In this episode of the Show Your Value Podcast, host Lee Benson sits down with entrepreneur John St. Pierre, who built a 55 million dollar company… and lost it all.
John opens up about the painful lessons behind that collapse and the powerful mindset that helped him rebuild his success. He calls it patient ambition, the balance between drive and discipline that every founder needs to master.
Together, Lee and John unpack what really happens when you grow too fast, why most entrepreneurs overestimate short-term gains and underestimate long-term potential, and how to protect your company from losing control.
If you’re building a business, raising capital, or chasing growth, this conversation will change the way you think about success.
In This Episode:
- The real story behind losing a 55M company
- What “patient ambition” means and why it matters
- How to grow without overleveraging or burning out
- The seven principles that protect and scale a business
- The difference between ownership and control
- How to build lasting enterprise value
Timestamps:
00:00 John’s story: from 55M to zero
02:00 Ambition vs patience
06:00 What caused the collapse
10:00 Protecting your business and team
15:00 The 7 principles of the $100M Journey
20:00 How to grow responsibly
25:00 AI, leadership, and the future of entrepreneurship
30:00 Final takeaways
About the Guest:
John St. Pierre is the author of The $100M Journey, entrepreneur, and advocate for sustainable growth. Learn more at 100mjourney.com

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