The CEO Series

The CEO Series Real Conversations with Real CEOs.

06/02/2026

CEO Series host Will Salvi told ScottsMiracle-Gro CEO Jim Hagedorn that the state of leadership is abysmal. Jim agreed. Then it got interesting.

Will believes the problem starts with the president and the rhetoric coming from the top. Whether you are a CEO or a politician, the responsibility to the people you serve is the same. Jim agreed on the problem, he just disagreed on where that responsibility starts.

What is your opinion on the state of leadership today?

For the full conversation of The CEO Series go to the Executive House YouTube channel. Link in the comments.

He had no investors, no franchising experience, and every bank and landlord told him no. He built the world's first and ...
06/01/2026

He had no investors, no franchising experience, and every bank and landlord told him no. He built the world's first and largest youth enrichment platform anyway.

Michael Browning Jr. didn't start Unleashed Brands with investors or a clue about franchising. He started with an idea, every penny he had, and the stubborn belief that kids deserve a break from screens and a place to play with each other.

Today, Unleashed Brands has 1,500+ locations across its 7 brands and serves 20 million kids a year.

The takeaway: The vision is yours. Not everyone will see it when you do and that's okay. Keep going anyway.

The full episode of The CEO Series goes live on the Executive House YouTube channel this Thursday. We filmed all the fun at Urban Air Adventure Park so you are not going to want to miss this one.

05/28/2026

Most CEOs would have spun it. Jim Hagedorn sat across from Jim Cramer on national television and said it out loud. We burned $2 billion.

ScottsMiracle-Gro made a massive bet on cannabis. The laws never changed. The banking crisis hit at the same time. They were down to less than $100 million. They cut $350 million in operating expenses. Jim was CEO through all of it.

Today ScottsMiracle-Gro is doing $3.5 billion in revenue.

William Salvi sat down with Jim to talk about the bet, the fallout, and what got him through it. Jim also opens up about growing up, his complicated relationship with his father, and what leadership actually looks like when there is no one to talk to.

Full episode out now. Link in comments.

Dan Streetman served in the US Army, went to Harvard Business School, was called back to active duty in Iraq, and eventu...
05/27/2026

Dan Streetman served in the US Army, went to Harvard Business School, was called back to active duty in Iraq, and eventually became CEO of Tanium.

When Will asked if he always planned to be a CEO, he said no.

And the first thing he tells veterans transitioning into tech is this: "All the best career planning is going to occur in the rearview mirror."

For anyone early in their career who feels like they should have it more figured out by now, that is worth sitting with.

Full episode in the comments.

Jim Hagedorn made a $2 billion bet on cannabis that didn't pan out. ScottsMiracle-Gro nearly ran out of money. They had ...
05/25/2026

Jim Hagedorn made a $2 billion bet on cannabis that didn't pan out. ScottsMiracle-Gro nearly ran out of money. They had to cut $350 million in operating expenses.

Despite all of this he remained in the chair and worked through it.
When Will asked him what got him through this difficult stretch he said: persistence, personality and his team.

Who do you rely on when things get tough?

Full episode drops this Thursday on Executive House.

05/22/2026

Most of the discussion around AI is gibberish. At least that's what founder and CEO of Pegasystems, Alan Trefler, thinks.

He has been building with AI for over 40 years. And he's tired of watching leaders throw around words like AI, agentic, and agents just to get attention.

He says stop calling it artificial intelligence. It has always been augmented intelligence. How do you take people's intelligence and use technology to make them better?

How do you view AI?

Full episode of The CEO Series in the comments.

05/19/2026

People don't trust big companies anymore. Alan Trefler has been running one for 43 years. We asked him about it directly.

His answer: it comes down to people and culture. Not being perfect. Being committed to getting it right.

He's walked that walk at Pegasystems Started with three employees. Never sold. Still the largest shareholder. And the hall of bobbleheads lining the walls, one for every employee who hits 15 years, tells you everything about how he thinks about the people around him.

What kind of culture are you committed to building?

Full episode of The CEO Series is live on the Executive House YouTube channel. Link in the comments.

05/18/2026

Most executives think their biggest content problem is attention.

Ben Worthen says that's exactly wrong.

The former The Wall Street Journal Reporter turned Chief Product Officer at Orchestra has a question he says nobody asks enough:

Why does anybody care?

He had editors standing over his shoulder asking it at the Journal. He thinks most marketers and executives never ask it at all. They walk into rooms full of people with real problems and lead with their product instead.

In a world where it takes less time to create content than to consume it, attention is cheap.

Trust is everything.

New episode of The CEO Series is live. Link below.

05/14/2026

He started Pegasystems in 1983 with three employees and no venture capital.

43 years later, Alan Trefler is still the CEO, still the largest shareholder, and a billionaire. Most people have never heard his name.

In this episode he talks about the chess concept that shapes how he makes every major business decision, what he really thinks about the way people talk about AI, and why he doesn't worry about a single quarter.

The thing he was most proud of in those early years? They always made payroll.

New episode is live. Link in the comments.

We asked Alan Trefler, founder and CEO of Pegasystems, why people don't trust big companies anymore.He told us what actu...
05/11/2026

We asked Alan Trefler, founder and CEO of Pegasystems, why people don't trust big companies anymore.

He told us what actually builds trust.

Trust isn't about being perfect. It's about being committed to eventually getting things right, and that starts with your people and your culture.

Alan founded Pegasystems in 1983 at just 26 years old and has led it for over 40 years, making him one of the longest-serving CEOs of a public company. He doesn't obsess over quarterly results or social media speculation. He thinks in decades, not quarters.

Full episode drops this Thursday on the Executive House CEO Series. Subscribe so you don't miss it.

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