Episode 84

The Founder’s Trap: When Work Steals Life

About the Host:

Jamie Shanks, Founder and CEO of Get Levrg and Pipeline Signals, is a leader in offshoring, sales enablement, and business growth. He founded Sales for Life, training 250,000+ professionals globally for companies like Microsoft and Oracle. Jamie specializes in scaling profit growth through strategic offshoring and account-based intelligence. A sought-after thought leader, he empowers businesses with actionable insights to streamline operations and drive sustainable success in competitive markets.

About the Guest:

Johnathan Grzybowski is the Co-founder and Product Specialist at Penji, a creative subscription service supporting agencies and marketing teams with on-demand design. Known for his candid perspective on leadership and work-life balance, Johnathan brings both empathy and operational insight to conversations around offshore talent, time management, and founder mental health. He’s also the host of Dear Dads, a podcast about the journey of becoming a present father while running a business.

Guest Info:

Name: Johnathan Grzybowski

Designation: Product Specialist

Company: Penji

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grzybowskij/

Episode Summary
In this gripping episode of Offshore to Profit, host Jamie Shanks sits down with Penji co-founder Johnathan Grzybowski for a conversation every founder needs to hear — especially those chasing revenue while ignoring real life. What starts as a story about sales stress and offshore execution transforms into something more profound: the moment a father chooses his crying baby over a follow-up email. Together, they unpack the silent weight of founder-led pressure, the physical toll of always being "on," and the toxic belief that deals die without you. But this isn’t just therapy — it’s tactical too. They share frameworks for hiring and trusting offshore talent, building a high-performance culture across cultures, and creating time management systems that serve the person, not just the calendar. Whether you're scaling an agency or feeling like you’re drowning in Slack notifications, this episode reminds us that you are not your inbox. You are a leader, and that starts with leading yourself.

Key Takeaways:

1. Founders often confuse busy work with real progress.
   
2. Letting go of control is essential for true growth.
   
3. Prioritizing family over constant hustle creates clarity.
   
4. Offshore teams thrive with trust and soft-skill training.
   
5. Time-blocking and structured tools prevent burnout.
   
6. Founder-led sales can become a bottleneck over time.
   
7. Building culture across global teams requires intention.
   
8. Emotional awareness is key to sustainable leadership.
   
9. Systems like Notion and Trello increase alignment.
   
10. True leadership means stepping back so others can lead.

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