How Small Businesses Grow Real Leaders – Rich Ashton on Building People-First Companies

Описание: What does it really take to build leaders inside a small business—without burning people out or losing your culture?


In this episode of The Real Leadership Brief, Donald Dunn sits down with Rich Ashton, a Navy veteran and entrepreneur with more than four decades of experience building, fixing, and selling companies across multiple industries.


Rich breaks down why most small businesses struggle with leadership development, how military leadership must evolve in civilian environments, and why growth stalls when companies fail to invest in people before processes.


This conversation is built for:

1. Veterans transitioning into business
2. First-time supervisors
3. Founders trying to scale without losing culture
4. Entrepreneurs stuck at a growth ceiling


You’ll learn:

1. Why leadership in business is different than in the military
2. How to identify a person’s “leadership ceiling”
3. The hidden danger of authoritarian middle management
4. Why communication must be circular, not top-down
5. How personal growth and professional leadership are inseparable
6. Why investing in people changes everything


Rich also introduces his book Growing Your Own, a practical guide for small business owners who want to build leaders from within instead of importing them.


This episode isn’t theory—it’s real-world leadership from the trenches.