The Flywheel Effect
The Flywheel Effect is a podcast designed for entrepreneurs, small business owners, and professionals seeking to win in luxury home services businesses. Each episode dives into the nuances of growth, profit and prosperity, offering insights on leveraging data for informed business decisions. Through a mix of candid conversations and interviews with industry veterans, suppliers, and service providers, the podcast aims to inspire listeners to think bigger and transition from technicians to visionaries. This podcast is a guide to refining business acumen and achieving competitive excellence.
Episodes
21 episodes
EP 19 - Why Every Integrator Should Care About Government Affairs
This episode of The Flywheel Effect explores the crucial role of advocacy in the custom integration industry. Brent Sonnek-Schmelz hosts Will Breaux, Director at Casa Houston and CEDIA Government Affairs Committee Chair, for a look into the ...
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53:17
E21 - Coaching vs. Mentorship: Unlocking Growth in Business and Life
Coaching, mentorship, and peer groups—how do they shape personal and business growth? In this episode of The Flywheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath dive into the critical role these support systems play in leadership and d...
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40:59
E20 - It's Time To Do Some Yearly Planning. Bonus! Introducing The Bookclub
In this episode of The Flywheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath introduce their 2025 Book Club initiative and discuss key strategies for year-end business planning. They emphasize the value of continuous learning an...
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50:44
E18 - How Entrepreneurs Can Transition from Chaos to Growth
In this episode of The Flywheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath sit down with John Seiffer, CEO of CEO Bootcamp and author of Output Thinking. Drawing from over 40 years as a serial entrepreneur and coach, John shares his...
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1:06:07
E17 - Effects of Institutional Capital - PE and VC Money is coming to CI. What it means to you
In this episode of The Flywheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath break down the evolving landscape of home integration and luxury home services as institutional investment reshapes the industry. They explore why private equit...
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56:06
E16 - Hiring and Managing Great Accounting Talent
In this episode of The Flywheel Effect, Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath tackle the crucial topic of accounting talent for small businesses. Brent and Matt emphasize that strong accounting practices are essential for growth and offer pract...
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42:49
E15 - Smart Home Integration: Trends and Predictions
Chris Sterle, Founder and CEO of Acoustic Design Systems, joins The Flywheel Effect to share his unconventional journey to success. Chris openly discusses his early career st...
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1:07:49
E14 - The Magic of Delegation in a Small Business
In this episode of The FlyWheel Effect, Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath dive into the intricacies of delegation and its critical role in business growth. Brent shares a personal story about his son's first fishing experience, highlighting...
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25:52
E13 - Building a People-First National Brand in Custom Integration
This week on The Flywheel Effect, host Brennan Sonnek-Schmelz welcomes Hagan Kappler, CEO of Daisy. Hagan discusses her transition from leading large franchise organizations like ServiceMaster and Threshold Brands to building a national brand i...
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56:31
E12 - Key Components of Curating a Great Team Culture, volume 2
Episode SummaryIn this episode of the FlyWheel Effect podcast, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath dive into the importance of transparency and team culture within a business. They discuss how sharing financial informatio...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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38:33
E11 - Live at CEDIA: Custom Integration Trends and Predictions
The Flywheel Effect captures the energy and insight of CEDIA Expo 2024, exploring the evolving landscape of smart home integration. Hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath chat with industry leaders and gather diverse perspectives on the sh...
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17:17
E10 - Joey Kolchinsky: Creating Value with Service
In this episode of The FlyWheel Effect, host Brent Sonnek-Schmelz chats with Joseph Kolchinsky, the founder and CEO of OneVision Resources. Joey discusses how OneVision streamlines service operations for smart home installers, drawing from his ...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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48:58
E9 - Process Selling - Building Long Term Success with Patrick Martinez
In this episode of The Flywheel Effect, Brent Sonnek-Schmelz sits down with Patrick Martinez, CEO of Fivestone Solutions. Patrick shares insights on transforming sales processes for small and medium-sized businesses, particularly those led by s...
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1:02:44
E8 - The Power of 1-on-1 Meetings to Cultivate a High Performance Team Culture
In this episode of "The FlyWheel Effect," Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath discuss the crucial elements of building a high-performance team culture. They dive into the transition from solopreneur to small business owner and the challenges ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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25:07
E7 - The Psychology of Pricing and Why it Matters
In this episode of The FlyWheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath dive into the fascinating world of pricing psychology. They start by discussing the significant role that numerical digits play in pricing strategies. Matt high...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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31:43
E6 - A Conversation with Matthias Smith: Understanding the SBA Landscape and How to Hustle
In this episode of The FlyWheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath welcome Matthias Smith from Pioneer Capital Advisory, LLC. Matthias shares his journey from working in the SBA lending space to founding Pioneer Capital Advisor...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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1:00:50
E5 - BBI (Boring But Important) Managerial vs. Financial Accounting - Why It Matters
Join Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath in this episode of The Flywheel Effect as they dive into the world of accounting. They break down the differences between managerial and financial accounting, explaining how each serves distinct purpos...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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40:44
E4 - Conversation with Jim Pearse, the value of humility in creating lasting success
In this episode of "The Flywheel Effect," hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath sit down with Jim Pearse, the CEO of ProSource. Jim discusses his journey from Ultimate Electronics to leading ProSource, sharing insights on how integrators ...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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48:02
E3 - Economic headwinds for luxury home services? Plus, Snap One is acquired by ADI - what does it mean
In this episode of the Flywheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath dive into the pressing economic challenges facing luxury home service providers. They discuss the critical need for sound business fundamentals amidst rising in...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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31:58
E2 - Creating Value with your Team - An Interview with Paul Starkey
In this episode of The FlyWheel Effect, hosts Brent Sonnek-Schmelz and Matt Bernath welcome Paul Starkey, a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of PrepTech and Fenco. Paul discusses his innovative approaches to technical recruitment and training,...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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55:49