Protect the Core, Expand the Edges: 7 Principles to Support Sustainable Scaling the Right Way with John St. Pierre

John St Pierre is a Canadian entrepreneur, business mentor, and coach who is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs build businesses strategically for sustainable long-term success. Starting in 1995 as a College Pro Painters franchisee, he later became a VP of Sales for HandymanOnline.com and President of WorldAtMyDoor. In 2003, John co-founded Legacy Global Sports and BrandPoint Services, the latter being a $100M+ company where he serves as the majority owner and chairperson.

In this episode, JP and John discussed key lessons learned around protecting founder equity and reinvesting profits internally rather than relying on outside funding, the importance of leveraging new technologies like AI and blockchain through tools that boost operational efficiencies and margins, why entrepreneurs should focus on projects with real utility rather than speculative coins, and the opportunities that may come by staying informed on emerging technologies such as AI. 

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Episode Highlights:

00:04 Scaling to $100 Million Businesses 

05:01 From Business Failure to President

15:21 7 Principles to Scaling Your Business The Right Way

19:35 The Importance of a Reliable Legal Team

25:33 Operational Efficiencies in Business

29:07 AI and Crypto Tools for Efficiency

32:36 The Fundamentals of Crypto 

35:39 The Future of Blockchain 

Hence, this week’s episode features thought-provoking perspectives on improving information quality and shaping technology for the better with AI pioneer, Alex Fink. Alex is the founder of OtherWeb, a platform focused on improving online content quality that has grown to over 7 million users under his leadership as CEO. With over 15 years of experience in engineering and executive roles, Alex is dedicated to advancing AI and addressing the problem of low-quality online information.

Listen in as JP and Alex dive deep into the evolution of online content quality, challenges in determining truth and addressing biases in the media,  AI's potential impact on various professions in the coming years, insights into leading AI language models, Tesla's approach to self-driving, and the intersection of AI and blockchain. 

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Episode Highlights:

01:16 The Evolution of Online Content Quality 

08:16 Fact-Checking News Media

13:07 AI’s impact on Various Professions 

18:23AI Language Models and Their Future Prospects

22:44 Tesla’s Approach to Self-Driving Cars

26:40 AI’s Impact on Blockchain  

32:25 Solving the Problem with Digital Junk

This week, JP sits with Brian Will, a two-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author and successful entrepreneur who has built and sold numerous businesses. He now works as a business coach and consultant, helping companies increase sales and improve operations.

Listen in to this insightful conversation on entrepreneurship, negotiations, and living a purposeful life as Brian shares lessons from building and selling numerous successful businesses. JP and Brian also share how to harness useful data and understand what stories they tell, why it’s not practical to rely on a single client, the importance of living within your means, tips for vetting advisors, and finding passions beyond just money. 

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Episode Highlights:

04:50 The Importance of Proper Legal Structure for Your Business

08:07 Creating Value Through Your Venture Capital 

14:43 Vetting Professionals to Grow

17:43 AI Trends and Data Analysis for Business Growth 

22:00 The Value of Giving Back

27:14 Career and Life Advice

This week, we are joined by Jaime Taets, an entrepreneur and leadership expert. As the founder and CEO of Keystone Group International, she helps companies build high-performance cultures and develop healthy, purpose-driven leaders.

Listen in as JP and Jaime reveal an innovative approach to building a values-driven business along with strategies for creating impactful cultures where people want to do their best work. They also discuss the changing nature of work and how companies can adapt, finding purpose beyond growth and profits, and tips for cultivating healthy leadership and getting the most out of employees.  

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Episode Highlights:

01:00 Reduce Risk and Increase Company Value

05:22 Work–Life–Balance Post-Pandemic

08:46 The Value of Purpose in Business Venture

12:18 Leadership Development and AI Adoption 

16:01 The Conversation About Culture Trends and Purpose

18:58 Learn From the Younger Generation

Zach Winner is an experienced real estate investor and the co-founding partner of Prosperity Commercial Real Estate, an investment fund focused on value-added multifamily apartment complexes. With over 20 years in the industry, Zach specializes in syndicating larger apartment deals for passive investors, leveraging his expertise in deal structuring, financing, and active management to drive strong risk-adjusted returns. When he isn't growing his real estate portfolio, Zach remains an avid observer of cryptocurrency and technology trends. 

In this episode, JP and Zach provide insights into upgrading units to boost cash flow, syndicating deals to passive investors, typical returns, predictions for interest rates and real estate cycles, views on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and pondering how rapidly advancing technologies like artificial intelligence may impact our future. Tune in and gain valuable perspectives on multifamily strategies, finance, and tech trends from this wide-ranging conversation.

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Episode Highlights:

01:01 Getting Into Law

06:32 Family Properties vs Commercial Properties

10:40 Selling a Company

15:22 Typical Investment for Investors

21:17 Reals Estate Investment, Bitcoin Halving, and Economic Cycles 

28:50 The Future of Economics with Crypto and AI 

This week, AI expert Josh Bachynski shares his predictions on the future of artificial intelligence and how it will impact us. Josh got involved in web development during the early days of the internet. This sparked his interest in AI, a field he has worked in ever since. Currently, Josh works as an AI consultant focusing on reverse engineering AI systems.

