Keep It Brief

Is your team underperforming, or is the real issue how they’re being led?

In this bonus episode, Natalie Dawson breaks down the difference between “me work” (execution) and “we work” (leadership), and how to diagnose which one needs fixing.

Learn how to align your team around personal, professional, and financial goals, manage by the numbers, spot problems before they escalate, and have clear conversations about performance. The goal: develop people or transition them. No limbo.

MORE FROM NATALIE

Get Natalie’s book, Team Work:
https://www.10xteams.com/teamwork

DM Natalie “PPF” on Instagram for her goal-setting playbook:
http://ig.me/m/nataliedawson

Explore Natalie’s next event:
http://nataliedawson.com/event

Information shared is for educational purposes only and is not a guarantee of success. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own operations and potential risks. Results may vary.

Copyright Cardone Ventures 2026.

Build a business that can grow without depending on you. Learn more about Elite Edge: http://nataliedawson.com/event

Carly Kremer, founder of 'The Beekeepers Naturals', ran out of rent money, moved onto a friend's couch for a year, and kept going. Today her brand, Beekeepers Naturals, is in 20,000 stores. She explains how she did it without an operations background and without giving up control of her company.

The founder of Beekeepers Naturals breaks down why she left Goldman Sachs and ended up selling propolis at farmer's markets. She shares how she built a supply chain of pesticide-free apiaries that investors called crazy, and why it now protects her brand. She also reveals how she set up her first term sheet so she could never lose decision-making power.

Carly walks through what went wrong on her first maternity leave and how she staffed up to take a real break this time. You'll also hear how she decides what to build, why she waited five years to get on camera, and what is working in marketing right now.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

- How to build a loyal customer base by selling face-to-face before you scale

- Why you should own your term sheet before you take a dollar of outside money

- When to step away from your business and how to make sure the team can lead

CHAPTERS

0:00 Carly Kremer On Raising Money Without Losing Control

1:16 Propolis, Goldman Sachs And Farmer's Markets

11:41 How A Product Builds A Cult Following

13:44 Why It Took Five Years To Get On Camera

18:40 Beekeepers' Naturals Sustainable Supply Chain

24:34 Own Your Term Sheet And Stay The Boss

31:16 Maternity Leave Mistakes And Radio Silence

41:03 Product Development And Customer Feedback

44:50 Why She Wrote A Children's Book About Bees

49:25 Nano Influencers And Being Your Own Influencer

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM CARLY KREMER:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carly.kremer

🌐 Substack: https://carlykremer.substack.com

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

What you wear does more than change how other people see you. It can change how you think, perform, and see yourself.

In this bonus solo episode of Keep It Brief, Natalie Dawson shares five pieces from her wardrobe and the lessons each taught her about identity, confidence, credibility, and growth.

She explains why a blazer became a daily cue to lead, why she stopped dressing for different versions of herself, why holding on to old clothes can keep you attached to an old identity, and how one outfit taught her the difference between looking good and communicating authority.

This episode continues the conversation from Rebecca Minkoff’s appearance on Keep It Brief by turning the lens inward. Your wardrobe is already sending a message. The question is whether it matches the person you are becoming.

YOU’LL LEARN

How clothing can influence your focus and performance

Why your wardrobe should reflect the person you are becoming

How to reduce decision fatigue with timeless staples

When your appearance can undermine the message you want to communicate

Why confidence sometimes means dressing differently from everyone around you

Rebecca Minkoff bootstrapped her handbag brand for seven years to a $100M Brand. Then two hires she trusted almost sank it in nine months.

The fashion designer and founder shares why her biggest wins came from going against the grain, how designing for editors instead of customers hurt her apparel line, and why she would take the valuation her team once passed on.

We also get into why not every business should take investor money, how she learned the language of business by asking what EBITDA meant in her own boardroom. And why no night or weekend she worked ever changed her company's path.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

- How to spot the red flags in a hire before they damage your business

- Why you might not need investors to build a company that lasts

- When to say no to events and opportunities that pull you from family

CHAPTERS

0:00 Rebecca Minkoff On Bootstrapping And Breaking With The Pack

4:17 Designing For Editors Instead Of Customers

7:19 Why Following The Pack Never Worked

9:42 Turning Handbags Into Milestone Purchases

13:23 Treating Business Cards Like Cash

17:47 Investor Lessons And A Missed Valuation

22:54 Learning The Language Of Business

26:47 Staying Present As A Mom And A Founder

38:20 The CMO Who Almost Sunk The Company

46:27 Using AI To Join Cultural Moments

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM Rebecca Minkoff:

🌐 Website: https://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

If you own a salon or know someone who does, DM “SALON” to @nataliedawson on Instagram and I’ll send you the details on what we’re building and how to get involved.

