Season 2 Premiere episode - What happens in year two of being in business?
Fri Feb 06 2026
*Season 2 Premiere: You made it through year one. That was the easy part.*
Matt tried to replace the brothers with the Manning brothers for Season 2. Peyton and Eli never responded. Neither did the Baldwins, the Bushes, or the Harbaughs. So Brian and Brad are back, new studio and all, ready to talk about what happens when your business hits year two. Here's the thing nobody tells you: year one is survival mode. You're running so hard that you don't notice expenses creeping up or competitors watching what you're doing. Then you hit year two and suddenly you're spending $100,000 a month instead of $10,000. Competition either wakes up or shows up. The easy run is over. This is Season 2 Episode 1. What happens when you can't coast anymore.
*YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why year two is when competition wakes up or storms in • The "throttle down plus plus" mentality Brad uses to stay aggressive • How to use year one baselines to build year two budgets • The difference between zero-based and baseline budgeting
*WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Don't assume year two repeats year one • Review every expense that snuck in • Ask customers three simple questions • Focus on your core
*WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it.
*THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "Year two, you got to relook at your expenses because a lot of things will have snuck in during that first year. You were spending $10,000 a month when you started and you're spending $100,000 now." What mistakes are sneaking into your year two? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for Season 2. New studio. New founder interviews. Same brutal honesty.
*TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Season 2 premiere
4:20 - Year one vs year two
6:10 - Bean Bags vs Bean Bag King
9:30 - When competition wakes up
11:45 - Throttle down plus plus
14:30 - Baseline budgeting
17:05 - Advice for both sides
19:10 - Customer surveys
21:30 - Zero-based vs baseline
24:45 - Year two validation
*ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches.
🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three year-two realities. Pick the one that matches your situation.
🍸 THE BEAN BAG KING Brad Balduf - The operator who won't get complacent Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • 1 oz coffee liqueur • 0.5 oz demerara syrup • 2 dashes chocolate bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: You owned 100% of the market until some kid opened a drive-thru and stole your customers. Now you either sell or wake up and fight back. This drink's rich, established, knows its worth. Question is: will you get lazy or protect what you built?
🍸 BEAN BAGS R US Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's seen competitors strike Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • 1 oz lime juice • 0.75 oz ginger syrup • 0.5 oz Cointreau • Fresh ginger slice • Shake hard with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: You stormed the market with a drive-thru and crushed the old guard year one. Year two? They're awake now. They copied your hours, matched your prices, installed their own drive-thru. What's your next move? This drink's sharp, aggressive, ready to pivot.
🍸 THE THROTTLE DOWN Matt Croke - The host watching both sides battle Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 0.75 oz lemon juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 3 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon wheel • Shake with ice, strain over large cube The Vibe: Brad's philosophy for year two: throttle down plus plus. No breaks. No coasting. Competition's coming whether you're the incumbent or the upstart. This drink's smooth but commits fully. Just like year two demands. Make all three. Figure out which position you're in. Defending your turf? Attacking the market? Just trying to stay aggressive? Tag us.
*JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros
#entrepreneurship #startupstrategy #yeartwo #businessgrowth
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*Season 2 Premiere: You made it through year one. That was the easy part.* Matt tried to replace the brothers with the Manning brothers for Season 2. Peyton and Eli never responded. Neither did the Baldwins, the Bushes, or the Harbaughs. So Brian and Brad are back, new studio and all, ready to talk about what happens when your business hits year two. Here's the thing nobody tells you: year one is survival mode. You're running so hard that you don't notice expenses creeping up or competitors watching what you're doing. Then you hit year two and suddenly you're spending $100,000 a month instead of $10,000. Competition either wakes up or shows up. The easy run is over. This is Season 2 Episode 1. What happens when you can't coast anymore. *YOU'LL DISCOVER* • Why year two is when competition wakes up or storms in • The "throttle down plus plus" mentality Brad uses to stay aggressive • How to use year one baselines to build year two budgets • The difference between zero-based and baseline budgeting *WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS* • Don't assume year two repeats year one • Review every expense that snuck in • Ask customers three simple questions • Focus on your core *WHO THESE GUYS ARE* Brian Balduf co-founded and sold VHT Studios. Brad Balduf runs By Your Side Autism Therapy with 550 employees across 11 centers. Matt Croke keeps it honest and pulls out the chaos. They've been there, survived it, and have the scars to prove it. *THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH* "Year two, you got to relook at your expenses because a lot of things will have snuck in during that first year. You were spending $10,000 a month when you started and you're spending $100,000 now." What mistakes are sneaking into your year two? 👇 SUBSCRIBE for Season 2. New studio. New founder interviews. Same brutal honesty. *TIMESTAMPS* 0:00 - Season 2 premiere 4:20 - Year one vs year two 6:10 - Bean Bags vs Bean Bag King 9:30 - When competition wakes up 11:45 - Throttle down plus plus 14:30 - Baseline budgeting 17:05 - Advice for both sides 19:10 - Customer surveys 21:30 - Zero-based vs baseline 24:45 - Year two validation *ABOUT CEO BROS AFTER HOURS* CEO BROS: After Hours is raw business talk from CEO brothers Brian Balduf (VHT Studios) and Brad Balduf (By Your Side Autism Therapy) with host Matt Croke. Every Friday they share what actually happens building companies: brutal failures, scaling disasters, and the messy truth about leadership. No corporate polish. No LinkedIn energy. Just honest stories from the trenches. 🍸 *WIND DOWN WITH THE BROS: THIS WEEK'S COCKTAILS* Three drinks for three year-two realities. Pick the one that matches your situation. 🍸 THE BEAN BAG KING Brad Balduf - The operator who won't get complacent Recipe: • 2 oz aged rum • 1 oz coffee liqueur • 0.5 oz demerara syrup • 2 dashes chocolate bitters • Orange peel • Stir with ice, strain into rocks glass The Vibe: You owned 100% of the market until some kid opened a drive-thru and stole your customers. Now you either sell or wake up and fight back. This drink's rich, established, knows its worth. Question is: will you get lazy or protect what you built? 🍸 BEAN BAGS R US Brian Balduf - The storyteller who's seen competitors strike Recipe: • 2 oz vodka • 1 oz lime juice • 0.75 oz ginger syrup • 0.5 oz Cointreau • Fresh ginger slice • Shake hard with ice, strain into coupe The Vibe: You stormed the market with a drive-thru and crushed the old guard year one. Year two? They're awake now. They copied your hours, matched your prices, installed their own drive-thru. What's your next move? This drink's sharp, aggressive, ready to pivot. 🍸 THE THROTTLE DOWN Matt Croke - The host watching both sides battle Recipe: • 2 oz Irish whiskey • 0.75 oz lemon juice • 0.5 oz honey syrup • 3 dashes Angostura bitters • Lemon wheel • Shake with ice, strain over large cube The Vibe: Brad's philosophy for year two: throttle down plus plus. No breaks. No coasting. Competition's coming whether you're the incumbent or the upstart. This drink's smooth but commits fully. Just like year two demands. Make all three. Figure out which position you're in. Defending your turf? Attacking the market? Just trying to stay aggressive? Tag us. *JOIN THE CONVERSATION* https://x.com/CeoBrosAH https://www.instagram.com/ceobrosah/ https://www.facebook.com/CEOBrosAH https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-bros #entrepreneurship #startupstrategy #yeartwo #businessgrowth