The CEO's Heart for Service | Scaling Business Without Compromise

What does it look like when customers are the ones driving your growth — not the other way around? That's exactly the story Adam Pattisall, CEO of IncrediTech and iTechFed, brings to this episode of CEO's Heart for Service.Adam built IncrediTech from literally one person working out of the bed of a pickup truck to a company of 80+ people — without investors, a board, or outside backing. His secret? Stay nimble, only take on what you can afford to lose, and let the customer set the direction. From keeping a Coast Guard station online during Hurricane Sandy to having clients ask him to grow so they wouldn't lose him, Adam's story is a masterclass in customer-first, integrity-driven growth in the telecommunications and IT infrastructure space.HIGHLIGHTSAdam started IncrediTech working alone out of the bed of his pickup truck, with a spool of cable and a clear vision: build something you own, without owing anyoneThe company originally planned to cap at 11 employees — customers are the reason it grew to 80+IncrediTech has been 100% bootstrapped since day one — no investors, no board, no bank reportingFor 15–16 years, nearly 99% of revenue came from a single customer, and that customer kept asking them to grow and diversifyThe Hurricane Sandy story: an IncrediTech team member, Rick Zimmerman, went by boat to a flooded island to keep a Coast Guard station's communications alive — and won a major Verizon award for itExceptional service means anticipating client needs before the crisis hits, not just reacting to itHiring isn't about technical knowledge — it's about finding people who have a passion for solving problemsAdam's business philosophy: "I don't get involved in anything I can't afford to lose"Staying ahead of technology by 18–24 months is what keeps IncrediTech in demand — they go wherever the "bleeding edge" work isThe future of the company? Wherever the customers want it to goCHAPTERS1:03 – Growing Up Dreams2:31 – Early Hustle Mindset3:35 – Sarah's First Job4:05 – What IncrediTech Does5:35 – Why Start IncrediTech6:11 – Heart for Service7:29 – Hurricane Sandy Story8:20 – Scaling with Values9:10 – Bootstrapped Growth Rules11:40 – Customers Drove Expansion13:50 – Passing Culture to Team14:30 – Hiring Problem Solvers16:20 – Customer First Choice18:00 – Truth Telling Sales19:15 – Brand Story Strategy21:30 – Experience Over Marketing24:10 – Staying Ahead of Tech25:45 – Owning the Narrative29:00 – Handling Spilled Milk31:00 – Tech Change Surprise33:15 – Future Led by Clients36:00 – Vision Through Action39:00 – Behind the Brand40:00 – Rapid Fire Questions46:50 – Success and Gratitude49:15 – Where to Find ThemRESOURCES MENTIONEDIncrediTek — Adam Pattisall's IT infrastructure companyThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What if the reason your thought leadership isn't landing has nothing to do with your ideas — and everything to do with the way you're wired to share them?Macy Robison, founder of the Resonant Thought Leader Conservatory, has spent years behind the scenes launching New York Times bestsellers, building massive platforms for other thought leaders, and serving as senior director of StoryBrand's certification program. But somewhere along the way, she kept hitting the same wall — brilliant experts stuck not because they lacked ideas, but because they were forcing themselves through someone else's playbook.What she built to solve that problem is unlike anything else out there. Rooted in the science of sound and resonance, her proprietary Resonance Compass framework starts with a free diagnostic — the Resonant Thought Leader Archetype Assessment — to pinpoint exactly how you are wired to communicate, lead, and build. From there, it becomes about amplification, not volume. About sending a clearer signal, not shouting louder. The difference, as she explains it, is the same difference between pushing a random piano key and the one that makes a snare drum vibrate across the room.We talk about the journey of creating a brand new framework from scratch, the challenge of scaling something deeply personal, and how she stays grounded in her own voice even when comparison tries to throw her off. If you're a B2B founder who knows you have something valuable to say but can't figure out how to say it in a way that sounds like you, this conversation is for you.HighlightsMacy shares the personal frustration that sparked the creation of the Resonance Compass — and why copying other people's strategies kept failing herThe piano-and-snare-drum illustration