Jay Berard explains why great hiring is no longer about resumes, credentials, or polished applications. In a world flooded with AI generated noise, the people who stand out are the ones who know how to build real relationships, communicate clearly, and create trust. He shares why emotional intelligence is becoming more valuable than technical intelligence, and why the best candidates know how to adapt, learn fast, and move through uncertainty.

As the founder and CEO of Jagger, Jay has helped high growth companies hire top talent in one of the most competitive recruiting markets in years. He breaks down why so many companies fail at hiring, why founders often misunderstand the roles they actually need, and how great recruiters identify signals most people completely miss.

In this episode, Jay shares why surviving is different from thriving, how AI is rewriting the recruiting playbook, and why attention has become the most valuable currency in business. He also explains why the best hires are often unconventional, why human connection matters more than ever, and how founders can build stronger teams by first understanding themselves better.

Key Topics:

-AI is completely rewriting the hiring and recruiting playbook

-Emotional intelligence is becoming more valuable than IQ

-Most companies fail at hiring because they do not know what they actually need

-The best hires are identified through conversations, not resumes

-Human connection is becoming more important in an AI driven world

Timestamps:

01:24 How Jay Berard Turned Recruiting Into a High Trust Business

02:10 The Best Entrepreneurs Obsess Over Daily Improvement

03:37 Your Company Will Only Grow as Fast as You Do

05:58 The Shift From Surviving to Truly Thriving

07:12 Why Smart Founders Are Betting Big on AI Right Now

07:56 In Person Relationships Are Becoming More Valuable Again

08:45 The Biggest Hiring Mistake Most Startups Make

10:23 Emotional Intelligence Is Becoming More Valuable Than IQ

12:18 The Best Candidates Tell Stories Differently

13:35 Why First VP of Sales Hires Often Fail

15:15 Companies Fail at Hiring When They Do Not Know Themselves

17:32 Hiring a Great Employee Will Not Fix a Broken Company

21:25 AI Is Flooding the Hiring Process With Noise

23:32 The Best Way to Get Hired Today Is Still Human Connection

25:35 Young People Are Entering the Hardest Job Market in Years

27:05 Attention Is the Most Valuable Currency in Hiring Today

29:32 The Best Recruiters Know How to Cut Through the Noise

31:25 Recruiters Should Be Judged by Pipeline Quality, Not Hires

34:00 The Difference Between Bad, Good, and Elite Recruiters

36:02 Elite Recruiters Start Narrow and Win Faster

37:45 Sometimes There Is Only One Right Candidate in the Market

Connect with - Jay Berard:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/jayberard

Website: http://hellojagger.com

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast⁠

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24⁠Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.hirechore.com/resources/podcast

Jordan Ritter explains why great companies are never built by one person, no matter how visionary the founder may seem. He shares why the best entrepreneurs are not the smartest people in the room, but the ones who know how to build teams, adapt under pressure, and keep moving after constant rejection. For Jordan, startups are not about titles, fundraising, or ego. They are about resilience, culture, and finding people willing to suffer and grow together.

As a six-time founder and former co-founder of Napster, Jordan breaks down the real mechanics behind startup success. He explains why culture matters more than skills in the early stages, how great teams can turn weak ideas into billion-dollar companies, and why hiring should feel like a strong emotional alignment, not just a checklist of qualifications. He also shares his “3 Cs” framework for building elite teams: culture, capacity, and craft.

In this episode, Jordan talks about why fundraising is often misunderstood, why too much money can destroy a company, and why the real achievement is building a product people genuinely love. At its core, this conversation is about building companies through people, surviving uncertainty, and understanding that the hardest part of entrepreneurship is not the product, it is becoming the person capable of leading it.

