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CEO Bros - After Hours

CEO Bros - After Hours

By: CEO Bros
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 CEO Bros is an entertaining weekly podcast hosted by the Balduf Brothers and Matt Croke. Brian and Brad Balduf are successful entrepreneurs and CEOs with hundreds of engaging and insightful stories from the trenches. They talk about everything from the challenges of starting a business, to the exhilaration of growing the business, to the ultimate satisfaction of selling a business. They share real-life stories and lessons in an engaging and candid 'after hours' conversation moderated by Matt Croke, an international entertainer, comedian, and author. Join the guys every Friday afternoon for a new episode. Hear some rants, some ideas, some lessons learned, and some funny anecdotes about the world of running your own company.2025 Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Pros and Cons of Remote Work ep 39

    Pros and Cons of Remote Work ep 39
    Nov 7 2025
    Remote work introduced problems offices never had. Dogs barking. Contractors arriving. Kids at the door. Cameras off or multitasking? Working in PJs or logging extra hours? Brad thinks remote work kills his 550-employee culture. Brian cleaned out VHT's fridge in March 2020 and never came back for two years. COVID forced the experiment. Some companies stayed remote. Others are dragging people back. AT&T doesn't have enough parking spaces. Microsoft's thriving. Brad can't imagine meetings with cameras off. This is episode 39. Remote versus in-office, and why nobody's figured it out. You'll discover: • Why Brad forces therapists into offices but can't justify leaders working from home • Brian's refrigerator story that explains VHT's accidental two-year remote experiment • The logistical nightmare: marketing spread across 5 states, now sitting with IT guys • Why cameras-off meetings signal you're not actually engaged • Brad's equity problem when some groups get remote work and others don't Brian hired people from Idaho, Nebraska, Canada, Japan. Brad runs 550 employees across 11 therapy centers where hands-on work requires showing up. Different businesses, different answers. WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS: • Prove productivity remotely before earning the privilege • Cameras on shows you're present • Don't force marketing to sit with IT because they're in the same city • Hybrid works when rules are clear *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees. Matt Croke keeps it real. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you're going to have people in that meeting, there should be nothing else going on. No multitasking. If you're not engaged, why are you there?" Where do you stand? Cameras on or off? Drop a comment. SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— *TIMESTAMPS* 0:46 - COVID Hit: The Fridge Cleanup Story 4:06 - Blizzard Forced VHT Remote (Before COVID) 5:04 - Brad's Philosophy: Productivity Loss is Real 9:25 - Brian's Pro-Remote Argument: Hire Anywhere 12:00 - Matt's Experience: Remote Killed Connection 16:17 - The Post-COVID Hiring Problem: 5 States, One Office 18:08 - We're Literally on Zoom in the Same Bar 20:37 - Jamie Dimon vs Elon Musk Approaches 23:24 - Brad: Cameras On, No Multitasking 25:31 - Brian's Brown M&M's Segment 26:27 - Book Rec: Apple in China (Supply Chain) 28:07 - YouTube's New AI Tools (Dancing Parakeet) ———————————— *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* Three entrepreneurs share real business failures and successes over drinks every Friday. Brian Balduf (VHT Studios), Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy), and Matt Croke (host). Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three work setups. Pick yours. 🍸 *THE FRIDGE CLEANUP* Brian Balduf - Left the office March 2020, never came back Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • 0.75 oz lemon juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon twist • Shake with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: Clean out that fridge, you'll be gone two years. This drink is what you make on that last Friday thinking it's just two weeks. Smooth, practical, gone before you know it. 🍸 *THE ZOOM CUBICLE* Brad Balduf - 550 employees, cameras better be on Recipe: • 2 oz rye whiskey • 1 oz sweet vermouth • 0.25 oz Benedictine • 2 dashes orange bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: You're in a meeting. Camera's on. No multitasking. If you're not engaged, why are you even here? This drink demands your full attention. Complex layers you miss if you're distracted. 🍸 *THE IDAHO HIRE* Matt Croke - Hired from anywhere, worked with no one Recipe: • 2 oz gin • 1 oz elderflower liqueur • 0.75 oz lime juice • Club soda • Build in highball, top with soda The Vibe: Brian hired people from Idaho, Nebraska, Canada, Japan. Never would've worked if they had to be in Chicago. This drink's light, flexible, works from anywhere. Just like that perfect remote hire. Make all three. Figure out where you stand. Still going to the office? Fully remote? Sitting with IT guys you don't work with? Tag us with your drink choice. ———————————— *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #RemoteWork #OfficeLife #WorkFromHome #HybridWork #BusinessPodcast #Leadership Music: "Back to Black" by Rockin' For Decades (licensed through Epidemic Sound)
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    31 mins
  • Intuitive vs Analytic decision making ep 38

