ICYMI - The CEO is the Bottleneck, Build it to Scale - Rick Martinez

Your Next: A Guide to Finding Fulfillment After Your Exit Hosted by Jerome Myers

What happens when the check clears, and you still feel empty?

In this powerful episode, Jerome Myers talks with Rick Martinez, a former ER nurse, Army officer, and founder who scaled a 600-person healthcare company and exited successfully, only to face an identity crisis no one warned him about.

From ER shifts to military deployment to crying in his car after a $500K payday, Rick shares what happens after the win and why fulfillment matters more than freedom.

If you’ve ever asked, “Is this all there is?”, this episode is for you.

[00:00 – 12:00] Still in Scrubs: The Entrepreneur Who Kept Showing Up

• Why Rick still picks up ER shifts decades into success
• His transition from staff nurse to contractor to employer
• How one conversation in a hospital skybridge launched a business

[12:01 – 21:00] Building Something Bigger (Without Realizing It)

• From $8/hour raises to doubling his income overnight
• Creating an agency by accident and growing to 600 employees
• The systems that scaled without needing a business degree

[21:01 – 30:00] Service, Sacrifice, and the Truth About Scaling

• Military activation changes everything
• The moment he realized he was the problem, not the engine
• A brutal but freeing insight: the founder or CEO is often the biggest bottleneck

[30:01 – 38:00] The Check, the Crash, and the Cry

• The wire hits. Rick sits in his Porsche with tears in his eyes
• What no one tells you about the emotional cost of success
• The first signs that the real journey was just beginning

[38:01 – 45:00] Pain, Purpose, and a Spiritual Awakening

• A crushing injury in a CrossFit competition shifts everything
• Rick hears what he’d been ignoring and gets baptized
• Writing, service, and rediscovering what truly matters

[45:01 – End] What’s Next: From Exit to Expression

• Why “never a W2 again” wasn’t enough
• How Rick found meaning in ghostwriting and mentoring
• His ultimate advice for those chasing more than money

Key Quotes:

“The founder, the CEO, is always the biggest bottleneck.” – Rick Martinez

“Find the freedom that's going to fulfill you. Be relentless about it, and when you get there, share it with the world.” – Rick Martinez

Connect with Rick!

Website: https://www.therickmartinez.com/optin1620132235803

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickmartinez

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