Episode 13: Carl Saunders on Doubling Revenue, Tripling Profit, and Rebuilding Trust

Carl Saunders was stuck.
Four years of flat revenue. Flat profit.
Eighty to one hundred hour weeks.
Two top performers asking, “Where is the opportunity here?”

Most CEOs know that moment.
Few know how to climb out.

In this episode, Carl shares how he broke the cycle that was burning him out and stalling the company. His story moves from overwork and fear-driven leadership to a system that transformed the business: daily huddles, transparency, servant leadership, real accountability, and a team that delivered without him in the center.

Within four years, Vorum doubled revenue, tripled profitability, and sold the company with a six-month earn-out because the team was running the business, not Carl.

If you’re a CEO who feels stuck, this is the roadmap.

What You’ll Learn
• The Doom Loop defined
Flat growth, overwork, and top talent questioning their future.

• Why founders stay stuck
Fear of failure, over-involvement, “hero mode,” and the belief that effort equals value.

• The exact tools Carl used to turn it around
Daily huddles
Radical transparency
Servant leadership one-on-ones

• Proof of transformation
Revenue doubled.
Profitability tripled.
Earn-out reduced from two years to six months.

• What goes into the CEO Playbook
Stop wearing 80-hour weeks like a badge.
Lean into personal change.
Make accountability visible.
Coach your leaders, don’t rescue them.
Don’t try to do this alone.

• A 30-day roadmap to break the Doom Loop
Simple steps any CEO can start now.

About Carl Saunders
Former CEO of Vorum, a global medical technology innovator in custom orthopedic devices. Now a full-time Metronomics coach helping CEOs escape the patterns he once lived through.

Chapters
00:00 Cold Open
00:45 Introduction
02:00 Carl’s Doom Loop Moment
08:00 Why CEOs Get Stuck
12:00 Tools That Break the Loop
22:00 Transformation and Results
28:00 Carl’s CEO Playbook
33:00 Coachability and Resistance
36:00 A CEO’s First 30 Days
39:00 Recap and Close

Resources and Links
Download the free CEO Playbook
The frameworks Carl used. The same tools we teach.

Subscribe to Escape the CEO Doom Loop
Real stories, real systems, straight from CEOs who’ve done the work.

About the Show
Escape the CEO Doom Loop is for CEOs and leadership teams ready to grow with clarity, momentum, and purpose. Hosted by Glen Dall and John Ninkovich, each episode brings you practical tools and real-world stories from leaders who’ve built strong companies without sacrificing their sanity.

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