9B: A Podcast for People Who Run Things

We've been to the moon. We've mapped the oceans. So where's the new frontier for the pioneering spirit? On this episode of the 9B Podcast, three bombastic, bloviating bros make the case that business is the last true frontier—and that entrepreneurship demands the same grit, risk tolerance, and pioneering mentality that built the American West.We dig into Walt Whitman's "Pioneers! O Pioneers!" and Michael Chabon's "Manhood for Amateurs" to unpack what's happened to risk, adventure, and ambition in one generation, and what it means for the next wave of business owners coming out of the Texas Triangle and beyond.If you're building a business, raising entrepreneurial kids, or just trying to figure out where your own pioneering spirit went — this one's for you.Key Moments00:00 – Opening Clip00:45 – Welcome to 9B Podcast: Beer, Bourbon, Boulevard01:18 – Is business the new American frontier?02:11 – The Texas Triangle boom & entrepreneurial growth02:56 – What % of Americans actually have a pioneering spirit?04:06 – Entering entrepreneurship out of frustration vs. hope06:36 – Introducing Whitman's "Pioneers! O Pioneers!"08:09 – Reading the poem11:32 – Plymouth Rock, 1620: no unemployment office, but plenty of work12:38 – America: a nation self-selected for ambition14:12 – "Little sleep, little slumber" — the discipline behind entrepreneurship16:22 – The imagery of Whitman's American frontier16:46 – Michael Chabon's "Manhood for Amateurs"18:11 – The debate: helicopter parenting or a changed world?23:16 – Homelessness, safety, and the world kids grow up in now27:11 – Childhood, imagination & the future of business creativity29:10 – Closing thoughts & reasons for optimism🔗 LINKS MENTIONED📖 "Pioneers! O Pioneers!" by Walt Whitman  📖 "Manhood for Amateurs" by Michael Chabon  👉 SUBSCRIBE & LISTEN🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple 🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn#Entrepreneurship #PioneeringSpirit #BusinessPodcast #SmallBusiness #EntrepreneurMindset #TexasBusiness #9BPodcast #StartupMindset #BuildingABusiness #BusinessOwnerLifeThis business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

Forget the elevator pitch. Nobody's giving you 90 seconds anymore. We open Season Two of 9B with our three bombastic, bloviating bros in Bryan, Texas, drinking beer, Bourbon, and a Boulevardier, digging into a LinkedIn post from Cole Schaefer that flips business positioning on its head: the floor pitch, a 3-to-7-word max positioning statement that has to land between floor three and floor four.We break down why the old-school elevator pitch is dead, what real brand positioning actually means, and why owning a single word in someone's mind (Chick-fil-A = fast food chicken) is harder than it looks. Plus: is Jaws actually about the shark? A McDonald's mission-creep tangent, a Bull Durham rewatch, and Fidelis's own floor pitch.If you're a founder, marketer, or business owner trying to nail your brand messaging, elevator pitch, or company tagline, this one's for you.Key Moments0:35 – Cole Schaefer's LinkedIn post on the "floor pitch"2:01 – What is a floor pitch? (7 words or less)3:03 – Aliens' legendary 3-word pitch: "Jaws in space"4:20 – Floor pitch examples: Uber, Amazon, Airbnb, Tesla6:07 – What "positioning" actually means (and why it's hard)7:04 – The McDonald's lesson: discipline vs. mission creep10:19 – Fidelis's own floor pitch: "We make B2B businesses go boom"13:34 – Counterpoint: does long-form content still work?15:09 – Bull Durham then vs. now: storytelling at warp speedLoved this episode?Subscribe to 9B for more raw, unfiltered takes on business, branding, and BS.👉 Read Cole Schaefer's original post👉 Learn more about Fidelis Creative Agency👉 Follow us for new episodes every week.This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

Grok spits out family odds. In this episode, we query GROK - 'on the statistical odds of outrageous family success,' and the results are surprising!This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

We discovered the cheapest, most durable answer to running a household fleet: old Toyotas. We unpack it all right here.This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

'What even is a career anymore?' Have we lost the idea of vocation?Hear our leadership team discuss the importance of business being more than just profit. Have businesses in general, moved away from being about and for their people? This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

In this episode of 9B, we discuss the cultures that used to build cathedrals and now build mini malls. What happened? Could we even imagine what it would look like to build now, knowing that it wouldn't be complete for 150 years in the future?This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

In this episode, we discuss DEI and Business. Where did it go? Is it truly gone? How does the culture in the US compare to other cultures, both historically and in modern times? This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

In this episode, we discuss the blue-collar swap-out — trading spreadsheets for sheetrock. It's the desk-to-ditch revolution. This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

Generational Cohorts: how they spar, work, and interact with one another, and what happens next. This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

This our best effort to capture the majesty and magnitude of the State of Texas in one digestible episode. Texas is wild and so very unusual - just ask any transplant to the Lone Star. Why are we like this?! What builds the Texas mindset? What does it mean for the future and for business? We attempt to make sense of a place that defies explanation or being told what it is and isn’t. Enjoy.This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn

Exploration of the impact of AI on expertise and good work, particularly on young talent in the workforce. Social media, trust, and the emerging conviction that there’s big power in real-life connections. Finally, we look at the dystopian societal features of our ‘agentic age’ - specifically, the prospects of business and entrepreneurship in the AI Era. This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s. This business and BS is hashed over a beer, a bourbon, and a Boulevardier cocktail by our three bombastic, bloviating blokes in Bryan, TX — the 9B’s.🎧 New episodes bi-weekly — Subscribe on YouTube🎙️ Listen on Spotify |  Apple🌐 Visit Fidelis Creative Agency 📱 Follow us: Instagram |  LinkedIn