Trey Sheneman’s Journey from Debt to Growth Advisor for Top Brands

If you think success is about having it all figured out… this episode will prove you wrong—in the best way possible.

From losing his job and being $95K in debt to leading growth at John Maxwell and Dave Ramsey’s companies, and now running his own firm — Trey Sheneman is a master of turning chaos into clarity.

In this episode of Let’s Talk Business, Meny Hoffman sits down with Trey to unpack what really drives growth: from mindset, to systems, to what founders often get wrong when scaling from $3M to $30M.

You’ll hear:
👉 How being broke and jobless led to a marketing career
👉 Why some brands get stuck at $5M—and how to break past it
👉 The real difference between working in vs. on your business
👉 A breakdown of Trey’s COMPASS Method that’s helped scale dozens of brands
👉 How to stay sharp as a leader—without losing touch with the work

Whether you’re bootstrapping a startup or scaling something fast, this is a must-watch.

👉 Subscribe for more deep-dive convos with real builders.
–

PATH FOR GROWTH TICKETS
Get $300 off when you purchase your tickets with the Promo Code “LETSTALKBUSINESS”: https://pathforgrowth.zohobackstage.com/Newark2025#/?lang=en&trk=comments_comments-list_comment-text

Transcript

00:00 – Welcome to Let’s Talk Business
02:11 – From seminary to $95K in debt
05:00 – The real start: losing both jobs and betting on himself
09:07 – Lessons from building marketing agencies
13:30 – Inside leadership at John Maxwell & Dave Ramsey orgs
18:32 – Why culture and accountability go hand in hand
23:44 – What Trey’s doing now with Herald
27:16 – The full breakdown of the COMPASS Method
33:38 – Why messaging is usually the weak link
35:33 – Hearing your customers clearly (and often)
37:27 – How to actually work on your business every quarter
43:47 – What’s still on Trey’s bucket list

Practical Pointers

Start even if it’s not perfect. Trey didn’t wait for the perfect plan—he just started. You learn more by doing than thinking.

Try before you commit. Be a generalist first. Once you find your edge, go deep—and it’ll pay off.

Get clarity before action. Ask what’s working, what’s not, and what’s missing. Don’t guess—diagnose.

Work on the business regularly. Don’t wait for a crisis. Step back quarterly (or weekly) to course-correct.

Stay close to your customers. Surveys, calls, chats—Trey listens nonstop. The best marketing comes straight from them.

Show notes

Book a Clarity Session with Meny Hoffman Panda Doc Tray’s Life Changing Book Trey’s Podcast Herald Trey’s LinkedIn For promotions & inquiries

Guest Bio

Trey Sheneman

BIO
Trey Sheneman is the founder of Herald, a revenue growth consulting firm dedicated to helping founder-led brands scale with clarity and purpose. With over 15 years of experience, Trey has guided businesses from diverse industries—including education, professional services, healthcare, and leadership development—to break through revenue plateaus and achieve consistent, profitable growth. He has collaborated with renowned leaders such as John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Brendan Burchard, Mark Miller, and the Benham Brothers, crafting multimillion-dollar marketing and sales funnels.

A thought leader in strategic growth, Trey created the COMPASS Method, a powerful framework that equips businesses with actionable insights into competitive positioning, online experience, messaging, personnel strategy, customer profiling, SWOT analysis, and strategic planning. His practical approach blends deep marketing expertise with leadership principles shaped by his faith and values.

Trey regularly shares his insights on marketing, sales, operations, and leadership through his podcast, 10-Minute Masterclass, delivering concise and actionable advice for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Committed to building scalable, impactful companies, Trey sees his work as his mission in empowering founders to lead purpose-driven organizations that create lasting value in their markets and communities.

Share this episode with friends: