What if you could actually predict whether a business will succeed or fail? After analyzing over 150 companies, today’s guest uncovered the single practice that separates thriving businesses from those that stall out. In this episode of the No Limit Leadership Podcast , Sean Patton sits down with Eli Portnoy — serial entrepreneur, 8-figure founder, CEO of BackEngine.ai , and Harvard Business School instructor. Eli has built and sold multiple companies, and now he’s sharing his hard-earned lessons on leadership, iteration, and feedback. You’ll hear how fatherhood shaped his leadership style, why feedback loops are the ultimate predictor of business success, and how speed always beats perfection when scaling a company. Whether you’re leading a startup or a growing team, this episode will help you rethink how to build environments where people thrive and growth accelerates. ⏱ Episode Topics & Timestamps 00:00 — The #1 predictor of business success 01:20 — Eli’s journey: 8-figure exits & Harvard teaching 02:00 — Leadership lessons from fatherhood 05:14 — Evolving leadership style from rookie manager to adaptive leader 08:48 — Tools & tactics for uncovering employee strengths 13:08 — Building internal feedback loops that drive growth 19:31 — Research findings: 150 SaaS companies & external feedback 22:36 — Tactical playbook: CEO calls, feedback owners, and weekly insights 29:16 — Frameworks for speed, iteration, and innovation 35:40 — Inside BackEngine.ai: AI-powered customer feedback 41:14 — The future of AI in leadership over the next 5 years 43:37 — Eli’s weekly leadership practice for clarity & accountability 🔗 Connect with Eli Portnoy Website: BackEngine.ai LinkedIn: Eli Portnoy 📩 Subscribe to Sean’s Leadership Newsletter: www.nolimitleaders.com/growth No Limit Leadership is the go-to podcast for growth-minded executives, middle managers, and team leaders who want more than surface-level leadership advice. Hosted by executive coach and former Special Forces commander Sean Patton, this show dives deep into modern leadership, self-leadership, and the real-world strategies that build high-performing teams. Whether you're focused on leadership development, building a coaching culture, improving leadership communication, or strengthening team accountability, each episode equips you with actionable insights to unlock leadership potential across your organization. From designing onboarding systems that retain talent to asking better questions that drive clarity and impact, No Limit Leadership helps you lead yourself first so you can lead others better. If you're ready to create a culture of ownership, resilience, and results, this leadership podcast is for you.…
SPOILER ALERT! We just saw Dune: Part Two together and we had to blabber about it in the parking lot of the theater. Stay tuned for our full spoiler review coming soon!
THE BOYS ARE BACK! We're mostly talkin Jdub 4 and Guardians 3 this time around. We also discuss Dune Part 2 Trailer, Rise of the Beast Trailer and other stuff!
FULL SPOILERS!! Sean and Andrew watched some great films recently. Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Northman. We talk about these, Dune (of course) and video games.
Loki is here and it is a thing! We catch up on the stuff we've been watching in the last month or so. Not a whole lot of overlap! Go see a movie in theaters!
Oh baby we got a lot on our menu today. We're talking Falcon and the Winter Soldier, New Mutants AND some new trailers including Army of the Dead and Fast and Furious 9.
Set your shoulders and strap in for a slugfest that we've all been waiting for. Take your Brigertons and your Queens Gambits, we're gonna watch some monstars smash each other to pieces.
The boys are back on Disney plus and talkin more marvel. Not before Sean gushes over the Snyder Cut some more. The boys also talk the new Suicide Squad trailer.
This is it! The moment we've all been waiting for! Sean and Andrew talk about the finale of WandaVision as well as hype for Zack Snyder's Justice League. And a bunch of other stuff.
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
They boys get emotional as we talk about episode 8 of WandaVision. Ooof. What an ep. Also, the Vanity Fair article about Zack Snyder makes us choke up as we recount it. Take a listen. It's super fun, we promise!
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Sean and Andrew caught episode 7 of WandaVision. Sean also caught the Cecil Hotel doc and some Golden State Killer stuff. Real lighthearted content! Leto is also out here looking like Jesus? What's going on??
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Drewstradamus predicts the future! The boys discuss what they got right and what they didn't in this VERY REVEALING episode of WandaVision. Hold on to your butts. This is gonna be a bumpy ride.
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
After the holidays and absolutely nothing else of note, Sean and Andrew catch up on some flicks they caught since the end of Mando, which we surprisingly don't spoil here! We mostly talk Tenet and WW84.
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Thankful for their meals and Dave Filoni, Sean and Andrew fawn over the masterpiece that was episode 5 of season 2. Join us as we discuss our Thanksgiving meals, 4K blu rays and a bunch of other stuff.
