Episode 144

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Published on:

25th Sep 2025

128. Think Like A CEO: From $0 to $50 Million: How One Sales-Focused CEO Built Two Successful Companies with Kyle Wilson

What happens when a sales-focused CEO challenges everything we think we know about growing a business? Kyle Wilson doesn't just question conventional wisdom, he turns it upside down.

Kyle built Yellow Diamond Logistics to $50 million in just four years by focusing on what many founders try to avoid: doing the sales himself. His secret? Identifying his highest-value activity (sales calls) and systematically delegating everything else. This laser focus created extraordinary results that most companies only dream of achieving.

In our conversation, Kyle delivers a provocative message for today's business leaders: personal relationships are making a comeback while digital marketing effectiveness continues to decline. "I truly think personal relationships are back," Kyle asserts, explaining how in-person connections create trust that simply can't be replicated through digital channels. He challenges listeners to examine where their top customers actually come from; a simple exercise that often reveals surprising insights about what truly drives business growth.

Now leading his second successful venture, Thrive Modal, Kyle shares why he believes hiring global talent isn't just about cost savings: it's about creating mutually beneficial relationships that transform both companies and lives. His passionate commitment to connecting Filipino professionals with US companies stems from personal experience: "I really do wake up every day and know I could not have done it with an American staff," he explains, crediting much of his success to the dedication of his global team members.

Perhaps most surprising is Kyle's candid revelation about how sobriety accelerated his business growth. Being "100% present" from early morning until late evening has allowed him to maximize networking opportunities while maintaining the focus needed for effective leadership.

Ready to rethink your approach to scaling? Visit thrivemodal.com to discover how Kyle's team can help you tap into global talent that might just transform your business trajectory. 

In this podcast you will learn how:

• Defining elite success as creating value for everyone in the organization, not just personal achievement

• Identifying your highest-value activity and delegating everything else

• Why in-person relationships outperform digital marketing strategies for most businesses

• Looking at where your top five customers came from to guide future growth efforts

• Taking calculated financial risks as an essential part of entrepreneurship

• Building a company with global talent that creates opportunity for everyone involved

• Finding your North Star and helping employees connect with their deeper motivations

• How sobriety and 100% presence accelerated business growth

• The importance of CEO coaching for sustainable business success

Highlights:

0:00

Welcome to Think Like a CEO

1:48

Kyle Wilson: Sales-Focused CEO

5:35

Personal Relationships as Competitive Advantage

11:00

Taking Financial Risk as an Entrepreneur

16:35

Building a Business That Makes More

27:15

The Power of Global Talent

31:10

Episode Closing and Call to Action

Interested in 1:1 Coaching?

Kristin partners with high-performing financial advisors, leaders, and business owners who are ready to lead with more clarity, focus, and intention.

Clients often come to her with a strong vision, but they aren’t sure how to close the gap between where they are now and where they want to go. Many are navigating a season of growth, stepping into expanded leadership, or realizing they’ve outgrown their current systems and ways of working.

They know they’re capable of more and want a strategic thought partner to help them get there, someone who will ask the tough questions, create space to think deeply, and offer a proven process for turning ambition into meaningful progress.

If this sounds like the kind of partnership you’ve been craving, email meet@kristinburke.com to learn more and connect.

Connect with Kristin

LinkedIn

Instagram

Website

Goal Setting Success Course

Breakout Plan

Connect with Kyle

Thrive Modal

Yellow Diamond Logistics

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About the Podcast

Elite Achievement
A leadership and execution podcast for financial advisors and firm leaders
Elite Achievement with Kristin Burke

You’re a financial advisor. Your calendar is booked with back-to-back client meetings. You have a vision to grow your firm. You’re not sure if you have the right team in place. You’re holding on to work you know you should be delegating. You want to spend more time doing complex planning and working with your best clients, but you’re still trying to deliver for every client in your book.

At the end of the day, you’re still the one driving the revenue.

Or…

You’re leading a team of financial advisors or a firm. You’re responsible for growth, but don’t produce the results yourself. They come through the people you recruit, develop, and retain. And many of them aren’t traditional employees, which means you’re leading as much through influence as you are through expectations and accountability.

Your calendar is full, but your time doesn’t always feel well spent. You start the day with a plan, and it quickly shifts as people come to you with questions, challenges, and decisions that need your input.

You’re constantly balancing competing priorities. Attracting and bringing in new talent. Launching and developing new financial advisors. Supporting career advisors as they continue to grow. Having difficult conversations when someone isn’t performing. Protecting the culture and keeping everyone aligned to the vision.

At the end of the day, you’re still accountable for the results.

Different roles. Same challenges.

How do you create clarity around your vision and get others aligned to it?

How do you focus on the right priorities when everything feels important?

How do you develop people and hold a high standard of performance?

How do you lead effectively while still driving results?

This is the work of Elite Achievement.

A leadership and execution podcast for financial advisors and firm leaders who are building and scaling a firm and being challenged to lead at a higher level as success becomes less about your individual effort and more about how you lead.

Kristin Burke brings over 20 years of industry experience and works closely with financial advisors and firm leaders as they build firms, develop people, and navigate the challenges that come with growth.

Elite Achievement is about setting a bold vision, executing consistently, and becoming the kind of leader capable of building a legacy.