Episode 18
From Swiss Special Forces to Scaling Businesses: Lessons on Leadership and Discipline
with Sam Goodner
What happens when you apply military-grade tactical precision to the world of entrepreneurship?
In this episode of Put Me In, Coach, host Eugene Terk sits down with serial entrepreneur, business coach, and author Sam Goodner to unpack the actionable framework behind his book, Like Clockwork: Running Your Business with Swiss Army Precision.
From serving in the Swiss Special Forces to founding and scaling tech companies like Catapult Systems and FlashParking, Sam shares how clarity, discipline, and intentional culture turn chaotic startups into operationally scalable powerhouses.
Resources Mentioned
Key Takeaways
- Clarity Above All: Why providing total clarity around roles, customer focus, and top priorities is the single most important lever for scaling a company.
- Bootcamp Onboarding: How a dedicated "Cultural Indoctrination Day" sets execution standards, builds momentum, and aligns new hires with your mission from day one.
- The "Mission to Mars" Exercise: How to unearth authentic core values from the front lines of your team rather than dictating them from the top down.
- Predictive Critical Numbers: How to select 1–3 real-time operational metrics instead of drowning in an endless dashboard of lagging KPIs.
- Total Defensive Readiness: How to stress-test your financials with a "Black Friday" exercise to recession-proof your business before a downturn hits.
- The CEO Litmus Test: The simple indicator that proves your business is finally running like clockwork without you.