317 Mastermind

04/08/2026

What does a room full of founders who've stopped pretending actually look like?

Something like this. 👇🎬

From 8am breakfast to a happy hour nobody wanted to leave — March 17th at The Bard Room in Nashville was something special.

Five founders got up and told the truth.

🔨 Jim Thornton — 100 chances to strengthen your business. Would you take them?

📈 Mark Stoner — The 5 stages of growth and how to stop being stuck in the wrong one.

🩹 Leon Leinbach — Ripping off the bandaids to get unstuck and build something profitable.

⚙️ Steve Kincannon — From chaos to clarity with Profit First and EOS.

💰 Paul Sparrow — Reading the economic health of your company and where it's actually headed.

No fluff. No theory.
Just hard-won wisdom from founders who've built real things.

And then we did the 317 Mastermind Experience together — and THAT's where the magic happened.

If you've been waiting for a room like this... it exists.

Drop a comment or send me a message — the next one is coming. 👇

What does a room full of founders who've stopped pretending actually look like?Something like this. 👇From 8am breakfast to a happy hour nobody wanted to lea...

04/02/2026

I didn't start 317 because I had it all figured out.

I started it because God kept whispering — and I finally listened.

Before I ever worked with business founders, I spent 25 years in education as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. I carried a lot.

And I carried most of it alone — no mentor, no peer group, no one who truly understood the weight of leadership.

That changed when I started meeting monthly with 8 school principals. And what happened in that room is exactly where 317 was born.

🍀 We met for 𝟑 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬
🍀 Everyone brought 𝟏 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 — a challenge, idea, or decision they needed help with
🍀 Around the table were 𝟕 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 who didn't judge — they challenged, supported, and encouraged while learning from each other

3 hours. 1 thing. 7 leaders.

𝟑𝟏𝟕.

I built it for trades and home services founders who are doing real work and carrying real weight — and who deserve the right people in their corner.

This is a mastermind. This is how we operate.

And no jerks allowed. 😄

If this is what you've been looking for — reach out. I'd love to connect.

04/02/2026

We asked 5 founders who were in the room on March 17th what they were implementing immediately after the event.

🎥 Watch what they said — then keep reading.

Tanner Schwannecke — finding other like-minded people who want to succeed and help others grow.

Justin Sharpe — new marketing ideas, ready to execute.

Johnny Lapp — actively seeking more community with like-minded operators.

John O'Dwyer — building SOPs after seeing exactly how they can transform a business.

Colin Price — an AI solution to automate workflows.

These aren't vague intentions. These are operators with real businesses making real moves the day after.

Colin said it best — "The journey you're on is not something you need to do in a vacuum."

Watch the video. And if it hits close to home, reach out. I'd love to connect.

1 day.22 founders deciding to make the move from hustler operator to CEO leader and learning how from others who've already accomplished it.

04/01/2026

Some speakers give you tools.

Jim Thornton gave us a mirror. 🪞

At VIP Founder Day, he challenged a room full of trades and home services founders at the identity level…

“You cannot become who you want to become by remaining who you are.”

100 chances every year to grow your business.

An L10 meeting structure to capture them.

And the mindset shift that has to come first.

Thank you for setting the tone for the entire day. 🙌

04/01/2026

Some speakers give you tools. Thornton gave us a mirror.

At VIP Founder Day, Jim walked our founders through 100 chances to grow your business every single year — and an “L10” meeting structure to actually capture them.

But what really landed?

“You cannot become who you want to become by remaining who you are.”

If you’re building a trades or home services business and you’re still in the field — this one’s for you.

The systems matter. But the IDENTITY shift has to come first.

Thank you Jim for setting the tone on March 17. 🙌

03/30/2026

March 17 happened because a room full of trades and home services founders made a decision.

They decided their growth was worth a day away from the job site.

That's not small. When you're still in the field, still getting calls, still holding it all together at $700K to $4M - choosing to invest in yourself and your business takes a different kind of commitment.

And they showed up anyway.

Steve Kincanon, CPC, ELI-MP said something that afternoon that I haven't stopped thinking about:

"𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧."

The room felt that. We all watched it land.

What I 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏'𝒕 do well enough that day was tell everyone what comes next. That's on me. We built something real in that room - real conversations, real breakthroughs, real clarity... and I left people without a clear path to keep the momentum going.

So let me be clear now.