Key Topics:

-Great companies are built by teams, not solo founders

-The best entrepreneurs adapt when the plan falls apart

-Culture matters more than skills in the early stages

-Fundraising is not the win, building something people love is

-Great teams can turn weak ideas into strong companies

-Leadership starts with self-awareness, resilience, and trust

Timestamps:

02:19 A Plan Is Just a List of Things That Will Not Happen

03:07 No Founder Can Build a Great Company Alone

07:33 Success Belongs to the Team, Failure Belongs to the CEO

10:37 You Need to Keep Getting Back Up After Every Punch

13:23 Great Teams Can Turn Bad Ideas Into Winning Companies

14:00 Culture Is What Makes Startup Teams Survive

16:19 Your Team Is More Valuable Than Your Product

18:08 The Best Interviews Reveal the Person Behind the Resume

21:45 Hiring Should Be a Strong Yes or an Easy No

28:52 It Is Better to Suffer Alone Than With the Wrong People

35:03 Prove the Tech Works Before You Sell the Dream

40:54 Startup Success Always Comes Back to the Team

44:48 Fundraising Is Not the Achievement

45:24 Be Careful What You Raise Because You Have to Pay It Back

46:08 The Real Win Is Building Something People Love

49:47 Great Leadership Starts With Learning Yourself

51:43 A CEO’s Job Is to Carry the Problems No One Else Can Handle

Connect with - Jordan Ritter:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/jordanritter

Website: darkridge.com

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast⁠

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24⁠Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.hirechore.com/resources/podcast

Mac Lackey explains why most founders do not fail because they lack ambition. They fail because they build businesses that depend entirely on them. After six exits across tech, sports, and media, he learned that real entrepreneurial success is not just about making money, it is about building a business that gives you freedom, optionality, and control over your life.

As the founder of ExitDNA, Mac helps entrepreneurs build companies that can scale, operate, and even sell without the founder being involved in every decision. He shares how becoming a father completely changed the way he worked, why stepping away forced his team to grow, and how great businesses are built by trusting people instead of controlling everything yourself.

In this episode, Mac breaks down why founders stay trapped in execution, how forcing functions create stronger teams, and why mentors, advisors, and self awareness are critical for long term success. At the core, this conversation is about building a company that does not own your life, surrounding yourself with the right people, and learning how to lead without becoming the bottleneck.

Key Topics

-Building a business that does not depend on the founder

-Why founders become the bottleneck without realizing it

-How becoming a father changed the way he built companies

-The forcing function that made his team perform at a higher level

-Why the best entrepreneurs move fast and bet on themselves

-The importance of mentors, advisors, and self awareness in leadership

-Why real entrepreneurial success is about freedom, not just money

Timestamps:

06:24 He Built Wealth, Then Chose Time Instead

07:44 The Business Ran Better When He Stepped Away

09:20 Why Letting Go Is So Hard for Founders

11:43 The 4:45 Rule That Changed His Life

12:26 His Team Leveled Up When He Left the Room

13:26 Founders Are Often the Bottleneck

14:16 The Fastest Way to Force Real Delegation

15:27 Pressure Reveals Who Can Actually Lead

16:31 How Founders Can Escape the Daily Grind

17:57 The Founder Hat and Owner Hat Are Not the Same

19:10 Employees Rarely See the Risk Founders Took

20:39 One Alignment Problem Can Break the Team

21:57 Great Leaders Plan for People to Leave

22:48 Hard Conversations Save Strong Teams

24:16 One Question Exposes Performance Issues Fast

25:40 Why Waiting Too Long Can Hurt Everyone

26:42 Soccer Built His Founder Mindset

27:55 Why He Got Hooked on Startups Fast

29:15 The Timing Bet That Changed Everything

31:18 Why He Thought a Safe Job Was Riskier

31:54 Bet on Yourself, Even If You Miss

33:29 Winners Move Before the Market Agrees

34:52 The Real Reason His Companies Worked

36:00 Most Founders Build Alone When They Should Not

37:57 Smart Advisors Can Save You From Expensive Mistakes

39:36 How Broke Startups Get World Class Advisors

41:20 Ego Keeps Founders Stuck

42:13 Know Your Lane or Lose the Business

43:42 Mentors Do Not Work If You Only Reach Out When You Need Something

45:20 Your Mentor May Not Fit Every Season

46:36 The Right Mentor Knows Your Whole Life

47:36 The Best Mentors Do Not Give Easy Answers

48:17 Fast Founders Need Slow Thinkers Around Them

49:19 Founders Need Someone They Can Be Honest With

50:00 Your Calendar Shows What You Actually Value

50:44 Founders Do Not Fail From Lack of Effort

Connect with - Mac Lackey

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/maclackey

Website:

exitdna.com (Company)

thefenx.com (Company)

maclackey.com (Other)

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast⁠

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24⁠Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.hirechore.com/resources/podcast