Episode Details

In tonight’s episode, I sit down with fourth-generation Texan, rancher, entrepreneur, pilot, and now debut author, Ben Leman.

Ben shares the gritty, lived reality behind building a manufacturing company out of his mom’s garage—bootstrapping every step, sleeping on warehouse floors, buying out partners, scaling globally, facing market ceilings, and the emotional complexity of ultimately selling a company that felt like family. We dig into what public service gets wrong about business (and vice versa), the discipline behind real success, and practical, non-fluffy first steps for aspiring founders who want to build while keeping the lights on.

Then we pivot to Ben’s first novel, “Between the Tines,” book one of the Forged in Blood trilogy—a deeply researched, historically grounded tale set among Scottish Highland clans in the 1640s. Ben walks us through the moment that sparked the book, how he traced family roots to Clan Lamont, traveled Scotland to stand on the sites of pivotal events, and wove factual battles and places with imagined inner lives and motivations. We explore why people would abandon everything for the New World, the leadership and loyalty themes threaded through the story, and what’s next as book two picks up where this epic leaves off.

Guest: Ben Leman
https://BenLemanAuthor.com

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Special thanks to:

Executive Producer Wayne Rankin
Executive Producer Rosanna Rankin
Executive Producer Carolina Jimenez
Executive Producer Marisa Lee
Executive Producer Angela Wetuski

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Music: https://youtube.com/@pogo

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(00:01:55) Opening riff, show setup, and a dragging week

(00:03:12) Recap of Highwater Entertainment interview and where to watch

(00:04:45) Tonight’s guest tease: garage startup to Scottish clans author

(00:05:20) Housekeeping: website, contact, comments, live schedule

(00:07:17) Show support note and sponsor mention wrapped up

(00:07:52) Guest intro: Ben Lemaughn’s journey from ranch to runway to writer

(00:09:21) Icebreakers with Ben: tone of life, calm under pressure, truth about success

(00:12:27) Bootstrapping the garage machine shop and early sacrifices

(00:16:14) From job shop to product line and global growth

(00:17:48) The unsolicited buyout offer and selling the company

(00:24:55) Marriage, family, and roots in Central Texas

(00:25:55) Hard lessons in scaling and negotiating the exit

(00:27:49) Public vs. private sector misunderstanding