In Episode 305 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy breaks down why most ideas never make it into the world — not because they are bad, but because people wait too long to act. Drawing from his own experience launching businesses, programs, communities, and podcasts in under three months, Kelly explains the concept of inspired action: acting while clarity, energy, and excitement are present instead of waiting for confidence, certainty, or fear to disappear. He challenges the belief that clarity comes before action and makes the case that clarity is created through movement.

The episode explores the two fears that quietly kill momentum — fear of failure and fear of success — and explains why overwhelm, not fear, is usually the real blocker. Kelly walks listeners through a simple, practical framework for taking inspired action one step at a time, using real examples from his latest project I Used to Work There. The message is clear and timely for January: confidence is built through proof, momentum silences fear, and the fastest way to bring ideas to life is to take the next obvious step today.

Key Takeaways:

1. Most ideas fail not because they are bad but because people wait too long to act on them.

2. Confidence does not come before action it is built through action and proof.

3. Clarity is not something you find by thinking it is created by doing.

4. Inspired action means moving while energy and excitement are present before fear can negotiate you out of it.

5. Fear of failure and fear of success lead to the same outcome hesitation and hesitation kills momentum.

6. Overwhelm is usually the real blocker not fear and it comes from trying to see the whole picture at once.

7. You do not need to eat the whole elephant you only need to take the next obvious step.

8. Small immediate actions compound quickly and turn ideas into reality faster than overplanning ever will.

9. Momentum silences fear and motion creates confidence far more effectively than motivation.

10. Every step taken becomes proof and the more proof you build the quieter imposter syndrome becomes.

Don’t forget to follow The Business Development Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so you never miss an episode. If you’re enjoying the show, leaving a rating or sharing it with someone who would get value from it makes a huge difference and helps the podcast reach more leaders and entrepreneurs around the world.

2026 Title Sponsor 🔥

The Business Development Podcast is proudly sponsored by Hypervac Technologies and Hyperfab 🚛

Together, Hypervac and Hyperfab represent North America’s leaders in vac truck manufacturing and industrial fabrication. Their continued support helps make this show possible week after week. Learn more at www.hypervac.com

Join The Catalyst Club

The Catalyst Club is a private leadership community for founders, business developers, and next generation leaders who want real momentum built through consistency, accountability, and honest conversation. This is a room where leaders support leaders, show up as humans, and keep moving forward together week after week.

Inside The Catalyst Club, listeners get to spend time with Kelly Kennedy and a global group of leaders through 4 to 5 live events every month, plus access to Catalyst GPT 2.0, built from over 300 episodes of The Business Development Podcast and Kelly’s coaching programs. If you are ready to stop restarting and start building momentum that lasts, join now at www.kellykennedyofficial.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Hyperfab Midroll

In Episode 304 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Ryan Crittenden, a strength-based coach, Army veteran, and founder of XL Coaching and Development, to kick off the new year with a powerful reframe on growth, leadership, and self-belief. Ryan breaks down why coaching is not about fixing what’s wrong, but about drawing out what’s already there, helping people understand and use their natural strengths instead of fighting against them. Through stories from his military service and his transition into leadership coaching, Ryan explains how belonging, clarity, and self-awareness are often the missing pieces for leaders who feel stuck, burned out, or out of control.

This conversation is especially timely for anyone heading into a new year feeling pressure to reinvent themselves or overhaul their entire life or business. Kelly and Ryan explore how real growth starts with one small step, not massive overcorrection, and how understanding your strengths can unlock better decision-making, stronger leadership, healthier relationships, and more sustainable success. Whether you’re a founder, sales leader, entrepreneur, or emerging professional, this episode offers a grounded, practical way to reset your mindset and build the year ahead around who you actually are, not who you think you’re supposed to be.

Key Takeaways:

1. Coaching works best when it draws out what is already inside you instead of trying to fix you.

2. Great leaders create belonging in simple moments and those moments can change everything for someone.

3. When life feels out of control the first move is not a massive overhaul it is one small step toward clarity.

4. You do not need someone to fix you you often need someone to listen so you can think clearly again.

5. Strengths based development starts with what is right with you and turns that into repeatable performance.

6. CliftonStrengths reveals natural talent patterns and your job is to build them into real strengths through awareness and action.