Drybar grew from one salon to 150 locations. She sold $35 blowouts and scaled it to a $255M exit. Alli Webb says demand was never the hard part.

Alli is the founder of Drybar and the creator of Messy, a new hair care line.

Her rule was simple. Make every customer feel cared for, down to the smallest detail. The hard part was making that feeling last once she wasn't in the room.

In this conversation, Alli explains how she trained a team to do it her way, what broke as Drybar grew, and why great service falls apart the moment the founder steps out.

What You’ll Learn

How to turn the skill only you have into training your team can follow

Why small details like your front desk greeting decide whether customers come back

When growing faster means running a second business you never planned for

CHAPTERS

0:00 Intro

0:25 Why Drybar Customers Felt Cared For

8:13 Training Stylists To Scale Drybar

19:21 Why Demand Outran Stylist Supply

25:01 Franchise Vs. Company-Owned Salons

30:06 Why Managers Must Think Like Owners

34:17 Turning Customer Complaints Into Growth

38:12 How To Pick A Retail Location

41:01 Small Details That Drive Retention

46:05 Why Alli Webb Launched Messy

57:29 Taking Risks After Drybar

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM ALLI WEBB:

🌐 Website: https://www.alliwebb.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Camille Moore's first viral video hit a million views in a weekend. It brought in just three leads. She says that gap between attention and actual business is exactly what most founders get wrong about branding.

Camille Moore is the founder of Third Eye Insights and host of The Art of Brand podcast, and companies like Nike, Red Bull, and Harvard pay her to teach branding.

She breaks down the real difference between branding and marketing, why going viral once means nothing if you can't repeat it, and why most small business owners are asking the wrong questions about social media. You'll also hear her take on using AI without losing your own taste.

Watch to learn how to figure out what's actually broken in your brand, why chasing virality wastes your time, and how to build content people actually connect with.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

How to find what's actually broken in your brand before you touch social media

Why going viral one time does nothing for your business long term

When it's time to fire your content team and start over

CHAPTERS

0:32 Finding What's Actually Broken In Your Brand

4:40 Branding Vs Marketing Is Not The Same Thing

11:47 Cringe Mountain And Why Starting Sucks

19:14 Content Ideas For A Tire Shop Or Hair Salon

26:55 Mental Availability Vs Purchase Availability

37:19 Why Most Marketing Agencies Are Bad

49:05 How To Develop Taste As A Brand

51:01 Why Nike And Lululemon Are Losing Right Now

1:07:11 Your Brand Is A Symphony

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM CAMILLE MOORE:🌐 Website: https://camille-moore.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks.

The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Most people want to build a business around what they love. I believe that can be one of the fastest ways to fail.

Recorded during the first live edition of Keep It Brief, this audience Q&A covers money, scaling, wealth, and the decisions that separate a profitable business from an expensive passion project.

I explain why I turned down a $250,000 investment opportunity from a clothing brand I love, share the five habits I built during COVID that I still refuse to give up, and break down why seven-figure earners can still feel broke. I also explain how to choose the right skill to build a business around and why you should finish building or selling your first business before starting another.

Brandon Dawson even joins the conversation to share how leaders can align their teams around company goals.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

- Why passion alone is not enough to build a profitable business
- How to keep your lifestyle from growing as quickly as your income
- How to choose the right skill or opportunity to build around
- Why you should finish or sell one business before starting the next

John Maxwell has written more than 90 books, sold 38 million copies, and spoken on

over 14,000 stages. After 50 years teaching leadership, he says the hardest lesson

is still learning to confront yourself before you confront anyone else.

