Business, Bourbon & Cigars

Hosted by Scott Joseph

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Business Bourbon & Cigars isn’t just another business podcast. It’s where ambitious entrepreneurs come to hear from proven leaders who’ve faced the toughest challenges and found strategies that work. Hosted by Scott Joseph, founder of Me Plus Ultra, each episode offers no-nonsense insights into scaling businesses, refining leadership, and building a life of purpose, backed by real-world examples and actionable advice. Scott’s solo episodes give you the behind-the-scenes strategies he’s used to grow and pivot his businesses, ideas that are also being put into practice by high-performing members of the Me Plus Ultra mastermind group. From mastering self-awareness to transforming business models, Scott shares the tactics that have led to measurable success and personal fulfillment. But it’s not just about Scott’s journey. In our interview episodes, you’ll hear from top entrepreneurs and industry leaders who’ve shaped their own success. Think of it like getting access to the playbooks of those who’ve truly made it, leaders like Claudio Gambin, financial strategist, and Jay Tepley, business transformation expert. These guests don’t just talk theory, they share the practical tools, mindset shifts, and real-life examples that helped them overcome setbacks and scale their businesses. Each episode is designed to give you something you can apply to your own business immediately. Whether you’re at a crossroads, looking to innovate, or want to rethink your leadership approach, you’ll find guidance that cuts through the fluff and addresses real pain points. And while the podcast name Business Bourbon & Cigars might evoke a certain image of success, it’s more than just a theme, it’s about taking the time to savor growth. In business, as in life, we’re all looking for ways to enjoy the journey, to take the time to reflect, and to make better, more intentional decisions. No matter how you choose to unwind, the show’s spirit remains the same: it’s about unlocking growth, both professionally and personally. What can you expect to learn? Practical growth strategies that are actually working today, from high-level business owners and entrepreneurs. Actionable leadership advice for those ready to lead with clarity, accountability, and authenticity. Real-life stories from guests who’ve faced adversity and used it as a springboard for innovation and lasting success. Tangible steps you can implement in your own life and business to elevate your impact, grow your network, and break through the noise. Business Bourbon & Cigars is not for the faint of heart. It’s for those who know that growth isn’t just about doing more, it’s about becoming more. If you’re tired of surface-level advice and want real strategies from people who have walked the path, subscribe now. Why listen to this podcast? Hear specific strategies from experts like Claudio Gambin (who’s helped countless clients master wealth-building strategies) and Jay Tepley (who’s led transformative retreats that have changed the lives of entrepreneurs). Get insights on how to scale smarter, innovate faster, and lead with greater focus and confidence. Walk away from each episode with actionable insights you can immediately apply to your own business. If you’re ready to challenge your thinking, elevate your business, and grow as a leader, Business Bourbon & Cigars is the podcast you’ve been looking for.

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August 20, 202622 min

Why Your Best Employee Still Isn't Running Any Part of Your Company

There's one employee at your company who could take real weight off your shoulders, and you already know who they are. So why are you still handing them more of your to-do list? Piling on tasks isn't development. It's delegation with training wheels. In this episode you'll learn the five moves that turn your best employee into a real leader in a single quarter: pick the one, hand them a domain instead of chores, put them in the pressure without rescuing them, give them a decision that can cost you something, and step out of the doorway for good! Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) The one you're building: not the most loyal, not the loudest (00:53) Why more tasks isn't development (01:28) Move #1: name the one, out loud (02:15) Move #2: give them a domain, not a task list (06:12) Move #3: exposure without rescue (08:29) Move #4: hand over a decision that can cost you something (12:52) Move #5: step out of the doorway (15:45) Who's the one you're building? (20:01) Join Scott at the next BB&C Leadership Retreat: meplusultra.com/BBC50 Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