The founders we met on March 17 are at a specific stage. They've built something real. But they're still in it — still doing, still proving, still growing. And here's what I know about that stage: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐬, 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

That's what 1:1 coaching does.

Not a group.

Not a monthly call you'll cancel when a job runs long. A dedicated hour, every week, built around 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 business and 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 next move.

If you were in that room on March 17 and the day lit something up for you — don't let it fade. DM me.

Let's figure out if working together makes sense.

The momentum doesn't have to stop. But it won't continue on its own.

03/19/2026

March 17 happened. And I’m still smiling.

22 trades & home services founders. One room. Eight hours. Zero fluff.

What went down at VIP Founder Day inside The Bard Room in Nashville was exactly what we built 317 Mastermind for — real operators, real conversations, and real moves founders could make the next day.

To our speakers — you showed up and gave everything:
🎤 Jim Thornton — 100 Chances to Strengthen Your Business
🎤 Mark Stoner — The 5 Stages of Growth
🎤 Leon Leinbach — Ripping Off the Bandaids to Get Unstuck
🎤 Steve Kincannon with — From Chaos to Clarity
🎤 Paul Sparrow — Understanding the Economic Health of Your Company

You didn’t just present. You told the truth. And this room felt it.

And to the sponsors who made this day possible — thank you for believing in what we’re building:

🙌 Tianna Christiansen — Social Cake | Marketing & Advertising
🙌 Christopher Gunn — Christopher Gunn Creative | Videography & Photography
🙌 Dan Mossakowski — MN Retirement Services | 401k & Financial Planning
🙌 John Johnson — J-Squared Consulting | Sales Systems & Cost Reduction
🙌 AJ Nardini — On Demand Solutions HR & Recruiting

This event never would have been possible without the expertise of

To every founder who was in that room — you invested in yourself and your business. That took courage. I hope you left with clarity, connection, and your next 3–5 moves.

VIP Founder Day 2027 is already taking shape in my mind. If you want to be first to know when doors open — follow along.

And if this reel made you think “I should have been in that room” — you’re right. DM me. Let’s talk about what 317 Mastermind looks like for you.

03/15/2026

It’s Saturday. VIP Founder Day is Tuesday, March 17th.

And Paul Sparrow just gave you one more reason to be in that room.

With 30+ years of C-suite marketing and sales leadership, Paul helps founders understand something most overlook until it hurts — the real economic health of their company and where it’s actually headed.

His session: Understanding the Economic Health of Your Company & Its Growth Trajectory.

One day. 40 trades & home services founders. The Bard Room, Nashville. $317.

Registration closes Sunday. If you’ve been sitting on this — now’s the moment.

Link in the comments. 👇

03/15/2026

It's Saturday. VIP Founder Day is Tuesday, March 17th.

And Paul Sparrow just gave you one more reason to be in that room.

With 30+ years of C-suite marketing and sales leadership, Paul helps founders understand something most overlook until it hurts — the real economic health of their company and where it's actually headed.

His session: Understanding the Economic Health of Your Company & Its Growth Trajectory.

One day. 40 trades & home services founders. The Bard Room, Nashville. $317.

Registration closes Sunday. If you've been sitting on this — now's the moment.

Link in the comments. 👇

03/14/2026

Today is the last day to register for VIP Founder Day — and I wanted to make sure you saw this first.

Leon Leinbach just dropped a video sharing why he’s speaking next Tuesday, 3/17 in Nashville. Leon has built multiple 7-figure trades businesses from the ground up. His session is called Ripping Off the Bandaids to Get Unstuck & Build a Productive & Profitable Business.

He’s not going to sugarcoat it. That’s exactly why I wanted him in the room.

March 17. The Bard Room, Nashville. 40 founders max. $317.

Registration closes today — link in the comments. 👇

11/02/2025

I love when business reminds me that relationships are the real currency.

I received this yummy treat and thoughtful note in the mail from one of my amazing clients, John D Johnson (MBA, CPSL, CSL) and it meant so much.

🤝 John specializes in cost reduction, and if you’d like an introduction, let me know!

It’s a simple reminder that when we take time to appreciate each other, we strengthen the kind of trust and collaboration that fuels growth.

At 317 Mastermind, we talk a lot about surrounding yourself with people who genuinely want to see you win, and this is exactly what that looks like.

Grateful for the partnerships that make business feel personal. 🧡💙💚ien