Real Relationships Real Revenue - Audio Edition | Invest in Relationships to Build Your Business and Your Career

What if the habits that made you successful are now holding you back? I sit down with Darrell Vesterfelt to unpack 10 signs you may be the bottleneck in your own growth, from struggling to delegate and feeling guilty about rest to having a packed calendar while your most important work remains unfinished.
We dig into what's underneath these patterns, including fear, identity, and the systems we create around ourselves. We also talk about recovery, creating space for meaningful work, and why getting better results may have less to do with working harder and more to do with changing how you work.
 
Topics We Cover in This Episode: 
The 10 signs you may be the bottleneck

Why success can eventually become a constraint

What's really behind resistance to delegation

Why recovery matters for high performers

What your calendar may be telling you

How to make room for your most important work

Why small experiments can create meaningful change

When the system you're using needs to change

 
If you're working harder but not getting the results you want, this conversation will give you a new way to look at what's getting in the way. Tune in and see which patterns might be showing up in your own work.
 
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Darrell: https://darrellvesterfelt.com/ 
Follow Darrell on IG: https://www.instagram.com/dvest/
Connect with Darrell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrellvesterfelt 
100s of Infographics: https://bunnell-idea-group-inc.kit.com/a9d68c6c15
Sign up for Bunnell Idea Group's free AI Business Development tool, GrowBIG AI: growbig.ai
Sign up for Mo's weekly newsletter: GrowBigPlaybook.com
Free Give to Grow Training and Downloadable Materials: Givetogrow.info
Give to Grow Amazon Order Link:  https://a.co/d/ec8DTzc
Follow Mo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobunnell/

What if selling got easier when you stopped trying so hard to sell? In this episode, I'm joined by Rob Snyder, creator of the PULL framework, to explore a different approach to business development. Instead of pushing products and services toward clients, we talk about creating the conditions where people naturally pull your solution toward them. Rob breaks down the four pieces of PULL and explains why a client having a problem does not necessarily mean they have a reason to buy.
We also talk about how to listen for what clients are actually trying to accomplish, why customer feedback does not always predict buying behavior, and how Rob uses the framework with real businesses and his own AI offering. We even apply the PULL framework to one of my own potential offers. If you're trying to grow your business without constantly feeling like you have to convince people to buy, this conversation offers a completely different way to think about sales.
 
Topics We Cover in This Episode: 
Why having a problem doesn't always create a reason to buy

The four conditions that create PULL

What you may be missing when prospects agree but don't buy

How to listen for what clients are actually trying to accomplish

Why customer feedback can be misleading

How to be proactive without becoming pushy

Why Rob recommends selling an offer before fully building it

The question that can reveal what someone would actually pay to solve

 
Tune in to rethink the way you approach sales, business development, and creating demand for what you offer.
 
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rsnyder1/
Check Out Rob's Website: robsnyder.org
100s of Infographics: https://bunnell-idea-group-inc.kit.com/a9d68c6c15
Sign up for Bunnell Idea Group's free AI Business Development tool, GrowBIG AI: growbig.ai
Sign up for Mo's weekly newsletter: GrowBigPlaybook.com
Free Give to Grow Training and Downloadable Materials: Givetogrow.info
Give to Grow Amazon Order Link:  https://a.co/d/ec8DTzc
Follow Mo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobunnell/

What if procrastination is costing you business? In this episode, I sit down with Jon Acuff to unpack why smart, capable professionals procrastinate on the things that actually grow their businesses, especially follow-up, relationship building, and business development. We talk about the four traps that keep us stuck, why procrastination isn't just about getting started, and how even quitting can become something we put off.
Jon also shares practical strategies for getting out of your own way, including his "CEO of follow-up" mindset, the power of the Golden Hour, and why shifting from selling to serving can completely change how you approach relationships. We also dig into knowing what to stop doing, choosing the right platforms for your business, and building relationships that lead to long-term revenue.
 
Topics We Cover in This Episode: 
Why your biggest competition might actually be yourself

The hidden ways procrastination shows up in business

Why follow-up gets harder after rejection

How to use your "Golden Hour"

When quitting is actually the right move

Why serving can make selling easier

How to focus on the platforms that actually matter

What it takes to turn relationships into revenue

 
If you've ever known exactly what you should be doing but still found yourself putting it off, this episode is for you. Tune in and find out what's really getting in your way.
 
