The Decision by EO Nashville
This is The Decision by Nashville EO. On this podcast, you will hear the rest of the story after tough decisions were made by Entrepreneurs who faced adversity and lived to tell about it.
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Eric Schell - How Customer Pain Points Can Reveal Your Next Big Opportunity
<p>Eric Schell is the Co-founder and CEO of OneTap, a technology company that streamlines maintenance and repair requests for restaurants and other businesses. With more than a decade of experience in construction, real estate, and hands-on fieldwork, he focuses on making service faster, simpler, and more cost-effective for owners and technicians. Eric previously owned Nashville Maintenance Pros and The Nashville Flipper, a home flipping and maintenance company.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Some of the strongest business ideas begin with repeatedly seeing the same problem from the front lines. When an inefficient process becomes so familiar that ev...
Jonathan Merkh - How To Use a Book To Build Authority and Grow Your Business
<p>Jonathan Merkh is the Co-Founder, President, and CEO at Forefront Books, a hybrid publisher that helps thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and experts turn compelling ideas into professionally published books. With more than 30 years in publishing, he guides authors through strategy, editorial development, production, distribution, and market positioning. Jonathan previously held leadership roles at Thomas Nelson and Simon & Schuster. Across his career, he has helped publish nearly 100 New York Times bestsellers and serves on the board of the Independent Book Publishers Association.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Publishing a book can do more for an entrepreneur than generate book sale...
Bill McCleskey - The Future of Entrepreneurship and Business Leadership in Nashville
<p>Bill McCleskey is the Founder and CEO of Mitech Partners, a Nashville-based technology brokerage that connects businesses with telecom and technology solutions. He also serves as the President of EO Nashville, where he advances member engagement, community partnerships, digital visibility, and growth across Middle Tennessee's entrepreneurial ecosystem. An author, speaker, and business coach, Bill draws on more than 15 years of experience to help entrepreneurs and sales leaders turn discipline, accountability, and relationship-building into measurable revenue.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Entrepreneurship may begin with an individual decision, but sustainable growth doesn't happen alone. Strong peer relationships create ac...
Ann Johnson - How a $250,000 Employee Theft Changed One Business Forever
<p>Ann Johnson is the Founder and Owner of Waste Tech Services, a nationwide trash consulting and brokerage firm that negotiates waste contracts and reduces disposal costs for businesses. Since its founding, Waste Tech Services has negotiated thousands of contracts for clients and has saved millions of dollars for the companies it represents. With decades of experience in waste management, Ann built the company by forming buying co-ops, reviewing invoices, resolving service issues, and securing optimal contract terms.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Trust is essential in business, but it can also expose an owner to risks that ar...
Phillip Simpson - How Entrepreneurs Can Balance Ambition, Focus, and Purpose
<p>Phillip Simpson is the CEO of SFM Services, a family of companies that helps schools, churches, and other mission-driven organizations clean, maintain, and secure their facilities. He leads the company's growth, culture, and operations while developing teams that deliver dependable, high-quality work. A West Point graduate, former Army infantry officer, and an elite wrestler who trained for the Olympics, Phillip has experience in leadership, discipline, talent development, and building organizations around clear values.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Building a meaningful career often requires choosing between competing definitions of success. Strong leadership also depends on knowing when to...
Lauren Reed - Stepping Away To Lead Better: Lessons From an 18-Month Sabbatical
<p>Lauren Reed is the Founding Partner of REED Public Relations, a full-service public relations and marketing agency. In her role, she leads strategy, business growth, and team development, drawing on expertise in communications, agency leadership, workplace culture, and cause marketing. Lauren also speaks and writes about entrepreneurship, burnout, and building a business that can thrive beyond its founder.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Some entrepreneurs have always known they would one day build a company. Others arrive there only after a decision forces them to trust themselves before the path is fully clear. What does it look li...
Dr. David Haase - Long-Term Health Habits for Entrepreneurs
<p>David Haase, MD, is the Founder and Executive Physician at MaxWell Clinic, a functional medicine clinic focused on advanced diagnostics, nutrition, longevity, and brain optimization. In 2025, he founded EverBetter, a health technology company dedicated to improving clinical outcomes, digital security, and human agency. Dr. Haase completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic and is double board-certified in Family Medicine and Integrative Holistic Medicine. He is also Lead Faculty at the Institute for Functional Medicine and trains physicians globally in approaches to Alzheimer's, dementia, and chronic illness.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Healthcare often rewards efficiency, compliance, and th...
Iris Pomerance Fields - From Tech Disillusionment to Buying and Rebuilding a Service Business
<p>Iris Pomerance Fields is the Owner and President of The Porch Company, a design-build construction firm specializing in custom porches and outdoor living spaces. Originally founded more than 30 years ago, she acquired the company and now leads its growth while preserving its craftsmanship-focused legacy. Before The Porch Company, Iris worked in business operations at Built Technologies and CareBridge. </p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>A career can look successful on paper while feeling strangely disconnected from the work itself. Over time, that gap can evolve into a deeper question about whether day-to-day work feels grounded, tangible, and aligned wit...
Daniel Woods - Building a Service Business Through Hospitality and Intentional Leadership
<p>Daniel Woods is the Founder and CEO of The Addison Group, a landscape architecture firm focused on designing personalized and elegant outdoor spaces. The company serves builders and custom clients throughout Greater Nashville, offering landscape design, site and grading plans, pool and outdoor living design, and 3D rendering. Before founding The Addison Group, Daniel was a senior Landscape Architect at Southern Land Company, where he played a principal role in the development of local communities.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Growth often begins with a simple question: Is the path you're on still the right one? For en...
Matthew Anderson - Making Better Decisions in Real Estate, Law, and Entrepreneurship
<p>Matthew Anderson is a Partner at Anderson & Harrison, PLLC, a Nashville-based boutique law firm focused on construction and real estate law. The practice represents real estate professionals, investors, developers, and operators in breach-of-contract and tort disputes related to real estate and construction. As a real estate investor and operator, Matthew has approximately $25M of assets under management, consisting primarily of multifamily and office space in Tennessee.</p> <h2>In this episode…</h2> <p>Entrepreneurship often requires choosing between what's working and what's worth building next. As opportunities expand, the harder decision is not always whether to grow, but what to...