7. Knowing who you are not is just as valuable as knowing what you are good at because it helps you partner build systems or delegate.

8. Most people perform better when they feel part of creating the solution so keep asking better questions instead of forcing answers.

9. Big goals can overwhelm you into doing nothing so shrink the focus to the next step and let momentum do the rest.

10. When teams share a common language for strengths and energy they collaborate faster trust more and stop misreading each other.

2026 Title Sponsor 🔥

The Business Development Podcast is proudly sponsored by Hypervac Technologies and Hyperfab 🚛

Together, Hypervac and Hyperfab represent North America’s leaders in vac truck manufacturing and industrial fabrication. Their continued support helps make this show possible week after week. Learn more at www.hypervac.com

Join The Catalyst Club

The Catalyst Club is a private leadership community for founders, business developers, and next generation leaders who want real momentum built through consistency, accountability, and honest conversation. This is a room where leaders support leaders, show up as humans, and keep moving forward together week after week.

Inside The Catalyst Club, listeners get to spend time with Kelly Kennedy and a global group of leaders through 4 to 5 live events every month, plus access to Catalyst GPT 2.0, built from over 300 episodes of The Business Development Podcast and Kelly’s coaching programs. If you are ready to stop restarting and start building momentum that lasts, join now at www.kellykennedyofficial.com

Every January starts with fresh goals and big intentions, and then life hits, momentum fades, and by February most people are restarting again. In this New Year’s Eve episode, Kelly breaks down what momentum actually is, why it matters, and how to build it in a way that lasts, not with hype or burnout, but with consistent weekly actions that compound over time. He reframes momentum as simple forward motion, the stacking of small and significant wins, and shows how consistency is what creates the “overnight success” people think is luck.

Kelly then delivers a practical momentum playbook you can apply immediately: write 15 to 20 goals by hand, create an early win by finishing one task you have been avoiding, and make the Move the Needle list a weekly non negotiable. He challenges work life balance in favor of work life coherence and lays out the habits that keep momentum alive, consistency over intensity, repeatable weekly processes, fewer priorities, tracking small wins, launching early, protecting your calendar, and staying in motion while others pause, so when the year truly starts for everyone else, you are already moving.

Key Takeaways:

1. Momentum is not motivation or luck, it is simple forward motion created by consistently completing the right tasks week after week.

2. Small wins matter more than big bursts of effort because progress compounds when you keep stacking completion over time.

3. Consistency will always outperform intensity because extreme effort is temporary but repeatable action builds lasting results.

4. Writing goals down by hand dramatically increases follow through and forces clarity on what actually matters.

5. Momentum accelerates when you create early wins by finishing something you have been putting off.

6. Weekly focus beats daily chaos when you commit to a Move the Needle list and prioritize only the highest impact actions.

7. Processes create momentum while random tasks drain it, because rhythm removes decision fatigue.

8. Reducing priorities increases results since momentum dies when everything feels urgent.

9. Tracking progress builds belief, and belief fuels momentum even when results are still forming.

10. The people who win long term keep moving when others pause, downshifting if needed but never fully stopping.

2026 Title Sponsor 🔥

The Business Development Podcast is proudly sponsored by Hypervac Technologies and Hyperfab 🚛

Together, Hypervac and Hyperfab represent North America’s leaders in vac truck manufacturing and industrial fabrication. Their continued support helps make this show possible week after week. Learn more at www.hypervac.com

Join The Catalyst Club

The Catalyst Club is a private leadership community for founders, business developers, and next generation leaders who want real momentum built through consistency, accountability, and honest conversation. This is a room where leaders support leaders, show up as humans, and keep moving forward together week after week.

Inside The Catalyst Club, listeners get to spend time with Kelly Kennedy and a global group of leaders through 4 to 5 live events every month, plus access to Catalyst GPT 2.0, built from over 300 episodes of The Business Development Podcast and Kelly’s coaching programs. If you are ready to stop restarting and start building momentum that lasts, join now at www.kellykennedyofficial.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Hyperfab Midroll

Episode 302 is a grounded and necessary conversation about the unseen cost of entrepreneurship. After nearly 200 interviews with founders, leaders, and high performers, a clear pattern has emerged: burnout, health scares, and identity collapse are no longer edge cases, they’re becoming normal. This episode explores how the current culture of nonstop pressure and hustle is quietly breaking people, and why so many entrepreneurs feel unable to slow down even when the warning signs are impossible to ignore.