The New York Times bestselling author of "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership"

breaks down the mistakes he made as a young leader, starting with the hard

conversations he avoided for years and the rule he now sets on day one so nobody is

ever blindsided by one. He shares the answer that stopped him 30 years ago, from a

business owner who said he wouldn't take back a single failure, and why it took him

three decades to feel ready to write the book on it. He also opens up an idea he's

writing right now, one he's only been working on for three months, and how he uses

AI without handing over his own judgment.

Watch to learn how to confront a problem without losing trust, why caring for your

team matters more than being liked, and what to do with a failure so you actually

get something back from it.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Why you tell your team a hard conversation is coming before there's anything to talk about

How to find out whether you're the problem, and who has to be the one to tell you

When to stop chasing the right answer and start choosing a direction

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction

1:09 The Law That Decides If You Can Lead

3:31 Impact Vs Sustainability After 50 Years

6:52 The Three Questions Every Team Asks

9:32 Why Leaders Must Confront Themselves First

20:42 Making Decisions Against Yourself

32:33 Learning To Confront After Years Of Avoiding It

35:36 The Bad Advice Nobody Should Trust

40:03 How To Get A Return On Failure

49:04 Using AI Without Losing Yourself

54:17 Why People Copy What They See

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM JOHN MAXWELL:

🌐 Website: https://www.maxwellleadership.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

Copyright CardoneVentures.com(http://CardoneVentures.com)(https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Grant Cardone does not believe success makes life easier. It gives you bigger problems, higher stakes, and fewer people you can trust to make the decision for you.

In this episode, Grant breaks down how he developed the certainty to act before he had all the answers. We talk about why he still considers himself an underachiever, why doing everything right can still take you backward, and why being wrong on your own terms can be more valuable than following someone else’s advice.

Grant also tells the story behind releasing his own deposition against the advice of his lawyers, and what that decision reveals about trusting your judgment when the experts around you disagree.

We also get into the lesson behind buying a surfboard before learning to surf, the danger of listening too closely to family and friends, and his prediction that AI will become the biggest bust in stock market history.

After seven years as business partners, I wanted to understand what continues to drive Grant, why he refuses to feel satisfied, and what business owners can learn from the way he makes decisions.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

How to build certainty in yourself before you trust anyone else's advice

Why the worst advice you get comes from the people closest to you

When the room you are in stops matching the goals you wrote down

CHAPTERS
0:00 The Man Who Divides Every Room

1:47 Two Plus Two Can Equal Bankruptcy

4:00 Why You Have To Be Willing To Be At Zero

11:31 Get The Surfboard Before You Learn To Surf

17:57 The Takeaway: I Am In The Wrong Room

41:46 Hashtags, 30 Posts A Day And Other Bullshit

42:50 Why AI Will Be The Biggest Bust

54:27 Six Years Of Lawsuits Over $10,000

59:33 Uploading His Own Deposition To YouTube

1:26:03 Certainty Is The Whole Answer

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:
📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:
📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM GRANT CARDONE:
🌐 Website: https://grantcardone.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Join the "Clear Club" for free and get the book: clearbuilders.com/Elena
Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health: https://www.amazon.com/Dianetics-Modern-Science-Mental-English/dp/140314446X

Most people are told to pick one. The marriage, the family, or the empire. Elena Cardone built all three at once, and she says the thing that finally made her powerful was giving up her independence.

The "Build an Empire" author and 10X Ladies founder breaks down the 2008 collapse that nearly wiped them out, why she walked away from acting to support Grant Cardone, and how she and Grant found a purpose big enough to hold a 22 year partnership together. She explains the decision she made to never love again and how she got rid of it, why she refuses to let anyone invalidate her or her daughters, what she learned about money that most women get wrong, and who you actually have to become before billionaire is even on the table.

Watch to learn how to build a partnership that takes you past your own ceiling.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

CHAPTERS

00:00 How Elena Cardone built marriage, family and an empire
01:05 The 2009 crisis that changed everything
05:18 Why independence can limit your growth
07:52 Why marriage should be 100 and 100
09:59 How Elena transformed the way she communicates
11:19 Understanding the mind changed her life
13:13 The analytical mind vs the reactive mind
15:39 The belief that kept Elena from love
19:30 How personal growth changes your presence
22:26 Why choosing the right mentors matters
26:09 The biggest misconception about marriage
30:31 Redefining success through impact and influence
33:16 What real power actually looks like
35:55 Why Elena refuses to invalidate herself
40:06 Raising confident, self-determined children
45:03 Building a family around shared goals
46:05 Why the Cardones made their legal battle public
53:16 Why principles matter more than the money
58:35 The mistake women make with wealth
01:01:32 Why earning money is not enough
01:03:18 How Elena built her own investment income

