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.…
Join sports journalist John Gunning, star X League quarterback Aaron Ellis, and pro football historian Greg St. James of the Sports History Network, as they cover the Japanese gridiron game.
Join sports journalist John Gunning, star X League quarterback Aaron Ellis, and pro football historian Greg St. James of the Sports History Network, as they cover the Japanese gridiron game.
The Gridiron Japan crew sits down with Tokyo Gas Creators' star defensive lineman, St. Louis native Matt McClellan ( https://www.instagram.com/sackmamba/ | https://x.com/sackmamba & https://www.youtube.com/@GlobalSackboy ), to talk about his journey to Japan where he is leading his team on a quest for championship glory. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , As well as on X, at www.x.com/GridironJapan .…
In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast ( www.theworldoffootball.com ), we present to you a new weekly (and sometimes bi-weekly or monthly depending upon the sports calendar) segment that gives a rundown of the scores for the top gridiron games played here in Japan, from the top level to the college ranks. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X at Gridiron Japan .…
The guys return to look back at the week that was in week one of X League Super and do a deep dive on why teams won, lost, regressed and took a step back from 2024. We also talk to Aaron's debut as QB of the Ibaraki Saviors. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X at Gridiron Japan .…
In conjunction with our good friends at The World of Football podcast ( www.theworldoffootball.com ), we present to you a new weekly (and sometimes bi-weekly or monthly depending upon the sports calendar) segment that gives a run down of all the scores we can track down for the gridiron games played here in Japan, from the top level to the college ranks, and hopefully even lower as Greg improves his sports research skills. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X at Gridiron Japan .…
The Gridiron Japan crew sits down with the new IBM Big Blue TE Tommy Auger. Tommy is an LFA and FCF (Fan Controlled Football) All-Pro, as well as an AFCA All-American. While playing in the LFA he set league records for single season reception, yards and touchdowns. A feat we hope he repeats here in Japan. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X at Gridiron Japan .…
On the eve of week one in X-League play in Japan, IBM Big Blue coach Mike Phair returns to the show to talk to the crew about the upcoming season and how his team is shaping up going into his second season as head coach. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X at Gridiron Japan .…
With Aaron back in Japan, Greg finds out how he is settling in and how things are going with the savior of his new team, the Ibaraki Saviors. Greg and Aaron give a quick fan and player look and thoughts of the upcoming week 1 games in 2025 X League Super competition. After which they give their thoughts about the topic we covered in last week's show, the 2026 X League restructuring. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at https://www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , As well as on X, at https://www.x.com/GridironJapan .…
Gridiron football is back in Japan as we look ahead to the 2025 autumn season. In this episode we look ahead to X League 2026 which has asking all of us here at the show, WTF? We then are joined by Fujitsu Frontier's defense line coach and former Gridiron Japan cohost and take a look at the new players on the roster on Fujitsu. After which we talk about the former and current players of the X League who made big impacts and led to their teams to indoor and outdoor league championship runs in America and Mexico. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at https://www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , As well as on X, at https://www.x.com/GridironJapan .…
From August 2024, on the eve of week one in 2024 X League play in Japan, Greg and John sit down with Mike Phair, the head coach of IBM Big Blue to talk about his team and the upcoming season. Coach Phair talks about his coaching philosophy and the lessons he learned from coaching in the NFL and CFL. In addition we learn how John almost was a movie star! Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp . Learn more at www.gridironjapan.jp or www.gridironjapan.net .…
With the release yesterday of the 2025 X League Super schedule, John and Greg take a look at the games for the six week autumn schedule for the top 12 teams of Japan's top tier gridiron division. The also talk about some of the new names coming to Japan and also not returning to Japan, and also talk a little about why vuvuzelas are frowned upon in sports. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X (Twitter) ! Learn more at www.gridironjapan.jp .…
The boys are back and live from Japan and Austria (where Aaron is presently playing for the Vienna Vikings of the AFC). In this episode, Aaron reveals his plans for the upcoming fall season, and we review the Rice Bowl upset of the Panasonic Impulse over the Fujitsu Frontiers. We also look at some of the moves being made by teams in the X League and the current state of the gridiron game in Japan. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X (Twitter) ! Learn more at www.gridironjapan.jp .…
The crew takes a look at look back at all the games played during the X League Super quarterfinals on the road to the Rice Bowl! Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X (Twitter) ! Learn more at www.gridironjapan.jp or www.gridironjapan.net .…
John and Greg are joined by Obic Seagulls starting QB, Tyler Kulka, to talk about his team's win over the Nojima Rise today in the opening game of the X League Super quarterfinals. We talk about his the season and his journey to Japan, and also talk about the differences of playing football in Japan versus playing the game in America. You can follow Tyler on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/tylerkulka17/ , as well as on X(Twitter)- https://x.com/tkulk17. Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X (Twitter) ! Learn more at www.gridironjapan.jp or www.gridironjapan.net .…
With our good friend John on assignment covering sumo, Greg and Aaron look at the upcoming first round of the X League Super playoffs, and try to answer the age old question, just who can stop the Fujitsu Frontiers? Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X (Twitter) ! Learn more at www.gridironjapan.jp or www.gridironjapan.net .…
Four years ago friendships were formed as Zach Keilman , Greg St. James , and John Gunning of Inside Sport Japan , sat down for the first episode of our podcast, which has now expanded to a website and livestream providing original coverage of the gridiron game in Japan. Since the first episode we have grown as a team with B.J. and then Aaron joining, and through it all the six of us have enjoyed plenty of laughs, smiles and candid opinions about Japan, gridiron football, and of course, the Chicago Bears! For the reason why we do this and enjoy doing it is simply this- because of the friendship and comradery that football brings :-). Gridiron Japan livestreams over at Gridiron Japan Television on YouTube at www.gridironjapantv.net , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GridironJapan.jp , and on X (Twitter) ! Learn more at www.gridironjapan.jp or www.gridironjapan.net .…
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