AI Is Hiding Your Worst Employees (Until Everything Breaks)
Your team’s weakest performer just got 80% better, and that might be the most dangerous thing happening in your company right now.
Growth-focused executive and leadership advisor Dusty Holcomb (25+ years leading transformation, former CEO of ResStack Fulfillment, founder of Aardquist Group) joins Nicole Zeno and Tamara Laine to break down what real leadership looks like in the age of AI and why AI is quietly raising the floor for underperformers while making it harder than ever to spot who’s actually good at their job.
Dusty explains why the best leadership move you can make with AI tools is treating them exactly like you’d lead a person (setting clear expectations, defining what “great” looks like, and giving feedback).
Plus: why entry-level jobs are changing (not disappearing), the “rules of engagement” framework Dusty uses with CEOs, and why self-leadership is still the foundation everything else is built on.
🎧 Also available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts & Amazon Music, search “What The Frac?”
🔗 Free resource: myrulesofengagement.com
FOLLOW WHAT THE FRAC?:
🔗 Website: https://whatthefracshow.com (https://whatthefracshow.com)
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/what-the-frac-show (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/what-the-frac-show)
🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthefracshow (https://www.instagram.com/whatthefracshow)
New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.
#AILeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #BusinessPodcast
20 Sept 2026
The Free Data Hack With an 86% Startup Survival Rate
Most fintech startups die waiting for data access they can't afford. Nicole Edwards, Head of Growth at Fintech Sandbox, joins Nicole Zeno and Tamara Laine live at Startup Boston Week to explain how her nonprofit gives early-stage fintech founders free access to 40+ premium data providers and why 86% of the startups that go through the program are still in business today.
Nicole breaks down the "chicken and egg" problem every data-dependent founder faces (you need data to build the product, but you need the product to get funded), how Fintech Sandbox's vetting and due diligence process actually works, and her honest advice on building relationships with resources before you need them instead of chasing every event in town.
TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Welcome, Nicole Edwards (Fintech Sandbox)01:00 - What Fintech Sandbox actually does03:00 - The startup data "chicken and egg" problem04:00 - Inside the Data Access Residency Program05:00 - Community, connection & Boston Fintech Week07:00 - How Fintech Sandbox vets startups for sensitive data09:00 - The due diligence process: financial, security, business audits11:00 - The stat: 86% of portfolio companies are still in business12:00 - Is fintech different from country to country?14:00 - How talking about money changes across cultures16:00 - Inside the Fintech Sandbox Innovation Forum at the Fed18:00 - Who can attend Boston Fintech Week19:00 - Advice for founders: be intentional with your time21:00 - Why saying no to "the noise" matters22:00 - Build relationships before you need them23:00 - What it's like running growth at a nonprofit26:00 - Nonprofit growth vs. startup growth27:00 - How to connect with Nicole Edwards & Fintech Sandbox
CONNECT WITH NICOLE EDWARDS & FINTECH SANDBOX:🔗 Fintech Sandbox: fintechsandbox.org🔗 Boston Fintech Week: bostonfintechweek.org🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicoleedwards1
FOLLOW WHAT THE FRAC?:🔗 Website: https://whatthefracshow.com (https://whatthefracshow.com)🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/what-the-frac-show (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/what-the-frac-show)🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthefracshow (https://www.instagram.com/whatthefracshow)
New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.
#FintechStartups #StartupFunding #DataAccess
18 Sept 2026
You Are the Bottleneck Killing Your Company's Growth
You are the bottleneck. Revenue growth strategist Mark Zides joins Nicole & Tamara to explain why founders can't let go of control and why the $1M–$10M revenue stage is the hardest a business will ever grind through.
Mark Zides (fractional operator, 3x founder, Babson grad) breaks down the "chief of staff" model as the real unlock for delegation, calls out the difference between a true fractional executive and a freelancer wearing the label, and makes the case that a profitable half-million-dollar "lifestyle business" is a legitimate win not a consolation prize.
CONNECT WITH MARK ZIDES:🔗 Website: https://www.markzides.com/🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mzides/
FOLLOW WHAT THE FRAC?:🔗 Website: https://whatthefracshow.com (https://whatthefracshow.com)🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/what-the-frac-show (https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/what-the-frac-show)🔗 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatthefracshow (https://www.instagram.com/whatthefracshow)
New episodes every week. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.
#FractionalExecutive #StartupGrowth #FounderMindset
TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Founders as their own bottleneck (intro)02:00 – Meet Mark Zides, fractional revenue strategist03:00 – Why founders won't let go of control05:00 – The parenting analogy: let your team fall down07:00 – The "chief of staff" model, explained10:00 – Does every hire need training, even senior ones?12:00 – How to make your first sales hire (without blowing it)15:00 – Fractional executive vs. freelancer: the real difference19:00 – "You're paying fractional prices for freelancer work"22:00 – What Mark wishes existed for the fractional market25:00 – How founders can spot — and fix — their own bottleneck28:00 – Why $1M–$10M is the hardest revenue stage to grow through32:00 – Why a "lifestyle business" isn't a failure33:00 – Mark's new podcast, The Founder's Cheat Code
Who has been a guest on What The Frac? | Your Fractional Executives
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Greg Palmer
Palmer
Alex Hutchings
Sara Daw
Steve Mellor
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2 ratings
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Questions about What The Frac? | Your Fractional Executives
Who hosts What The Frac? | Your Fractional Executives?
Nicole and Tamara host the show. Published by Nicole Zeno and Tamara Laine.
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