AI Is a Tool—Lead Like a Human.
In this Profitability Leadership episode, host Mark Michael Lewis sits down with Chris Trocola (compliance innovator, entrepreneur, and cancer survivor) to unpack how to use AI responsibly, protect customers from AI abuse, and rebuild a culture of vision, accuracy, and resilience.

They explore how to use AI the right way while protecting your team, customers, and business from the wrong uses of AI, and why vision and accurate storytelling remain the ultimate competitive edge.

What you’ll learn
✅ AI is a tool — not a replacement for thinking
✅ Cognitive decline from over-relying on AI
✅ The difference between prompting and leading
✅ Why founders must stay the author (AI is the editor)
✅ Vision must be accurate (empowering) and inspiring (beautiful)
✅ How generic AI language destroys culture and clarity
✅ Leading teams through story, clarity, and meaning
✅ The power of faith, family, and purpose in entrepreneurship

00:00 Intro: Profitability, resilience & ethical AI
01:07 AI is a tool, not a magic wand
03:55 Overuse pitfalls: losing your creative edge
06:16 AI safety: protecting people from AI abuse
08:57 Leadership is storytelling & vision
11:41 The Entrepreneur’s Journey model (4 quadrants)
13:15 Translate the vision for each department
17:02 Accurate + Beautiful stories → action
21:05 Resilience, persistence, and purpose
24:34 Cancellations as growth signals
26:54 KPIs and fundamentals still matter
28:04 Full-business audit: 8 core areas
30:15 Don’t “doctor” your own business
30:57 Chris’s cancer story & comeback
36:37 Resources & close

The Profitability Leadership Podcast provokes entrepreneurs to uplevel their leadership and execute on strategies that increase their throughput and multiply their bottom line.
http://ProfitabilityLeadership.com

To learn more about Mark Michael Lewis, visit
http://TheProfitabilityCoach.com
http://ThrivingPartnerships.com

To learn more about Chris Trocola and download his free book Chains Off, Crown On, visit,
https://arcdefense.us/

Execution beats ideas — every time.

In this episode of the Profitability Leadership Podcast, Mark Michael Lewis sits down with Jesse Holmes, creator of the Effortless Growth method, to decode why entrepreneurs procrastinate — and how to turn ideas into reality with less force and more flow.

If you ever delay big projects, overthink, or wait for “perfect”… this episode will shift your mindset and your results. Whether you're juggling multiple visions, building a new venture, or trying to execute your next move, this conversation gives you a practical, compassionate, and powerful system to take consistent action and grow effortlessly.

What You'll Learn:
✅ The real reason entrepreneurs procrastinate (hint: it’s not laziness)
✅ Why perfectionism is just procrastination in disguise
✅ The “easy, enjoyable, everyday” rule for building unstoppable habits
✅ Why small daily wins beat massive inconsistent effort
✅ How to create momentum fast by taking tiny actions
✅ Turning business ideas into consistent execution + profit
✅ Moving from push-motivation to pull-inspiration

00:00 – Welcome & Episode Introduction
01:08 – Leadership Starts With Leading Yourself
02:07 – Perfectionism = Procrastination
03:32 – Why Entrepreneurs Delay Big Ideas
04:49 – One Bridge at a Time: Pick and Commit
05:59 – Highest-Leverage Actions vs Busy Work
07:38 – Do Only What Only You Can Do
08:09 – "Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Poorly"
09:24 – No Plan Survives Reality: Iterate Fast
10:28 – Minimum Viable Action Beats Perfect Planning
11:57 – Small Steps → Feedback → Momentum
15:41 – The “Easy, Enjoyable, Every Day” Framework
17:31 – Parkinson’s Law & Compressed Action Windows
18:15 – Build the Muscle: Effortless Growth
21:27 – Pull Motivation vs Push Motivation
22:13 – Applying the Method in Leadership & Teams
25:02 – Jesse’s Procrastination-to-Profit Planner
25:52 – Wrap Up & Closing

The Profitability Leadership Podcast provokes entrepreneurs to uplevel their leadership and execute on strategies that increase their throughput and multiply their bottom line.
http://ProfitabilityLeadership.com

To learn more about Mark Michael Lewis, visit
http://TheProfitabilityCoach.com
http://ThrivingPartnerships.com

To Learn more about Jesse Holmes and get Jesse's free Procrastination-to-Profit Planner, visit
http://effortlessgrowth.co
https://www.facebook.com/jesse.holmes.124206

Level-Up through Acquistion
Build your business like an investor — not an operator.
In this episode of the Profitability Leadership Podcast, host Mark Michael Lewis sits down with Billy Bat — entrepreneur, boxer, and M&A + AI systems builder — to break down how real leaders scale and exit.

You'll learn:

✅ When to buy vs build a business
✅ Why your exit strategy must come first
✅ Smart equity & partnership structures
✅ How to acquire talent, not just companies
✅ Using AI to 100x output without 100 hires
✅ How to build GPTs and automation to replace repetitive tasks
✅ Streamlining vs adding — when subtraction accelerates growth

00:00 — Leadership is leverage
03:03 — Self-leadership: business & life
04:45 — Start with the exit (from day one)
07:34 — Exit planning with AI + data
10:56 — Exit structures that actually happen
12:37 — Partner equity, milestones, “date before you marry”
14:35 — PE/VC money, seller financing & transitions
15:20 — When to acquire vs build: complementary assets
16:48 — Buy the agency serving your buyers (genius wedge)
19:09 — First-time acquirer blueprint (SBA + holdbacks)
22:22 — AI without rabbit holes — outcome-driven tools
23:08 — LinkedIn automation that moves deals
24:43 — Real RPA: automating human clicks & workflows
25:38 — Presentation & planning tools for speed
28:17 — Business-plan generators & bank-ready docs
29:07 — Custom GPTs for every business function
30:16 — Case study: AI deal analyzer → 90% cost reduction
31:23 — Auto-approve, one-pagers, Airtable system
32:12 — Leadership lens: expand, exit, enable team
33:15 — Streamline before you add
35:08 — Leadership audit across all functions
36:11 — How to connect with Billy (contact info)

The Profitability Leadership Podcast provokes entrepreneurs to uplevel their leadership and execute on strategies that increase their throughput and multiply their bottom line.
http://ProfitabilityLeadership.com

To learn more about Mark Michael Lewis, visit
http://TheProfitabilityCoach.com
http://ThrivingPartnerships.com

To learn more about Billy Batt and get a free consult on buying or selling a business, visit
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/billy-batt-00916020b/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/billy.batt.568