The Decision by EO Nashville

Leon Leinbach is the Founder of Keystone Construction, a post-frame construction company helping owners build their dream structures. He is also the Founder and CEO of Blue Jay Garage Doors, which provides and installs garage doors, openers, and springs for homeowners and businesses. With 16 years of experience in the pole barn building industry, Leon has erected over 2,000 projects through Keystone Construction. In this episode… Spirited entrepreneurs often launch their businesses as solo operations as they try to execute a swift vision. Yet eventually, these professionals must structure their companies to scale or risk losing money. How can you reinvent your business with experienced talent, core values, and a robust company culture? With an entrepreneurial urge to satisfy, Leon Leinbach founded a construction company after overseeing a business as a foreman. After managing the entire operation singlehandedly, Leon realized he had to delegate responsibilities. However, without the knowledge or resources to train qualified employees, his company culture became a toxic environment, and he began losing revenue. Faced with a heavy decision to either sell his family’s farm or the business, Leon moved into a small property and restructured his company. When restoring your business, establishing core values and holding culture meetings to uphold those values allows you to attract and retain compatible talent for a prosperous company. On this episode of EO Nashville’s The Decision, Leon Leinbach, the Founder of Keystone Construction, joins Robert Hartline and Eric Jackson to share his company’s path to redemption. Together, they explain how EO members can maximize their membership experiences, the challenges Leon faced and decisions he made managing Keystone Construction, and how he discovered EO Nashville.

Danielle McGee is the Founder of Black Business Boom, a social enterprise supporting entrepreneurship in black communities. She is also a professor at Tennessee State University and the Founder of Black Owned Nashville, a network of thousands of Nashville-based Black entrepreneurs. As a certified digital marketer and passionate business leader, Danielle bridges the gap between business owners and the community.  In this episode… Some entrepreneurs are so dissatisfied with the corporate environment that they launch a business without thoroughly assessing the financial and legal aspects that come with it. Instead, entrepreneurs should only embark on a business venture once they’ve identified a central mission. Learn how you can create the business of your dreams with support and experience. Desperate to escape the corporate confines, Black entrepreneur Danielle McGee opened a spa. Yet without proper zoning requirements, she couldn’t offer massages, which impacted revenue significantly. Determined to make a living as a full-time entrepreneur, Danielle spent nights and weekends bartending, cleaning houses, and working as an Uber driver. However, she didn’t secure enough revenue to sustain the business. Armed with fresh knowledge and experiences, Danielle identified and honed her vision and joined EO, where she gained strength and moral support to build and scale an impactful business. In today’s episode of The Decision, Eric Jackson and Robert Hartline sit down with Danielle McGee, the Founder of Black Business Boom, to discuss her mission-driven entrepreneurial journey. Danielle mentions the forum retreat activities that altered her perspective on life, her experience filing for bankruptcy, and how she supports Black entrepreneurs.

Bill McCleskey is the Founder of Mitech, a telecommunications company allowing IT consultants to earn income in business and residential telecom. While working as a Business Account Executive at Comcast, he founded Mitech, which attracted over 70 referral partners and 300 clients within the first year. Bill has been a board member and EO Forum Group Chair at EO Nashville since 2021. In this episode… Entrepreneurs’ Organization is an exceptional resource for navigating personal and professional decisions, but how can you apply the wisdom you obtain in a forum to enhance business value? One spirited entrepreneur transformed his business through various positions on EO Nashville’s board of directors. Find out how! Without fruitful relationships, entrepreneurship can be a lonely expedition, and as Bill McCleskey has observed, the experiences can be isolating when you can’t share them with anyone. After joining EO, he recognized that he could maximize his experience and exposure by giving back and volunteering on the board of directors. This decision allowed him to cultivate and leverage valuable relationships for his business. EO forums and events have a designated structure, so Bill recommends implementing one lesson a month into your business, extending the impact to your team and personal endeavors, In this edition of EO Nashville’s The Decision, Robert Hartline and Eric Jackson talk with Bill McCleskey, the Founder of Mitech, about how he leverages his EO experience to maximize business relationships. Bill also mentions his crucial acquisition decision, his career journey from a Comcast employee to an entrepreneur, and why he runs marathons.

