Most HR software is boring. Chris Ronzio built one people actually recognize. Chris is the founder and CEO of Trainual, an HR and operations platform used by more than 10,000 companies, including the Phoenix Suns. He has built one of the most recognizable brands in HR tech by turning documentation, SOPs, and training into something scalable and strategic.

In this episode, Mike and Chris break down the early payroll pressure that shaped the company, the creative marketing moves that helped Trainual stand out, how celebrity partnerships accelerated awareness, and why AI will not replace HR but will redefine how it works. They also cover scaling service businesses, product evolution, leadership communication, and the long term vision of a true human resources operating system. If you want to build a business that runs without you, this conversation shows why systems are the foundation.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(02:30) What Trainual Is and Why It Exists

(04:05) Why AI Strengthens HR Instead of Replacing It

(05:20) The Real Reason Trainual Was Started

(08:30) The Leap Into SaaS Without a Playbook

(13:40) The First Creative Celebrity Marketing Bet

(17:05) Measuring Marketing ROI in HR Tech

(21:00) Leveraging Shark Tank Influence for Brand Authority

(29:05) Making HR and SOPs Feel Cool

(32:35) The CEO’s Real Job Inside a Scaling Company

(36:10) The Ideal Service Business for Trainual

(38:00) Strategic Partnerships That Accelerate Growth

(40:05) The Vision for a Human Resources Operating System

If you stepped away from your business for 60 days, would your systems hold up or would everything depend on you? Drop your honest answer below.

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Connect with Chris

Website: https://trainual.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisronzio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisronzio/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisronzio/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Chrisronzio/

CEOs need a true number two who can translate vision into execution, protect the culture, and tell the truth in private when it matters most.

Cameron Herold is a bestselling author, the founder of COO Alliance, and former COO who helped scale 1 800 GOT JUNK from $2 million to $106 million. In this episode, Cameron breaks down what the number one and number two roles really mean, why the CEO and COO relationship works like a marriage, and how great teams debate in private so the company sees one clear direction. If you are a CEO trying to scale or an operator stepping into the second in command seat, this episode gives you the playbook to make the partnership unstoppable.

What is the hardest truth your business needs you to say in private this week, and who is the one person you trust to say it to you?

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(04:12) What a Dysfunctional CEO–COO Relationship Looks Like

(06:29) Why Companies Stall When Vision and Operations Clash

(09:34) What a True C-Level Leader Actually Is

(13:17) How Small Companies Attract Real A-Players

(14:39) What Great CEO–COO Partnerships Actually Look Like

(17:48) The Interview Process for Hiring a True Second-in-Command

(31:24) What Happens After the Video Screening

(40:01) How to Make an Offer That Locks in an A-Player

(43:19) The Right Way to Onboard a COO (First 90 Days)

(51:17) How AI Is Reshaping Leadership Teams and Org Charts

Connect with Cameron

Website: https://cameronherold.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cameron_herold_cooalliance/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cameronherold/

Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameronherold

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CameronHerold/

Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@secondincommandpodcast

DM me GSD on Instagram to learn more about working with me: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive

Book a Call with My Team → https://go.gsdcompany.com/book-a-call-form-page

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive/

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One successful business decision can cost you everything else if you are not intentional. In this episode of the GSD Show, Mike Arce sits down with Scott Donnell, CEO of Fig & Eagle, an entrepreneur who has built ten companies, served over ten million customers, and generated hundreds of millions in revenue.

Scott breaks down why most founders unknowingly cap their growth through exhaustion, how profitable systems create freedom instead of pressure, and why the same principles that build great businesses also build strong families. This conversation explores what it actually takes to scale without losing your health, your family, or your purpose. If you want growth that compounds instead of consuming you, this episode shows you where the real leverage is.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(02:48) The Generational Trap Entrepreneurs Fall Into

(06:12) Why Hustle Stops Working at Scale

(10:41) Systems vs Effort in Business Growth

(15:58) Responsibility Creates Freedom

(21:34) Why Exhausted Founders Hit a Ceiling

(26:52) The Difference Between Growing and Scaling

(32:44) Hiring World-Class People Changes Everything

(38:09) Why Strong Families Build Strong Businesses

(44:40) The Legacy Most Entrepreneurs Actually Want

What part of your life outside of business feels the most exhausted right now? Leave your answer in the comment.

