What if the scoreboard you’ve been chasing your entire life is the wrong one?

In this solo episode of The Long Game, Josh Sparks shares the story behind The Stoic CEO, a keynote that challenged how leaders think about success, ambition, discipline, and fulfillment.

Josh grew up in chaos. Foster care. Addiction in the home. Survival mode from an early age.

That survival instinct eventually turned into ambition.

He built a roofing company that grew into 25 brands across North America and nearly 1,500 employees. From the outside, it looked like success.

But internally, something was still missing.

This episode explores the realization that many ambitious people eventually face:

You can win the scoreboard you created in your head… and still feel unfulfilled.

Drawing from Stoic philosophy and real leadership experiences, Josh breaks down the four virtues that changed how he approaches business and life:

Wisdom
Courage
Justice
Temperance

Along the way, he shares lessons on:

Leadership under pressure
The difference between intelligence and wisdom
Firing toxic high performers
Discipline vs motivation
Building culture through accountability
Why most people anchor happiness to the future
Reframing adversity and setbacks
Creating a life that can withstand chaos

This is a conversation about becoming the kind of person capable of building something meaningful without losing yourself in the process.

Because eventually every leader has to answer the same question:

What scoreboard are you actually playing for?

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The Long Game is a podcast hosted by Josh Sparks, featuring conversations about leadership, entrepreneurship, personal growth, and what it really takes to build enduring businesses and meaningful lives.

Josh is the founder of Infinity Home Services, one of North America’s largest residential roofing and exterior services organizations, with 25 brands across the United States and Canada.

Through conversations with founders, operators, executives, and industry leaders, The Long Game explores the lessons, principles, failures, and philosophies behind sustainable success, both in business and in life.

Because the best things are rarely built overnight.

In this episode of The Long Game, Josh sits down with Sebastian Jimenez, founder and CEO of Rilla, to break down what actually separates elite sales reps from everyone else.

This isn’t opinion. It’s based on millions of real, in-home sales conversations across roofing and home services.

We get into:

The exact communication patterns of top 1% reps
Why average reps talk too much and lose deals
How elite reps handle objections without creating tension
The “relief valve” that drives urgency without pressure
What most sales training gets wrong
How AI is changing the way sales teams are coached and developed

If you run a sales team or sell in the home yourself, this is a look at what’s really happening in those conversations and where deals are won or lost.

This is how top operators think, coach, and improve.

If you want, I can also add a stronger CTA at the end depending on whether you want this to drive inbound, recruiting, or just engagement.

Infinity Home Services is on a mission to save our communities from unscrupulous contractors by partnering with great operators across the country.

If you’re a home services business owner and want to learn more about what a partnership could look like, connect with us here:
https://www.infinityhomeservices.com/Contact

Subscribe for more conversations with operators playing the long game.

Most people think scaling a company is about growth.

More revenue. More people. More markets.

But the reality is, what gets you to $5M… or even $20M… is not what gets you to $500M.

In this episode of The Long Game, Josh sits down with IHS CEO Jay Teresi to talk about what it actually takes to run a $500M+ home services company.

From leadership and decision-making to building teams and creating alignment at scale, this conversation breaks down the shift from being an operator to leading an organization.

They cover:

What changes as a company scales
Where most leaders struggle when they step out of the day-to-day
How to build teams that can operate without you
The difference between managing and truly leading
Why growth alone doesn’t create a great business

Jay brings decades of experience leading at scale, including his time at The Home Depot, and now as CEO of Infinity Home Services.

If you’re building a company and thinking about what the next stage looks like, this is a conversation worth paying attention to.

Infinity Home Services is on a mission to save our communities from unscrupulous contractors by partnering with great operators across the country.

If you’re a home services business owner and want to learn more about what a partnership could look like, connect with us here:
https://www.infinityhomeservices.com/Contact

Subscribe for more conversations with operators playing the long game.

Most roofing companies don’t fail because they can’t install a roof.
They fail because they don’t understand the game they’re playing.

