At some point, every founder hits the same wall: You can’t do everything anymore… but letting go feels just as risky. In this episode of Build Boldly, Pat Rodgers sits down with Adam Weber, two-time founder, former CEO of Emplify, and author of Lead Like a Human, to break down what it really takes to transition from operator to leader.

Adam has built and exited companies, coached executives, and helped organizations improve employee engagement in ways that actually drive business results. In this conversation, he shares practical, hard-earned insights on how founders can scale themselves as leaders while scaling their business.

They cover:

• How to stop “rescuing” your team and why it’s holding you back
• A simple framework for setting goals using themes and quarterly focus
• How to onboard employees so they actually reduce your workload
• How to make better decisions under stress and maintain perspective
• Why building a culture of accountability and gratitude changes everything

Adam also shares one of the simplest and most effective leadership habits: how recognizing great work consistently and intentionally can reshape your entire company culture.

If you’re a founder who feels stretched thin, stuck in the weeds, or unsure how to level up as a leader, this episode is your playbook.

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Connect with Pat Rodgers on LinkedIn
Learn more about RISE Commercial District Website | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Build Boldly is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

AI isn’t just another software tool. It’s a transformation in how companies operate.

In this episode of Build Boldly, Pat Rodgers sits down with Santi Jaramillo, co-founder and co-CEO of Pragmatico, to discuss how mid-market and growing companies can move from experimenting with AI tools to becoming truly AI-native organizations.

Santi, a three-time founder with over $100M in exits, explains why most businesses are stuck in the “dabbling phase” of AI and what it takes to achieve 90% company-wide adoption and real productivity gains.

Together they talk about the leadership, technology, and cultural changes required to implement AI at scale. You’ll learn:

• Why leadership commitment is the most important driver of AI adoption
• How to create a clear AI vision and roadmap for your organization
• Why companies should standardize tools like ChatGPT or Claude
• The security risks of employees using personal AI accounts at work
• Practical “low-hanging fruit” AI use cases (meetings, email, financial analysis)
• Why early AI adopters will gain a massive competitive advantage

Santi also shares how organizations can use gamification, live training, and cultural change management to turn AI into an everyday productivity engine rather than another unused tool.

If you’re a business owner, executive, or team leader trying to figure out how AI actually fits into your company, this conversation will give you a practical roadmap to get started.

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Connect with Pat Rodgers on LinkedIn
Learn more about RISE Commercial District Website | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Build Boldly is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

What do you do when you lose $250,000 in inventory, miss Black Friday, and only have weeks of runway left? You build anyway. In this episode of Build Boldly, Pat Rodgers sits down with Bradley Will, founder and CEO of Mumbies, a Milwaukee-based direct-to-consumer dog chew brand supporting rescues and shelters.

Bradley shares the unfiltered story of transitioning from running a marketing agency to launching a physical product brand while navigating importing, fulfillment, warehousing, 3PL failures, and hand-packing orders in a 900 sq ft office.

Then the crisis hit.

Instead of folding, Bradley pivoted. Mumbies donated over 3,000 imperfect products (more than $50,000 retail value) to shelters and rescues, which turned a massive operational failure into a brand-defining moment rooted in mission.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What it really takes to move from services to product
• How to manage DTC growth without relying on Amazon or big-box retail
• Lessons from the Generator accelerator program
• Why resilience builds enduring companies, not hype

If you’re building a product brand, navigating adversity, or trying to align business growth with real impact, this episode is for you.

As always, let’s build boldly.

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Connect with Pat Rodgers on LinkedIn
Learn more about RISE Commercial District Website | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn

Build Boldly is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.