August 13, 202620 min

Business Operators: Avoid Blowing the Decision You Already Know Is Coming

You already know the decision you'll blow this quarter. Same squeeze, same bad yes, same result. Not because you're careless, but because of when you decide it. Under pressure, the you who shows up isn't your sharpest thinker. It's your most scared one. In this episode you'll learn how to take a repeat decision off the moment: pick the call you keep getting wrong, name the trigger you can actually see, draw the line while nothing's on fire, write the move before you need it, and hand it to someone who won't flinch. Decide it once, and the pressure never gets a vote! Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Marcus and the $400,000 "yes" (02:05) Piece 1: pick the repeat offender, not your biggest call (03:54) Piece 2: name the trigger you can see coming (05:13) Piece 3: draw the line while nothing's on fire (07:40) Piece 4: write the move before you need it (10:37) Piece 5: hand it off so you can't undo it (14:33) How Marcus held his margin through a slow stretch (16:45) The whole build in one breath (17:31) The hardest piece to do alone, and where it gets done (18:24) Apply for the Me Plus Ultra Mastermind to connect with elite entrepreneurs who solve real problems together: https://meplusultra.com/sessions Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

August 6, 20261 hr 1 min

Ex-UK Special Forces: The Playbook He Used to Rebuild Four Times | Dean Stott

A man who'd cycled twenty miles, total, decided to ride fourteen thousand across two continents, faster than anyone in history. He made it in 99 days, on skills you already have. In part two, Dean Stott hands you the playbook he used to rebuild four times. You'll learn why the traits that win in special forces, sport, and business are already in you, how to let the room speak before you do, why he refused a plan B on finishing but stayed flexible on the how, and the 70 percent rule for picking your next target. Part two of two. Pour a bourbon and settle in! What's inside, in the order it unfolds: The traits that carried over: humility, the pursuit of excellence, self-belief How belief actually gets built: proof, not pep talk You're the figurehead, not the smartest person in the room: build the team around what you're not Decisions when everything's on fire: the hot debrief, reversing the plan, and the moving target When the team breaks: managing egos on a mission Finding your next target with 70 percent of the information The fourth mountain: starting over in finance at 48 Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) The traits that transfer: humility, excellence, self-belief (02:51) Belief built on proof: Benghazi and the Canadian embassy call (06:14) Why the traits are mirrored across sport, business, and the field (12:15) Dead or divorced: the conversation that started the ride (15:17) Finding a mission: the Pan-American ride and mental health (20:13) Not the smartest person in the room: build the team around what you're not (24:24) The room speaks before the commander (26:29) Making decisions when everything's on fire: the hot debrief (29:58) Reverse the plan: start where the pain is (31:18) Hit the target, move the target: 14 days ahead to one day behind (33:30) Scaling past yourself: teaching the team to make the call (38:05) When the team breaks: contracts, fresh eyes, and egos (39:05) Finding your next target: 70 percent of the information, then your gut (44:22) No plan B on whether, flexibility on how (47:43) The fourth mountain: into finance at 48 (53:05) Join Scott at the next Business Bourbon & Cigars Leadership Retreat this October in Louisville, Kentucky. The first five people who go to meplusultra.com/BBC50 will receive 50% off their ticket to the Me Plus Ultra Leadership Retreat! Apply for the Me Plus Ultra Mastermind to connect with elite entrepreneurs who solve real problems together: https://MePlusUltra.com Grab Dean's book "Relentless": https://www.amazon.com/Relentless-Special-Operations-Record-Breaker/dp/1665725168 Connect with Dean Stott: https://www.deanstott.com https://www.instagram.com/deanstott https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-stott-24725880 https://www.facebook.com/deanstottsbs https://x.com/deanstottsbs Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

July 30, 202634 min

The Skills That Made You Elite Don't Retire When the Mission That Built Them Changes

The most dangerous day of your career isn't the day you fail. It's the day the mission that built you changes, ends, or quietly stops pulling you the way it used to. In this episode, Dean Stott walks you through the parachute accident that ended a 16-year Special Forces career he never planned to leave, what the first months were really like once the team, the resources, and the identity all went at once, and the single shift that turned it around. You'll learn why that lost feeling after a win, an exit, or a plateau is completely normal, why it has almost nothing to do with your capability, and the one move most people skip when everything changes. Part one of two. Pour a bourbon and settle in! Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Who Dean believed he was in the military (06:15) Why his exit was forced, not planned (06:47) From "rockstar with every asset" to "no longer of any use to us" (13:00) The parachute accident and the six-week limbo (13:34) Losing the physical edge that got him there (14:50) Why some veteran transitions are smooth and others turbulent (15:34) Finding a niche by not competing with his own friends (23:42) The move most people miss: cutting away from the old tribe (24:10) Did you lose your capabilities, or did you lose the target? (29:39) Rearview mirror vs. the windscreen (32:17) Join Scott at the next Business Bourbon & Cigars Leadership Retreat, October 13-15, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. The first five people who go to meplusultra.com/BBC50 will receive 50% off their ticket to the Me Plus Ultra Leadership Retreat! Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

