Revved UP Podcast

Hey, Revved Up Podcast fans! Gary Leeman here, and I’m stoked to dive into a game-changing chat with a marketing legend who’s been at it since web analytics were born. We’re cracking the code on buyer personas with a mind-blowing AI tool, NeuroGraph, that reveals who’s really buying from you. From e-commerce myths to the future of AI marketing, this episode is packed with insights to level up your strategy. If you want to nail your customer targeting, hit play, subscribe, and let’s get revved up!
 
Guest Introduction:
Folks, today’s guest is a marketing trailblazer who’s been shaking things up since the ‘90s. From pioneering web analytics at IBM to launching a top-tier agency and an e-commerce brand, he’s now dropping a revolutionary AI tool, NeuroGraph. His insights on buyer behavior are next-level—buckle up for this one!
 
Key Takeaways:
 NeuroGraph’s AI uncovers buyer personas that can be 40-130% more valuable than your current target, blowing open new opportunities.
E-commerce isn’t a cakewalk—Shopify and ads look easy, but fierce competition makes conversion rate optimization a must.
AI’s like a brilliant intern: eager but needs human smarts to deliver true marketing breakthroughs.
Entrepreneurship’s not all glitz—it’s tough, lonely, and demands you know every piece of the puzzle.
SEO’s shifting to “generative engine optimization,” so keep testing to stay ahead in AI-driven search.
Network like a pro: three daily outreach calls, each with three referrals, could reach 531,000 people in six months!
 
Chapter Markers:
0:00 Intro
1:30 Guest Introduction
3:00 From IBM to Agency Trailblazer
10:00 The E-Commerce Dare That Paid Off
15:30 Why Conversion Rates Matter
20:00 NeuroGraph’s AI Buyer Insights
30:00 AI Marketing: Hype vs. Reality
35:00 SEO’s Next Era: Generative Optimization
40:00 Q&A: Marketing Myths and More
50:00 Closing
 
Keywords:
Gary Leeman, Brice McBeth, Revved Up Podcast, NeuroGraph, buyer personas, performance marketing, e-commerce, conversion rate optimization, web analytics, AI marketing, generative engine optimization, SEO, entrepreneurship, Shopify, marketing strategy
 
Pull Quotes:
“This AI tool cracks the customer code, showing you buyers you never knew were gold!”
“E-commerce looks simple, but competition’s brutal—conversion’s where you win big!”

Hey, Revved Up listeners! Gary Leeman here, diving into an electrifying chat with my buddy Ryan Strong, a serial entrepreneur who’s mastered the art of leadership and startup grit. From his daily cold plunges to building Stones AI, Ryan shares raw lessons on extreme ownership, staying lean like a cockroach, and why perseverance is everything. We unpack his failures, his new AI compliance venture, and how to lead without ego. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or love no-BS leadership talk, this episode’s for you! Hit that play button, subscribe, and let’s get revved up together!
 
Guest Introduction:Meet Ryan Strong, a serial entrepreneur and product management guru who’s got startup life in his DNA. I met Ryan at a Mexican restaurant over margaritas, and his sharp takes on leadership hooked me instantly. Now running Stones AI, he’s tackling AI compliance with a fearless, learn-first mindset. Ryan’s a dad, a cold-plunge junkie, and a master of turning failures into wins—perfect for our Revved Up crew!
 
Key Takeaways: Embrace the suck with daily cold plunges—they build discipline that fuels leadership.Let ideas marinate; don’t rush to build before understanding the market.Extreme ownership means taking the blame to move forward, not win arguments.Be a cockroach—stay lean, nimble, and ready to pivot in any storm.Perseverance is your startup superpower; keep going, even in the valleys.Prioritize one intention daily to cut through the noise and focus on what matters.
 
Chapter Markers:0:00 Intro0:10 Guest Introduction3:00 Cold Plunge Discipline and Leadership10:00 Lessons from Product Pal’s Shutdown17:00 Stones AI and AI Compliance Venture25:00 Leadership Lessons: No Sacred Cows38:00 Extreme Ownership in Action53:00 Personal Growth and Cockroach Mentality62:00 Advice for New Entrepreneurs67:00 Q&A Section75:00 Closing
 
Keywords:Gary Leeman, Ryan Strong, Revved Up podcast, entrepreneurship, leadership, AI compliance, startup lessons, extreme ownership, perseverance, Stones AI, cold plunges, business strategy, product management, startup failures, transparent leadership

What if fixing your business started with one simple question: What’s the real problem? In this episode of Revved UP, host Gary Leeman sits down with Steve Crowley, co-founder of Service Physics, to unpack how lean thinking can transform service work—from chaotic kitchens to national chains. Steve shares the unexpected moment that introduced him to lean, explains how to avoid boiling the ocean with tools, and reveals why clarity and right-sizing are leadership superpowers. Packed with wisdom, humor, and real-world examples, this is a must-listen for any leader trying to simplify complexity and create meaningful results.
 