DM me GSD on Instagram to learn more about working with me: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive

Book a Call with My Team → https://go.gsdcompany.com/book-a-call-form-page

Get My Book → https://thestandardisyou.com

Subscribe to My Newsletter → https://mikearce.me

Connect with me

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Connect with Scott:

Website: https://figandeagle.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imscottdonnell/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imscottdonnell/

X: https://x.com/imScottDonnell

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnell-scott/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scottdonnell/videos

Most businesses don’t struggle because of bad marketing. They struggle because the experience doesn’t work.In this episode of the GSD Show, Mike Arce sits down with Joe Polish, founder of Genius Network and one of the most respected minds in direct response marketing and relationship-driven growth. Joe has spent decades helping entrepreneurs build businesses that grow through results, referrals, and reputation instead of louder promotion.

Joe breaks down why scaling too early multiplies problems, how most companies confuse standards with selling points, and why customers only talk about businesses that exceed expectations. This conversation reframes growth around outcomes, experience, and trust instead of tactics. This episode is for operators, founders, and business owners who are tired of pushing harder for diminishing returns and want growth because the business actually works.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(03:10) From Carpet Cleaner to Genius Network

(07:42) Why Marketing Fails When the Experience Is Broken

(12:58) Standards vs Selling Points

(18:21) Why Scaling Too Early Destroys Trust

(23:44) Six Flags vs Disney: A Case Study in Experience

(29:14) The Happy Client Experience Explained

(34:02) Why Referrals Only Happen When Results Are Real

(39:18) Stop Trying to Promote Garbage

(44:41) What If You Only Got Paid After Results

(50:56) Engineering Outcomes Instead of Ads

(56:34) How Growth Becomes Easy When the Business Works

What part of your business experience needs fixing before you spend another dollar on marketing?

Leave your answer in the comments.

DM me GSD on Instagram to learn more about working with me: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive

Book a Call with My Team → https://go.gsdcompany.com/book-a-call-form-page

Get My Book → https://thestandardisyou.com

Subscribe to My Newsletter → https://mikearce.me

Connect with me

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive/

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Connect with Joe:

Listen to the Joe Polish Show: https://www.thejoepolishshow.com/

Website: https://joepolish.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joepolish/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jpolish/

X: https://x.com/JoePolish

Every sales objection you hear is predictable. If you know what to listen for, you can spot it long before it ever comes up. In this episode of the GSD Show, Mike Arce sits down with Cole Gordon, founder and CEO of Closer.io. Cole has trained and advised thousands of closers, sales managers and one of the most respected sales trainers in the high-ticket space. Cole discusses the seven limiting beliefs that sit underneath every objection, why the best sales calls feel consultative instead of pushy, and how resistance gets created accidentally. This episode is for operators, founders, and sales leaders who want cleaner closes, fewer stalls, less ghosting, and conversations that convert without pressure. When beliefs are aligned early, the close becomes logistics.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(03:10) Why Salespeople Lose Control of the Call Early

(07:42) The Moment Prospects Stop Listening

(12:58) Why Talking About the Product Creates Resistance

(18:21) Objection Handling vs Objection Prevention

(23:44) The First Belief Every Sale Depends On

(28:36) How Doubt Shows Up Before Objections

(34:02) The Real Reason Price Comes Up Too Early

(39:18) Why Pushing Harder Makes Sales Worse

(44:41) The Seven Beliefs Behind Every Objection

(50:56) How Belief Gaps Create Ghosting and Stalls

(56:34) When the Close Becomes Simple Logistics

Which of the 7 beliefs do you see stopping your prospects most often right now? Leave your answer in the comments.

