employees to IPO 23:50 Consulting Physician Scientists Today 25:10 Operator's Truth — Landing the Order Is Not the Victory 25:50 Humility Is Not Being a Chameleon 28:15 Escorted Out of the Hospital by the 82nd Airborne Guy 30:35 Arizona 75 — 63 Miles Bike + 12 Miles Ruck 33:30 Be the One — Veteran Suicide Prevention 35:20 Marching the American Flag Through Town 36:00 The Next 15 Years — AI, Data, and What Doesn't Change 40:00 The Soft Skills That Still Win Everything 41:00 Failure Teaches Us Grace   Who else we reference: General MacArthur, Korean War, Boston, University of Dayton, 8th Infantry Division, Bad Kreuznach Germany, Nahe River Valley, KPMG, Cameron Brooks, MRI, Codman, Johnson & Johnson, Syntex Labs, Naprosyn, Aleve, Abbott Laboratories, Sucampo, 30th Infantry Brigade, American Legion, Be the One Campaign, Veterans Medical Leadership Council, Phoenix, Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, FDA, Verizon, IBM, Xerox, Walmart, Nike.   SCALE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT CHAOS   Stan spent four decades winning contracts most operators never survive — hospital systems, IPOs, licensing agreements, entire product portfolios. What he learned is that landing the deal is never the victory. Delivering on it is.    Scott's firm SAINC does that work every day for CPG and product operators.  Build the operational spine that lets you keep the promise you made when you signed the contract.   If you just landed the shelf, the order, or the account and you're staring at what comes next: https://sainc.biz/   Subscribe to The Operator's Code for weekly conversations with founders, CEOs, and operators who've been in the room where the hard decisions get made.  

Gregory Shepard died twice at birth. It took nine blood transfusions to keep him alive. His younger brother didn't make it. Doctors told his mother he'd never accomplish anything.   He went on to build and sell 12 companies, sell one to eBay, sell another for $900 million, win four private equity awards, become a Fulbright Scholar, climb 39 mountains over 14,000 feet including the face of El Capitan, run marathons, swim marathons, wrestle alligators, and meet two U.S. Presidents.   In this conversation, Scott Bowman sits down with Gregory Shepard to unpack the mindset that turned a kid who was put in special-ed classes with a coloring book into one of the most awarded operators of his generation. The reframes that carry him through impossible things. The five traits every operator needs. And the wall that isn't actually a wall.   Here's what Gregory covers:   ▸ The two deaths at birth and the nine transfusions that shouldn't have worked ▸ Being labeled "retarded" in school and teaching himself physics, math, and philosophy from a coloring book ▸ "Just run in the shoes you have" — the mindset that kills founder procrastination ▸ Why failure is evolution and how to welcome it the way you welcome muscle failure at the gym ▸ The five traits: Focus, Drive, Enthusiasm, Discipline, Optimism (and why Discipline is the linchpin) ▸ Setting one impossibly hard goal every year since age 18 ▸ El Capitan, alligator wrestling, BASE jumping, marathon swimming with heart-rate-triggered asthma ▸ The 900M sale to Enterprise and the eBay exit ▸ How to adapt to the wave of change instead of fighting it ▸ The wall in your head is a door — the "other side" moment   📌 CHAPTERS 0:00 · Cold Open — Two Deaths at Birth 0:36 · Died Twice at Birth. Nine Transfusions. 2:30 · The Lungs, the Pneumonia, the Hospital 3:30 · Autism, Dyslexia, Synesthesia, Savant Syndrome 5:40 · Just Run in the Shoes You Have 8:20 · Welcome Failure. Failure Is Evolution. 9:55 · Do Something Hard Every Year (El Capitan, 39 Mountains, Alligators) 12:40 · The High Water Mark 15:00 · 12 Companies, $900M Sale, Special-Ed to Fulbright 22:35 · Focus, Drive, Enthusiasm, Discipline, Optimism 31:20 · Adapt to the Wave. Don't Fight It. 40:20 · The Wall Is a Door   👇 WHO ELSE WE REFERENCE Barack Obama · eBay · Enterprise · Fulbright Scholar Program · MSN Top 10 Visionaries · United Nations · El Capitan · Half Dome · Yosemite · Kaiser Hospital Oakland · Ted Lasso ("I Believe")   🎯 SCALE WITH CONFIDENCE, NOT CHAOS   Gregory hit every wall on the way from newborn ICU to a $900M exit — physical limits, systems limits, mental walls he had to break through one at a time. Scott's firm SAINC does this work every day for CPG and product operators from $10M to $250M: build the operational spine that lets you scale without losing the culture, the margin, or the mission.   If you're staring at your own version of that wall → https://sainc.biz/   🔔 Subscribe to The Operator's Code for weekly conversations with founders, CEOs, and operators who've been in the room where the hard decisions get made.   #operators #leadership #ceo #founders #entrepreneurship #mindset #resilience #discipline #cpg #podcast

Pete Newell commanded more than 5,000 soldiers in Iraq. His rule for earning trust: protect your people when they make an honest mistake—and take responsibility for the team you lead.   In this episode of The Operator's Code, Scott Bowman sits down with Pete, cofounder and CEO of BMNT, to explore the standards that carry from combat into business.    Pete shares how struggling in college and joining the National Guard helped him build confidence, why he gives teams a mission instead of fixed working hours, and what leaders owe the people they ask to do hard things.   They also discuss direct feedback, choosing business partners, the strain of starting a company on marriage, and staying curious as AI and technology change how we work.   If you're building a business or leading a team, this conversation will challenge how you earn trust, handle mistakes, and develop people who can think for themselves.   IN THIS EPISODE • Why confidence grows through failure and recovery • Building a team around the mission, not hours at a desk • Giving honest feedback without attacking the person • Protecting your people while keeping standards high • Why leadership is measured by the success of others • The family cost of entrepreneurship • Staying curious and adaptable as technology changes   CHAPTERS 00:00 Pete Newell and The Operator's Code 00:56 College struggles and finding direction 04:31 Building confidence through failure and recovery 08:36 Retirement, purpose, and startup stress 10:56 Time is the resource you can't get back 12:51 Mission-driven teams and hiring curious people 19:31 How trust is earned—and passed down 25:31 Direct feedback and supported challenges 28:01 Operator's Truth: simplify complexity 28:41 Why feedback can't wait for an annual review 30:51 Taking the blame and protecting your people 35:01 Clear intent and leading 5,000 soldiers 38:11 Judge leaders by the success of their peers 40:36 Courage, self-discipline, and humility 47:26 Why Pete chose retirement over the path to general 52:41 Business partners, marriage, and founder sacrifice 58:36 AI, curiosity, and the accelerating pace of change 1:05:16 Daily self-assessment and experimentation 1:06:26 Get comfortable being uncomfortable 1:11:16 Compete with yourself   CONNECT WITH PETE BMNT: https://www.bmnt.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petenewell/   SIMPLIFY YOUR OPERATIONS The Operator's Code is made possible by Strategic Alliances, Inc. If growth is making your business more complicated, learn how SAI helps simplify operations: https://sainc.biz/   Subscribe to The Operator's Code for more conversations with founders and operators about the standards that shape how they lead.