Get Off The Treadmill Podcast

What if you could stop chasing clients and start attracting them instead?

In this solo episode, Chuck Blakeman breaks down The Lumberjack Buying System, a proven four-stage process that replaces traditional selling with relationship building. Used by thousands of business owners worldwide, this system helps you leave behind cold calls, endless networking, and transactional sales for something far more effective: relational business development that actually works.

Chuck explains why the old “sales treadmill” keeps most small business owners stuck and how to build a Steady Stream of Potential Clients by shifting from hunting strangers to collaborating with trusted connections — your “Lumberjacks.”

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:
✅ Why networking is a great way to start—but a terrible place to stay
✅ How to season relationships and build trust before asking for business
✅ The four key stages of the Lumberjack Buying System
✅ How to stop selling one customer at a time and build a system that brings you many
✅ Why serving beats selling every single time

If you’ve ever felt exhausted by traditional sales tactics, this episode will show you a better way — one built on relationships, generosity, and long-term success.

And if you haven’t yet, go back and listen to Episode 27 – Stop Networking and Start Building a Network Instead! Listen here.

Why does business development feel so exhausting for so many business owners? Because most of us were taught to do it the wrong way.

In this episode, Chuck Blakeman sits down with Andrew Rowland to unpack what real business development actually looks like and why it has nothing to do with chasing strangers, pitching at networking events, or collecting business cards you’ll never use.

Andrew shares his journey from hustling alone (and burning out) to building a business that grows through relationships, community, and intentional connections. He explains how just a handful of the right people, your “multipliers”, can create more business growth than years of traditional sales tactics.

Together, Chuck and Andrew dive into:
✅ Why “stabbing people with business cards” never creates real opportunities
✅ The mindset shift from transactions to transformational relationships
✅ How three to five genuine connections can become your strongest business pipeline
✅ Why you get what you intend and how to set intentions that attract the right clients
✅ How 3to5 Club helped Andrew escape isolation and build a business he actually loves
✅ Why relational business development works for introverts, extroverts, and everyone in between

If you're tired of random hope marketing and want a business development system based on trust, generosity, and consistency, this episode will show you what’s possible.

💡 Get ready to rethink how you grow your business—one real relationship at a time.

Why do so many business owners work harder and harder… yet never seem to get ahead?

In this solo episode, Chuck breaks down one of the most powerful mindset shifts in entrepreneurship: intending to make more money in less time.

Drawing from decades of experience building 13 businesses on four continents, Chuck explains why most owners stay trapped on the treadmill and how a single shift in intention can change everything. This is not theory. It’s a simple, actionable framework you can apply today.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

✅ Why you get what you intend—not what you hope for
✅ The three essential resources every entrepreneur must manage: time, money, and energy
✅ Why “making money” is not a goal (and what to focus on instead)
✅ How to design a business that produces both income and freedom
✅ The mindset shift Chuck used to reclaim two days a week, a week each month, and a month each year
✅ How clarity, intentionality, and a future-focused plan help you finally “get a life” through your business

Chuck also shares the key question every entrepreneur must ask:

“What do I actually want from my business?”

And he walks you step by step through defining your ideal lifestyle, reversing it into a practical plan, and taking the next one simple action to get there.

If you're tired of running faster just to stay in place, this episode will give you the clarity and the permission you need to build a business that works for you, not the other way around.

Most business owners don’t lose sales because of pricing, competition, or skill, they lose them because they don’t follow up.

In this powerful and energizing episode, Chuck reconnects with Lynn Whitbeck, CEO of Petite2Queen, host of Claim Your Career Crown, and widely known as the Queen of Joyful Sales, to unpack the real reason follow-up fails and how you can fix it starting today.

Lynn shares the staggering truth:

80% of all sales are made by the 20% of people who follow up.
If you’re not in that 20%, you’re giving business to someone else.

Together, Chuck and Lynn dive into:

• How follow-up builds real relationships (not pressure)
• The mindset traps that stop people from reaching out
• What to do when you think “it’s been too long”
• How to deliver value so you never sound pushy
• Lynn’s simple, proven follow-up system that actually gets responses
• Creative follow-up touches that make you stand out (yes… even fax!)
• Why “no” usually means “not right now” — and how to stay top of mind

Chuck and Lynn also share real-life stories of long-term follow-up that turned into major opportunities, reminding us why consistency, recency, and frequency win in sales every time.

If you’ve ever felt awkward, inconsistent, or unsure about following up, this episode gives you a practical, joyful roadmap to do it well and close more clients by genuinely serving them.