Listen in as JP and Josh discuss which companies are leading the AI race, how AI can both disrupt and create new job opportunities, why Bitcoin may eventually replace the US dollar as the global reserve currency, and why the government’s regulation attempts may have little effect on curbing large tech companies' power.

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Episode Highlights:

03:49 AI Deployment and Societal Concerns

08:17 Data Privacy and Manipulation in Digital Marketing

16:14 AI Investment and Its Impact on Business

25:06 AI-Generated Content and Its Impact on the Creative Industry

32:58 Crypto-Currency, AI, and Economic Power

45:11 The Truth About AI Companions

50:45 Regulating AI and Big Tech Companies  

However, this specific field requires guidance from experienced professionals who possess the necessary knowledge, industry insights, and negotiation skills. Engaging experts in the field not only enhances your chances of making successful deals but also instills confidence among stakeholders. 

This episode features an insightful conversation with serial entrepreneur Joey Pamic. His adeptness lies in spearheading Power-Tek Group's corporate growth ventures by remarkably broadening the company's service portfolio and extending its presence to newer territories via meticulously chosen acquisitions. 

Listen in as Joey discusses his career path from private equity to building Power-Tek, including lessons he learned about the ropes of dealmaking, the importance of building trust and rapport with sellers, the value of diversifying to withstand economic swings, having the due diligence to uncover any risk, and more. 

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Episode Highlights:

01:21  Serendipitous Career Discovery

04:05 Learning the Ropes 

07:12 The Importance of Building Rapport with Sellers

13:47 Abundant Opportunities in the M&A Market

18:02 Lessons Learned from an MBA

21:02 A Vision for Power-Tek's Strategic Growth

26:17 Leveraging AI in Business Operations

28:20 Finding Motivation in Business and Life

Resources: 

Get Your Copy of JP’s Book

The Millionaire’s Lawyer: Grow and Sell Your Business for Maximum Profitability  

That is something that Dan Templin realized as he matured as a business owner.

This week, Dan enthusiastically tells his story of how his businesses boomed in number along with his discoveries on effective methods of doing so, like goal-setting and building personal development. Having his family in his mind as his motivation, he said, “Money is great, but I also want my freedom."  So, from a traditional business owner— doing all the work, being there in person all the time, and making sure everything was perfect, he resorted to having a team and putting systems in place in his businesses instead. And that gives him and his family a good chance to go away for a vacation even for a month, and there are a lot of businesses where that's impossible to do. 

Listen in as Dan and JP discuss how his do-or-die first business accelerated into numerous thriving businesses through an effective combination of goal-setting and building personal development. They also discussed the importance of setting a realistic goal, knowing what needs to be done and not taking “no” for an answer.

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Episode Highlights:

0:55 Getting Into the Business

8:00 Building Personal Life as Motivation

9:26 Putting Words Into Actions

13:45 The Importance of Setting Realistic Goals

17:53 The Significance of Knowing What You Need to Do

20:55 Taking "No" for An Answer

24:40 Real Definition of An Entrepreneur

Resources: 

Get Your Copy of JP’s Book

The Millionaire’s Lawyer: Grow and Sell Your Business for Maximum Profitability  

Crypto accounting is a new ball game, significantly different from the traditional accounting for fiat currency we were used to. Hence, the conventional principles may not apply as is. Due to its volatile nature, tracking crypto transactions can be complex as their value at a point can drastically differ a few hours apart. Moreover, the absence of physical presence and international borders induces much ambiguity. 

In this episode, Crypto Tax Made Easy Founder Matthew Walrath will help us ride the crypto wave without drowning in it. With his "Do-It-For-You" tax service and "Do-It-Yourself" crypto tax course, Matthew has successfully assisted numerous crypto investors, leading to aggregate savings of tens of millions of dollars on cryptocurrency taxes. By offering a promise of completing their tax reports within the next 21 days, he not only ensures monetary savings for his clients but also saves them considerable time and provides them the assurance of properly filed taxes.

Listen in as JP and Matthew help us navigate the tricky world of crypto and taxation. Jump aboard as they unpack crucial topics such as tax regulations in crypto, its software underpinnings, the implications of mass adoption, how AI is optimizing crypto transactions, and how data privacy concerns are being addressed. 

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Episode Highlights:

02:28 Crypto Investment

05:15  How Crypto Tax Software Works 

09:57 The Network Effects

13:10 Crypto Mass Adoption

19:07 Crypto and AI 

23:36 Tech Impact on the Future 

25:42 Life Surfing

But the question that still bothers many is, Will AI replace humans and ultimately become a threat to job security? This week, JP sits with AI Futurist and AI Strategy Consultant, Garik Tate. Garik is the brain behind the Vahalla Team, a tech firm dedicated to fast-tracking mankind by enhancing the influence of tech companies that have a purpose-driven approach. 

Listen in as JP and Garik discuss how AI is changing the way we manage our assets, boosting efficiency, and helping create automated systems beyond ChatGPT. They also talk about five areas in our business where we can leverage AI and where AI detectors can potentially present vulnerabilities and limitations. 

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Episode Highlights:

02:38 The Future with AI

06:50 AI and Blockchain 

09:37 AI and Job Security

14:06 AI and Efficiency

18:10 Move Beyond Chat GPT

24:25 The AI Game

27:39 AI and Accuracy

Resources: 

Get Your Copy of JP’s Book

• The Millionaire’s Lawyer: Grow and Sell Your Business for Maximum Profitability