The TriMetric Roadmap Podcast With Scott Landis

In this episode of the TriMetric Roadmap Podcast, Scott and Jeff sit down with Mahesh M. Thakur, CEO of Decisive AI, to discuss how business owners can move from AI hype to AI results.

Mahesh—one of the world’s few Master Certified Stakeholder-Centered Coaches (MCC) and a former executive at Microsoft, Amazon, Intuit, and GoDaddy—shares how leaders can align their teams on a “True North,” integrate AI intelligently, and transform culture, execution, and bottom-line growth.

You’ll hear how 92% of AI investments currently fail, what separates the 8% that succeed, and how smaller companies can use AI to level the playing field with billion-dollar enterprises.

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About Mahesh M. Thakur

Mahesh M. Thakur is the Founder and CEO of Decisive AI, where he helps CEOs and leadership teams align on their True North and turn AI into ROI™.

A former executive at Microsoft, Amazon, Intuit, and GoDaddy, Mahesh is among the world’s top 0.1% of Master Certified Stakeholder-Centered Coaches (MCC). He’s advised leaders at JPMorgan Chase, Meta, Google, Walmart, PayPal, and John Deere, helping them achieve measurable transformations—from doubling growth rates to cutting decision cycles by 40%.

Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram | X (Twitter)

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1. What does “AI to ROI” mean?

AI to ROI™ is Mahesh’s framework for turning artificial intelligence investments into tangible business outcomes—revenue growth, cost savings, and cultural transformation. It blends technology strategy with human alignment.

2. Why do 90% of AI projects fail?
Most fail because they lack a clear framework, leadership alignment, or measurable objectives. Companies often jump in due to FOMO, invest heavily, and never achieve integration or adoption that creates ROI.

3. Who should be investing in AI?
Every business—from tech firms to law practices to construction companies—can benefit from AI. It’s no longer limited to Big Tech; mid-market companies ($10M–$100M) can now compete on equal footing using accessible tools.

4. What is a “Test + Learn™” culture?

It’s a structured approach that allows organizations to experiment rapidly, measure outcomes, and scale only what works—turning innovation into a repeatable discipline.

5. How can small and mid-sized companies use AI effectively?

Start by identifying one or two workflows where automation saves time or improves customer outcomes. Build simple pilots, collect data, and align leadership around shared metrics before scaling.

6. What is the “True North” concept in leadership?
True North represents the organization’s unifying direction—its mission, values, and goals. Mahesh helps CEOs and teams align on this so that AI and strategy serve the same purpose.

7. How does AI connect to leadership and faith?

Mahesh believes great leaders must balance faith and data. Without alignment, AI becomes fear-driven. True mastery integrates wisdom, courage, and belief that technology should serve humanity, not replace it.

8. What’s next for Decisive AI and Business Freedom Advisors?
Scott and Mahesh announced upcoming collaborations to help business owners design both a Business Roadmap and an AI Roadmap for 2026. Follow BusinessFreedomAdvisors.com for updates.

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Links & Resources

• Watch Full Episode on Fathom
  

• Connect with Mahesh on LinkedIn
  

• Learn More About Business Freedom Advisors

• Follow Scott Landis on LinkedIn
  

• Subscribe to the TriMetric Roadmap Podcast

Episode Summary:

In this episode of the TriMetric Roadmap Podcast, Scott Landis and Jeff Jacob unpack a real-world case study from Business Freedom Advisors’ client portfolio — a multi-generational church navigating leadership succession, cultural transition, and a high-stakes financial turnaround.
Through this story, they reveal universal lessons for founders and CEOs of closely held, mission-driven businesses facing generational handoffs and cash flow crises — showing how strong leadership, cultural awareness, and precise financial intelligence can save and strengthen organizations in transition.

Key Themes

Leadership & Legacy: How to honor the past while empowering new leadership to carry the mission forward.

Succession Readiness: The mindset shift founders must make to release control and equip “worthy enough” successors.

Culture & Purpose: Why purpose-driven motivation outperforms paycheck-driven performance — especially with younger generations.

Financial Intelligence: Jeff shares how detailed financial modeling and valuation work helped the client resolve a multi-million-dollar balloon loan crisis.

Strategic Transition: How selling a property for $8M repositioned the organization from survival mode to a sustainable, debt-free future.
Case Study Spotlight: The Southlake Story

A long-established, multigenerational church faced mounting financial pressure, an aging senior leader, and the challenge of preparing for the next generation. The turning point: A pending $3.5M balloon loan threatened closure. Through advisory and valuation work, the team facilitated a full property sale for $8M, leaving $4.5M to reinvest in a new chapter of ministry and mission.

Business Lesson: What looks like crisis can become a launchpad when leaders stay mission-focused, humble, and future-minded.

Resources Mentioned

BusinessFreedomAdvisors.com/case-studies — Explore the Southlake case and others

TriMetric Roadmap™ — Framework for measuring Business Health, Executive Performance & Life Quality

Business Freedom Diagnostic™ — Identify leverage points for growth, valuation, and founder freedom

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Landis and Jeff Jacob dive deep into a powerful yet often misunderstood concept in business valuation—recasting EBITDA. Using a live client example, Jeff explains how a company’s valuation jumped from under $1M to over $3M simply by cleaning up the books, recasting discretionary expenses, and improving operational efficiency.

The conversation blends humor, practical insight, and step-by-step financial strategy that any founder can follow to increase the market value of their company—without working more hours.

