What happens when you evolve as a business owner, but your business doesn’t?

In this episode of The TrustBuilt Podcast, Alan Bennett sits down with Cari Kaufman of Storyteller Wordsmith for a candid, unscripted conversation about purpose, identity, and what happens when successful businesses start to feel misaligned.

This episode dives deep into why purpose and accountability are the gateway to trust, how personal life changes inevitably shape business direction, and why building a business that can evolve is critical for retention, leadership clarity, and sustainable growth.

If you’re exhausted from carrying everything yourself and wondering how to get your team bought in again, this conversation will hit home.

👉 Looking to build a business that runs without you? Visit https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com/

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⏱️ Chapters

02:10 – The moment “purpose” changed the conversation

03:30 – Feeling trapped by your own brand

04:30 – Established businesses hit this wall more than startups

05:45 – Alan’s personal pivot: when life demanded change

07:05 – Freedom is why most people start businesses (but lose it)

08:20 – Work-life balance isn’t real — harmony is

09:35 – Building a sellable business makes it easier to run

12:45 – Purpose + accountability = the gateway to trust

14:05 – Why teams disengage when purpose is unclear

16:20 – Purpose isn’t always about the product

17:30 – “My purpose is to make money” (and why that’s not enough)

20:10 – The danger of choosing a path just because you’re good at it

22:00 – When purpose becomes a trap instead of a guide

23:40 – Purpose as the front door to everything else

25:00 – Communicating purpose so people actually buy in

26:20 – Credentials don’t build trust — stories do

28:10 – How trust changes decision-making and leadership ease

29:30 – External trust matters too (vendors, partners, advisors)

31:00 – What most owners miss about their suppliers and advisors

33:10 – Trust as a force multiplier in business

35:20 – Final thoughts: purpose is the starting point

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Connect With Cari

🌐 https://www.storytellerwordsmith.com/

💻 https://www.linkedin.com/in/carikaufman/

Most business owners don’t lead in life-or-death situations…but they feel like they do.

In this episode of The TrustBuilt Podcast, former police chief, SWAT commander, executive coach, and leadership trainer Tim Keck breaks down what crisis leadership teaches us about building engaged, reliable teams in everyday business.

Tim shares unbelievable real-world stories — including the moment he put his life in the hands of his team — to illustrate what trust really means. And more importantly, how business owners can build that level of confidence, discipline, and buy-in inside their own culture.

If you’re a leader who’s tired of carrying everything yourself, this conversation will help you breathe again. You’ll walk away with simple tools to lower stress, increase employee engagement, and create a culture that scales because people are aligned, accountable, and trusted.

👉 Want a team that can run the business without you? Learn more at https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com/

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 — The Rule of Responsibility: Why You Can’t Do Everyone’s Job

00:20 — Meet Tim Keck: Police Chief, SWAT Commander & Leadership Coach

01:49 — What Crisis Teaches About Leadership

03:07 — The Team-Building Exercise That Hit the New York Times

04:12 — Stress vs. Crisis: Why Leaders Misread Their Own Bodies

06:24 — How Stress Sabotages Decision-Making (and What to Do Instead)

07:55 — Tactical Breathing: A Tool Every Leader Should Learn

10:15 — Emotional Intelligence: The Four Skills Every Owner Needs

14:18 — Why Most Leaders Mislabel Their Emotions

17:12 — Managing Conflict Without Escalation

20:14 — The Hidden Cost of Wanting to “Win the Argument”

21:05 — How Your Emotions Affect Your Team (Read the Room)

25:11 — Why High-Performing Teams Need Someone “Watching Their Six”

26:44 — SWAT-Level Trust: Doing Your Job So Others Can Do Theirs

34:07 — What Business Owners Can Learn from Real-Life Training

37:41 — Purpose, Clarity, and Why Most Teams Row in Different Directions

41:30 — The Story: Putting His Life in His Team’s Hands

45:18 — Final Lessons on Trust, Vulnerability, and Leadership Freedom

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Connect with Tim

💻 https://www.linkedin.com/in/timkeck/

🌐 https://www.safehavensecuritygroup.com/

🌐 https://www.gobulletproof.com/

Building a business that doesn’t depend on you isn’t about grinding harder — it’s about learning to trust your people, lead with vulnerability, and build a culture that can stand on its own.

In this conversation with longtime entrepreneur and EOS implementer Calvin Smith, we dig into what really holds business owners back: fear, control, burnout, and the belief that “no one will ever care as much as I do.” Calvin shares lessons from 20+ years of entrepreneurship — the wins, the mistakes, the dumb tax — and how leaders can finally break the cycle of doing everything themselves.

We talk about building trust, creating alignment, getting honest about your own limitations, and how systems and processes (done right) actually create freedom rather than restrict it. If you’re tired of carrying the whole business on your back, this episode shows a better path forward.

👉 Want a team that’s engaged, accountable, and capable of running the day-to-day?

Visit https://www.trustbuiltsolutions.com/

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⏱️ Chapters

00:00 — Why Trust Starts With the Leader

01:00 — Corporate vs. Entrepreneurship Mindset

02:30 — The Passion Problem: Why Entrepreneurs Burn Out

03:45 — Defining Your Personal “Why” Before You Build Your Business

05:10 — When Your Team’s Why Doesn’t Match Yours

06:40 — The Power of Vulnerable Leadership (A Story That Changed Everything)

08:00 — Why Trust Backfires When You Hold Too Tightly

10:45 — Culture Reality Check: Are You Living What You Say You Value?

12:05 — Hiring People Who Actually Care About the Work

14:10 — The 90-Day Culture Pulse: Keeping Your Team Aligned

17:00 — Commitment, Discipline, and Trusting Yourself First

18:40 — How Your Personal Life Mirrors Your Business Performance

23:00 — Letting Go as You Scale: Why Leaders Must Evolve

33:00 — Systems & Processes: Why They Create Freedom (Not Rigidity)

41:00 — The Horror Story of an Owner-Dependent Business

45:00 — How to Help Employees See That Their Work Matters

48:00 — The Books That Changed Calvin’s Leadership Journey

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Connect with Calvin

💻 https://www.linkedin.com/in/calvin-smith/

🌐 https://calvinsmith.co/