July 23, 202621 min

How to Stop Being the Only Person Who Catches What Everyone Else Misses

That standard you're proudest of might be the very thing most made of you. Most of what you call standards aren't built into your business. They're built into you. They live in your head, they run on you being there to catch what everyone else misses, and the day you step away, they're gone. You'll learn the three-week test that separates a real standard from a fake one, why your people aren't the problem when things slip, and how to make one standard observable, teachable, and inspectable so it holds without you. Pick the one you keep catching and build it this quarter! Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) The three-week test for a real standard (00:34) Standard or non-negotiable, it's the same bar (00:57) When the standard is you, that's a bottleneck (02:25) The contractor who bragged about the wrong standard (03:54) "I thought that was just how you like things" (06:51) Why his people got confused, not worse (08:04) Test #1: is it observable? (10:39) Test #2: is it teachable? (12:37) Test #3: is it inspectable? (14:18) The Friday inspection that made it real (15:19) How to build your one standard this quarter (16:15) Why a clear bar keeps your best people (18:38) The BB&C Leadership Retreat offer (19:40) Join Scott at the next Business Bourbon & Cigars Leadership Retreat, October 13-15, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. The first five people who go to https://MePlusUltra.com/bbc50 will receive 50% off their ticket to the Me Plus Ultra Leadership Retreat! Apply for the Me Plus Ultra Mastermind to connect with elite entrepreneurs who solve real problems together: https://MePlusUltra.com Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

July 16, 202622 min

How to Make New Business Predictable Instead of Praying the Phone Rings

Count the ways you're chasing new business right now. Referrals, ads, emails, the newsletter you started and stopped. Now the harder question. How many are actually finished? Running isn't finished. A thing that's running can still be losing you money and you'd never know it. You'll learn how to pick the one channel your numbers already point to, what finishing it really takes, and when you've earned the next one. You'll hear how a $4M caterer killed six lead sources, built the one already working, and made his new business boring. And boring is the most beautiful word there is! Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Running isn't finished, and what that's costing you (00:30) You don't have a lead problem, you have a seven-things-running problem (01:47) What Scott got wrong for years at J&L Marketing (03:11) Tony's catering company and the feast-or-famine whiplash (04:33) Where his last 20 corporate accounts actually came from (07:04) The hard call: killing six lead sources to build one (07:37) How Tony built the referral channel into seven streams (08:54) Why predictable beats exciting, and boring wins (10:45) Level one: get the channel running without you (14:17) Level two: five to seven streams feeding one channel (15:39) Level three: tune each stream and turn the dials (18:38) What predictable new business actually buys you (19:24) Turn challenges into measurable results with the FREE Business Bourbon & Cigars Leadership Retreat Workbook: http://meplusultra.com/workbook Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

July 9, 202621 min

The Hardest Part of Growing a Business Is Becoming the Person It Needs

Eighteen months from now, your business will need a different person in your chair. Not a harder-working version of you. A different one, good at the decisions you're avoiding today. In this episode, you'll write the job description for the owner your business will need before a crisis hands it to you: define the role by what it decides and what it puts down, block the time before you can fill it, and turn your one missing skill into a project with a teacher and a deadline. You'll walk out with something to build, not a list of what's wrong! Topics discussed: The person your business will need in 18 months (00:00) Why most leaders meet that person the hard way (00:41) Meet Dana: "who does the business need me to be?" (04:08) The job description for a $35 million version of her company (05:47) How Dana built the calendar and the skill before she was ready (06:45) Move #1: define the role by what it decides, not its title (10:09) Move #2: put the role on your calendar before you can fill it (11:47) Move #3: turn the missing skill into a project, not a hope (13:23) Why the real build is getting deliberately worse at your best skill (14:46) The weekly discipline and the 90-day question (15:32) Read the job description on purpose, before a crisis hands it to you (17:03) Apply for the Me Plus Ultra Mastermind to connect with elite entrepreneurs who solve real problems together: https://MePlusUltra.com/hotseat Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

