Let’s be blunt: bad hiring isn't just inconvenient — it's expensive. And it’s happening every day because too many leaders treat hiring like a side task instead of a strategic process.

You know what I love about the restaurant business? When something's fucked, you know immediately. The soufflé falls, the sauce breaks, the customer sends back the fish—there's no hiding behind PowerPoint presentations or process improvement buzzwords. Reality has a way of slapping you across the face with a wet towel.

Look, I've been in enough kitchens to know when something's gone wrong. The smell hits you first—that acrid stench of burned opportunity, wasted potential, and cold, hard cash going up in smoke. In the corporate world, that smell is the unmistakable aroma of bad hires, and if you're running a company these days, you're probably drowning in it.

Most interviews today are a joke. They’ve become performative, soft, and more about likability than truth. We’ve turned hiring into dating—gauging chemistry, checking for “vibes,” and avoiding discomfort at all costs. But this culture of polished politeness is costing organizations time, money, and credibility.

Let’s cut the fluff: Gen Z is struggling in the workplace, and a lot of the blame falls on the adults who raised, taught, and coached them. Parents, schools, and youth sports built this generation to chase grades, clout, and dopamine—not to handle hard feedback, ambiguity, or a 7 a.m. team meeting that doesn’t include a ring light.

Walk into just about any company, and you'll find a set of values displayed proudly somewhere—framed on a wall, baked into the website, maybe even printed on water bottles or notebooks. Words like “integrity,” “excellence,” “respect,” or “collaboration” show up time and time again, dressed up as anchors of culture.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: in most organizations, those values are meaningless.

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, companies are rethinking traditional leadership structures. Fractional executive leadership—where experienced operations leaders work part-time across multiple organizations—is gaining significant traction. But is this trend backed by data, or is it simply the latest business fad? Let's examine the numbers behind this growing movement.

Every great team — whether it’s a special forces unit or a world-champion football team — is built on a mix of individuals who bring different strengths to the table, united by a shared mission.

In leadership, clarity isn’t a luxury—it’s the currency.

Leadership isn’t about being in control. It’s about being in motion—pushing forward, stepping into uncertainty, and deliberately choosing the hard path when it leads to growth. That path? It’s always uncomfortable.

Accountability is dead. Leaders still love to say the word, but when it’s time to actually take responsibility? Silence. Excuses. Deflection. It’s a joke.

Leadership at the highest levels is exhilarating—but also isolating. As a CEO or senior executive, you’re expected to have the answers, drive the vision, and inspire the team. But who do you turn to for guidance? Who challenges your thinking, keeps you accountable, and helps you see the blind spots you didn’t know existed?

For many small and growing companies, outsourcing logistics to a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) provider seems like a no-brainer. You get access to industry expertise, infrastructure, and technology without the headache of managing warehouses and transportation. But what happens when your 3PL—your supposed partner—starts calling the shots?

In the fast-paced world of startups and scaling businesses, time and money are two of the most valuable assets. Yet, many founders and executive teams find themselves buried in operational challenges, from inefficient processes to bloated expenses, leaving little room to focus on what truly drives revenue—product innovation and marketing.

This weekend, as I watched my teenagers sleep in until nearly noon, I couldn’t help but marvel at their ability to drift so soundly and effortlessly. It’s been years since I’ve experienced that kind of restful sleep—the kind that leaves you completely recharged.

Let’s not sugarcoat it: climbing the corporate ladder is a challenge for anyone. But doing it as a 6’4”, 270-pound Black man with tattoos is a whole different ballgame. People see you before they hear you. They’ve already decided who you are and what you’re about.

In today’s culture, we are inundated with messages glorifying leadership. Books, podcasts, and seminars relentlessly emphasize the importance of becoming a leader. Leadership is portrayed as the pinnacle of success—the ultimate achievement. Yet, this obsession with leadership has created a fundamental misconception: that everyone can lead, and worse, that everyone should lead.

The 6-hour workday is not just a utopian ideal; it’s a bold strategy that has proven to increase productivity, reduce burnout, and foster happier, healthier teams.

Ah, year-end inventory counts. The time of year when warehouses descend into chaos, managers lose sleep, and teams secretly wonder if they’re being punished for something they did in a past life.

Let’s face it—most startups have champagne dreams but a boxed-wine budget.