90: The One Practice Every Winning Company Has in Common: Mastering Feedback and Innovation w/ 8-Figure Founder Eli Portnoy

What if you could actually predict whether a business will succeed or fail? After analyzing over 150 companies, today’s guest uncovered the single practice that separates thriving businesses from those that stall out.

In this episode of the No Limit Leadership Podcast, Sean Patton sits down with Eli Portnoy — serial entrepreneur, 8-figure founder, CEO of BackEngine.ai
, and Harvard Business School instructor. Eli has built and sold multiple companies, and now he’s sharing his hard-earned lessons on leadership, iteration, and feedback.

You’ll hear how fatherhood shaped his leadership style, why feedback loops are the ultimate predictor of business success, and how speed always beats perfection when scaling a company. Whether you’re leading a startup or a growing team, this episode will help you rethink how to build environments where people thrive and growth accelerates.

⏱ Episode Topics & Timestamps

• 00:00 — The #1 predictor of business success
• 01:20 — Eli’s journey: 8-figure exits & Harvard teaching
• 02:00 — Leadership lessons from fatherhood
• 05:14 — Evolving leadership style from rookie manager to adaptive leader
• 08:48 — Tools & tactics for uncovering employee strengths
• 13:08 — Building internal feedback loops that drive growth
• 19:31 — Research findings: 150 SaaS companies & external feedback
• 22:36 — Tactical playbook: CEO calls, feedback owners, and weekly insights
• 29:16 — Frameworks for speed, iteration, and innovation
• 35:40 — Inside BackEngine.ai: AI-powered customer feedback
• 41:14 — The future of AI in leadership over the next 5 years
• 43:37 — Eli’s weekly leadership practice for clarity & accountability

🔗 Connect with Eli Portnoy

• Website: BackEngine.ai
  
  
• LinkedIn: Eli Portnoy
  
  

📩 Subscribe to Sean’s Leadership Newsletter: www.nolimitleaders.com/growth

No Limit Leadership is the go-to podcast for growth-minded executives, middle managers, and team leaders who want more than surface-level leadership advice. Hosted by executive coach and former Special Forces commander Sean Patton, this show dives deep into modern leadership, self-leadership, and the real-world strategies that build high-performing teams. Whether you're focused on leadership development, building a coaching culture, improving leadership communication, or strengthening team accountability, each episode equips you with actionable insights to unlock leadership potential across your organization. From designing onboarding systems that retain talent to asking better questions that drive clarity and impact, No Limit Leadership helps you lead yourself first so you can lead others better. If you're ready to create a culture of ownership, resilience, and results, this leadership podcast is for you.