What does it really take to build a business that doesn’t just grow—but lasts?
In this episode, we sit down with Mike Cassidy, a seasoned entrepreneur, former corporate CEO, angel investor, and trusted advisor to founders across industries. Mike has built companies from the ground up, successfully exited, and spent decades helping entrepreneurs turn bold ideas into profitable, sustainable businesses.
Drawing from real-world wins (and hard-earned lessons), Mike shares his breakthrough Be Different in What Matters® philosophy—a practical framework for standing out in competitive markets by deeply understanding customers, outmaneuvering competitors, and maintaining an unwavering focus on profitability. As the author of The Profitable Entrepreneur, Mike brings clarity to the three essentials most businesses struggle to balance: vision, execution, and profit.
Whether you’re a founder scaling your first company or a seasoned operator looking to strengthen long-term performance, this conversation delivers timeless insights on how to build a profitable business that endures. Mike also shares lessons from his years teaching entrepreneurship, advising startups, and consulting through Fortress Strategy Group—making this episode a must-listen for anyone serious about sustainable success.
Episode Highlights Here:
Brett
Before we jump into this episode, I want to invite you to join our community to help you become abetter steward scale to billions and ultimately give more or all of it away. All I want you to do isto click the subscribe button right now. I love your support. It’s incredible to see yourcomments, and we’re just getting started. I can’t wait to go on this journey with you. Thank youso much for subscribing. It means the world to me. Welcome to the build to billions podcastwhere we guide successful entrepreneurs and investors on their journey from millions tobillions. We believe that the key to scaling and compounding your wealth starts every single day with a mindset and practice of stewardship over ownership and applying billionaire biblical principles. Our ultimate goal is to help you scale and compound your wealth and life so you can give more all of it away for MVPs, the most vulnerable people. My name is Brett Swarts, and every episode, we’re joined by some of the world’s top entrepreneurs, millionaires and billionaires, and they share their secrets, wisdom and insights with us so we can all scale andlevel up our impact. I’m excited about our next guest. He’s out of the great state of Indiana. Heis the author of the profitable entrepreneur. It’s a practical and essential roadmap to grow and sustain your business. He has been a corporate CEO, highly successful startup entrepreneur, angel investor, consultant, award winning lecturer on entrepreneurship and so much more. Please welcome the show with me. Mr. Mike Cassidy, Mike, how we doing?
Mike
I’m doing great. Hope you’re doing well, too. Thanks for having me. Brett,
Brett
I am. Thank you so much. And for our listeners, get to know you for the first time, would you give us a little more about your storyand your current focus?
Mike
Sure. Well, I got to writing my book based on, I’m sorry to say, but 50Years of investing in business entrepreneurship, I started, like many, right out of college with my business degree, and I started as Cost Accounting Manager for local manufacturing company that had its own line of consumer products. And I learned right away that that company, it had about 100 employees and 60 years old. And I found out, gosh, there’s lots of dysfunction here. And as cost accounting manager, I found really where all the dysfunction was. But that company turned out to be a great opportunity for me. It was privately owned with an absentee owner who relied on the general manager, and so he and I kind of got together, and I’m the kind of person who just likes to stick my nose in, where I see dysfunction and offer help. And I did that early. And I, you know, I was doing a great job as a cost accounting manager, but I just saw all this dysfunction relating to that. So, I just said, Hey, how about we do? What if? Can we try and so on and so on? And I ended up sticking my nose into every aspect of the business, helping to become I learned how to be a creative problem solver from that opportunity, and I did that. And over time, I took over. More and more. Was promoted more and more. And after about six and a half years, the owner just said, you know more about this company than anybody, why don’t you just run the thing? So, I became CEO after six years, starting as Cost Accounting Manager, because of the opportunity I had, but I learned a lot how-to become a creative problem solver, how to work with people, how to lead teams, and the like. So, from there, I did my first startup company, and I learned more hard lessons there. I realizedI created a kind of a me too company, and the only way I could compete was on price. So I learned how to be much more strategic from that and learn how to really create value for customer. Had a great team, and we grew fairly fast. We were growing about 30% a year, and we learned how to be a great team and be creative problem solvers for our customers. We found that that’s really what customers need, and so did a great job. Went from startup to really a leader of our industry niche, and after 17 years, my leadership team wanted to buy the company. So that provided the opportunity. What am I going to do next? Well, of course, entrepreneurs who sell their company become consultants, right? So, I did that, but at the same time, we have opportunity to join what was a startup. Startup opportunity within Peru university, they were creating a certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation. I spent 15 years there helping students learn, not necessarily how to become entrepreneurs, but learn how to become the best employee that company is ever going to hire, because they learn how all about markets, customers, competition. So, I will say to them, you know, when you’re on that team and your boss comes in and says, hey, let’s do this. You might say, well, does the customer need that? Should we talk to the customer? What do they really want? Who are we competing with? How can we beat those guys and on? And the boss would look at you and say, you need to lead this team. So, I asked him, is it okay if I just help your make more money the rest of your life?
Brett
So if you like this little short clip of the interview I just did,click over here to watch the full interview, and please don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks somuch, everybody.
Watch the episode here:
Important Links:
About Mike Cassidy
Mike Cassidy is a veteran entrepreneur, former corporate CEO, angel investor, and trusted advisor to founders and growth-stage companies. He built and successfully exited his first startup by consistently delivering innovative, market-leading products—hands-on experience that shaped his practical, no-nonsense approach to building businesses designed for long-term success.
Over decades of leadership, Mike developed his signature Be Different in What Matters® philosophy, a framework grounded in deep customer understanding, competitive insight, clear market positioning, and relentless focus on profitability. After his exit, he became an active angel investor and consultant across a wide range of industries, while also serving for 15 years as a multi-award-winning lecturer in Purdue University’s Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program, including global academic collaborations. These experiences give him a rare ability to connect with entrepreneurs and guide them through both growth and challenge.
Entrepreneurs value Mike’s mastery of the three essentials of business success—vision, execution, and profitability. He is the author of The Profitable Entrepreneur, a practical roadmap for building companies that grow and endure, and he continues to advise and speak to organizations through Fortress Strategy Group. Outside of work, Mike is a devoted husband of more than 50 years and an aspiring rock guitarist.
Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!
- capitalgainstaxsolutions.com
- Capital Gains Tax Solutions Facebook
- Capital Gains Tax Solutions Twitter
- Capital Gains Tax Solutions Tiktok