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Hey we're back and nothing exciting has happened in our personal lives at all! So nothing to report up top. The Boys are back but not those The Boys, I mean Sean and Andrew. They are just catching up about content they have consumed. But thats not all! Mando retando so they discuss episando one through fourando! There is a lot of lore in store for those who listen! Why don’t you check it out?!?!…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
OOOOOOKEY SPOOOOKY TIME Y'ALL! Sean and Andrew watch the 2004 classic starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale and the legend David Wenham! Come along for this crazy amusement park ride full of chills, thrills, wigs, corsets and big goofy hats. Be like Gabriel, wear a mask!
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
THE BOYS ARE BACK FOR THE LAST TIME THIS YEAR AND thEY BROUGHT THE CARBS!!!! Forget your quarantine workout routine and digest this gluten heavy episode in which Sean and Andrew talk about what they've been baking as well as ooky spooky things they're watching. They eventually get to the season 2 finale of "The Boys."…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
OH MAN OH JEEZE. The boys caught up on The Boys and a ton of other stuff. Sean and Andrew's minds have turned into guac. Listen to them ry to muster up the mental energy to remember what happened.
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
De Nene nene ne. De Nene nene ne. De Nene nene ne. De Nenene ne ne ne ne ne ne ne ne. THEY'RE BACK IN TOWN AGAAAIIIN. Season 2 episodes 1-5 are now up on AMAZON. SPOILERS. Oh No Oh Geez. It's been a rough few days but we're gonna take our minds off things and talk about the show that reminds us that these things exist. Catch up with the Boys talking about the Boys. Stay Safe!…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
RIP KING T'CHALLA WAKANDA FOREVER! Excellent DELELELELELELE *Aggressive air guitar*, the boys are back. Which Boys? Bill and Ted! Woahh!! Not only them, but so are Sean and Andrew! DELELELELELELE! They are talking the bill and ted trilogy, with extra focus on the new movie! They for sure don’t get sidetracked once! Sean breathes like Gandolfini after a chicken parm in this ep. Special Guests George and Tofu.…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Step into the FANDOME with Sean and Andrew. The Last of Us 1 and 2 spoilers since that's pretty new and spoilery and non movie related so I felt the need to say that. We talk about ALL the new stuff WB and DC unveiled including the Snyder Cut trailer, Suicide Squad game and movie, Gotham Knights and The Batman.…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
WE'RE BAAAAAAACK! Sean and Andy have taken some time off and watched a whole buncha stuff in the meantime. Catch up and have some pickles as these two pickles talk about An American Pickle, and we finally put an end to our unhealthy obsession with The Rise of Skywalker.
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
RIP JOEL SCHUMACHER. The guys (including OG Tom from "Andrew Makes A Case") pay tribute to the late director by watching his most critically acclaimed film, Batman & Robin. This film, as well as Batman Forever are near and dear to our hearts and we wanted to celebrate the life and career of the great Joel Schumacher.…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Fasten your rotating chair seatbelts because we're headed straight to the center of the Earth! Sean and Andrew dive into one of their favorite bad mid-2000's disaster flicks, "The Core."
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Sean and Andrew really hate themselves. We strap in to whine about this movie for another 2+ hours only now you can watch with us! Listen as we descend into madness while we watch everything that's good evaporate into a red weird gooey cloud of nothingness (that brings us to Palpatine.)
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
WOAH NELLY! We're stuck at home and have no new movies to see so we watched an old one that we both love so dearly. That's right, 98 Zilla! The Japanese icon squares off against Ferris Bueller, Moe and the French guy from Leon. From the director of Midway and 10,000 BC, GODZILLA! You don't have an excuse not to listen and watch because it's on Netflix.…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
We got a sleepy one on our hands here! Sean + Andrew gotta figure out what the run of show is, so they do it on air. They start talking HBO’s Watchmen, and they do that for a while. Then they shift into a LIGHTNING ROUND of catch up. What movies have they seen? What have they both seen? Spoilers, not a ton of overlap. But hey, that’s fine cause these good boys have got the Plus. Disney that is! Time to talk Mando! It’s an all over the place ep that’s mostly just two friends catching up on things they like. Awwwwww.…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Oh hell yeah what a focused episode! We got 3 main topics that we actually stay on course for! Incredible. We talk about the final Star Wars Ep 9 trailer. Then we check in with an idol of ours who’s behavior we like to imitate. That’s right we are talking Joker. Pretty crazy we don’t even talk about those stairs he’s dancing on! Pretty easy metaphor to digest tbh. Then we start seeing double (WOOO) (WOOO) in 60 FPS. It’s the movie event of the year, these Gemini buds are talking about Gemini Man! Jam packed and focused! Can’t miss this episode!…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)
Look at this, Andrew is uploading an episode. It's a good one! In this episode of the Chill Zone, the boys are back on the same coast! And this time? They are recording outside. We caught up, saw Brad Astra and just had to talk about it. Plus we are talking about the greatest movie neither of us had seen before but should have. And you better believe we are eating directly into the mic!…
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Sean & Andrew Talk About Movies (And Sometimes Other Stuff)