Many entrepreneurs build businesses only to hit a wall. Growth stalls, burnout creeps in, and despite all the hard work, the business feels more like a trap than a path to freedom.

It’s a frustrating cycle—owners pour themselves into operations, avoid narrowing their niche, and get stuck doing work that doesn’t align with their strengths. The result? A profitable business that still leaves its owner feeling drained, directionless, and disconnected from their true purpose.

In this episode, Jeff Kikel talks with Christian Brim—CPA, podcaster, and now self-styled “Profit Prophet”—about how he rebuilt his firm by embracing EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), niching down to creatives, and shifting his mindset from features and benefits to solving emotional needs. Christian shares his journey of stepping away, burning out, and ultimately coming back stronger by redefining success and focusing on what really matters.

Key Takeaways:

• Why Christian left his accounting firm, started a software company, and eventually returned with a new vision.

• How implementing EOS transformed his leadership and business growth.

• The power of narrowing your niche—and why creatives became his firm’s focus.

• Why clients don’t buy “bookkeeping and taxes,” but instead a feeling of control around money.

• How to avoid the trap of being the bottleneck in your own company.

• Why screening clients for mindset and willingness to change is essential.

• Christian’s new brand as “The Profit Prophet” and why clarity beats complexity.

• His creative side project: writing a historical fiction love story about the Choctaw Nation.

About the Guest:

Christian Brim, CPA, brings a wealth of experience and a deeply personal mission to his work in helping business owners with their finances. With over 25 years of experience, his background in both personal and professional finance, as well as his own family's experience with bankruptcy, gives him a unique perspective and empathy for his clients.

Links:

https://christianbrim.com/

Fast Five Questions:

1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? “I think it would be doing what I’m starting to re-doing, which is go and help business owners get stuck. My niche is entrepreneurs that have success, but then they’re stuck at that level. That’s what I would do.”

2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? “Functionally, it is getting in my own way. Practically, it was hanging on too long to the sales and marketing seat. I wasn’t the right person, but I didn’t let go until it cut down to the bone.”

3. What is a book that you would recommend? “Besides the Bible: The E-Myth, Scaling Up by Vern Harnish, Traction by Gino Wickman. Also Confessions of a Pricing Man, Alchemy by Rory Sutherland, and Greatness Cannot Be Planned.”

4. What is a tool that you use every day that you would recommend? “I’ve tried a lot of AI tools, but what I’ve leaned into is relearning coding—not to code myself, but to understand software development better and work with people who do.”

5. What is your definition of freedom? “My initial answer is in Christ. But secularly, freedom is knowing why you’re doing what you’re doing. Not just following expectations. It’s having both money and time to do what you’re called to do, under the umbrella of your purpose.”

About Jeff:

Jeff spent the early part of his career working for others. Jeff had started 5 businesses that failed before he had his first success. Since that time he has learned the...

Many mid-career professionals dream of leaving the 9–5 grind, but the fear of starting a business from scratch holds them back. Creating systems, building operations, and taking on risk can feel overwhelming.

This fear keeps people stuck—working long hours for someone else’s dream, instead of building their own. Too often, people dive into the wrong franchise, like restaurants, without understanding the razor-thin margins and lifestyle demands. The result? Burnout, financial strain, and disappointment.

In this episode, Jeff Kikel sits down with James Hilovsky, franchise consultant and founder of The Fran Dream. With over 20 years inside the franchise world—supporting openings, operations, and franchisees—James reveals how franchising can be the ultimate “business in a box” when done right. He explains what makes a good franchise fit, common mistakes people make, and how to choose a path that builds wealth, freedom, and legacy.

Key Takeaways:

• How James went from Del Taco corporate to scaling Pyology from 1 to 100 locations.

• Why not all franchises are created equal—and why restaurants are often the riskiest.

• The benefits of working with a franchise consultant vs. going it alone.

• How to choose franchises that fit your lifestyle, goals, and risk tolerance.

• Why mindset and willingness to “bet on yourself” are the key traits of successful franchisees.

• The step-by-step process of evaluating, funding, and validating a franchise.

• Why support from franchisors and fellow franchisees makes all the difference.

• The truth about margins, training, and why some businesses are better avoided.

About the Guest:

James is a former minor league baseball player who knows firsthand what it’s like to face the question, “What’s next?” After his time in professional sports, he transitioned into the restaurant industry, steadily working his way up through the ranks. Yet, even after years of climbing the corporate ladder, he held onto a bigger vision owning something of his own.