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM our Guest Elena Cardone:

🌐 Website: https://www.instagram.com/elenacardone/?hl=en

📖 Elena's Book: https://www.amazon.com/Build-Empire-How-Have-All/dp/1945661542

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Most founders hold onto the CEO title for as long as they can. Dianna Cohen gave hers up after five years, and she did it after turning a Google Doc she wrote for her girlfriends into Crown Affair and the number one dry shampoo at Sephora.

The Crown Affair founder explains why she refused to over-raise, how she got her first $2 million on a 10 page deck with no financials, and why she has raised in steps ever since. She breaks down how to match a product to the retailer it sells in, why listening beats pushing product, and what she calls pinches of poison, the small off-brand choices that slowly kill a company. She also shares why she is not the best CEO for her own business and what changed when she stopped being in every room.

Watch to learn how to raise money on your own terms, build a brand with real soul, and hand off control without losing the vision.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

How to raise only what you need so money never buys you bad habits

Why the product has to speak the language of the store it sells in

When to hand the CEO job to someone who is better at it than you

CHAPTERS

0:00 Crown Affair Built From A Viral Google Doc

3:04 Blinders On While Everyone Chases Trends

9:00 The Dry Shampoo Nobody Expected To Win

12:51 Listening Beats Pushing Product

16:56 Building A Brand World With Soul

19:58 Pinches Of Poison That Kill Brands

23:26 Raising 2 Million Before Launch

29:15 Investors Bet On The Jockey

38:41 Why She Stepped Down As CEO

47:55 Take Your Time And Pay Attention

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

MORE FROM our Guest:

🌐 Website: https://www.crownaffair.com/

https://www.instagram.com/diannacohen/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

89% of small businesses say they use AI. Only 14% have actually built it into how they operate. Chris Workman explains the gap and why the businesses that close it in the next five years will pull away from everyone else.

Chris is the Head of Technology at Cardone Ventures and the person who embedded AI into every function of a $225 million company. He didn't just buy tools. He redesigned how the business runs. 

In this conversation we get into why the tech investment that used to wait until $45 million now has to happen at $3 million. What an AI agent actually needs from your business to do real work. And why the one system most owners skip matters more than any tool they download. We also get into the jobs question. How many roles has AI actually replaced, and what most people get wrong about AI and layoffs?

He's also my brother. So I asked the questions nobody else would get away with.

Watch to learn what to build first so AI can actually work inside your business.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

How to pick the one business system your whole company should run on

The difference between adopting AI and actually integrating it

When to hire someone to lead technology in a small business

CHAPTERS

0:00 89% Of Small Businesses Now Use AI

4:55 The Business Breakpoint That Moved Forward

10:23 What An AI Agent Actually Does

13:38 Why The AI Hype Fizzled Out

16:15 The One System Every Business Needs

22:15 The Autonomy Slider Explained

31:56 Speed To Lead And 18 Roofing Companies

41:45 The $100,000 Token Bill

46:03 Why AI Did Not Cause Layoffs

52:54 Hiring Your First Tech Leader

Comment "AI" on my latest Instagram post to learn about integrating AI to scale your business.

Link to get you booked for our next Elite Edge event:

http://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/

Teamwork: https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork

Take my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq

Check out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE

MORE FROM CHRIS WORKMAN:

🌐 Website: https://cardoneventures.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

$30 trillion is shifting into women's hands and most people are getting the story wrong. This isn't just about women building wealth. It's about women outliving their partners and being handed the financial wheel with zero preparation.

In this episode, I break down what the great wealth transfer actually means, why money moves twice inside most families, and why it wasn't until 1974 that women could even get credit without a man's signature. I share the five questions every woman needs to ask about her money before she's forced to, and the financial map I give every woman to build now.
Plus, your questions answered: how to pick the right stat to anchor your career, what I had to unlearn about leadership in my twenties, and the first thing that breaks when a company scales from 50 to 150 people.

