Follow

The Business Wasn't Working, Neither Was He: Love Your People, Build the System, Fund the Mission

Breaking the Barrier

Ben Davis sits down with Nick Madden to break down how a 24-year-old with three years of experience walked away from the number-two seat at a fast-growing insurer, signed an SBA loan two weeks before Lehman Brothers collapsed, and opened a luxury barbershop club on the day of his son's second open-heart surgery. Ben built The Gents Place with his wife into a national membership-based barber and business club through franchising, and along the way learned the hard lessons of brick-and-mortar: the root beer run that made a raving fan, why he pulled the phones out of every location, what three units prove that one never can, and why the systems have to be the best manager.The turning point was not a number. Eighteen months in, churning stylists who wanted 32-hour weeks, Ben stepped back and admitted the business was not working because he was not. With a change of heart, the business now exists, in his words, to make as much money as it possibly can so that it can then serve. That means 65,000 meals to homeless veterans, 12,000 pieces of professional clothing, and an annual suit drive at Fort Hood's Soldier Recovery Unit. For Catholic business owners wondering whether ambition and service can share a building, this episode is the case study: love your people, build the system, and let the profit fund the mission. And his son Pierce, multiple open-heart surgeries later, has now made a college basketball team. ==== Breaking the Barrier's Founding Sponsor: US Digital Partners US Digital Partners provides full-service digital marketing support rooted in Catholic values. Need help navigating marketing strategy, lead generation, or even AI search visibility? Start here ==== Chapters 0:00 That's not smart: a $2,000-an-hour warning 0:41 Welcome and who Ben Davis is 3:18 Goosehead, a sick son, and an SBA loan two weeks before Lehman 11:36 The hardened heart: churning a team for 18 months 18:57 Raving fans and the root beer run 23:24 Direct, compassionate communication and the Wednesday 9am call 35:38 Leave better than you came in 39:39 The home for ambitious gentlemen 47:39 Pierce: open-heart surgeries to college basketball 52:02 A faith journey and the truth behind the self-help 58:14 Pulling the phones, franchising, and three units 1:08:01 Make money so you can serve, then rapid fire ______________________ About the guest Ben Davis is the co-founder of The Gents Place, a national membership-based barber and business club he started in 2008 with his wife and grew through franchising. He built Gents TV, has invested in several other businesses, and hosts a podcast of his own; through The Gents Place his community has served more than 65,000 meals to homeless veterans and donated more than 12,000 pieces of professional clothing. ______________________ Connect Subscribe to Breaking the Barrier and download the Leader Guide for this episode to use with your leadership team or small group. ______________________ ► JOIN THE MOVEMENT: #BESENTLearn More - https://www.sentventures.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=btb-podcast&utm_content=evergreen-learnmore ______________________ ► SUBSCRIBE TO BREAKING THE BARRIER iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-barrier/id1886035329 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1k5gtLQcde9ihmOjpVhYnD/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast_show_notes&utm_campaign=btb-podcast&utm_content=evergreen-spotify ______________________ ► FOLLOW SENT VENTURES https://www.linkedin.com/company/sententrepreneurs https://www.facebook.com/sentventures https://www.instagram.com/sentventureshttps://x.com/SentVentures