That pursuit led James into the world of franchising, where he discovered his passion: helping others make the leap into business ownership. Today, he guides aspiring entrepreneurs, former athletes, and career professionals through the process of finding the right franchise to match their goals, lifestyle, and investment level. He represents more than 400 brands across industries such as kids’ education, fitness, senior care, home services, and beyond.

In addition to supporting new franchise owners, James also partners with independent business owners who want to scale their companies by turning them into franchise models.

Whether someone is transitioning from sports, seeking a way out of the corporate grind, or simply exploring entrepreneurship, James brings a unique perspective and real-world insight into what it takes to succeed in franchising and how to build a business that truly works for one’s life.

Links:

https://www.thefrandream.co

Fast Five Questions:

1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? “I would use my knowledge on my laptop to start conversations right away—reaching out to my network, creating quick content, connecting with franchisors. Conversations become candidates. Networking and relying on my network would get me back up.”

2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? “In corporate, it was playing office politics instead of standing by what I knew was best for my team. As an entrepreneur, it was losing focus on customers—the main thing is always the main thing.”

3. What is a book that you would recommend?...

We spend more hours than ever glued to our screens—and our eyes are paying the price. From dry eye to macular issues, the digital age is creating new vision problems we never faced before. Yet, most people ignore it until it’s too late.

If you’ve ever ended the day with tired, burning eyes, struggled with blurred vision after long Zoom sessions, or watched your kids glued to their iPads, you know this isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a health crisis. Traditional solutions like vitamins, glasses, or eye drops often get ignored, leaving millions vulnerable.

In this episode, Jeff Kikel sits down with Dr. Roger Wu, an eye doctor and serial entrepreneur who created iDrink—a science-backed beverage designed to fight digital eye strain. Dr. Wu shares how he went from frustration in his practice to launching a “Gatorade for your eyes,” why blue light is more dangerous than you think, and how he’s scaling a wellness product in an entirely new industry.

Key Takeaways:

• Why digital screens are causing dry eye and macular damage in younger patients.

• The science behind iDrink, and why hydration and omega-3s are key for eye health.

• How Dr. Wu pivoted from medicine to entrepreneurship—despite having no beverage background.

• Why “premium ingredients” matter when building a wellness product.

• The cultural shock of moving from healthcare into the slow-paced beverage industry.

• How iDrink is rolling out—from optometry practices to trade shows, and eventually into Whole Foods and beyond.

• Why investors in healthcare see massive opportunity in eye wellness products.

• The long-term vision: scaling globally while protecting proprietary manufacturing methods.

About the Guest:

Dr. Roger Wu is a board-certified optometrist who has spent more than two decades helping people see the world more clearly. When smartphones and constant screen time became the norm, Dr. Wu noticed a new wave of complaints in his clinic—burning, gritty “computer eyes,” blurry vision after endless Zoom calls, and early signs of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).

Recognizing that screens were here to stay, he set out to do more than prescribe eye drops and tell patients to blink. Partnering with nutrition scientists, he created The Eye Drink—a ready-to-drink, fruit-flavored beverage that delivers AREDS2 nutrients plus highly absorbable, plant-based (triglyceride-form) Omega-3s. In a 90-day pilot study with real patients, every participant’s macular pigment optical density—a key marker of retinal health—improved, while dry-eye symptoms fell.

Links:

https://theeyedrink.com/

Fast Five Questions

1. If you woke up and your business was gone, you have $500, a laptop, a place to live, and food, what would you do first? "I probably look for an optometrist’s job opening locally first. Start working for someone, and then either during lunchtime or after hours try to explore other opportunities. That’s what I would do, start saving up enough money."

2. What is the biggest mistake that you have made in business? "Not raising enough money for my previous startup. People told me not to start until I had $7–7.5 million raised, but we started with less than $200,000. We had a unique algorithm, but when the pandemic hit, we didn’t have enough funding to survive."

3. What is a book that you would recommend? "Blue Ocean Strategy—definitely one of my favorites. Also Patrick Bet-David’s book, Your Next Five Moves."

4. What is a tool that you use every day that you would recommend? "That’s tough—I’m a workaholic. I get up at five, answer emails. Honestly, if there was an AI that could respond to emails for me, that would...