 
About Steve Crowley
Steve Crowley is a seasoned operations strategist and engineer with a passion for transforming service environments from the frontline up. As Principal and co-founder of Service Physics, he helps multi-location brands—in industries from restaurants and healthcare to retail—simplify complexity and unlock performance by embedding lean methodologies within real-world operations. A former Starbucks leader and Lean Innovation champion, Steve brought lean thinking to global initiatives like the Mobile Order & Pay rollout before advancing to AB‑InBev’s innovation arm, ZX Ventures, where he refined the extraction of impact through minimum effective dose approaches. With a foundational BS in Hospitality Administration from Boston University and an MBA from Tennessee Tech, Steve blends academic rigor with frontline experience. He’s a hands‑on consultant who doesn’t stop at strategy—he embeds with teams to untangle bottlenecks, apply data-driven discipline, and cultivate servant leadership within organizations. On Revved UP, Steve shares stories from his lean journey, offers practical tools for leaders tackling real service‑industry challenges, and highlights how small, intentional changes can fuel breakthrough results—without overwhelming teams.
 
Expanded Key Takeaways
Lean is a problem-solving mindset, not a toolbox.Steve explains that lean should be focused on solving specific problems, not just implementing tools like value stream mapping or visual signals without context.
Start with a minimum effective dose.Many companies fail at lean because they try to do everything at once. Steve’s philosophy is to find the smallest change with the biggest impact—and build from there.
Time is not waste—it’s a cost.One of the most debated points in lean, Steve argues that time shouldn't be categorized as waste, but as a cost caused by other forms of waste like motion or defects.
Clarity is kindness in leadership.Lack of clarity creates waste. Steve shares how their internal lean coach helped them get hyper-clear on weekly goals, even pushing them to visualize tasks.
Don’t LARP your leadership.Steve warns against mimicking big-company behavior. Instead, leaders should be authentic, intentional, and design processes that fit the current scale of their business.
Servant leadership isn’t optional.Especially in service industries, leadership must be rooted in being present, authentic, useful, vulnerable, and accepting—qualities Steve’s company actively develops.
Small wins validate big changes.Steve shares how reducing friction in restaurants often results in record sales—without the team even realizing how much more efficient they’ve become.
Avoid the labor death spiral.Cutting labor to reduce costs often backfires. Instead, create capacity through motion elimination or better scheduling, then use that capacity to train or serve more customers.
 
Chapter Markers:
00:00 – Gary’s intro & Steve’s chaotic weekend dad-life
03:00 – Steve’s lean origin story at Starbucks
08:00 – Becoming a missionary for better service work
10:00 – Why Lean feels uncomfortable at first
14:00 – What is Lean really? Problem-solving, not just tools
19:30 – The 7 forms of waste (TIMWOOD) explained with real-world examples
30:00 – Why naming waste is powerful
37:00 – Entrepreneurship lessons & clarity in leadership
42:00 – Breaking out of the mimic trap
45:00 – Why Service Physics stayed bootstrapped
48:00 – Identifying true servant leaders
53:00 – Growing into a bigger role without scaling too fast
59:00 – Cool client tools: Meta Ray-Ban glasses for frontline POV
1:03:00 – Scrum of scrums: Celebrating the work every 2 weeks
1:06:00 – Right-sizing your efforts
1:09:00 – Steve’s favorite moment: record-breaking performance that felt easy
 
Keywords:
lean consulting, lean principles, lean thinking, service physics, Steve Crowley, Gary Leeman, Revved UP podcast, lean management, restaurant operations, seven forms of waste, TIMWOOD, minimum effective dose, service industry leadership, operational efficiency, servant leadership, lean startup, restaurant improvement, lean training, lean problem solving, reduce waste, lean transformation, clarity in leadership, bootstrapped business, entrepreneurship lessons, hospitality industry process improvement, business coaching for service teams