that explains why resonance is measurable, not subjectiveWhy the answer isn't getting louder — it's sending a cleaner signal to the right peopleHow the Resonant Thought Leader Archetype Assessment works, the 10 archetypes explained, and what Matt discovered about himself when he took itThe difference between being expression-led, experience-led, insight-led, and embodiment-led as a thought leaderThe voice lesson moment that revealed a three-step framework hiding inside her own client workWhy she started by personally sending Loom videos to every single assessment taker — and what that taught her before she could scaleThe Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan examples that show how staying unapologetically yourself is the actual amplification strategyThe hardest part of growing: comparison, and how a theater audition story reframes it completelyMacy's definition of success — and the school benefit concert that still runs without herChapters0:00 — Special Episode Intro1:19 — Why Authenticity Matters3:16 — Meet Macy Robison3:25 — StoryBrand and Theater Roots5:36 — Macy Bio and Big Promise7:50 — The Aha Behind Resonance12:37 — Why This Was Missing16:19 — How the Assessment Works20:24 — Finding Your Voice in Practice24:30 — The 10 Archetypes Explained29:03 — Scaling a New Service32:05 — Amplify Without Getting Loud33:25 — Sound Design for Your Message35:25 — Artists Who Scale Authentically35:19 — Trust and Humanity in B2B36:31 — Unearthing Your Hidden IP38:14 — From Patterns to a Framework39:58 — Simple Reps Before Scaling41:24 — Staying Grounded Amid Comparison44:13 — Behind the Brand Rapid Fire48:57 — Defining Success and Lasting Impact51:29 — Closing Thanks and Where to Find HerResources MentionedResonant Thought Leader ConservatoryOwn Your Impact Podcast on Apple or SpotifyResonant Thought Leader Archetype Assessment The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What does it actually take to build a thriving chamber of commerce from absolute zero — no staff, no members, not even a pad of paper — in under 18 months? Wendy Poischbeg did exactly that, scaling the Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce to 300 members in a year and a half by doing something deceptively simple: listening.Wendy, CEO of the Greater Everett Chamber, joins co-hosts Matt Wolfe and Sarah Pattisall of Brand3 to share how she resurrected a chamber that had been missing from Everett for 15 years — and why she built it completely differently this time. From curating member experiences inspired by the book Unreasonable Hospitality, to deploying AI to run lean, to quietly supporting Everett's Hispanic business community during a turbulent political climate, Wendy reveals what it looks like to lead with heart, hustle, and a hype-person mentality.HighlightsWendy path to become a rock star — and trained in a prestigious Seattle girl choir before reality (and Boeing) intervenedThe Greater Everett Chamber launched January 1, 2025, starting from absolute ground zero — no assets, no EIN, not even office supplies300 members in 18 months, 55+ events in year one, on track for 80 events in year twoThe chamber was rebuilt intentionally as "not your grandpa's chamber" — with AI tools, streamlined automation, and yes, a DJ at eventsWendy drew leadership inspiration from Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, applying fine-dining service principles to chamber membershipMember feedback drives everything: surveys, CRM-tracked pain points, and in-person business visits shape every program and workshopPermitting is the #1 barrier to business growth in Everett — the chamber is actively advocating for AI-assisted permitting reform at the state levelThe ambassador program launched 6 months ahead of schedule when membership hit 150 — volunteers are rewarded, never chargedAI tools (ChatGPT, Claude) helped Wendy accomplish in one week what used to take a month, from nonprofit filing to contract draftingThe chamber does quiet, behind-the-scenes work to support Everett's Hispanic business community, including a private health district licensing event to help food cart operators get licensed safelyWendy's personal "why" (discovered through Simon Sinek's framework): amplifying and promoting others is what makes her thriveChapters0:31 — Welcome & Episode Preview2:12 — Meet Wendy Poischbeg3:31 — From Aspiring Rock Star to Chamber CEO6:14 — The History Behind the Greater Everett Chamber9:56 — Unreasonable Hospitality & the Member Experience Philosophy12:29 — Curating Experiences, Not Just Events13:58 — How Wendy Gathers & Acts on