The 1000-Day CEO

About The 1000-Day CEO

The 1000-Day CEO is a show for private equity sponsors and the CEO operators who run their portfolio companies. Host Bill Canady of the 80/20 Institute breaks down how value actually gets created inside a portco — finding the number, building the team, and turning the first 1,000 days of a hold into durable EBITDA and a clean exit. Direct, practical, and built for the people accountable for the outcome.

Publisher

Bill Canady

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

31 Jul 2026

Latest episode

30 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

28 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Build a Business Buyers Want | Matt Tortora | EP27

   Would a buyer want the business you are building? Matt Tortora, founder of Drive Equity, joins Bill Canady to explore what makes a founder-owned company more valuable—and why exit preparation starts years before a sale. A strong profit number is only part of the story. Matt and Bill discuss founder dependence, customer concentration, recurring revenue, gross margins and clean financials through a buyer's eyes. They explain why a headline valuation can look very different from the cash and risk a seller takes away from a deal. The conversation then turns to acquisitions: defining what to buy and why, considering equity, debt and seller financing, building an organization that can absorb another company, and assessing cultural fit. Matt also shares the personal adjustment of moving from founder to employee after an exit. IN THIS EPISODE • Build systems and a management team that can perform without the founder. • Work backward from an exit goal using realistic assumptions and sustainable earnings. • Prepare the acquisition thesis, financing and integration plan before pursuing a deal. CONNECT WITH MATT TORTORA Drive Equity: https://www.driveequity.co/ (https://www.driveequity.co/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtortora (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mtortora) FREE CEO TOOLS Business Valuation Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/business-valuation-calculator/ (https://the8020institute.com/business-valuation-calculator/) Profitable Growth Scorecard: https://the8020institute.com/profitable-growth-scorecard/ (https://the8020institute.com/profitable-growth-scorecard/) Profit Concentration Analyzer: https://the8020institute.com/profit-concentration/ (https://the8020institute.com/profit-concentration/) Price Increase Impact Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/price-increase-calculator/ (https://the8020institute.com/price-increase-calculator/) LBO Calculator: https://billcanady.com/lbo-calculator/ (https://billcanady.com/lbo-calculator/) Profit Map Calculator: https://billcanady.com/profit-map-calculator/ (https://billcanady.com/profit-map-calculator/) All free tools: https://the8020institute.com/free-tools/ (https://the8020institute.com/free-tools/) BOOK A CALL WITH BILL CANADY Meet with Bill: https://calendly.com/billcanady/meet-with-bill (https://calendly.com/billcanady/meet-with-bill) Command 100 — talk directly with Bill: https://calendly.com/billcanady/command-100 (https://calendly.com/billcanady/command-100) CONNECT WITH BILL CANADY Bill Canady: https://billcanady.com/ (https://billcanady.com/) The 80/20 Institute: https://the8020institute.com/ (https://the8020institute.com/) The 1000-Day CEO: https://1000dayceo.com/ (https://1000dayceo.com/) Subscribe for practical conversations about decisive leadership, profitable growth, operational discipline, and building lasting enterprise value: https://www.youtube.com/@billcanady?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@billcanady?sub_confirmation=1) If you stepped away for 90 days, what would your business need to keep growing without you? #The1000DayCEO #ExitPlanning #BusinessGrowth

2. 

