The legal lens behind every episode
Jeffrey’s legal background provides a framework for deconstructing complex business challenges. CEO Mistakes uses this analytical lens to help listeners avoid common pitfalls and build more resilient organizations.
Every episode starts with a real decision, made by a real founder, that went sideways. Jeffrey walks it back to the moment it could have gone differently, so the lesson is something you can act on the same week.
Browse all episodesEach case on one row: the mistake, the cost and the fix in three short columns, each with its key number.
Inside the Turnaround
Every CEO paid for their mistake in money, time or sleep. Each case shows what went wrong, what it cost the business, and how they fixed it.
Gary ArkinOwner and President, Premier PrecastThe $10 million job behind a $5 million loss
Gary took on Plaza Coral Gables, a $10 million job twice the size of anything Premier had done. He did not price in two risks: 6,800 different molds for 7,500 pieces, and a contract signed seven months late with the same finish date.
About $2.5 million lost on the job itself, plus more than $2 million of overhead left uncovered. At the peak, labor on site ran over $100,000 a week.
A preconstruction team plans every job before it is priced, no job goes over $3.75 million, and large installs go to masonry and stucco crews built for that size.
Anthony GarzoneOwner and President, Garzone ConstructionHe stepped back to scale, then stepped back too far
As projects grew past $1 million, Anthony moved from the field to the office and handed every job to his field team. For about a year he was not in a single client meeting.
The work came out well, but on projects that run a year to 18 months, clients wanted to hear from the person whose name is on the contract.
He went back in front of clients with job site visits, a monthly meeting, and short calls that are not about the job at all.
Get one token in your inbox every week.
One card per guest with one line for each part. The full story opens with Read the full case.
Inside the Turnaround
Every CEO paid for their mistake in money, time or sleep. Each case shows what went wrong, what it cost the business, and how they fixed it.
The $10 million job behind a $5 million loss
- What went wrong
- Took a $10 million job, twice his largest, without pricing in 6,800 different molds or a seven month late start.
- What it cost
- About $2.5 million lost on the job and $5 million on the year.
- How he fixed it
- A preconstruction team, a $3.75 million cap on jobs, and big installs handed to crews built for them.
Read the full case
What went wrong
Premier took on Plaza Coral Gables, a $10 million contract. The largest job the company had ever done was $5 million. Gary signed it without seeing two risks.
The first was in the plant. Precast makes its money by pouring the same mold again and again. This job called for about 7,500 pieces of concrete and 6,800 different molds, so almost nothing could be reused.
The second was time. The general contractor signed the subcontract seven months later than planned, and the finish date did not move. A company that had never needed more than 35 people on a job suddenly had 135 on site.
What it cost
Premier lost about $2.5 million on the job itself. With more than $2 million of overhead left uncovered, the company finished 2022 down $5 million. At the peak, labor on site was running over $100,000 a week.
Gary’s own read: not many companies with $10 million to $15 million in revenue take a $5 million loss and come out the other side.
How he fixed it
He built a preconstruction department that sits in operations, not sales. Every job is planned before it is priced, down to how many molds it will take, whether Premier wins the bid or not.
He set limits he calls bumpers. Premier no longer takes a job over $3.75 million, and it passes on precast work above 200 panels.
He moved the installation risk. On large cast stone jobs, Premier now supplies the material and leaves installation to masonry and stucco contractors who already know how to run crews that size.
And he spread the work out. The largest job on his desk today is $2 million, and his ideal year is 36 half million dollar jobs, so one bad project can no longer take the company down.
He stepped back to scale, then stepped back too far
- What went wrong
- Handed every job to his field team and stayed out of client meetings for about a year.
- What it cost
- Referrals from clients who wanted to hear from the owner.
- How he fixed it
- Back in front of clients with site visits, a monthly meeting and five minute check in calls.
Read the full case
What went wrong
Garzone Construction grew fast. The average project went from a couple hundred thousand dollars to over $1 million in two years, with five to ten contracts running at once. To keep up, Anthony got himself out of the field and behind a desk, where he could work on marketing, advertising and the company’s finances.
Then he let go completely. For about a year he handed every job to his field team and was not present for any of the client meetings.
What it cost
Referrals. The work itself came out well, but on projects that run a year to 18 months, clients wanted to hear from the person whose name is on the contract, and they were not getting that from the field staff.
Anthony does not put a dollar figure on it. He says it cost him referrals from clients who would otherwise have recommended him.
How he fixed it
He stayed out of day to day project management and put himself back in front of clients. He calls it a wobble instead of balance: when he has leaned too far toward the office, he leans back toward the field.
That means showing up at job sites, a monthly meeting, and regular calls to clients that are not about the job at all. Five minutes to ask how they are doing and remind them he is there if they need him.
Those calls surface small problems early, like a crew that left a mess outside, and they often turn into a conversation about the next project.
Get one token in your inbox every week.
“True growth comes from understanding not just the wins, but the pivotal mistakes that paved the way for them.”Jeffrey Pomeranz, Host