Member Feedback17:34 — Advocacy: The Chamber as a Policy Voice19:53 — Growth by the Numbers: 300 Members in 18 Months22:15 — The Chamber's Four Pillars25:05 — Everett's Transformation: The Marina & South Everett27:31 — Scaling Without Losing the Human Touch28:51 — Challenges of Rapid Growth & the Ambassador Program31:45 — How AI Is Running the Chamber (And Disrupting the Legal Industry)33:47 — Supporting Everett's Hispanic Business Community37:42 — Creativity as a Business Strategy (FIFA 2026 & Beyond)40:30 — Wendy's Coffee Shop Origin Story42:49 — The Story the Chamber Tells: Be Engaged to Get Value47:57 — The Heart Behind the Hype Person: Rapid-Fire Q&A54:39 — Wendy's "Why" (Simon Sinek & the Two-Hour Couch Conversation)Resources MentionedGreater Everett Chamber of Commerce — everettchamber.orgUnreasonable Hospitality by Will GuidaraStart With Why by Simon SinekEconomic Alliance Snohomish County — regional economic development organization that preceded and now complements the chamberThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What happens when a business built on genuine relationships tries to grow — and nearly loses everything that made it special in the process? That's the honest, behind-the-scenes story we're unpacking today with Brand3 founder and President Orsi Herbein. Orsi shares the real lessons from 10 years of building a branding and marketing agency, including a painful season of chasing the wrong definition of success, why hastily delegating client relationships almost cost the company, and how getting clear on your own definition of success changes everything. If you lead a service-based business and feel the pull between growth and staying true to what matters most, this one is for you.HighlightsWhat "CEO's heart for service" actually means — and why it's the lens Brand3 uses to choose who they work withWhy branding done right is simply the truth about your businessThe real reason service-based B2B businesses struggle to define themselves (hint: you're too close to your own stuff)How Brand3 helped a client achieve an extraordinary EBITDA multiplier in a private equity exit — by giving them the confidence to stand their groundThe PCS Technology story: how a heart-shaped logo became an internal emoji and the whole team started to "catch the vision"Orsi's honest account of a season when growth goals overrode core values — and what that costWhy hastily delegating client relationships in a relational business is a recipe for troubleHow to brag about your clients instead of yourself (and why that's the most authentic marketing a service provider can do)The Brand3 core values: Difference Makers, True to Self, Creative Thinkers, Clarity Seekers, Collaborators, and Adaptive AdvocatesYour definition of success doesn't have to look like anyone else'sChapters1:14 – Meet the Hosts2:26 – Welcome Orsi & Brand32:37 – What Brand3 Does4:12 – Heart for Service Defined7:03 – Redefining Client Success9:11 – Impact Stories & Wins13:38 – Branding as Truth16:27 – Scaling Without Losing Values17:15 – Brand3 Core Values18:26 – Origins as a Design Shop21:34 – Branding Beyond Marketing23:34 – Values Mirror the Founder26:01 – Core Values in Action26:58 – Scaling Slippery Slopes31:11 – Redefining Success Metrics35:14 – Helping People Who Help36:23 – Brand Strategy Rapid Fire37:16 – Marketing Goes Relational38:36 – Sales Truth Telling40:12 – Client Experience by Design41:38 – Client Highlights, Not Bragging43:18 – Behind the Brand Quiz46:48 – Closing Thanks & Where to Find UsThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What you focus on when you start in business has a massive impact on what happens when you grow.Anna Halaburda has been focusing on quality service at scale — not because she stumbled into it, but because she built Be Ready Exit Solutions with the end in mind from the very start. As a CPA, Certified Exit Planning Advisor, and founder of one of the few true exit planning firms in the lower middle market, Anna has spent her career helping business owners protect and transfer what they've spent their lives creating.What makes Anna's perspective so sharp is that she doesn't just advise her clients on scalable systems and quality control — she applies those same standards ruthlessly to her own business. Be Ready is her most important client. And the way she's navigated growth, managed collaborating advisors, and protected her brand vision while staying true to what made her unique is a masterclass in principled scaling.If you lead a service business and you've ever felt the tension between growing bigger