Dan Manson, CADC-CS, is the Co-founder, President, and Chairman of Elevate Addiction Services, a residential drug and alcohol rehab program that treats addiction using a holistic approach. With over 25 years of experience in the substance abuse treatment industry, he is a Certified Addiction Treatment Counselor (CATC) and a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor-Clinical Supervisor (CADC-CS). Dan has served as a rehab director, managing multiple facilities and working with employees, contractors, vendors, government officials, and politicians. He has also appeared on television, radio, and news channels. In this episode… Entrepreneurship promotes independence and allows professionals to execute their vision and values. However, if your business is licensed under a corporation, your ideas are often appropriated and your leadership limited. Hear how a Nashville newcomer escaped a hegemonic system and discovered his individuality.  With a passion for helping addicts transform their lives, addiction counselor Dan Manson strived to manage his business with heart. Yet the newly appointed management in a licensee corporation had alternative ideas and suppressed all of Dan’s efforts, leading him to sacrifice his virtue to maintain his business. After becoming overburdened by the longstanding oppression, Dan vowed never to be exploited again and, with the help of lawyers, severed his business from the corporation. In light of his experiences, he encourages every entrepreneur to live authentically and trust themselves more than others. With an encouraging EO forum, you can receive accountability to make pivotal decisions. In today’s episode of The Decision by EO Nashville, Robert Hartline and Eric Jackson meet with Dan Manson, the Co-founder, President, and Chairman of Elevate Addiction Services, to talk about his journey to individuality. Dan shares his identity before joining EO, how he began counseling addicts after partying in college, and best practices for participating in EO forums.

Jennifer Ghanem is the Founder, Owner, and Attorney at The Row Title & Escrow, LLC, a boutique real estate settlement services company. She is also a Founding Partner at Keller, Turner, Andrews, and Ghanem, PLLC, a boutique law firm catering to the needs of entertainers, athletes, and entrepreneurs. As a licensed lawyer, Jennifer represents developers, buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, homeowners associations, and financial institutions in real estate transactions, including residential purchases and commercial property acquisitions. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she served as in-house counsel for First American Corporation, a Fortune 500 company. In this episode… For many entrepreneurs, a market collapse is one of the most harrowing experiences. Without proper support, guidance, and resources, this can lead to bankruptcy. How can you recover your business after a significant revenue loss? Real estate entrepreneur Jennifer Ghanem had the ideal business with top-tier talent and enough revenue to provide them with adequate pay and benefits. However, when interest rates spiked and stalled real estate transactions, Jennifer’s revenue plummeted by 80%, forcing her to cut her leading talents’ hours and pay and obtain a loan from the bank to offset the loss. This experience taught her the importance of flexibility and establishing an emergency fund. Jennifer suggests leveraging your forum for tips on saving money and allocating crucial business assets for times of need. On this episode of The Decision, Eric Jackson and Robert Hartline welcome Jennifer Ghanem, the Founder, Owner, and Attorney at The Row Title & Escrow, LLC, who talks about the turning point in her entrepreneurial journey. Jennifer discusses her identity before joining EO, the lessons she learned after recovering her business, and how she facilitated a forum retreat around a book reading.

Matthew Charette is a serial entrepreneur and restaurateur who sold three restaurants in 2023. With many years of experience in the hospitality industry, his skills include management, strategic planning, leadership, public speaking, and team building. Matthew is also a former US Marine Intelligence Analyst and Operator. In this episode… It’s natural for entrepreneurs to feel trapped by their businesses, especially if they lack a clear direction and sound systems to reach their goals. Yet even with a robust business model, entrepreneurs may consider selling their companies. With your business tied to your identity, how can you establish and attain new goals? Multi-restaurant entrepreneur Matthew Charette believed his businesses were scaling seamlessly. After joining Catalyst and, later, EO, he realized his restaurants couldn’t operate without him. His experience observing others’ successes and failures allowed him to build systems and a high-performing management team. However, once Matthew reached the pinnacle of his progress, he struggled to identify a new direction, leading him to sell his business and create a lasting legacy in EO. When you have forum mates invested in your future, you can establish and accept decisions and goals. In this episode of EO Nashville’s The Decision, guest Matthew Charette joins Robert Hartline and Eric Jackson to share his trajectory in EO and restaurant ownership. Matthew talks about how he rebuilt his restaurant sites following a tornado, his experience with PTSD, and how to give back to your forum.

Michael Ramsey is the Clinic Director at We Grow Hair at PAI Medical Group, a clinic offering hair transplants and non-surgical hair restoration. After receiving a failed hair transplant, he partnered with the PAI Medical Group to open its first US-based hair restoration clinic in Nashville. As a senior medical consultant, Michael has specialized in hair restoration since 1999. In this episode… As an entrepreneur, your business will go through many iterations as you grow personally and professionally. What began as an experiential vision may evolve to accommodate new goals. Learn how a solutions-oriented entrepreneur elevated his business through community support and strategies. Having experienced hair loss and the embarrassment of a botched hair transplant, Michael Ramsey opened a clinic to help others avoid similar experiences. While this vision was enough to sustain the business through launch, Michael realized he lacked the operational knowledge to scale. After joining an EO forum and engaging with experienced professionals, he leveraged EOS to work more efficiently and systematically, creating an alternative path for himself and his business. Michael endorses EO as a personal and professional growth mechanism, advising others to invest back into the forum to take control of their entrepreneurial journey and obtain maximum benefits. On this episode of The Decision, Eric Jackson and Robert Hartline welcome their guest Michael Ramsey, the Clinic Director of We Grow Hair at PAI Medical Group. Together, they discuss how support from EO members can elevate the entrepreneurial journey. Michael also shares how he helps people boost their confidence through hair restoration, his experience in EO orientation, and the origin story of his business. 