 Key Takeaways

1. Recasting EBITDA can dramatically change how your business is valued.
2. Many business owners understate profitability on taxes, which hurts their valuation.
3. Cleaning up your books and removing “owner perks” (cars, travel, etc.) paints a truer—and higher—financial picture.
4. Each industry has its own valuation multiplier based on demand, operations, and risk.
5. The Business Health Diagnostic (BHD) helps founders uncover value leaks and position for scalable, sellable growth.
   Resources Mentioned

• TriMetric Quiz: trimetricquiz.com

• BHD Lite Inquiry: Send your latest P&L and balance sheet to the BFA team.

  FAQ:

Q: What does “EBITDA” stand for?

Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization—a key measure of a company’s operational profit.

Q: What is “recasting EBITDA”?

It’s the process of adjusting your financials to remove personal or non-recurring expenses, showing a truer picture of the company’s profitability for potential buyers.

Q: Why does recasting matter?

Because it can triple your business’s value by revealing the profit a new owner would actually experience.

Q: How can I get a Business Health Diagnostic (BHD)?

Start by taking the TriMetric Quiz. From there, Jeff and the BFA team can provide a BHD Lite or full Business Health Diagnostic.

Q: What documents do I need for a BHD Lite?

Just last year’s Profit & Loss Statement and Balance Sheet.

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott and Jeff sit down with Mario Tovar, founder of CCMC Advanced Technologies and creator of Prometheus, a patent-pending AI forecasting platform designed to help businesses and governments see risk before it happens.

Mario shares how advanced machine learning can turn complex data into actionable foresight—bridging the gap between predictive analytics and real-world decision-making. The conversation dives deep into economics, business forecasting, and founder mindset, while connecting to the TriMetric focus on Leadership, Business Health, and Life Quality.

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Connect & Learn More

• Take the free Business Health Quiz: TriMetricQuiz.com

• Learn more about Mario & Prometheus: CCMC.global

• Connect with the hosts:

  Scott Landis – Founder, Landis360 / Business Freedom Advisors

  Jeff Jacob – Business Freedom Advisors

In this foundational episode of the TriMetric Roadmap Podcast, Scott Landis and Jeff Jacob officially launch the show and dive deep into the Business Health Diagnostic™ (BHD) — a proprietary system that helps founders measure and improve the true health, value, and freedom potential of their business.

They unpack the why, what, and how behind the diagnostic — from discovering operational blind spots to uncovering hidden valuation opportunities — and show how the BHD fits inside Business Freedom Advisors’ Freedom 360™ program. The conversation flows from practical business strategy into spiritual insight, revealing how freedom in business connects to fulfillment in life.

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Key Themes

• Start with WHY: The Business Health Diagnostic helps founders move from chaos to clarity — and from job ownership to true business freedom.

• Faith Meets Finance: Jeff and Scott discuss the intersection of purpose, stewardship, and intelligent financial design.

• From Valuation to Vision: Why good exit planning is also good business planning — and how to build transferable value even if you never plan to sell.

• Numbers with a Story: Recasting financials isn’t about accounting tricks; it’s about revealing the truth of what your business is really worth.

• Freedom 360™: How the BHD anchors a broader suite of tools — the Business Intelligence Briefing™, Executive Field Manual™, and Tax Briefing™ — to drive freedom and profitability within 90 days.

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Resources Mentioned

• 💡 TriMetricQuiz.com — Free snapshot of your business and leadership health

• 💼 BusinessFreedomAdvisors.com/Freedom-360 — Access the full Freedom 360™ program

• 📘 Walking to Destiny by Chris Snider — referenced as inspiration for integrating exit readiness into day-to-day strategy

• 📗 The Balancing Act by Scott & Tawnya Landis — living fulfilled and free in business and life

Have you been through a rock bottom moment? Are you going through it right now? In this interview with Gunnar Simonsen, he shares very candidly about his ups and downs, a moment of complete surrender, and a total life transformation. He is now living an extraordinary life, full of freedom and satisfaction. But how did he get here? It was the hardest thing he’s ever had to do. It took months; even years to do the entire process. 

What did he learn? What is he taking with him into the future? 

These are the lessons you can take with you from this episode.

Helpful links:

www.AwakenedMan.group to learn about and apply for the next Awakened Man Mastermind

www.HusbandOnFire.com to learn the 3 secrets to create your dream marriage, even if your wife is not on board.

Join the Awakened Man Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AwakenedManCommunity/

I had a great talk with James Cramer of the Fatherhood Rules podcast (found at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fatherhood-rules/id1463680739)

We covered helpful topics like:

• Choosing The Right Spouse,
• Having A Father’s Heart,
• Creating structure for your family,
• Having some old fashion family values and kids who are respectful,
• Being present as a father and husband

I sat down to interview my parents. As far as long term monogamy goes, they are truly an example of what’s possible. In their community, they have a reputation to be “so in love”. People mistake them for newlyweds all the time. What can we learn from a couple that’s been married since 1970?

I interview Daren Patera, a married father of 5, a blended family leader, and an awakened man. He shares very candidly from his life. He shares the relational dynamics of his life growing up in his family of origin. How he carried insecurity throughout life. And how now, he’s learning confidence, self-care, and how to raise the standard for himself and the people around him. What are the lessons he learned along the way? How does he show up in relationships? Find out here!