Know what you own. Ask better questions. Get in the room before you're forced to lead it.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

CHAPTERS

0:00 The $30 Trillion Moving To Women

2:07 What The $30 Trillion Headline Really Means

4:57 Why Women Feel Unprepared With Money

7:08 What To Do Before You Inherit

16:43 Pick The Statistic You Want

19:27 What I Unlearned About Leadership

23:09 What Breaks At 150 Employees

Link to get you booked for our next Elite Edge event:

https://go.cardoneventures.com/nd-the-elite-edge?utm_source=Podcastndsocial&utm_medium=descriptionEE

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/

Teamwork: https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork

Take my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq

Check out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Most business owners think workers comp is handled because they pay the premium. Tina Odjaghian says the hardest cases are the ones nobody can see, and she has recovered more than $700 million proving it.

The Odjaghian Law Group founder explains why California’s workers’ comp system is broken, how invisible traumatic brain injuries get denied, and what employers miss in the first hours after an injury. She reveals how a missed “goose egg” during an ER visit became a mid-seven-figure case, and why she is taking a medical treatment case to the California Supreme Court. Tina also shares how she went from arriving in the United States at 10 years old with one suitcase and no English to building one of the country’s leading TBI litigation practices.

Watch to learn how to protect your business, respond properly to an injury, and spot the damage nobody can see.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

How to respond in the first hours after a workplace injury

Why paying the premium does not mean you are protected

When a homeowner needs a workers comp rider and an umbrella policy

CHAPTERS

0:00 From One Suitcase to $700 Million Recovered

4:39 One Suitcase And No English

7:43 Imposter Syndrome Never Fully Leaves

14:19 What Happens After A Workplace Injury

15:37 The Injury Nobody Can See

17:12 Why Workers Comp Is Broken

21:04 Protecting Your Business And Your Home

32:32 The Goose Egg The ER Missed

40:23 Losing Her Words At 17

43:41 Why Communication Is Underrated

53:17 Advice For Anyone Starting Over

Comment KEEP IT BRIEF 13 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:

📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson

🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson

💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/

Teamwork: https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork

Take my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq

Check out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE

MORE FROM TINA ODJAGHIAN:

🌐 Website: https://odjaghianlaw.com/

https://www.instagram.com/tinaodjaghian/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Terra Harvell reveals why most salon owners have built an expensive job, not a valuable asset. The founder of Harper Ellis Hair Co. and Strata Salon Systems explains how better pricing, high-ticket services, team incentives and financial systems helped her salon reach a 28% net margin. Learn how stylists can raise their income, owners can reduce dependency on the chair, and salons can build scalable company value.

In this episode:
• Reverse engineer your income target into services, pricing and daily actions
• Give top performers a reason to build inside your company instead of leaving
• Install the leadership, compensation and operating systems required to scale

Own a salon, or know an owner who is ready to build something bigger? Send Natalie a DM on Instagram with the word “salon” to start a conversation about Strata Salon Systems.

FOLLOW KEEP IT BRIEF:
📸 https://www.instagram.com/keepitbriefpod

MORE FROM NATALIE DAWSON:
📸 https://www.instagram.com/nataliedawson
🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@thenataliedawson
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenataliedawson/
Teamwork: https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork
Take my breakpoint quiz: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-NDbbq
Check out my next event: https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEE

MORE FROM TERRA HARVELL:
🌐 Website: https://terraharvell.com/
💇 Harper Ellis Hair Co.: https://www.harperellishair.com/
📈 Strata Salon Systems: https://stratasalonsystems.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com 2025

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why most salons are not valuable assets
02:18 Building a $750,000 business behind the chair
05:01 The money mistake Terra would change
08:22 Can a salon owner succeed without stylist experience?
09:37 Reverse engineering a stylist’s income target
13:08 Breaking the small-town pricing belief
14:37 Why great stylists struggle as business owners
18:14 Giving talented stylists a reason to stay
20:45 Redefining freedom for service providers
23:30 Booth rental versus commission
26:28 How Terra’s salon reached a 28% margin
29:11 The product launch that nearly sank the salon
34:11 Creating a faster hair extension method
38:21 The operating system behind scalable salons
42:24 Turning a salon into an asset with enterprise value
45:36 Finding the right salon owners and partners
48:49 Why long-term vision determines business value
51:40 How salon owners can explore Strata
52:36 Terra’s advice for building something bigger

Most executives run from a company that's about to collapse. Phil Cox ran toward it. He was the COO of Silicon Valley Bank the day $42 billion left in a single afternoon, and the bank was gone by morning.