July 2, 202621 min

How Smart Owners Build Their Crisis Board Before the Crisis Hits

Think about your last truly bad day in business, the kind where something broke that you never saw coming. Who did you actually call? Most owners have a phone full of contacts and almost nobody they can reach when it really counts. You'll learn how to build your own board of five people before you ever need them: who belongs in each seat and why most owners pick wrong, the small, specific ask that earns a yes, and the light cadence that keeps the line warm. Build it while nothing's wrong, because the day you need it is the one day you can't! Topics discussed: The last bad day you didn't see coming (00:00) Why you build the table before you need it (03:12) How the "fourth box" started over a bourbon and a cigar (05:13) The introduction worth more than the advice (07:30) Move #1: selection — five seats by function, not friendship (09:40) Move #2: the small, specific, give-first ask (13:13) Move #3: cadence — keeping the line warm (15:44) The best time to build is when nothing's wrong (18:16) Claim 50% off your seat at the next Business Bourbon & Cigars Leadership Retreat, October 14–16, 2026 in Louisville, KY: https://meplusultra.com/BBC50 Apply for the Me Plus Ultra Mastermind to connect with elite entrepreneurs who solve real problems together: https://MePlusUltra.com Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

June 25, 202624 min

How a Full Year of Fixes Can Leave Your Business Worth Nothing More

The most expensive document in your company isn't your lease or your payroll. It's your to-do list. You can close every item on it and end the year with a business that's less broken, but not one dollar more valuable. You'll learn the difference between the fix-it list that runs your week and the build list that changes what your company is actually worth. Scott gives you three filters for choosing the one thing worth building this quarter, the discipline to protect it, and permission to let a few things stay broken for 90 days! Topics discussed: The most expensive document in your company (00:00) Less broken, but not a dollar more valuable (01:10) The best year that added zero value (03:46) The fix-it list vs. the build list (07:32) The most respectable hiding place in business (13:05) Three filters: compounding, constraint, ownership (13:56) One protected construction block a week (18:30) Permission to stay broken for 90 days (20:10) What are you actually building this quarter? (21:22) Turn challenges into measurable results with the FREE Business Bourbon & Cigars Leadership Retreat Workbook: http://meplusultra.com/workbook Apply for the Me Plus Ultra Mastermind to connect with elite entrepreneurs who solve real problems together: https://MePlusUltra.com Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com

June 18, 202617 min

Why 3 Daily Hours Transform Your Leadership Skills Forever

Your most expensive asset isn't your top client or your best hire. It's the quality of thinking you bring to every decision. And most leaders are giving that away for free before 9am. In this episode, you'll learn the three shifts that happen when leaders protect their highest-quality thinking time: decisions made from your sharpest position instead of your most depleted one, a team that builds real judgment because you stopped being constantly available, and energy that compounds instead of degrades. Thinking time isn't a luxury. It's an operating asset! Topics discussed: What three uninterrupted hours would change in your business (00:00) The strategy gap is really a think gap (00:30) A Costa Rica phone call you weren't expecting (02:21) Why protected thinking time is an operating decision, not a personal indulgence (05:15) Michael Poro's three words: simple gets done (05:40) Shift #1: decisions made from your sharpest position, not your most depleted one (06:51) Shift #2: your team gets stronger because you stop being always available (09:12) Shift #3: your energy compounds instead of depletes (11:00) The 90-day question worth sitting with (15:30) Turn challenges into measurable results with the FREE Business Bourbon & Cigars Leadership Retreat Workbook! http://meplusultra.com/workbook Subscribe so you don't miss any episodes: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SN2fHn Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/74bfJL9J2fjevQEvi17ekU YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MePlusUltraNetwork/ Connect with Me Plus Ultra: https://www.instagram.com/me_plus_ultra/ https://www.facebook.com/MePlusUltra/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/1011061052968028/ https://x.com/Me_Plus_Ultra/ Connect with Scott Joseph: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ScottJoseph https://www.instagram.com/scotttjoseph/ https://www.facebook.com/ScottTJoseph/ https://x.com/ScottTJoseph1 This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com