and staying great, this conversation will give you language and a framework for that challenge you probably didn't have before.HighlightsWhy Anna treats Be Ready Exit Solutions as her most important client — and what that actually looks like in practiceThe "eat your own cooking" principle: you can't advise clients on systems and scalability if you haven't built them yourselfHow Anna used collaborative business models to grow — and why finding clients through other advisors is far more efficient than going directThe employee mindset vs. the entrepreneur mindset — and why the difference matters enormously when you're scaling through partnersWhy "exit planning" has a perception problem, and how Anna reframes the conversation with business ownersThe engagement map: how making your internal process visible to clients builds trust and eliminates the silence that drives them crazyWhy Anna deliberately does not try to become her clients' friend — and how that actually serves them betterThe importance of industry-standard SOPs: if you're telling your clients they need them and you don't have them yourself, you shouldn't be in businessWhat private equity firms contacting Anna twice a day says about where the exit planning industry is headingChapters5:38 — What's at Stake: The Emotional Weight of Business Exit6:31 — Scaling Was Never an Accident: Built In from Day One8:21 — Eat Your Own Cooking: Be Ready as Its Own Best Client12:45 — The Collaborative Model: Finding Clients Through Advisors16:34 — The Messaging Challenge: Defining the Brand Under Pressure25:24 — SOPs, Workflow, and Value Billing: Building the Spine of the Business40:45 — The Partner Mindset Shift: Employee Thinking vs. Entrepreneurial Thinking44:42 — Messaging at Scale: Getting Other Advisors to Believe It47:54 — The Human Element: Why Speaking Beats Everything Else in B2B1:00:17 — Advice to Younger Anna: Stay the Course1:01:49 — Behind the Brand: Getting to Know the HumanResources MentionedBe Ready Exit Solutions — bereadyexits.comInternational Exit Planning Association (IEPA) — The certification body for exit planning advisors: theiepa.comThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What does it really take to change the way we think about aging — and build a community that proves it?Bernadette Wagner, founder and CEO of Primetime for Women, has spent years doing exactly that. What started as a mission to bring women 40 and over together around three research-backed pillars — positive social connections, lifelong learning, and healthy lifestyles — has grown into a vibrant, intergenerational community rooted in a simple but powerful idea: give and gain. From a weekly walking group that hasn't missed a single Wednesday in four years, to an International Women's Day conference that draws speakers from across the country, to a golf league for complete beginners called "Connections Over Competition," Bernadette shows us what it looks like to scale an organization without losing its soul. And she does it all as an all-volunteer nonprofit — fueled by community, collaboration, and the unshakeable belief that you don't know until you try.HighlightsPrimetime for Women was founded on three research-based factors that influence physical health, emotional wellbeing, and longevity: positive social connections, lifelong learning, and healthy lifestyles — or as Bernadette puts it, "people, passion, and purpose."Walking to Wellness has welcomed 398 different participants and walks every single Wednesday — indoors, outdoors, rain or shine — for four years without missing once.The International Women's Day conference, now in its third year, is held in partnership with a local college, features speakers who volunteer their time, and is driven entirely by community sponsorships and donations.The golf league "Connections Over Competition" was created to introduce women — including Bernadette herself, who had never touched a club — to golf in a welcoming, low-pressure environment.A program called "A Year of Hikes" took Bernadette on the same 4-mile section of the Appalachian Trail with 52 different women during the pandemic — creating what she calls "trail intimacy" and a blog series published on the Primetime for Women website.Scaling isn't always smooth — Bernadette shares candid stories about transitioning Walking to Wellness from outdoor parks to an indoor college track, navigating grant funding roadblocks, and the honest question of what happens to the organization when she's ready to step back.The smoothie bike started as a beat-up donated bicycle with a blender duct-taped