Why Asking for Help Makes You a Better Leader - Sean Shanks - S4 - E8

This episode of A Founder’s Life is brought to you by Thankz — helping founders scale with reliable remote talent. Get $1,000 off your first month by emailing [email protected] with the subject line Founder’s Life.🌐 Follow A Founder’s Life• YouTube:   @AFoundersLife   • LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-founder-s-life-podcast/ • Instagram: @afounderslife  • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/70mfiPVuefpTnQHskflEqc?si=d8f658731c9248ba • Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-founders-life/id1780849489👤 Connect with Today’s Guest – Sean ShanksWebsite: moneywisepayroll.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-shanks/What does it look like to take over a business you didn’t start — and make it your own? For Sean Shanks, it meant stepping into leadership at just 26 years old, learning through failure, and rebuilding a company from within.Sean is the President and CEO of MoneyWise Payroll, a Virginia-based company that now serves 450 small and medium-sized businesses across 39 states. In this episode, he opens up about his unexpected path to entrepreneurship, overcoming addiction, and how coaching, structure, and humility helped him become a stronger leader, father, and person.👉 Subscribe now for more founder stories, raw lessons, and inspiration.⏱️ Timestamps0:00 – Intro & sponsor (Thankz)0:38 – Meet Sean Shanks: President & CEO of MoneyWise Payroll1:27 – From paper routes to payroll: early lessons in hustle3:10 – Becoming CEO at 26 without formal business training4:35 – Losing the company’s founder & buying the business from his family6:00 – 24 years at MoneyWise: turning a legacy into his own6:43 – Family life: marriage, raising three kids, and teaching ROI-based decisions9:29 – Sobriety and the health habits that saved his life11:50 – Why personal health is the single biggest business risk13:10 – Training for triathlons & tracking recovery data14:30 – Defining balance: structure, scheduling, and family time18:15 – Pivotal moment: choosing sobriety & discovering the power of coaching21:42 – Advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: find peers and ask for help23:30 – How self-improvement parallels leadership at home and work24:43 – Where to find Sean (MoneyWise Payroll, LinkedIn)👉 Don’t miss an episode — subscribe & join our community of founders redefining success.LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/leogestetnerWebsiteleogestetner.com/leoSubscribe Now!youtube.com/@afounderslife?sub_confirmation=1