The Business Game
The Business Game
The Business Game is not another highlight reel of overnight success. It is a structured, honest breakdown of what it really takes to build, scale, and sustain a business at every level.
We built The Business Game around a simple truth: business changes as revenue changes. The problems at $500K are not the problems at $5M. The mindset at $5M is not the mindset at $50M. That is why every conversation is grounded in our 10-Level framework, from Level 1 Startup and Survival through to Level 10 Legacy and Exit.
If you are:
• Trying to get your first consistent revenue
• Building your first real team
• Breaking through the messy middle
• Scaling toward eight or nine figures
• Or preparing for exit
There is an episode that meets you where you are.
Hosted by Steve Plummer and Kalena Stano, who speak to founders operating at every stage of the game. No gatekeeping. No hype. No recycled advice. Just real numbers, real mistakes, real strategy, and real decisions that moved the needle.
Each week, we publish two episodes every Monday and Thursday at 6pm AEST, featuring global founders, operators, and investors who break down what actually works at their level and what does not.
The Business Game exists to give you clarity. To help you identify your current level. To show you the moves required to reach the next one.
Because scaling is not random. It is a game. And every level has different rules.
Find your level. Play it properly. Then level up.
Watch video episodes on YouTube and explore more at thebusinessgamegroup.com
The Business Game
Coffee Entrepreneur: We Turned $74k Into A $25m Business... And We're Still Growing!
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LEVEL FOUR: SCALE BUILDER
What does it actually take to build a business when capital is tight, competition is high, and every mistake gets amplified as you grow?
In today's episode of The Business Game, we're chatting with Justin Giuffrida, co-founder and CEO of Citizens, a rapidly growing Australian café brand redefining coffee culture in the United States.
In this conversation, we’re talking with Justin about what happens when you push past the early wins and start dealing with real complexity. From opening a café in New York with just $74,000, to scaling across multiple cities, to now preparing for major expansion, Justin tells us all about the shift from scrappy startup to structured growth.
From learning how to hire properly, to building systems that remove the founder as the bottleneck, to managing culture and consistency across locations, Justin breaks down what it actually takes to scale without breaking the business.
If you’re building a business, managing a growing team, or navigating the challenges of scaling operations, this episode is for you.
Let’s dive in with Justin Giuffrida:
• why most founders get hiring wrong
• why Citizens runs 123 interviews (!) to find the right hire
• how to build systems that scale beyond the founder
• why founders become the bottleneck and how to fix it
• how to maintain culture while scaling across locations
• what it really takes to raise capital and expand
• the leadership shift from operator to CEO
• how to use mentors to shortcut years of mistakes
• the biggest risks when scaling too quickly
• what changes when complexity starts to compound
Chapters
00:00 – Building a Café with $74K
03:30 – Spotting the Opportunity in the US
06:10 – Opening with No Money
12:50 – From Launch to Line Out the Door
17:30 – Knowing the Model Would Scale
22:30 – Systems Behind Multi-Location Growth
29:20 – Why Hiring is So Hard
36:30 – Raising Capital and Scaling Fast
49:00 – The Founder to CEO Shift
01:02:00 – Mentors, Growth, and Long-Term Vision
Thank you for listening to The Business Game, where real founders break down the real levels of business.
Whether you're building at Level 1 ($0–$1M) or scaling through Level 6 and beyond, this show is designed to help you understand exactly where you are, and what it takes to level up.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, follow and leave a review. It helps more founders find the roadmap.
For full episodes, level breakdowns and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Want to identify your level or learn more about The Business Game framework?
Visit www.thebusinessgamegroup.com
It's time to Level Up!
We’ll see you at the next level.