Robert Hartline is the Founder and CEO of CallProof, a company that helps B2B sales teams manage their customers using a sales activity reporting system. He has been a member of EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) for about eight years. He is also a Professional EOS Implementer for EOS Worldwide, where he shares his experience using the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to scale a business from $10 million to $100 million in three years. Robert is the Founder of 8 Decisions, a life operating system for driven entrepreneurs. Before his current endeavors, Robert founded Absolute Wireless, a wireless retailer with 78 retail locations, which he sold in 2020. In this episode… Many entrepreneurs consider retail one of the most demanding industries, especially for franchisees. These business owners must manage the launch and growth of multiple locations, which often presents unparalleled challenges. Some entrepreneurs become so burned out they consider selling their businesses. When you’ve put so much effort into scaling, is it possible to find an alternative purpose? Long-time retail entrepreneur Robert Hartline became attracted to sales after realizing he could design the lifestyle he desired. His unique ability to repair phones led him to establish a wireless retail store. After joining EO and learning the power of revenue diversification, delegation, and systems, Robert franchised his business from 13 to 78 stores in three years. Yet a string of break-ins, armed robberies, and identity theft incidents left him feeling paranoid and defeated. Although Robert’s acquisition process was plagued by fraud and legal issues, his EO forum helped him navigate the process and discover his true calling. Rather than feeling like a prisoner of your business, Robert affirms you can partner with mentors to share stories, refine your vision, and embark on an alternative career path. Join Eric Jackson as he interviews Robert Hartline, CallProof’s Founder and CEO, about his professional growth journey. Robert talks about being raised in a Nazi training facility, the event that facilitated his sobriety, and how he realized he wasn’t cut out for the music industry.

Eric Jackson is the Founder and CEO of Element 47, a web design and marketing agency that helps businesses reach their marketing goals and connect to their next customer. Eric has been a member of EO for about 15 years. Before Element 47, he was the Founder and Managing Partner at Keystone Business Solutions and the President of the EO Nashville Chapter. In this episode… Many first-time entrepreneurs undertake multiple ventures, launching, buying, and selling various businesses before settling on a single industry or niche. Despite the volatility of early ownership, entrepreneurs have a propensity for self-employment. Hear about the trials and tribulations of the entrepreneurial journey from a seasoned businessman who has done it all. After dabbling in printing and advertising, Eric Jackson launched a web development agency with a business partner. Yet partnerships aren’t always beneficial, as Eric discovered after trying to scale his company with two separate visions. Having made unproductive decisions, endured industry shutdowns from the pandemic, and struggled with alcohol addiction, Eric honed and developed his leadership skills. He recommends developing a trusted leadership team that can assume major responsibilities and make pivotal decisions, allowing you to focus on growth and relationship-building. In today’s The Decision podcast episode, Eric Jackson joins Robert Hartline to talk about his entrepreneurial endeavors. Eric shares how to own your EO forum experience, the significance of forum clearing rounds, and how sobriety impacts leadership.

Joe F. Brannon III is the Founder and CEO of TL Connects, which helps businesses increase revenue by building stronger relationships with their customers. He is also the Founder and CEO of textLiving, a customer loyalty and text marketing platform. As a servant leader, Joe focuses on building his company, team, customers, and software. In this episode… Studies show that 99% of early-stage businesses never reach $1 million in sales. Additionally, less than 1% of companies attain $10 million during their tenure. Would you venture into entrepreneurship if you knew the hardships you faced would reap little reward? With a $1 million minimum revenue to join, Entrepreneurs’ Organization comprises business owners who defy the 1%. A case in point is software builder Joe F. Brannon III, who had built and lost several profitable businesses before declaring bankruptcy. Determined to remain an entrepreneur for the long term, he began teaching other business owners how to build and scale software companies. Yet this business was not without its challenges, so Joe joined EO for emotional support and guidance. By presenting crucial decisions and obstacles before a structured forum, you can gain clarity and scale beyond $1 million through thought-provoking questions and shared experiences. In the latest episode of The Decision, Robert Hartline and Eric Jackson welcome their guest Joe F. Brannon III, the Founder and CEO of TL Connects, who shares his journey through entrepreneurship and EO. Joe explains how EO facilitated his personal growth, his transition from managing a $10 million company as an employee to building proprietary software, and how to conduct EO forum presentations.