598: From Gas Station Cashier to Billion-Dollar CEO with Shirin Behzadi

What does it really take to go from working as a gas station cashier to leading a billion-dollar company?   In this Strategy Skills Podcast episode, host Kris Safarova speaks with Shirin Behzadi, author of The Unexpected CEO and former CEO of Home Franchise Concepts, where she scaled the business to nearly $1B in sales across 12,000 cities.   This is a remarkable entrepreneurship journey and CEO story filled with powerful leadership lessons, proof that resilience in leadership is a superpower, and insights into how to do well despite adversity.   You'll learn: How to define a vision and reverse-engineer your career growth Why asking for opportunities (even when it feels risky) can change your life The "secret sauce" of scaling a company to nearly $1B How to build personal growth through adversity What the future of leadership looks like with AI in business   📖 Get Shirin's book: The Unexpected CEO 🌐 Connect with Shirin: shirinbehzadi.com | LinkedIn | Instagram   🎁 Free Strategy Resources for Listeners: If you want to strengthen your strategy, leadership, and problem-solving skills, visit StrategyTraining.com — the advanced training platform trusted by consultants, executives, business owners and leaders worldwide.   Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Get Exclusive Episode 1 Access of How to Build a Consulting Practice: www.firmsconsulting.com/build   Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo