Entrepreneur and pastor to founders Nick Cavuoto joins Jim to unpack grit, faith, and rebuilding after losing a million dollars in revenue, from growing a megachurch to coaching owner-led businesses through their “evolution,” not crisis.
Timestamps:
02:40 – Middle Tennessee business owners “going through the mud”
03:50 – Nick’s origin story: drug dealing, Jesus, and an entrepreneurial family tree
06:10 – Entitlement, over-cuddling, and raising kids who “do hard things”
10:30 – Teaching kids that life is hard and choosing your version of “hard”
13:40 – From church growth to panic attack: when ministry becomes machine
20:20 – Exiting ministry, going back to school, and graduating with a 3.8
24:40 – Church hurt, reconciliation, and separating calling from a building
31:55 – 100 therapy sessions in a year and unpacking buried leadership trauma
34:00 – The partner split, Covid, and losing $1M in recurring revenue
35:30 – Encouraging 5 people a day for 35 days and the best sales week ever
39:42 – “There is no crisis, only evolution” and re-framing entrepreneurial pain
43:15 – The shocking truth: multi-million-dollar owners with no written goals
45:20 – Clarity, 90-day sprints, and non-negotiables like family vacations
48:45 – John Maxwell’s momentum principle and the bullet-train analogy
51:52 – Scattered founders, “best intentions,” and the cost of staying vague
55:35 – Future pacing: turning a scattered creator into a focused rainmaker
1:02:20 – Divine nudges, obedience, and why doing the hard thing fast feels lighter
1:04:27 – Asking for help, avoiding being an “ask hole,” and how to work with Nick
1:05:44 – Where to find Nick and how to connect with the Mostly Middle Tennessee Business Podcast