The former Silicon Valley Bank COO breaks down how a bank built on safe government bonds became the fastest bank failure in U.S. history, why 93% of its deposits were uninsured, and what it was actually like inside the building during the 40 hours nobody saw. He also reveals why executive bonuses got paid out the same morning regulators seized the bank, what it was like watching longtime employees show up to work the week their retirement savings hit zero, and the business he spent 10 years building that ended up selling for one pound. You'll also hear what he'd change if he could go back, and why he still doesn't tell most people where he used to work.

Watch to understand what really took down Silicon Valley Bank, and what nobody got right about it.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

How to protect your business if your bank suddenly can't move your money

Why 93% of Silicon Valley Bank's deposits were uninsured when it collapsed

Why bonuses were paid out the same morning regulators seized the bank

CHAPTERS

00:00 The $42 billion bank run that changed banking forever
01:21 What really caused Silicon Valley Bank to fail
05:00 Why the bank’s investment strategy made sense at the time
11:28 The announcement that triggered the panic
15:43 How social media accelerated the first digital bank run
18:14 Inside the operations room during the collapse
22:36 The moment the bank was taken over
25:06 What happened after regulators seized SVB
28:36 Why Phil Cox chose to stay
30:28 Leadership, accountability, and executive decisions
35:56 Did venture capital firms have another choice?
40:36 How crisis changed Phil’s leadership forever
43:57 Building a culture that survives adversity
48:32 What Phil would change with hindsight
50:47 Living with the SVB legacy
54:57 What every business owner can learn from high-growth companies
58:07 The most important rule for leading through a crisis

Comment KEEP IT BRIEF 11 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

Most founders think they need investors to build something big. Kim Perell says it's really about betting on yourself first, a lesson she learned by turning a $10,000 loan from her grandmother into a $235 million exit.

The 100.co founder and 9x entrepreneur explains why she had to fire her entire team the same day she got fired herself, why there is no such thing as job security, and why rejection became her best source of feedback. She also breaks down the 70% rule she uses before every big decision and why she never waited for an investor to believe in her before building nine companies.

Watch to learn how to build without waiting for permission, turn rejection into product feedback, and make big decisions before you feel fully ready.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

How to build a company without waiting for an investor to believe in you

Why rejection is more useful as feedback than as failure

How the 70% rule helps you make big decisions before you feel ready

CHAPTERS00:00 The $10,000 bet that changed everything01:41 Why women founders keep outperforming expectations04:08 Kim Perell’s entrepreneurial track record05:20 Growing up with failure and resilience08:33 Lessons from the dot-com boom and bust12:34 Why every founder needs sales skills16:11 Getting fired and starting from a kitchen table20:32 Competing with yourself instead of others23:13 Scaling from startup to nine-figure business25:20 Hiring the people who help you grow29:10 Life after a $235 million exit34:19 What Kim looks for before investing36:21 Why every founder needs mentors38:20 AI, customer feedback, and better decisions42:22 Removing opinions with customer research45:01 Building purpose-driven consumer brands48:00 The biggest mistake founders make50:10 Raising resilient, grateful kids54:16 Why failure is never the finish line

Comment KEEP IT BRIEF 10 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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🌐 Website: https://100.co

📸 https://www.instagram.com/kimperell/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down withmy husband andCardone Ventures co-founder Brandon Dawson to break down how he sold his last company, Audigy, for 77 times earnings after almost losing a $150 million deal the night before it closed.

We unpack why 97% of small businesses never make it, and the one mistake that turned into an $800 million win.
Comment KEEP IT BRIEF 9 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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🌐 Website: https://cardoneventures.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Jeff Zwiefel, former President and COO of Life Time Fitness, to break down how he helped grow the company from $139M to $2.3B in revenue over 27 years.

We unpack why charging too little almost capped their growth, why he walked away from a company now worth $9B, and the leadership rule he says separates good businesses from great ones...

