IAM2707 – Building a System for Consistency and Success

The Need for Systems Over Hacks

Gresham Harkless opens this special episode by addressing a common pitfall for entrepreneurs: the reliance on tools and “hacks” rather than foundational systems. He argues that while many leaders have brilliant, life-changing ideas, their impact often remains hidden because they are consumed by the daily grind of running operations, managing P&Ls, and leading teams. The core message is that building true thought leadership requires a structured approach to consistency—one that allows a leader to show up and share their genius without having to manage every moving part of the process alone.

The Thought Leadership Engine and the Success Equation

To solve this consistency gap, Harkless introduces the “Thought Leadership Engine,” a done-with-you and for-you visibility system. This system is designed to turn a leader's expertise into impactful content through short, efficient recording sessions, while a dedicated team handles the technical heavy lifting of editing and publishing. The entire philosophy is guided by a central success equation: Visibility plus Resources times Connections equals Success. By applying this formula, entrepreneurs can ensure their message keeps working for them even when they are focused elsewhere.

Lessons from 1600 Interviews

Drawing from over a decade of experience and more than 1600 podcast interviews, Harkless reflects on the non-linear nature of business growth. He notes that success is rarely a straight line and is often more comparable to a “plate of spaghetti”. Rather than following someone else's blueprint, he encourages CEOs to run their own race and focus on the human element of business. This episode serves as a curation of “CEO hacks” and “nuggets” intended to help business owners strengthen their foundational principles and turn their unique genius into a lasting legacy.

Previous Episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2703-the-strategic-advantage-of-local-marketing/

• Blue Star Franchise: bluestarfranchise.com
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• Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – franchiseceo.co

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Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
The truth is, building thought leadership takes time, structure and consistency. And that's where people ultimately fall short. In this case, they don't actually need more tools. They don't need more hacks. They need a system. A system that helps them show up without doing it all by themselves. And that's exactly why we built the Thought Leadership engine. It's a done with you and for you visibility system that helps you turn your genius into consistent and impactful content.

If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm Gresh, and for over a decade, I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners just like you on how to build. After recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose, even when you feel the journey should be a straight and linear path. What I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well, too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the IM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 01:50
Hey there, it's Gresh here from Blue 16 Media. And over the past decade, I've helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and organizations grow their websites with SEO and marketing. But after more than 1600 podcast interviews and thousands of blog posts, I realized something really powerful. Visibility isn't just about algorithms. It isn't just about ads. It's about the human part of business. What I like to say on the podcast, it's about the people. And I told you, I talked to and interviewed over 1600 people on my podcast. And I've heard so many, so many brilliant entrepreneurs share their genius, the kind of ideas that can absolutely change lives. But most never get the chance to show up consistently. Why? They're busy running their businesses, serving clients and leading teams. They're juggling P. Ls, they're hiring people, they're doing all the things and as a result of that, their message, their story, and worst of all, their impact stays hidden. The truth is, building thought leadership takes time, structure and consistency. And that's where people ultimately fall short. In this case, they don't actually need more tools. They don't need more hacks. They need a system. A system that helps them show up without doing it all by themselves. And that's exactly why we built the thought leadership engine. It's a done with you and for you visibility system that helps you turn your genius into consistent and impactful content. You show up for one or two short recording sessions, usually about an hour long, and we handle the rest. The topics, the editing, the post and the publishing. So your message keeps working for you even when you're not. If you're ready to share your genius and make a bigger impact, not just more noise, learn more by booking a time with us. And of course, if you rather diy, you can always try out this CEO hack yourself. Just definitely let us know. Turn your genius into impact and let the engine do the work.