From Employee to $10M CEO in 5 Years
Chris Husek co-founded Husek Brothers Fencing with his brother in 2022 after years in corporate in-home project sales. What followed wasn't the Lamborghini lifestyle he had imagined. It was payroll fear, physical pain from chronic stress, sleepless nights, and days when he wasn't sure he wanted to get out of bed.
This conversation covers how Chris went from carrying the full weight of the business alone to building a leadership team that runs without him — and why he set a $10M revenue goal for 2026, nearly triple what the company did last year.
What You'll Hear
When Wealthy Meant Something Different
Chris talks about what success looked like in his mind before he started the company — Lamborghinis, Rolexes, yachts — and how going through the valleys of entrepreneurship quietly reset what he actually wanted from the business and from life.
The Physical and Emotional Cost of Carrying It Alone
For the better part of two years, the stress of running the business manifested in Chris's body every day. He talks about the back pain, the sleepless nights, the paralysis of having too much on his plate, and what it felt like when things got to their lowest point.
The Moment He Realized He Had to Let Go
In September 2022, just four months into the business, Chris found himself out in the field building fences while customer calls went unreturned. He describes the turning point and what it took to start handing not just tasks, but ownership and responsibility, to the people around him.
What Happened When He Stepped Back
A 10-day conference trip in August 2025 forced Chris to fully step away from the day-to-day firefighting. He talks about what he discovered during those 10 days, why it was a little hurtful to his ego, and how it permanently changed the way he leads.
Episode Timestamps
00:28 Starting Husek Brothers
03:12 Redefining Wealth
10:14 Payroll Pressure
12:24 Stress and Burnout
14:51 Weekly Survival Mindset
20:42 Breaking Point Moments
23:35 Conference Test Run
27:34 Ego and Freedom to Fail
31:45 Hitting Rock Bottom
43:34 Building Leaders Not Bottlenecks
47:10 What If Nothing Changed
50:27 The 10 Million Goal
57:02 Advice For Overwhelmed CEOs
About Chris Husek
Chris Husek is the co-founder and CEO of Husek Brothers Fencing, a residential fencing company based in Southeastern North Carolina. He and his brother launched the company in 2022 after nearly a decade in in-home project sales and grew more than 60% in their first year. They closed 2025 at $3.3M in revenue and are targeting $10M in 2026.
Connect with Chris Husek: https://www.husekfence.com
Resources mentioned: The Science of Scaling by Dr. Benjamin Hardy