Comment KEEP IT BRIEF 8on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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🌐 Website: https://10xhealthsystem.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Jean Luo and Cherie Brooke Luo, your Wall Street and Silicon Valley big sisters. Harvard MBA, Ex Goldman Sachs, Stanford MBA, Ex LinkedIn, these two are here to break down why women score lower than men in every single financial literacy category after a decade of tracking. We unpack why the gap has nothing to do with intelligence or access, why the finance world was never designed for women to win, and what they learned inside the rooms most women never get into.

Comment Brief 7 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

Copyright CardoneVentures.com (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Allison McNamara, founder of Mara, about the moment a celebrity accidentally made her product sell out globally. We unpack why bootstrapping beats every funded competitor and why she didn't copy what already existed on the market.

Comment Brief 6 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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🌐 Website: https://themarabeauty.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.

Copyright ⁠CardoneVentures.com (http://CardoneVentures.com) ⁠(⁠https://cardoneventures.com⁠) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, we sit down with JD Ross, founder of Opendoor and now WithCoverage, to break down why domain expertise plus AI tools is the formula winning in the next five years.

We unpack why he turned down Sam Altman's offer to run OpenAI's business side, why traditional operators beat young tech founders at building AI businesses, and the simple philosophy that got him to $8 billion in revenue before he left.

Comment Brief 5 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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Teamwork: ⁠⁠https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork

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MORE FROM JD ROSS:

🌐 Website: https://www.withcoverage.com

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [⁠⁠CardoneVentures.com⁠⁠] (⁠⁠https://cardoneventures.com⁠) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Ken Goodrich, The entrepreneur who acquired over 200 businesses, and turned around some of Americas longest running companies.We break down how a $500K acquisition turned into a multi-million dollar exit. He walks through his 1,000-day plan and why most service businesses will never attract a serious buyer. And he shares the one reframe that changes how you think about what you're building. 

Comment Brief 4 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

THE ULTIMATE SMALL BUSINESS SYSTEM:

⁠https://cardoneventures.com/system

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Check out my next event: ⁠https://cardoneventures.com/yt-ndEEInformation shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [⁠⁠CardoneVentures.com⁠⁠] (⁠⁠https://cardoneventures.com⁠) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Ashley Tyrner-Dolce, founder of Farmbox RX and Operating Partner at HLM Investment Partners, to break down how she built and sold a healthcare company without taking a single dollar from outside investors.

She created a category that didn't exist until a single policy change made it possible. She makes the case that no matter how fast you're hiring, the founder has to stay the nucleus of sales. And she breaks down what it actually looks like to pivot your entire company identity while the plane is still in the air.

Comment Brief 3 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode! 

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🌐 Website: https://www.hlminvestmentpartners.com/

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [⁠CardoneVentures.com⁠] (⁠https://cardoneventures.com) 2025 

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Sarah Lomas, founder and CEO of REVIV Global, to break down how she raised $75M and built a $100M precision health empire after being rejected 53 times in the UK. We unpack why she eventually left the country to find investors, why she says the first 40 rejections were her own fault, and the simple piece of homework that would have saved her years..

Comment Brief 2on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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🌐 Website: https://www.revivme.com

Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright [CardoneVentures.com] (https://cardoneventures.com) 2025

In this episode of Keep It Brief, I sit down with Chris Voss to break down the negotiation frameworks every business owner should actually know. We unpack why chasing “yes” kills deals, and how one simple shift, getting the other side comfortable saying “no”, helped a recruiter cut 300 cold calls down to 75 while producing the same results.

Chris also explains tactical empathy, why phrases like “it seems like…” open people up faster than “I understand,” and how labels can lower resistance in high-stakes conversations. We get into why “splitting the difference” creates lose-lose outcomes, the psychology behind bad compromises, and how the best negotiators build deals that hold long term.

Finally, we break down the three emotional traits that drive peak performance in negotiation: curiosity, playfulness, and gratitude, and why your mindset impacts your ability to spot red flags before you walk into the wrong deal.

Comment Brief 1 on my latest Instagram post for a PDF of my notes and takeaways from this episode!

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📸 ⁠

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Teamwork: ⁠https://thenataliedawson.com/nd-teamwork
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Information shared here is for educational purposes only. Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business operations and identify any potential risks. The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary. Copyright CardoneVentures.com⁠

⁠ 2025

Keep It Brief Podcast With Natalie Dawson. New Episodes Every Monday!