to it, and eventually became a professionally built piece of equipment funded by a grant — and now a potential revenue source at community events.Men show up too. Three male regulars now set up the Primetime for Women banner every week — and shirts reading "Prime Time for Women and the Smart Men Who Support Them" have become part of the community.The "give and gain" philosophy that Bernadette instills in the women she serves is the same mindset she applies to leading and growing the organization itself.Chapters0:00 — Welcome Back Intro0:50 — Key Takeaways Preview2:50 — Meet Bernadette Wagner3:13 — Changing the Script on Aging4:57 — Saturday in the Park6:05 — International Women's Day Conference9:22 — Walking to Wellness Magic11:52 — Why Connections Get Hard13:14 — Golf League for Beginners16:43 — Measuring Service Impact18:22 — Stories of Transformation23:31 — Book Club & Lifelong Learning26:30 — Scaling Challenges Ahead30:22 — Unexpected Support Arrives32:26 — Scaling Walking to Wellness34:56 — The Smoothie Bike Breakthrough37:16 — Collaboration Over Competition40:53 — Evolving the Audience Story44:07 — Inclusive Giving and Donors45:46 — Member Voices and Amplification48:32 — Brand Story and Funding Hurdles52:56 — Behind the Brand Q&A55:44 — Final Takeaways & Where to Find ThemResourcesPrimetime for Women — Learn more, donate, find events, and read the blog (including Cultures, Cooking and Connections and the 52 Weeks hiking series)Infinite Legacy — Organ and tissue donation organization; a speaker from Infinite Legacy (Taylor Massey) presented at a Walking to Wellness sessionThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What does it really take to grow a service business without losing the personal touch that made it great in the first place? That tension — between scaling and staying true to your clients — is one every service-based business owner knows. After 28 years of building Gerety Insurance from a one-person operation into a thriving independent agency, Rick Gerety has found a way to do both. His secret? It's not complicated. It's just consistent.HIGHLIGHTSGerety Insurance's five core values — proactive, transparent, relationship-oriented, resourceful, and fun — aren't wall art. They drive hiring decisions, client interactions, and weekly team conversations.When you call Gerety Insurance, a real human answers. Every time. No phone trees, no waiting. That one decision has defined the client experience for nearly three decades.Rick's team proactively pulls renewal lists every week and reaches out to clients facing bigger-than-expected rate increases — before the client ever calls them.A commercial client that started with one guy and one truck has grown to 40 trucks and 100 employees over 25 years — and Gerety has been there every step of the way.Becoming an independent agency (after years as an exclusive Nationwide agent) nearly quadrupled growth — access to 25+ carriers meant they could finally match clients to the right coverage.Separating sales from service roles 10–12 years ago was a turning point that dramatically improved efficiency and the quality of both functions.The EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework helped Rick's team clarify their ideal client, establish written processes, and get the right people in the right seats.Working with Brand3 led to the tagline "Partners for Your Protection" — three words that crystallized what Rick's team had already been doing for years.Gerety now holds over 500 five-star Google reviews and has won the Best of Harford Award for insurance agencies two years running.Rick's advice for navigating the growth-vs.-service tension: keep doing the little things right, and the big things will follow.CHAPTERS0:00 – Welcome and Introductions0:32 – Core Values and EOS3:11 – Small Touches Big Service6:01 – Defining Exceptional Service7:56 – Client Partnerships That Last9:40 – Going Independent and Proactive Renewals12:25 – Scaling the Agency and AI Questions18:18 – Growth Costs and Hiring Reality19:22 – Hardest Values to Keep20:30 – Brand Beyond Marketing21:13 – Partners for Your Protection23:26 – Proof the Message Landed25:39 – Brand3 Strategy Process28:54 – EOS and Written Processes29:42 – Client Experience Relationships30:27 – Little Things and Leadership33:36 – Behind the Brand Quiz34:59 – Personal Joy and Hobbies38:35 – Defining Success and Next StepsRESOURCESGerety Insurance — geretyinsurance.comContact Rick directly — [email protected] (Entrepreneurial Operating System) — eosworldwide.comThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co