The CEO Growth Blueprint

In this episode of The Friday Habit, Mark sits down with Patrick Thean—international speaker, serial entrepreneur, bestselling author, and former Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Patrick shares his journey from building a supply chain software company that landed on the Inc. 500 list to coaching CEOs on how to focus, execute, and scale with intention.

From his “7 Key Practices for CEO Success” to practical tips on narrowing your niche, Patrick breaks down the habits, mindset shifts, and leadership skills that separate thriving companies from the ones that stall. He reveals why the best leaders are always learning, how to build a culture that becomes your competitive edge, and why knowing your “core customer” changes everything.

🧠 Takeaways:

1. Surround yourself with greatness early in your career to learn what “great” looks like.
2. Be humble enough to seek mentors—and willing to “eat crow” to accelerate learning.
3. Focus means saying “yes” to a few things and “no” to most.
4. Keep growing yourself so your company never outgrows you.
5. Build an early warning system to avoid being blindsided.
6. Align your team not just on what to do, but how to do it.
7. Treat culture as a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining talent.
8. Be intentional about your “people ecosystem” (employees, advisors, customers, partners).
9. Build your strategy around your core customer and resist chasing every opportunity.

👋 Connect with Patrick:

Website: https://rhythmsystems.com

Book: The Journey to CEO Success — Available on Amazon

👉 Want to start spending more time working on your business instead of in it?

Download our free guide to The Friday Habit System at https://www.thefridayhabit.com

• (00:34) - – Introduction
• (01:39) - – Life Between Charlotte & Seattle
• (02:37) - – Family & Career Paths of His Daughters
• (03:20) - – Nature vs. Nurture in Entrepreneurship
• (04:36) - – The Value of Working for Great Companies Early
• (07:06) - – Knowing What “Great” Looks Like
• (08:20) - – Humility & Learning from Masters
• (09:54) - – The “Amateur” Lesson & Mentorship Story
• (13:37) - – Building & Scaling a Supply Chain Software Company
• (15:20) - – Discovering the Power of Execution
• (16:45) - – Common Scaling Mistakes CEOs Make
• (18:06) - – The Importance of Focus for Growth
• (20:20) - – The 7 Key Practices for CEO Success
• (27:01) - – Early Warning Systems & Team Alignment
• (28:02) - – Building Culture as a Competitive Advantage
• (29:59) - – Designing Strategy Around the Core Customer
• (34:55) - – Narrowing Down Your Ideal Customer
• (38:39) - – The Abundance Mindset & Learning from Apple
• (40:35) - – Recap of the 7 Practices
• (41:23) - – Favorite Business Book Recommendation
• (42:41) - – What Career He Might Have Chosen Instead
• (44:16) - – Closing Thoughts & How to Connect with Patrick
• (45:24) - – One Daily Habit Every Leader Should Adopt
• (46:07) - – Outro & The Friday Habit Guide