Listen: unscriptedsmallbusiness.com Host: Jeremy Rivera Guest: Chad T. Jenkins, Founder of SeedSpark & The CoLAB

Chad T. Jenkins grew up on a small farm in South Carolina, started his first real estate deal at age 11, and spent 25 years building over 50 businesses across wireless phones, data centers, construction, HVAC, GPS leasing, and more. Then he stopped. Not because he failed — but because he found something better: engineered collaboration.

In this episode, Chad breaks down the framework he calls the VCR Formula (Vision + Capability × Reach = Success), explains why most entrepreneurs suffer from a WHO deficiency, and shares how his CoLAB community grew to 700+ collaborations in just 18 months — outpacing his entire 25-year history of starting companies.

Jeremy and Chad also dig into the real role of AI in entrepreneurship, how to structure collaboration outcome splits, and why "showing up at the receiving dock" is the ultimate growth strategy.

• Why an 8-year-old riding horses at auction is the perfect metaphor for understanding leverage
• The John Baptiste Say definition of an entrepreneur — and how it reframes everything
• The WHO deficiency: what's really blocking growth for most entrepreneurs and business owners
• The VCR Formula (Vision + Capability × Reach = Success) — and how to map your P&L to it
• The four types of Capability: ownership, ability, capacity, and cash
• The four types of Reach: eyeballs, minds, hearts, and DNA-level
• Why "Future Backward" planning beats "Current Forward" every time
• How to structure a collaboration outcome split (the 10-20 / 60-80 / 10-20 rule)
• What Chad calls the "Idea Economy" — and why the task economy is over
• How to use AI as a PhD-level assistant without losing your human competitive edge
• The "Name the Baby" tool for creating intellectual property from collaborations

"A true entrepreneur is someone who relentlessly seeks leverage." — Chad T. Jenkins

"Stop trying to grow through effort. Start focusing on what you have, combining it with what others have, and ask one question: How do you want to split the outcome?" — Chad T. Jenkins

"The only thing cash does is pay for somebody's vision or buy somebody else's capability." — Chad T. Jenkins

"Always show up at the receiving dock, not the procurement office. Future money is always up for grabs." — Dean Jackson (via Chad T. Jenkins)

Chad T. Jenkins / SeedSpark

• Website: seedspark.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chadtjenkins
• CoLAB Programs: seedspark.com/programs
• CoLAB Partner™: seedspark.com/colab-partner
• Kickstarter Events (twice monthly): seedspark.com/colab-kickstarter
• CoLABcon (October, Charlotte NC): seedspark.com/events
• Tools (Name the Baby, Future Backward): seedspark.com/tools
• Books (Friction Fuel, Just Add a Zero): seedspark.com/resources/books
• Blog: seedspark.com/resources/blog
• Real Collaborations: seedspark.com...