   26 Sept 2026

   You've Built Success. What Will You Do With It? | Bob Smith | EP26

   You've built a successful business. What should that success make possible? Bill Canady and Bob Smith discuss purpose, family wealth and civic leadership. Bob draws on advising families and board service at Ohio Northern University and JobsOhio. He explores life beyond a job title, how to contribute on a board, and where charitable giving can matter. He also recalls Ohio's pandemic response and the need to understand concerns before persuading people. IN THIS EPISODE • Define what wealth means to your family. • Build trust through listening and truth. • Respect board and management roles. • Test philanthropic impact and expectations. • Ask before advising; stay curious. • Uphold criteria when saying no. CHAPTERS 00:00 Success, stewardship and what comes next 01:08 What does money mean to your family? 02:29 Finding purpose beyond your title 03:51 Listening and telling clients the truth 06:14 What board service teaches about leadership 09:51 Influence and the work between meetings 11:15 JobsOhio and economic development 15:13 The discipline to say no 18:16 Choosing where your giving can matter 21:18 Challenge your assumptions 24:57 The question that reveals your values 26:40 Ask about concerns before asking for action 28:43 Stay curious long enough to understand 29:48 Civic leadership in a crisis 33:40 Find Bob and your next conversation CONNECT WITH BOB SMITH Robert C. Smith at Cerity Partners: https://ceritypartners.com/team/robert-c-smith/ (https://ceritypartners.com/team/robert-c-smith/) Email Bob: bsmith@ceritypartners.com (mailto:bsmith@ceritypartners.com) FREE CEO TOOLS Business Valuation Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/business-valuation-calculator/ (https://the8020institute.com/business-valuation-calculator/) Profitable Growth Scorecard: https://the8020institute.com/profitable-growth-scorecard/ (https://the8020institute.com/profitable-growth-scorecard/) Profit Concentration Analyzer: https://the8020institute.com/profit-concentration/ (https://the8020institute.com/profit-concentration/) Price Increase Impact Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/price-increase-calculator/ (https://the8020institute.com/price-increase-calculator/) LBO Calculator: https://billcanady.com/lbo-calculator/ (https://billcanady.com/lbo-calculator/) Profit Map Calculator: https://billcanady.com/profit-map-calculator/ (https://billcanady.com/profit-map-calculator/) All free tools: https://the8020institute.com/free-tools/ (https://the8020institute.com/free-tools/) CONNECT WITH BILL CANADY Bill Canady: https://billcanady.com/ (https://billcanady.com/) The 80/20 Institute: https://the8020institute.com/ (https://the8020institute.com/) The 1000-Day CEO: https://1000dayceo.com/ (https://1000dayceo.com/) Subscribe for practical conversations about decisive leadership, profitable growth, operational discipline, and building lasting enterprise value: https://www.youtube.com/@billcanady?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@billcanady?sub_confirmation=1)

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   Building a Business in Asia: Trust, Cash, and Letting Go | Glenn Grow | EP25

   Growing internationally can stretch your cash, your team, and your ability to stay in control. Glenn Grow, founder and CEO of Innovasia, joins Bill Canady to explain how he built a business across Asia through customer problem-solving, local trust, and disciplined delegation. An anchor customer gave Glenn the opportunity to expand—and the obligation to deliver. He shares the cash pressure of importing materials and waiting for payment, how customer needs created an acoustic business, and why local leaders need authority within clear guardrails. His advice to founders: build people who can replace you, protect cash, and do fewer things better. IN THIS EPISODE • Win an anchor customer by solving a specific problem. • Understand the gap between sales and available cash. • Earn trust through presence, respect, and listening. • Delegate daily decisions while keeping shared controls. • Fund growth deliberately and develop your successor. CHAPTERS 00:00 Building across borders 01:11 Winning the anchor customer 04:51 When growth outruns cash 08:47 Solving the next customer problem 13:52 Earning trust across cultures 19:46 Local authority, shared guardrails 22:40 The cost of growing too fast 24:44 What Glenn would change 27:22 Replacing yourself by day 1,000 29:10 Do less, better CONNECT WITH GLENN GROW Innovasia: https://www.innovasia.com/ (https://www.innovasia.com/) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-grow-2594478 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-grow-2594478) FULL TRANSCRIPT AND CAPTIONS On-screen captions are included in the video edition. A separate public transcript is not currently available. FREE CEO TOOLS Business Valuation Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/business-valuation-calculator/ (https://the8020institute.com/business-valuation-calculator/) Profitable Growth Scorecard: https://the8020institute.com/profitable-growth-scorecard/ (https://the8020institute.com/profitable-growth-scorecard/) Profit Concentration Analyzer: https://the8020institute.com/profit-concentration/ (https://the8020institute.com/profit-concentration/) Price Increase Impact Calculator: https://the8020institute.com/price-increase-calculator/ (https://the8020institute.com/price-increase-calculator/) LBO Calculator: https://billcanady.com/lbo-calculator/ (https://billcanady.com/lbo-calculator/) Profit Map Calculator: https://billcanady.com/profit-map-calculator/ (https://billcanady.com/profit-map-calculator/) All free tools: https://the8020institute.com/free-tools/ (https://the8020institute.com/free-tools/) BOOK A CALL WITH BILL CANADY Meet with Bill: https://calendly.com/billcanady/check-in (https://calendly.com/billcanady/check-in) Command 100 — talk directly with Bill: https://calendly.com/billcanady/command-100 (https://calendly.com/billcanady/command-100) CONNECT WITH BILL CANADY Bill Canady: https://billcanady.com/ (https://billcanady.com/) The 80/20 Institute: https://the8020institute.com/ (https://the8020institute.com/) The 1000-Day CEO: https://1000dayceo.com/ (https://1000dayceo.com/) Subscribe for practical conversations about decisive leadership, profitable growth, operational discipline, and building lasting enterprise value: https://www.youtube.com/@billcanady?sub_confirmation=1 (https://www.youtube.com/@billcanady?sub_confirmation=1) What is one decision you could stop making so someone on your team can grow into it? #The1000DayCEO #Leadership #InternationalBusiness

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.