    Intuitive vs Analytic decision making ep 38
    Oct 31 2025
    Making decisions fast? Making them careful? Or just frozen between the two? Brian spent three months analyzing a new product line nobody in the industry had ever done. Endless scenarios that led nowhere. He finally said screw it and pulled the trigger anyway. Now people ask him how he decided to do something nobody else can replicate. Brad runs the opposite problem. His team moves so fast they don't think through consequences. This is episode 38. How to know when to trust your gut and when to slow down. In this conversation, you'll discover: • The two questions that determine instinct versus analysis: How much time do you have and what happens if you're wrong • Why "I don't know" is a legitimate answer when your boss asks you something • How to tell if someone's instinctual or just impatient This isn't startup theory. Brian sold his company after making gut calls nobody else would touch. Brad runs 550 employees and watches young leaders freeze or rush daily. *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • The timeline test: Before any decision, ask when it's actually due. Most people rush decisions that could wait. • The consequence check: Walk through what happens if you're wrong. If damage is minimal, make the call now. *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "If you over-rotate one direction or the other, it will have negative consequences. Someone that is too instinctual is typically impulsive and doesn't follow through." Which one are you? Stuck analyzing or moving too fast? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for new episodes every Friday. Real stories, real disasters, no LinkedIn energy. ———————————— * TIMESTAMPS* 1:18 - Instinctual vs Analytical: What We're Actually Talking About 2:31 - The Three-Month Analysis That Led Nowhere 3:23 - "Analysis Paralysis" Finally Shows Up 4:27 - When Brian Said "I Don't Care, We're Doing This" 8:40 - Brad's Problem: Leaders Who Don't Think Through Consequences 11:00 - The Two Questions That Determine Every Decision 13:26 - Why You'll Never Have 100% of the Information 16:51 - When Data Becomes a False Security Blanket 18:29 - Brad's Reverse Problem: Too Much Impulse, Not Enough Thinking 21:36 - How to Interview for Decision-Making Without Caring What They Decide 24:12 - The Instinctual Hire: Why They Didn't Interview 10 More Candidates ———————————— * ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO Bros After Hours is an entertaining weekly podcast hosted by three entrepreneurs: Brian Balduf (co-founder of VHT Studios), Brad Balduf (CEO of By Your Side Autism Therapy), and Matt Croke (host and entertainer). Every Friday, they share real business challenges, failures, and successes with vulnerability and humor. From customer onboarding disasters to scaling strategies, they deliver actionable insights for entrepreneurs and business leaders while mixing cocktails and keeping it real. ———————————— 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three decision-makers. Pick yours. 🍸 *THE PARALYSIS PROOF* Brian Balduf - The storyteller who finally pulled the trigger Recipe: • 2 oz bourbon • 0.75 oz lemon juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 2 dashes Angostura bitters • Shake with ice, strain over cube The Vibe: Three months analyzing got nowhere. Sometimes you just make the call. Simple, direct, doesn't overthink it. 🍸 *THE CONSEQUENCE CALCULATOR* Brad Balduf - The operator coaching his team to slow down Recipe: • 2 oz rye whiskey • 0.75 oz sweet vermouth • 0.5 oz Aperol • 2 dashes orange bitters • Stir with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: Brad's team moves fast without thinking through tomorrow. This drink makes you pause and appreciate balance. 🍸 *THE ASSUMPTION AUDIT* Matt Croke - The host calling out bad data Recipe: • 1.5 oz gin • 0.75 oz Aperol • 0.75 oz lime juice • 0.5 oz simple syrup • Club soda • Shake, strain, top with soda The Vibe: Everyone's trusting data built on assumptions nobody checked. Trust your gut when the spreadsheet feels wrong. Make all three and figure out which decision-maker you are this week. Tag us. ———————————— *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #decisionmaking #startuplife #leadership #smallbusiness Music: "Back to Black" by Rockin' For Decades (licensed through Epidemic Sound)
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    26 mins
  • ep 37 Budgeting - It's a

    ep 37 Budgeting - It's a
    Oct 24 2025

    Budget Battle Royale: The Smackdown Between Growth vs. Profit (+ The $250K Contest Catastrophe)* Two CEOs reveal the brutal truth about budgeting, why "set it and forget it" destroys businesses, and how to turn budget fights into innovation. Think you know how to budget? Think again. In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Brian and Brad (two CEOs who've built, scaled, and sold companies) destroy the myths around business budgeting and reveal why most entrepreneurs are doing it completely wrong. You'll discover: • Why the "baseline vs. zero-up" debate could make or break your company • The controversial "wish list" method that sparks innovation (even when you can't afford it) • How to handle the inevitable budget battles between departments • The shocking reason why 12-month budgets are obsolete in fast-moving industries • A real story of a $250,000 sales contest that got slashed to $25,000 days before launch (and how they pulled it off) This isn't theoretical business school stuff, these are battle-tested insights from leaders who've managed budgets from startup chaos to multi-million dollar operations. Whether you're a solo entrepreneur trying to figure out your first budget or a growing CEO struggling to prioritize competing demands, this episode will change how you think about every dollar you spend. Fair warning: The bourbon flows, the honesty is brutal, and by the end, you'll understand why budgeting isn't about spreadsheets, it's about survival, strategy, and making impossible choices. Hit subscribe for more real talk from CEOs in the trenches.
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    33 mins
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