After building $25M across 10 franchise units, Josh Rathweg is now President of Cloudbound, and as Co-Founder of Presence on Purpose, he teaches entrepreneurs to lead with intention, integrity and impact.

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Guest Resources

Josh Rathweg LinkedIn – Connect to Josh on LinkedIn.

Josh Rathweg Instagram – Follow Josh on Instagram.

CloudBound – Play Above the Clouds. Curated for fun, cultivated for development.

3 Value Bombs

1. Your business doesn’t plateau because of strategy; it plateaus because of your leadership presence.

2. Presence means pausing, reflecting, and responding intentionally instead of reacting on instinct.

3. You don’t fix culture by fixing your team; you fix culture by fixing your presence first.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

Today’s Audio MASTERCLASS: How Presence, Not Hustle, Built a $25 Million Business

[1:32] – Josh shares something he believes about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

Entrepreneurs often think they’re stuck because of poor strategy but it’s actually poor leadership presence.
Hustle alone doesn’t build great companies; intentional leadership does.
Reacting on instinct creates bad habits that limit growth.

[3:41] – Josh talks about what “presence as a competitive advantage” actually mean.

Presence means slowing down and not reacting emotionally to challenges.
Leaders must reflect before responding to employees or obstacles.
Framework-driven leadership and not instinct; creates scalable success.
Your leadership presence sets the ceiling for your business.

[6:28] – Josh shares what happened during his COVID “crucible,” and how he handled it.

Opened a multimillion-dollar location just 17 days before shutdown.
Lost all revenue for 16 months while expenses continued.
Drained all personal and business finances; had to consider unemployment.
Chose to remain grounded instead of reacting emotionally.
Used the experience to build a repeatable leadership framework.

[11:08] – A timeout to thank our sponsors.

HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!
50 Days: Join JLD on his free ‘50 Days to Something‘ video series on YouTube and create something special in 50 days!

[13:23] – Josh talks about what is the Presence Leadership Framework, and how can we apply it today.

Awaken: Pause and become aware of how you show up as a leader.
Align: Match your thoughts, words, and actions with your intention.
Activate: Execute with clarity and purpose.
Amplify: Scale your impact through consistent behavior.
Assess: Reflect and allow feedback from your team.
Most leaders skip straight to “activate,” missing the critical foundation.

[17:36] – Josh talks about how he applied this framework during COVID.

Focused on mindset and long-term positioning instead of panic.
Used downtime to repair systems and strengthen operations.
Prepared to outperform competitors when reopening.
Result: Became top-performing franchise partner nationwide.

[20:19] – Josh talks about how he scaled culture so his team performs without him.

Culture cannot be built through emails or spreadsheets.
Requires shoulder-to-shoulder leadership and real-time mentorship.
Leaders must model behaviors they expect from their team.
Team performance reflects leadership habits (good and bad).

[21:17] – Josh talks about the key to building a strong leadership culture.

Servant leadership is not a soft skill; it’s a competitive advantage.
What you do well, your team does at 50%; what you do poorly, they do worse.
Step onto the floor and lead by example, not from a distance.
Culture improves when leaders improve themselves first.

[22:54] – Josh tells why feedback is essential in leadership culture.

Culture cannot be purely top-down.
Teams need a voice and the ability to challenge leadership.
Strong leaders embrace feedback and encourage open dialogue.
Assessment phase ensures continuous improvement.

[24:32] – Call to action.

Focus on impact, not just income or titles.
Stop reacting on instinct and follow a structured leadership framework.
Develop yourself first; your team’s success will follow.
Learn and apply the Presence on Purpose framework for long-term growth.
Josh Rathweg LinkedIn – Connect to Josh on LinkedIn.
Josh Rathweg Instagram – Follow Josh on Instagram.
CloudBound – Play Above the Clouds. Curated for fun, cultivated for development

[26:20] – Thank you to our Sponsors!

HighLevel: The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies! Learn more at HighLevelFire.com!
50 Days: Join JLD on his free ‘50 Days to Something‘ video series on YouTube and create something special in 50 days!

Killer Resources!

1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!

2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!

3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!