In this episode of The Practical Wealth Show, Curtis May talks with David Johnson, founder of Vervent and author of Figure It the F Out, about leadership, business ownership, decision-making, crisis response, and what it really means to own the outcome.
David's story is not typical. He dropped out of high school at 16, worked construction and mechanic jobs, then rebuilt his path through community college, Berkeley, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Bain & Company, McKinsey & Company, entrepreneurship, acquisitions, and eventually leadership at Vervent.
The heart of the conversation is David's belief that leaders must face reality. He explains that it is easy to build a story around the numbers you want to believe, but real leadership requires data that "punches you in the face" so you can see what is actually happening.
Curtis and David also discuss why businesses and households need more than optimism. They need liquidity, capacity, optionality, and the ability to perform when conditions change. David compares this to how Vervent prepares for crisis situations by building capability and capacity before the problem arrives.
David Johnson's story from high-school dropout to CEO
Why entrepreneurship can feel like a "life sentence"
The Full Throttle Outcomes model
Facing reality before reality forces you to
Why most management advice is overcomplicated
How to build a business that can handle crisis
Comfort with discomfort
Strategic optionality
Why organizations fail before they fail financially
Culture as an early warning system
Private credit and the changing financial system
Why leadership requires ownership, not blame
Real leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about facing reality, building capacity, staying flexible, and owning the outcome when things get difficult.
If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, advisor, executive, or someone trying to build a more resilient life and business, this episode will challenge you to stop avoiding reality and start building the capacity to handle it.
Learn more about Practical Wealth: https://practicalwealth.net/FreedomSession
Connect with David Johnson: https://www.vervent.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjohnson9/