In this episode, Kelly sits down with Maureen Codispodi to talk honestly about burnout, mental health, and what sustainable success actually looks like. The conversation challenges the idea that pushing harder is always the answer, unpacking how to recognize limits, rebuild balance, and redefine ambition in a way that protects both the business and the person behind it. This episode is for anyone who wants to keep building without sacrificing their health, relationships, or sense of self along the way.

Key Takeaways:

1. Burnout is not a personal failure, it’s often a predictable outcome of building without boundaries.

2. If your body is sending signals you can’t ignore, that’s not inconvenience, it’s information.

3. Hustle culture makes overwork feel normal, but normal doesn’t mean healthy or sustainable.

4. The cost of success should never be your health, your family, or your sense of self.

5. Your business can grow faster than your capacity, and that gap is where burnout begins.

6. Rest is not a reward you earn after the work is done, it’s a requirement to keep doing the work well.

7. If you can’t slow down without feeling guilty, that’s a warning sign that needs attention.

8. You need systems that protect you, not just strategies that push you.

9. Real resilience isn’t enduring more, it’s learning when to pause, adjust, and ask for support.

10. Sustainable entrepreneurship is built on consistency over intensity, and long game thinking over short term adrenaline.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. helpclinic.ca

If Episode 302 hit you in the chest, it’s because you can feel it too. This isn’t just another episode, it’s a signal that something needs to change. Episode 300 marked the start of the next phase, and 2026 is our year. The Catalyst Club exists for that exact moment when you stop waiting for the “right time” and decide to build anyway, in the in between moments, with real life happening all around you. This is the room for founders, business developers, and next generation leaders who want real connection, real support, and real momentum in the year they finally make the leap.

Inside Catalyst Club there’s no hierarchy, no posturing, and no competition for power. It’s leaders supporting leaders, showing up as humans, leaving ego at the door, and actually talking about what’s real. The community is fully virtual and active daily, bringing together perspectives from around the world that you simply can’t get in a local only box. If you’re ready to step into the new era we’re talking about and stop circling the runway in 2026, you’re welcome here.

Join us at: www.kellykennedyofficial.com/thecatalystclub

The Business Development Podcast is proudly supported by our 2026 Title Sponsor partners.

🚛 Hypervac Technologies is North America’s leading vac truck manufacturer, trusted by contractors across the continent for performance, safety, and innovation. Learn more at www.hypervac.com.

🏗️...

Episode 301 kicks off the 300s with Colin Harms and opens with a milestone announcement, HyperVac Technologies and HyperFab are the official Title Sponsors of The Business Development Podcast for 2026. Kelly and Colin reflect on the relationship that started through the podcast, why community and consistency matter, and what it takes to keep raising the standard as an independent Canadian show that is competing on a global stage.

From there, the conversation gets real about building through pressure as a Canadian business and making the shift from reacting to taking control. Colin shares how they intentionally diversified by building HyperFab long before the tariffs, moving from 100 percent subcontracted manufacturing to bringing fabrication fully in house so they could control timelines, quality, and execution. They break down why that decision sets them up to win in 2026, and how HyperFab is positioned to become a major player as the next chapter of growth takes off.

Key Takeaways:

1. One bold reach out can change everything, because the right relationships often start with a simple “I felt the urge to message you.”

2. Consistency builds momentum, especially when you create something every week that you genuinely look forward to and plan your life around.

3. Reinvest in what’s already producing fruit, because sowing into solid ground is how you multiply results instead of starting from zero every time.

4. Relationships beat transactions, and loyalty comes from actually caring, not just “closing the deal.”

5. Community is a force multiplier, because it gives you a safe space to vent, learn, and borrow perspective when you’re carrying it alone.

6. The mindset shift that changes everything is moving from “why is this happening to us?” to “what can we do about it?”

7. In hard seasons, don’t bury your head or quit early, keep peeling layers, making calls, and finding a way even when people say it won’t work.