DM me GSD on Instagram to learn more about working with me: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive

Book a Call with My Team → https://go.gsdcompany.com/book-a-call-form-page

Get My Book → https://thestandardisyou.com

Subscribe to My Newsletter → https://mikearce.me

Connect with me

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive/?hl=en

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Connect with Cole:

Website: https://closers.io

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colethomasgordon/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/closersintoleaders/

X: https://x.com/realcolegordon?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=closersintoleaders&set=a.608006997557588

This business was making $360k a year and made a $1.5M growth move in 18 minutes. Not by selling more. Not by marketing harder. By fixing one overlooked number. In this episode of the GSD Show, Mike Arce breaks down a real client case where a simple shift in retention completely changed the financial trajectory of the business. Using live math and clear CEO logic, Mike shows how focusing on churn instead of new sales turned average growth into exponential leverage. If you want to understand how high-level operators make decisions that compound instead of stall, this episode gives you the exact thinking behind it.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(00:46) Why This Business Was Stuck at $360K

(01:26) The Hidden Problem Most Owners Miss

(02:39) How Churn Cancels Growth

(03:22) The Simple Formula That Changed Everything

(04:46) Turning Retention Into Revenue

(06:08) Why New Sales Were the Wrong Focus

(07:23) The Compounding Effect of One Fix

(08:13) When the Decision Finally Clicked

(09:12) Why Numbers Are the Language of Business

Have you ever had a single insight change the entire trajectory of your business? Leave your answer in the comments

DM me GSD on Instagram to learn more about working with me: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive

Book a Call with My Team → https://go.gsdcompany.com/book-a-call-form-page

Get My Book → https://thestandardisyou.com

Subscribe to My Newsletter → https://mikearce.me

Connect with me

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikearcelive/

X: https://x.com/mikearcelive

The difference between businesses that scale and those that stall isn’t effort or strategy. It’s customer clarity. In this episode of the GSD Show, Mike Arce sits down with Kaelin Poulin, former founder of Lady Boss, a brand that scaled to over 700,000 customers. Kaelin breaks down how deep customer understanding is built long before ads, funnels, or launches through real conversations, lived experience, and listening to exact customer language. This episode shows operators how true customer clarity turns marketing into leverage, storytelling into conversion, and growth into something repeatable instead of unpredictable.

Chapters

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(02:50) What Is Lady Boss?

(08:45) Getting Involved with Click Funnel

(14:54) Customer Outlook

(18:43) Why Stories Outperform Tips

(22:29) Number 1 Rule for Making Content

(27:02) The Pain and Dream Framework Explained

(34:06) Turning Customer Language Into Scalable Marketing

(40:18) Building Ecosystems, Not Just Products

Are you building your business based on customer conversations or assumptions? Leave your answer in the comments.

DM me GSD on Instagram to learn more about working with me: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive

Book a Call with My Team → https://go.gsdcompany.com/book-a-call-form-page

Get My Book → https://thestandardisyou.com

Subscribe to My Newsletter → https://mikearce.me

Connect with me

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikearcelive/

X: https://x.com/mikearcelive

Connect With Kaelin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaelinpoulin/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaelinTPoulin/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC_Qut-ONhFUkKzUsjuO9eeg

Most business advice fails not because it is bad, but because it is applied without the right thinking. In this episode of the GSD Show, Mike Arce breaks down why copying strategies, tools, and tactics almost always leads to frustration. Using clear analogies and real operator examples, Mike explains how principle-based thinking creates better decisions across marketing, sales, retention, and leadership. This episode is for business owners who are tired of chasing best practices and want a framework for thinking that actually transfers across industries, stages, and seasons of growth. If you want advice to finally work for your business instead of against it, this episode shows you the shift that makes everything else easier.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(01:20) The Wrong Question Entrepreneurs Keep Asking

(03:10) The Marriage Analogy That Explains Everything

(04:30) “What Do You Do?” vs. “How Do You Think?”

(06:05) Why Copying Tactics Fails in Marketing and Sales

(07:45) Assets, Context, and Decision Filters

(09:15) Principle-Based Thinking vs. Best Practices

(10:55) How to Ask Better Questions Going Forward

What is one area of your business where copying tactics has not worked for you? Leave your answer in the comments.

DM me GSD on Instagram to learn more about working with me: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive

Book a Call with My Team → https://go.gsdcompany.com/book-a-call-form-page

Get My Book → https://thestandardisyou.com

Subscribe to My Newsletter → https://mikearce.me

Connect with me

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikearcelive/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikearcelive/

X: https://x.com/mikearcelive