In this episode of The Long Game, Josh Sparks, Founder and Chairman of Infinity Home Services, sits down with Luke Wilson of Skywalker Roofing to talk about why bad roofers continue to win jobs, how they get away with it, and what separates the companies that actually last.

From storm chasers and insurance-driven chaos to cutting corners and racing to the bottom, this conversation breaks down what’s really happening in the industry and why it creates an uneven playing field for great operators.

More importantly, they talk about how to win anyway.

If you’re a roofing company owner, this is a conversation about building something that lasts.
If you’re a homeowner, this will change how you evaluate who you trust with your roof.

Topics include:

- Why bad roofers still win jobs
- The truth about storm work and insurance claims
- Common mistakes contractors make trying to compete
- What great companies do differently
- How to build a roofing business the right way

Infinity Home Services is on a mission to save our communities from unscrupulous contractors by partnering with great operators across the country.

If you’re a roofing business owner interested in learning more about what a partnership could look like, connect with us here:
https://www.infinityhomeservices.com/Contact

Subscribe for more conversations with operators building real businesses in roofing.

What does it take to earn trust over decades, not just quarters?

In this episode of The Long Game, Josh sits down with Mike Saglin to revisit the early, scrappy days of Infinity Exteriors and the transition from founder-led company to the next generation of leadership.

They talk about building from folding tables and mismeasured windows to leading a 7-location operation doing tens of millions in revenue. Mike shares what it was really like stepping into the CEO seat, the pressure of protecting a reputation built over decades, and the mindset required to lead without losing the culture that made the business special.

From Extreme Ownership and Unreasonable Hospitality to pods, process, and people, this conversation is about what actually builds great companies: trust, standards, and relentless care for the customer.

Because leadership isn’t about holding the seat.
It’s about stewarding it well enough to leave it stronger than you found it.

The Long Game is hosted by Josh Sparks, Founder and Chairman of Infinity Home Services, a company on a mission to elevate what it means to be a contractor in North America. Each episode features real conversations with leaders who are focused on people first and long-term impact.

Subscribe for new episodes and more stories from leaders who are playing the long game.

Adam Bensman has spent more than a decade inside the roofing industry, long enough to see both what works and what quietly breaks trust with homeowners.

In this episode of The Long Game, Josh sits down with Adam to talk about the real psychology behind homeowner decisions, why comfort-driven sales tactics often fail long-term, and what it looks like to lead with conviction instead. Adam shares the moments that pushed him to step back, rethink the industry, and ultimately form the Roofing & Solar Reform Alliance to raise standards and protect consumers.

They discuss how sales, marketing, and technology can either serve people or manipulate them, why trust is built through clarity and restraint, and how disciplined operators can win without compromising their values. This is a candid conversation about choosing the harder path, doing the right thing when it would be easier not to, and building businesses that last.

The Long Game is hosted by Josh Sparks, Founder and Chairman of Infinity Home Services, a company on a mission to elevate what it means to be a contractor in North America. Each episode features real conversations with leaders who are focused on people first and long-term impact.

Subscribe for new episodes and more stories from leaders who are playing the long game.

In this episode of The Long Game, Josh Sparks sits down with Steve Stagner, Executive Chairman at Infinity Home Services and former CEO of Mattress Firm, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, growth, and what it takes to build something that lasts.

Steve reflects on decades of experience leading companies through multiple growth cycles, economic downturns, and moments of real uncertainty. He shares how leadership must evolve as organizations scale, why clarity becomes more important than optimism in hard seasons, and how culture is built and protected over time.

Josh and Steve discuss the shift from founder-led organizations to leader-led systems, the importance of trust and accountability, and why great leaders focus on stewardship rather than short-term wins. They also talk about transparency in difficult moments, learning through mistakes, and creating environments where people can grow and take ownership.

This conversation is grounded in practical experience and long-term thinking. It’s about staying steady under pressure, simplifying what matters most, and making decisions today that will still hold up years from now.

The Long Game is hosted by Josh Sparks, Founder and Chairman of Infinity Home Services. Each episode features real conversations with leaders focused on building strong teams, durable cultures, and businesses designed to endure.

Subscribe for more episodes and conversations like this one.