Listen now and become part of the 20% who actually win the business.

Get Lynn’s Free Resource: Download her Get More Clients Checklist at petite2queen.com/checklist 

New here? Catch Lynn’s first appearance on the podcast: Making Sales Joyful — scroll back and listen!

Gratitude may not sound like a business strategy, but science says otherwise.

In this thought-provoking solo episode, Chuck Blakeman takes a purposeful left turn to explore how gratitude directly impacts business performance, leadership effectiveness, and long-term success. Backed by neuroscience and real-world data, Chuck breaks down why emotional intelligence (EQ), not IQ or technical skill, is the true predictor of business success, and how gratitude is one of the fastest ways to grow it.

You’ll learn why:

• 90% of top performers have high EQ—not high IQ
• EQ drives over half of job performance and long-term success
• Gratitude practices measurably improve health, resilience, joy, and income

But here’s the twist:

Chuck explains why traditional gratitude lists don’t actually make us more grateful—and what does work instead.

This episode introduces a powerful, neuroscience-backed gratitude practice focused on receiving gratitude, not just expressing it. Chuck walks you through a simple, repeatable method that can be done in just a few minutes a week and can literally reduce stress, inflammation, threat detection, and burnout while increasing clarity, meaning, and joy.

🎧 Tune in and discover why gratitude isn’t “soft” it’s a serious competitive advantage.

What does it really take to start and grow a business when you don’t have all the answers?

In this energizing conversation, Chuck sits down with Jessica Agopian, founder of 33 Services & Consulting and multi-center Sylvan Learning franchise owner, along with 3to5 Club facilitator Mark Bellestri, to unpack what it means to lead with action instead of anxiety.

Jessica shares how she went from employee to owner, opened her first Sylvan center, expanded to a second location, and continues to scale, all without waiting for perfect conditions. The discussion dives into why momentum matters more than mastery, how systems beat hustle, and why most of business success has far less to do with industry expertise than people think.

Together, Chuck, Jessica, and Mark explore the mindset shift that separates stalled business owners from builders who keep moving forward, especially when things feel uncertain, messy, or unfinished.

If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting to be “ready,” this episode will challenge that thinking and remind you why movement creates clarity, confidence, and growth.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why you don’t need everything figured out before you start
• The difference between being a craftsperson and being a business owner
• How systems, culture, and leadership drive scalable growth
• Why execution beats perfection every time
• How confidence is built after action—not before

What if the fastest way to improve productivity, profit, and retention wasn’t tighter control—but giving people their time back?

In this solo episode, Chuck Blakeman challenges the outdated belief that managing time equals managing performance. Drawing from real-world business examples and decades of leadership experience, Chuck explains why autonomy, trust, and outcome-based leadership consistently outperform micromanagement and rigid schedules.

This episode reframes time as one of the most powerful (and misunderstood) leadership tools—and shows how freeing people from unnecessary control unlocks better results for everyone.

In this episode, Chuck explores:

• Why managing time is a losing strategy for modern businesses
• How focusing on outcomes—not hours—drives higher performance
• The hidden cost of supervision, micromanagement, and “seat time”
• Why trust is a measurable business advantage, not a soft skill
• How giving people autonomy increases engagement, retention, and ownership
• What leaders must let go of to build a truly scalable business

If you want people who act like owners instead of employees and a business that grows without burning everyone out this episode will challenge how you think about time, leadership, and results.

🎧 Listen now and discover why giving people their time back may be the smartest business decision you make.

Most business owners avoid hiring for one simple reason: They don’t want to manage people.

In this episode, Chuck sits down with Brandon Rains to challenge that assumption and show why the right hiring process eliminates the need for management altogether.

Brandon shares how he built a thriving estate planning firm with a high-performing team by hiring for culture, beliefs, and talent before skills and experience. Drawing from his years inside the 3to5 Club and real-world hiring success, this conversation reframes hiring as a long-term investment instead of a risky gamble.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why most hiring fails before the first interview even happens
• How hiring for culture first prevents future management headaches
• The difference between people who want a job and people who want meaningful work
• Why resumes and experience often hide the most important indicators
• How a multi-step hiring process causes the wrong candidates to self-select out
• Why starting with trust, not control, changes everything

If you’re tired of micromanaging, constantly fixing mistakes, or feeling trapped by your team, this episode will help you rethink hiring from the ground up and build a business that runs on ownership instead of oversight.