Most leadership advice sounds right… inspiring, even. That doesn't mean it works.
Bring these stories to your team, live.
See the keynotes →Organizational failures don't reflect the people's lack of character. The real reason they fail is that the systems those people operate in don't work. Priorities shift, incentives conflict, accountability fades, and over time, even strong leaders adapt to the reality around them.
Those are leadership issues. Those are yours. But not like you think they are yours. And this is where most leadership books fall short. They focus on the individual, telling them to be more decisive, communicate more clearly, lead with integrity.
All of that matters. It's just not enough.
Build Something Real challenges the conventional thinking around leadership, growth, and execution. Using real and hard-fought stories, it gets to what actually drives results:
Build Something Real, PrefaceI ran my first business at five years old. It was a lemonade stand, complete with a folding table, a poorly written poster, and Dixie cups of lemonade. Then I had an idea: Oreos. Because the only thing better than lemonade is lemonade and Oreos, of course. It was the perfect impulse add-on with little effort required.
I marched into the kitchen to grab the inventory. My dad stopped me in my tracks and asked what I was doing. I laid out the lemonade and cookies plan, a bundled offer… basically genius. He told me the Oreos weren't free and that I owed him $2.50. I put them back, deeply offended, and muscled through my lemonade-only model.
That was my first lesson in P&L, about thirty years before anyone paid me to know what P&L stood for: there's no such thing as free inventory, and somebody always owns the cost.
Every chapter started as a real moment in a real business. The keynotes take those stories to your leadership offsite, sales kickoff, or industry event, with copies of the book for every seat.
I grew up in Thornton, Illinois, a limestone-quarry town where hard work and community weren't ideals. They were just how people lived, and it shaped how I lead.
Over 25+ years, my career has taken me from Sales & Marketing to executive leadership across the food and beverage industry, always focused on building teams and cultures that last.
I live in Chicago with my wife, Ami, and I'm endlessly proud of my kids. And I better not forget to mention our dog, Joey.
Want this in your business? See how I work with companies →If you want to build something real, you have to see things as they are and then do something about it. Out November 9th in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle.
See the talks →