8. Success leaves clues, so study what’s already working, learn from competitors, and copy great systems without ego.

9. You can forecast all you want, but you still won’t fully know what’s next, so the real advantage is staying adaptable and willing to pivot fast.

10. Long term winners take control of the fundamentals, bring key capabilities in-house, hire the right people, and build the confidence to say “we can do this.”

Ready to make 2026 your year?

The Catalyst Club is a private community for founders, business owners, and leaders who are serious about growth, accountability, and real conversations that move the needle. If you want to be surrounded by people who think bigger, take action, and build with intention, you belong here.

We’re 75 members and growing fast, and the first 100 will be recognized as the Founding 100. Join us here: www.kellykennedyofficial.com/thecatalystclub

The Business Development Podcast is proudly sponsored by HyperVac Technologies 🚛 North America’s leading Vac Truck manufacturer and the team behind HyperFab. Huge thank you to Colin Harms and the entire HyperVac team for choosing to be our official Title Sponsor for 2026. Your support helps us take this show to the next level and continue delivering world class business development lessons to listeners worldwide.

Learn more about HyperVac Technologies: www.hypervac.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Hyperfab Midroll

Milestone Episode 300 is a behind the scenes centennial conversation with Shelby Hobbs, recorded right in the messy middle of real life. Kelly and Shelby hit record in the narrow window before the kids get home, with a baby sleeping nearby, a toddler napping upstairs, and the daily marathon happening in real time, because that’s genuinely how the show and the household get built.

From there, the episode becomes a reflection on what 300 episodes actually means: the gratitude, the growth, and the belief that this milestone is the start of the next phase, not the finish line. Kelly thanks the listeners for riding with him through year three, celebrates winning a Signal Award, and sets the tone for 2026 as “our year” while Shelby echoes that momentum and the bigger “new era” feeling they’re sensing personally and globally.

Key Takeaways:

1. Progress gets built in the in between moments, not perfect schedules, so show up anyway and hit record when you can.

2. Consistency compounds, and 300 episodes is proof that long games create massive outcomes.

3. Treat milestones like a launchpad, not a finish line, because 300 is the start of the next phase and 2026 is the push forward.

4. Gratitude is a practice, not a hindsight review, and you can train yourself to actually notice when life is good right now.

5. Your time horizon changes everything, because one year can feel frustrating but five years will shock you with what you have built.

6. When motivation feels heavy, aim for inspiration, and let your future self pull you forward instead of pressure pushing you.

7. Community is not optional, because the best opportunities usually come through people who open doors for you, not you grinding alone.

8. The right room changes everything, and Catalyst Club was born by watching real connections and collaboration happen inside the Accelerator.

9. Do not box yourself into local only thinking, virtual community can be just as real and even more powerful because of global perspectives.

10. Trust your gut, stay open to the unexpected, and keep upgrading your skills and tools, because opportunity shows up fast when you are ready to say yes.

If Episode 300 hit you in the chest, it is because you can feel it too. 300 is the start of the next phase and 2026 is our year. The Catalyst Club exists for that exact moment when you stop waiting for the “right time” and you decide to build anyway, in the in between moments, with real life happening around you. This is the room for founders, business developers, and next generation leaders who want real connection, real support, and real momentum in the year that you finally make the leap.

Inside Catalyst Club there is no hierarchy, no posturing, and no competition for power. It is leaders supporting leaders, showing up as humans, leaving ego at the door, and actually sharing what is real. It is also fully virtual, which means the community is happening every day with members from around the world and perspectives you cannot get in a local only box. If you are ready to step into the new era we talked about and make 2026 the year you stop circling the runway, come join us here: www.kellykennedyofficial.com/thecatalystclub

Mentioned in this episode:

Hyperfab Midroll

In this very special episode of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Jake Gold, one of the most influential architects of Canadian music and the longtime manager behind The Tragically Hip. Jake takes listeners behind the curtain on what a music manager actually does, not as a hype man, but as the CEO of a complex business where touring, deals, team decisions, merchandising, data, and long term career strategy all run through one leader. He shares the moment he first saw The Tragically Hip live and knew instantly they had to be signed, plus how conviction, detail obsession, and a willingness to say no are what separate career building from chasing quick wins.

