Episode Summary
In this episode of The Flywheel Effect, host Brent Sonnek-Schmelz welcomes Matt Bernath from VITAL for a candid conversation that starts with Brad Jacobs’ business book and unfolds into something deeper. What begins as a book club discussion turns into a reflection on entrepreneurship, education, and what it really means to build a successful business—and a meaningful life.
Matt shares why traditional education often fails to prepare people for entrepreneurial thinking. He and Brent explore how curiosity, risk-taking, and confidence are built—or stifled—early in life. They also discuss the pressures of parenting and how to raise independent, resilient kids in a culture that over-prioritizes structure.
The episode ends with practical lessons for business leaders. From the benefits of running lean teams to hiring for mindset over industry experience, Brent and Matt break down the hidden drivers of growth. It’s a grounded, insightful look at leadership from the inside out.
Featured Guest
Guest: Matt Bernath
What he does:President
Company: VITAL
Noteworthy: Specializes in scaling small businesses through financial clarity and strategic leadership
Where to find him: LinkedIn
Key Insights
Why Lean Teams Drive Stronger Business Performance
Running slightly understaffed might sound risky, but it can actually lead to more focus, efficiency, and accountability. When resources are tight, teams are forced to prioritize work that truly moves the needle. That constraint creates clarity. Brent and Matt unpack how businesses often over-hire in the name of growth or freedom, only to find bloated teams and rising operational stress. Instead, they advocate for purposeful hiring and leaving empty seats open until the right person shows up. This doesn’t just cut costs—it protects culture and gives existing team members room to grow. The takeaway is clear: the pressure to scale fast shouldn’t outweigh the value of staying lean and deliberate.
The Education System Isn’t Built for Entrepreneurs
Traditional education is structured to produce employees—not business owners. That’s the tension at the heart of this episode’s most passionate exchange. Brent and Matt discuss how schools reward compliance and memorization, while undervaluing curiosity, risk-taking, and independent thinking. These gaps matter because they show up later in business owners who struggle with confidence, decision-making, and self-trust. It’s not just a critique of schooling—it’s a call for change in how we parent, hire, and lead. To build a generation of leaders, we need to foster environments that encourage experimentation and tolerate failure. Whether you’re a founder or a parent, this insight challenges you to think about how to better support creativity and resilience from the ground up.
Confidence Comes From Risk—Not Just Success
Real confidence doesn’t come from reading books or following checklists. It comes from taking action, facing uncertainty, and learning from the outcome—win or lose. That’s one of the core insights Brent and Matt explore as they talk about parenting, entrepreneurship, and mental health. In a world obsessed with optimization, many people—especially young adults—are conditioned to avoid risk and fear failure. But the result is stagnation, not safety. The hosts argue that by shielding people from failure, we also rob them of the confidence that comes from working through it. Whether you’re raising kids or leading a team, the takeaway is the same: confidence is earned through challenge. Creating space for healthy risk-taking may be the most underrated leadership move you can make.
Episode Highlights
The Real Reason This Book Club Pick Resonated
Timestamp: ~00:08:50
Early in the episode, Brent and Matt reflect on Brad Jacobs’ book How to Make a Few Billion Dollars—not for its financial ambition, but for its unexpected emotional tone. The first chapter, centered around “love vibes,” catches the VITAL team off guard in a good way. The conversation explores how a billionaire author chose to begin a business book with heart instead of hard tactics. That framing leads Brent and Matt to discuss how leadership starts with emotional awareness, not just data or deals.
“I binged this book for over two weeks. It just so happened that I aligned with the VITAL team on the first chapter. They read the first chapter while I was reading the first chapter. I didn’t make the book club meeting, but afterward, they explained to me, ‘Wow, we thought this book was going to be so businessy, but it’s heartfelt and full of love vibes.’ It’s funny—the first chapter is all about love vibes. I mean, that’s pretty much what it’s about.”
Why Fiction Can Unlock Better Thinking for Leaders
Timestamp: ~00:38:45
Midway through the episode, Brent pushes Matt to consider adding fiction to his reading mix. While Matt tends to focus on nonfiction and business strategy, Brent argues that well-written fiction sparks creativity, builds empathy, and even helps busy minds settle. They talk about how narrative structure, emotional depth, and character-driven storytelling offer something different—and valuable—for leaders who usually rely on metrics and playbooks. The moment also offers a peek into their personalities and how they approach growth differently.
“Fiction and the way it unlocks areas of your brain—either to settle it down, open up pathways, think through things differently, or visualize what you’re eating—is, I think, an important thing. It’s really important, and you don’t get that from most business-based nonfiction.”
Culture Matters More Than Industry Experience
Timestamp: ~00:48:00
Near the end of the conversation, Brent challenges a common hiring bias: assuming that relevant industry experience is a must. Using Brad Jacobs’ career as a model, they examine how skills like intelligence, ambition, and honesty often outweigh deep vertical expertise. The takeaway is that mindset and adaptability are stronger predictors of success than subject-matter knowledge. For small businesses, this mindset shift can open the door to better hires—and more diverse thinking.
“People focus on their industry as if it’s a constraint. This guy went from oil commodity trading to waste management, to equipment rentals, to logistics—not because he was an expert in it, but because he saw opportunity. Industry is not a constraint if you’re talented.”
Let Your Kids Take More Risks
Timestamp: ~00:20:00
In a powerful section on parenting, Brent shares how his approach to raising children is shaped by a desire to foster independence. He warns against “snowplow parenting”—clearing every obstacle in a child’s path—and encourages more space for self-directed play and problem-solving. This isn’t just parenting advice; it’s a metaphor for leadership. The best growth happens when people are given freedom to explore, try, and fail. This segment reinforces a recurring theme in the episode: confidence, resilience, and leadership are built through lived experience—not protection.
“I do not want to snowplow everything for my children. I want to let them succeed or fail when the actual risk and stakes are low […]. If you hug too tight—like in Of Mice and Men—he killed the mouse. Why? Because he hugged it too tight. We hug our kids too tight. Let ’em go. I’m letting them do their own thing. Let ’em figure it out.”