Resources Mentioned:
Jon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonacuff/
Jon's Website: jonacuff.com
Stage and Page workshop: jonacuff.com/stage
 
100s of Infographics: https://bunnell-idea-group-inc.kit.com/a9d68c6c15
Sign up for Bunnell Idea Group's free AI Business Development tool, GrowBIG AI: growbig.ai
Sign up for Mo's weekly newsletter: GrowBigPlaybook.com
Free Give to Grow Training and Downloadable Materials: Givetogrow.info
Give to Grow Amazon Order Link:  https://a.co/d/ec8DTzc
Follow Mo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobunnell/

What if the expertise you've spent decades building could become the engine for more predictable revenue, stronger positioning, and better-fit clients? In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Northcutt, founder and CEO of Level Up Creators, to unpack why so many experts struggle with inconsistent lead flow even when they are exceptional at what they do. 
We talk about the "expert trap," why being great at the work is not enough to consistently win the work you actually want, and how personal branding, a clearly defined methodology, and a deep understanding of your ideal client can change the way people see and choose you. Amanda also shares how to extract the expertise that has become second nature, turn it into a repeatable methodology, and use AI to help uncover and codify what may otherwise be difficult to articulate.
 
Topics We Cover in This Episode: 
Why being exceptionally good at your work can actually make it harder to explain what you do

The missing piece between expertise and predictable, recurring revenue

How to uncover the methodology hiding inside your own experience

Why your personal brand may matter more to the buying decision than your company name

What a product ladder can look like, even when you think you only have one service to sell

How to make it easier for the right prospects to say yes

Why the language your clients use may be more valuable than the language you use to describe your work

How AI can help turn years of expertise and conversations into usable intellectual property

 
If you're an expert, consultant, professional services provider, or business leader who wants to become easier to find, easier to understand, and easier to hire, this is a conversation you don't want to skip.
 
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Amanda: https://welevelupcreators.com/
100s of Infographics: https://bunnell-idea-group-inc.kit.com/a9d68c6c15
Sign up for Bunnell Idea Group's free AI Business Development tool, GrowBIG AI: growbig.ai
Sign up for Mo's weekly newsletter: GrowBigPlaybook.com
Free Give to Grow Training and Downloadable Materials: Givetogrow.info
Give to Grow Amazon Order Link:  https://a.co/d/ec8DTzc
Follow Mo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobunnell/

I'm excited to sit down with Kristy Ellmer, a senior leader at Boston Consulting Group and co-author of How Change Really Works, to talk about what it actually takes to lead meaningful change inside organizations. Rather than relying on intuition or management trends, Kristy explains how years of research in behavioral science, neuroscience, and real-world transformations led to seven practical principles for increasing the odds of success. We explore why so many change efforts stall, why getting genuine agreement matters more than quick consensus, and how leaders can create the conditions for lasting progress instead of temporary compliance.
Our conversation also moves beyond strategy into the human side of transformation. We discuss why people are more likely to embrace change when they have ownership in shaping it, how leaders can encourage productive disagreement without slowing momentum, and why stories often inspire action more effectively than metrics alone. Whether you're leading a company, managing a team, or guiding clients through change, these ideas offer practical ways to think differently about how people commit to new directions and sustain them over time.
 
Topics We Cover in This Episode: 
Why "false alignment" creates more problems than open disagreement

How to know when your team is truly aligned before moving forward

A simple exercise that exposes hidden assumptions in leadership meetings

What the "IKEA Effect" teaches us about ownership and commitment

Why involving more people doesn't always slow a transformation down

How stories and symbols can motivate people in ways data alone cannot

The role of healthy debate in building stronger decisions and better execution

Why successful change is often about designing the process, not just setting the goal

 
If you're responsible for leading change or influencing others through uncertainty, I think you'll find this conversation incredibly helpful.
 
Resources Mentioned:
Purchase How Change Really Works: https://a.co/d/08tqzPRZ
Connect with Kristy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristy-r-ellmer-b25b7a23/
Connect with Kristy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristy_ellmer/
 
Sign up for Bunnell Idea Group's free AI Business Development tool, GrowBIG AI: growbig.ai
Sign up for Mo's weekly newsletter: GrowBigPlaybook.com
Free Give to Grow Training and Downloadable Materials: Givetogrow.info
Give to Grow Amazon Order Link:  https://a.co/d/ec8DTzc
Follow Mo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mobunnell/