This conversation is packed with crossover lessons for founders, CEOs, and business developers, especially around standards, positioning, and being relentlessly curious as the market changes. Jake breaks down why the music industry is bigger than ever, why direct to consumer and data matter, and why the barrier to entry being low does not change the one truth that decides everything: you still have to be great. Kelly also acknowledges the human side of legacy, including the grief the country felt around Gord Downie, and Jake shares how he stays grounded and sustainable across decades in a 24/7 industry, while hinting at meaningful plans ahead for what comes next.

Key Takeaways:

1. You will know greatness when you feel it and it is an involuntary response, not a logical checklist.

2. Great careers are built by setting the real bar and realizing what “next level” actually looks like the first time you witness it.

3. A great manager is basically the CEO of the band’s company, overseeing every revenue stream, cost, and decision with the artists as the board.

4. Sustainable performance comes from ruthless time protection: knowing when not to get involved, saying no, and avoiding time wasters.

5. If you do not believe in what you represent, you will eventually get bored and move on, so belief is the fuel of long term excellence.

6. The small stuff is the big stuff: details matter because this is the whole business and you do not get paid unless it works.

7. There is no plan B if you want career level outcomes, and if the artist or founder loses belief, the manager cannot save it.

8. Curiosity is a competitive advantage: keep learning, keep reading, and bring new ideas to the table even when you are the most experienced person in the room.

9. Data and direct fan connection are core now, and the winners will understand audiences, demographics, and DTC relationships better than ever.

10. In a world where anyone can publish, the filter is still the same: you have to be great, the cream rises, and longevity is the real proof.

Connect with Jake Gold and learn more about his work:

The Management Trust (Official Site)

https://mgmtrust.ca/

Jake Gold on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-gold-92046030/

If you know you are built for more, you belong in The Catalyst Club. It is a private, high trust community for founders, business developers, and next generation leaders who want real connection, real support, and real momentum.

Join us today: https://www.kellykennedyofficial.com/thecatalystclub

Mentioned in this episode:

Hyperfab Midroll

Episode 298 features Jake Karls, co founder and chief rainmaker of Mid Day Squares, breaking down how a kitchen table idea turned into a multimillion dollar brand by winning attention the hard way, through relentless storytelling and real human connection. He explains why attention is one of the most valuable assets in business, why you cannot buy trust with generic marketing, and why your story is the one advantage competitors cannot copy, if you are willing to share the good and the ugly.

The conversation also goes deep on the cost of building at full speed. Jake opens up about burnout in a way most founders never do, from chronic fatigue and brain fog to spiraling anxiety and feeling completely out of control, and how stepping away, therapy, and real recovery practices helped him rebuild. It is a powerful reminder that growth is a long game, and the strongest leaders are the ones who protect their health while they keep showing up.

Key Takeaways:

1. Attention is one of the most valuable assets now, and you have to earn it, not just pay for it.

2. People do not connect to product claims, they connect to emotion, meaning, and a story that feels real.

3. Your story is the one advantage competitors cannot copy, so treat it like an asset and share it on purpose.

4. Trust is built by showing the good and the ugly, not by trying to look perfect.

5. Impostor syndrome gets louder when you perform for approval instead of showing up as yourself.

6. Comparison is only useful if it inspires you, otherwise it quietly poisons your energy and progress.

7. Overworking for too long is not toughness, stepping back can be the move that lets you go ten steps forward.

8. Therapy is not a crisis move, it is leadership work that strengthens communication, perspective, and resilience.

9. Your business cannot be your identity, because that pressure will break you when life hits.

10. Surround yourself with real people who want you to win, and talk about the hard stuff before it turns into chaos.

Follow Jake Karl's on LinkedIn

Check out Mid-Day Squares

If you love this show, you will love The Catalyst Club. It is where founders and leaders take these conversations off the podcast and into real rooms, real relationships, and real support that helps you move faster and lead stronger.

Join us today www.kellykennedyofficial.com/thecatalystclub

Mentioned in this episode:

Hyperfab Midroll