Start Before You’re Ready: Scaling Through The Chaos with Todd Green | Scaling the Gap Ep 73

Scaling the Gap

So many entrepreneurs hit pause, waiting for all the pieces to fall into place before they take action—but that pause can come at the cost of real momentum. What if the secret to success is just getting started, even when things feel a little messy?

In this episode of Scaling the Gap, host Madeleine MacRae sits down with Todd Green, president of Premier Blinds and Shades and host of The Premier Podcast, for an unfiltered look at what it really takes to scale a business. Todd helped grow a retail window covering company from his friend’s basement into a 100-person operation… all without a website, CRM, or any formal systems. But scaling fast came with lessons—some tough, some transformative.

Todd opens up about what went wrong, what he’d do differently, and how those experiences are now shaping his new B2B venture, built on the pillars of simplicity, support, and service. From sales strategies to leadership lessons and mindset shifts, this episode is packed with insights you don’t want to miss.

Tune in now and learn what it really looks like to scale through the chaos—and come out stronger on the other side.

Key Takeaways

• Why courage, not certainty, is the first step to real success.
• The difference between motivation and inspiration (and why it matters).
• How scaling without systems exposes your blind spots—and what to do about it.
• Why surrounding yourself with the right people can change everything.
• How to evolve your definition of success as your life and business evolve.

In This Episode

• [00:00] Introduction to Todd Green
• [05:39] Building sales systems and philosophy
• [08:45] Bias for action and company culture
• [10:28] Todd’s origin story
• [13:02] Founding Premier: identifying industry needs
• [16:30] Decades in days: the value of mentorship
• [18:17] Saying yes to opportunity and staying curious
• [24:15] Reflections on success and failure
• [27:08] Personal success algorithm
• [29:23] How to connect with Premier
• [29:45] Closing thoughts and call to action

Notable Quotes

• [03:56] "Scaling a business is a lot like doing a puzzle without the finished picture in front of you. Just start putting the pieces together." — Todd Green
• [04:08] "You don't have to be great to start, but you do have to start in order to be great." — Todd Green
• [09:36] "If you see a need and you take action and you fail, I'm not going to jump your case. But if you do nothing, that's when I'm not going to tolerate that mediocrity." — Todd Green
• [20:09] "Wise people learn from their mistakes, but the wisest people learn from the mistakes of others." — Todd Green
• [21:41] "Inspiration moves more than motivation. When people are inspired, that's what really moves people to act." — Todd Green
• [22:43] "Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts." — Todd Green
• [26:21] "Success is not a shiny gleaming mountain. It's a pile of mistakes that you're standing on top of instead of buried underneath." — Todd Green

Our Guest

Todd Green is the President of Premier Blinds and Shades, a B2B window treatment provider serving dealers with high-quality products, low error rates, and unmatched support—including lead generation. Formerly a retail business leader in the window covering industry, Todd scaled a company from a basement operation to a 100-person team. Now, he helps dealers navigate growth with wisdom born of experience and failure alike.

Resources and Links

Todd Green

• Website - https://premierblindsshades.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-green-247aa410
• Podcast - https://premierblindsshades.com/podcast/
• Discovery Call - https://premierblindsshades.com/contact/

Madeleine MacRae

• Website - https://mmmacrae.com/making-changes-training-motivating/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/macraemadeleine
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/madeleine.macrae/