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Dawn talks with Garrett Maroon, a Southeast Virginia real estate agent of 12+ years, about weighing key variables to build a business aligned with who you are rather than following cookie-cutter industry advice like cold calling or buying leads. Garrett explains he filtered every tactic through whether it fit his wiring and whether it gave or drained energy, ultimately mastering a relationship- and referral-based system that he refined over three and a half years while still achieving early success (27 homes year one, 50 year two) despite being told it wasn’t possible. He credits consistent inputs, building trust through consistent care, and asking better, constrained questions—sparked by his wife’s “under 40 hours” challenge—for sustainable results across market shifts. He also discusses coaching, cutting nonessential activities, and changing entrenched habits with patience and focus.

Who is Garrett Maroon and whom does he serve? (00:45)

Rejecting Cookie Cutter Real Estate (01:24)

Energy Audit and Personal Fit (02:58)

Early Wins and Long Runway (04:25)

Pushing Back on Shoulds (09:02)

Markets Change Trust Stays (12:00)

Proving 50 Deals Under 40 Hours (15:46)

Define Success With Constraints (19:21)

Naivete That Sparked Focus (21:57)

Guardrails Create Freedom (22:43)

Question the Hours Myth (23:29)

Resetting a Busy Business (25:21)

Why Change Takes Time (28:39)

Belief and a North Star (31:46)

Elimination Beats Guessing (36:04)

Rebuilding the Titanic (38:47)

Ten Year Overnight Success (41:55)

Where to Find Garrett (42:37)

Garrett Maroon's Information:
Website: https://www.garrettmaroon.com/about-garrett

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-maroon-50b06135/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@faithfulagent

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/gmaroon/?_rdc=1&_rdr#

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettmaroon/

Podcast: https://thefaithfulagent.buzzsprout.com/

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Dawn talks with financial planner Brian Thompson of Brian Thompson Financial about founders staying in control of their businesses without fusing their identity to the company. Brian explains that businesses can start “driving the ship” on their own momentum, so leaders should build with intention by clarifying mission, vision, and values—both personally and for the business—and repeatedly testing them in everyday decisions. They discuss what to do when personal values evolve out of alignment with the business, including changing the business or letting it go without viewing it as failure, and how to handle external pressure from family and others. Brian emphasizes focusing on process over results, celebrating progress, using practices like journaling and gratitude, embracing emotional humanity in leadership, and recognizing that AI can’t replace genuine connection.

00:49 Who is Brian Thompson, and whom does he serve?

02:06 Founder Identity Shift

03:13 Personal Values Work

04:18 When Values Change

07:02 Handling Outside Opinions

10:47 Revisiting Values Often

12:28 Build Measure Learn

14:16 Process Over Results

17:13 Celebrate the Climb

19:17 Gratitude and Journaling

24:18 Authentic Leadership

26:40 AI and Human Connection

33:02 Evolving Relationships

34:18 Wrap Up and Where to Find

Brian Thompson’s Information:

Website: https://btfinancial.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianthompsonfinancial/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063574958343#

X: https://x.com/BrianFinancial

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Dawn talks with Graham Skidmore about keeping humanity at the center of business amid rapid AI adoption. Graham argues AI should augment human agency like a calculator, not replace people, and warns that capitalism’s push for efficiency can overlook effectiveness, empathy, and stewardship. They discuss how one-size-fits-all systems in education and workplaces stifle human potential by forcing people into a “box,” and how companies often treat empathy as a tool to persuade others to conform rather than truly valuing different perspectives. Graham suggests using AI to remove heavy-lifting tasks so employees can contribute to creative problem-solving, and recommends making idea-sharing a requirement through mechanisms like innovation days or internal “shark tank” pitches. They also address ethical concerns about job displacement and the need to define limits on profit-driven automation.

Who is Graham Skidmore and whom does he serve? (00:49)

AI as a Tool (01:11)

Empathy and Stewardship (03:24)

Breaking the Box (03:48)

Personalized Potential (06:41)

Bridging Perspective Gaps (09:32)

Empathy as a Mask (12:21)

Unlocking Innovation Safely (15:31)

AI to Free Thinking (17:32)

Making Input Required (21:20)

Individualized Learning Example (25:02)

Grow the Box (27:02)

Where to Connect (27:51)

Ethics Beyond Optimization (29:17)

Graham Skidmore’s Information:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/graham-skidmore/

Website: https://harmonyhealthinstitute.com/meet-your-facilitators/

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Thanks for listening. If you liked what you heard and want more, please visit and subscribe:

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For weekly in-depth articles, tips, and strategies: https://getinweredoingbusiness.substack.com

Dawn’s Website: https://dawnkkennedy.com/

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Order Dawn’s book, The Profit Accelerator for Small Business ...