Robert Hartline, Eric Jackson

How Sharing Your Story Can Strengthen the Entrepreneurial Community

Robert Hartline is the Founder and CEO of CallProof, a company that helps B2B sales teams manage their customers using a sales activity reporting system. He has been a member of EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) for about eight years. He is also a Professional EOS Implementer for EOS Worldwide, where he shares his experience using the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to scale a business from $10 million to $100 million in three years. Before CallProof and EOS Worldwide, Robert was the Founder of Absolute Wireless, a wireless retailer with 78 retail locations, which he sold in 2020.

Eric Jackson is the Founder and CEO of Element 47, a web design and marketing agency that helps businesses reach their marketing goals and connect to their next customer. Eric has been a member of EO for about 15 years. Before Element 47, he was the Founder and Managing Partner at Keystone Business Solutions and the President of the EO Nashville Chapter.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn

[3:59] Luke Freeman shares his positive experience moving to Nashville and the difference between EO South Florida and EO Nashville
[7:01] Kedran Brush’s leadership philosophy on team building, empowerment, and learning from failure
[10:30] How Kevin Thompson launched and scaled a law firm during the 2008 recession
[17:36] Liza Graves reflects on managing her business during the pandemic
[21:58] Advice for new EO members to participate in forums and events

In This Episode

If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re carrying a story that could change someone’s life — maybe even your own. That late-night challenge that kept you awake, the pivotal decision that shaped your future, or the adversity you barely made it through — those moments matter. Fear and hesitation might tell you to keep it inside, but sharing your story can inspire, connect, and offer hope to others who are walking a similar path. How can your experience serve as a roadmap for others?

Five EO Nashville members open up about pivotal moments in their personal and professional lives. Luke Freeman recounts moving to a new city and instantly finding connections through the EO community. This organization also helped Kedran Brush develop a leadership philosophy built on trust, empowerment, and learning from failure. Kevin Thompson started his law firm during the 2008 recession and built a scalable, fair compensation model. Liza Graves led her business through the pandemic while protecting her team and clients. Despite having a passion for her work, Dr. Leah Cordovez struggled with monetization before finding clarity through EO support. In each case, telling their stories brought these entrepreneurs insight, healing, and connection.

In this episode of The Decision, Robert Hartline and Eric Jackson interview multiple EO Nashville members about why other entrepreneurs should share their stories publicly. They also discuss the role of community in overcoming challenges, the lessons learned from scaling businesses, and how vulnerability fosters stronger leadership.

Quotable Moments:

“I will not want something more for somebody than they want it for themselves.”
“You have to give people the responsibility and the authority to make decisions when you’re not around.”
“We wanted to build the kind of place that we would be willing to work at ourselves.”
“Cash flow is king, and if the revenue is good, you can plow through problems.”
“We’ve always scaled at what I feel is a very intelligent and comfortable pace.”

Action Steps:

Share your entrepreneurial story with peers: Opening up about challenges and successes helps others see solutions they might not have considered. Your vulnerability can inspire someone facing a similar roadblock.
Build a compensation model that rewards performance: Linking pay to tangible results ensures fairness and motivates team members to excel. This approach also fosters transparency and trust within your organization.
Empower your team to make decisions: Granting authority alongside responsibility encourages ownership and faster problem-solving. It also prevents burnout for leaders by reducing decision bottlenecks.
Scale at a comfortable, sustainable pace: Growing too fast can overextend resources and create instability. Incremental scaling allows you to adapt and correct without risking the entire business.
Lean into your professional community: Actively participating in forums, events, and peer groups can accelerate learning and provide vital emotional support. Engaging deeply multiplies the value you gain from your network.