In this episode, we explore what we truly want and how we often stand in our own way, covering the importance of clear goals, spotting self-sabotage, and building the self-awareness needed before attempting real change. We dig into our work with founder-dependent companies and the shift from founder-led to team-driven structures, sharing a personal story of rebuilding after business failure and how identifying a recurring pattern helped us change behavior and continue growing. We close with a practical challenge: write down what you want, talk it over with people you trust, and honestly reflect on where you might be holding yourself back.

Episode Highlights & Time Stamps
0:07 Know What You Want
3:58 Find Your Self-Sabotage
6:27 Unlock the Hidden Pattern

🎯Key Takeaways

Get clear on what you really want in your business and life, don't limit it to what feels comfortable or realistic today. You don't need the "how" yet; clarity on direction comes before strategy. Founder dependency limits growth. The goal is to move from founder-led to team-driven. Self-sabotage blocks progress often through fear, hesitation, or repeating old patterns. Past failures can shape current decisions without you realizing it. Awareness is the turning point. You can't change what you don't see. Growth requires honesty and courage to face your own patterns. Two core questions drive change:

What do you really want?
How are you getting in your own way?

Ideal For:
Founders, CEOs, executives

Resources & Next Steps

Ready to take your leadership energy to the next level?
Explore free training and resources at training.coreelevation.com and getfounderfreedom.com
to help you identify energy leaks, strengthen your leadership presence, and elevate your team's performance.

🌐 Explore More: training.coreelevation.com
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode: Growth Think Tank Podcast

In this episode of Growth Think Tank, Gene Hammett sits down with Arad Levertov, CEO and Co-Founder of Sunbit, an Inc. 5000 company ranked No. 1,374 in 2025, to discuss how leaders can stay true to their mission while scaling a fast-growing organization. Arad shares how Sunbit was founded with a mission to reduce financial waste and friction by providing personalized financial solutions that benefit both consumers and merchants. He reflects on the frustrating credit card application experience that inspired the company's creation and explains how Sunbit has expanded across industries, including auto repair, dental care, and eyewear, while facilitating millions of customer financing transactions. The conversation also explores how mission-driven leadership is reinforced through communication, company values, and performance evaluations, as well as the important lessons learned from hiring too quickly during rapid growth. This episode offers valuable insights for leaders seeking to scale their companies without losing sight of their purpose.

Episode Highlights & Time Stamps
1:22 Staying True While Scaling
4:15 Sunbit's Customer Promise
5:10 The Costco Moment
8:12 Who Sunbit Serves
11:45 Growth Pressure And Fees
14:35 Spreading The Mission
16:32 Living The Core Values
18:06 Leading By Customer Feel
20:10 Hiring Mistakes And Focus

Key Takeaways
✅ Why mission-driven companies outperform when growth creates pressure.
✅ The personal Costco experience that inspired Sunbit's founding.
✅ How eliminating financial waste became Sunbit's core mission.
✅ Why Sunbit refuses to charge late fees or origination fees.
✅ The importance of consistent communication as companies scale.
✅ How company values are reinforced through hiring, performance reviews, and daily decisions.
✅ Why "Serve Others Before Self" is Sunbit's foundational value.
✅ How leaders can avoid becoming disconnected from customers as organizations grow.
✅ Lessons learned from hiring too quickly during periods of rapid expansion.
✅ Why maintaining focus requires saying "no" more often than saying "yes."

This episode is a must-listen for CEOs and executives looking to lead innovation with purpose, scale responsibly with AI, and build cultures where people feel empowered to think boldly and grow.

Connect With Today's Guest
Arad Levertov is the CEO and Co-Founder of Sunbit, a financial technology company focused on eliminating financial waste and helping consumers spend and save with confidence through personalized financial solutions. Under his leadership, Sunbit has expanded to more than 40,000 merchant locations and served millions of customers across the United States.

How to Connect with Arad Levertov:
LinkedIn: Arad Levertov (LinkedIn) https://www.linkedin.com/in/arad-levertov-37815b4
Company Website: Sunbit https://sunbit.com/ – to learn more about his work and platform
Get In Touch with Arad: https://sunbit.com/contact-us/

Resources & Next Steps

Ready to take your leadership energy to the next level?
Explore free training and resources at https://training.coreelevation.com/ to help you identify energy leaks, strengthen your leadership presence, and elevate your team's performance.

🌐 Explore More: https://training.coreelevation.com/
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode: Growth Think Tank Podcast

Every leader faces problems, and founders carry more than their share. In this episode of Growth Think Tank, Gene Hammett breaks down the leadership mindset shifts that separate leaders who get buried by their problems from those who grow because of them. The problem is rarely the real problem. The way you see it is. Gene shares three perspective shifts that change how you handle stress, setbacks, and the daily fires of running a company. You will learn why choosing growth over comfort builds the leader your business needs, how to move from victim to leader and take your power back from blame, and why letting go of control and empowering your team to take ownership is the real work of leadership. If you are a founder or CEO ready to turn your hardest problems into your next stage of growth, this conversation will change how you lead. Leadership is giving power away. This episode shows you how.

Episode Highlights & Time Stamps

0:03 Problem Is About Perspective
1:21 Three Mindset Shifts
3:16 From Control to Empower
4:52 Coaching Creates Clarity

🎯Key Takeaways

1. Problems Are About Perspective - The way you view a challenge determines the options available to you. Expanding your perspective can reveal opportunities you might otherwise miss.

2. Shift from Victim to Leader- A victim mindset focuses on what's happening to you. A leadership mindset focuses on what you can do about it and how you can create positive outcomes.

3. Choose Growth Over Comfort - The easiest solution isn't always the best one. Growth often comes from embracing discomfort and doing the hard things that build resilience and capability.

4. Empower Instead of Control - Strong leaders resist the urge to solve every problem themselves. Empowering others to take ownership creates stronger teams and develops future leaders.

5. Coaching Creates Clarity - When you're emotionally attached to a problem, your perspective can become limited. An outside perspective can help you see new possibilities and move forward with confidence.

6. Leadership Growth Starts with Mindset. Before strategies, tactics, or solutions, effective leadership begins with how you think about challenges and the perspectives you choose to adopt.

Remember: The next time you face a problem, pause before reacting. Ask yourself: "What perspective am I using, and what other perspectives might reveal a better path forward?"

Ideal For:
Founders, CEOs, executives, managers, and anyone committed to elevating their leadership capacity.

Resources & Next Steps
Ready to take your leadership energy to the next level?
Explore free training and resources at training.coreelevation.com
to help you identify energy leaks, strengthen your leadership presence, and elevate your team's performance.

📖 Free Book - Get Founder Freedom https://freebook.coreelevation.com/
🌐 Explore More: https://training.coreelevation.com/
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode: Growth Think Tank Podcast