Show Information
Episode Number: 142
Date: April 13, 2026
Duration: 01:07:35
Host Contact Information
Host: Justin Deese
Website: JustinDeese.com
Contact: podcast@JustinDeese.com
Guest Contact Information
Guest: Jonathan Whistman
Company: WhoHire / The Sales Boss
Guest Website: https://thesalesboss.com
Gift to listeners: Free resources + hiring frameworks (via website)
🎯 Summary
In this episode of the Freedom Blueprint Podcast, Justin Deese sits down with Jonathan Whistman—author of The Sales Boss and co-author of Unrecruitable—to break down one of the biggest lies in business: “there are no good people.”
Jonathan shares why most companies don’t actually have a people problem—they have a system and leadership problem. From his unique background studying human behavior to building predictive hiring technology, he explains how top-performing companies consistently hire A-players while others stay stuck with churn, underperformance, and frustration.
You’ll learn how to think differently about hiring, leadership, and culture—and how to build a team your competitors can’t steal.
💡 Takeaways
- Most businesses don’t have a hiring problem—they have an environment problem
- The best companies don’t find great people… they build systems that create them
- Your business is always sending signals—whether you realize it or not
- Hiring mistakes can cost your business millions in lost revenue
- A-player teams aren’t luck—they’re the result of intentional hiring processes
- Identity drives performance more than motivation or training
- If your team isn’t performing, it’s time to look in the mirror—not blame the market
🧭 Chapters
00:00 – Introduction & how Justin met Jonathan
02:00 – The story behind The Sales Boss
04:00 – The 4 levers of performance (B.O.S.S. framework)
06:30 – Jonathan’s background & understanding human behavior
10:00 – The danger of unconscious beliefs in business
12:30 – Why “people problems” exist in every company
15:00 – Building a team that competitors can’t steal
19:00 – The Think, Feel, Act framework explained
23:00 – Why most businesses fail at culture and hiring
27:00 – Real-world example of fixing a broken hiring system
31:00 – The truth: “People don’t want to work for YOU”
33:00 – The hidden cost of bad hires (58% revenue gap)
39:00 – How WhoHire uses AI to predict top performers
45:00 – Data-driven hiring vs gut-based hiring
52:00 – Why hiring should always be happening
59:00 – Hiring in groups vs one-off hiring
1:03:00 – Treat every hire like a $500K decision
1:05:00 – Final thoughts & how to connect with Jonathan
🔑 Keywords
#Hiring #Leadership #HomeServiceBusiness #HVAC #PlumbingBusiness #Electricians #BusinessGrowth #TeamBuilding #APlayers #Recruiting #Entrepreneurship #SalesLeadership #CompanyCulture #FreedomBlueprint #JustinDeese #WhoHire #SalesBoss #Unrecruitable #BusinessCoaching #ScalingBusiness