The Expansion Myth, Why Growth Exposed What I Didn’t Know About Leadership

Growth is supposed to mean success, but no one talks about what it reveals.

In Episode 5 of Margins & Meaning, John Wilson shares the uncomfortable truth behind expansion: how scaling his dental laboratory exposed leadership gaps, broken assumptions, and the cost of growth without clarity.

This episode isn’t about celebrating wins. It’s about the mistakes that don’t show up on balance sheets, misaligned hires, systems that failed under pressure, and the realization that growth doesn’t fix problems, it magnifies them.

John reflects on the lessons learned while building Sunrise Dental Laboratory, the difference between being busy and being effective, and why leadership is forged more in failure than in success.

If you’re a dental lab owner, technician, entrepreneur, or anyone navigating growth in business or life, this episode is a candid look at why expansion isn’t the goal, understanding is.