Culture, Humility & Leading Without the Ego with David Balkan | Scaling the Gap Ep 77

In this episode of Scaling the Gap, host Madeleine MacRae welcomes David Balkan, a veteran entrepreneur who spent the last 40+ years growing his family’s plumbing company into New York City’s largest house sewer and water service line contractor. But what makes David’s story compelling isn’t just the scale of the business—it’s the transformation behind the scenes.

David opens up about what it really took to evolve from a fear-driven leader—what he calls “a hammer always looking for a nail”—to the head of a thriving, values-driven team. Together, he and Madeleine dive into the kind of leadership that lasts: building culture with intention, learning from failure without fear, and understanding that true success isn’t just about financial wins—but legacy, impact, and people.

If you’ve ever struggled with the loneliness of leadership, the pressure to prove yourself, or the challenge of building a team that truly gels—this episode will hit home. Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways

• Culture isn’t fluff, it’s your foundation.
• Mistakes are inevitable; make them a one-off.
• The most successful leaders lose their ego.
• Don’t use your business to prove your worth.
• Loneliness in leadership is real—find community.
• People, not profits, are the true legacy.

In This Episode

• [00:00 Introduction to David Balkan
• [03:06] Luck vs. hard work
• [05:23] Unexpected highs: joy in team & culture
• [06:38] Overcoming anxiety & pressure
• [08:35] Building company culture
• [10:11] Authenticity & values alignment
• [12:01] Handling mistakes: one-off mentality
• [13:49] Communication & curiosity
• [15:04] Challenges of entrepreneurship & loneliness
• [19:51] Hiring people better than yourself
• [21:52] Defining success
• [24:22] Closing & call to action

Notable Quotes

• [04:22] “One day I read a definition of luck from Socrates. He said, luck is the intersection of opportunity and preparation.”— Madeleine MacRae

• [05:42] “I wasn't driven to succeed. I was terrified of failing. So any person or thing that became a potential for my failure got treated in a very harsh way.”— David Balkan

• [06:07] “The world is absolutely nuts out there—maybe more so now than before. Not in my four walls.”— David Balkan

• [12:11] “How do we make a mistake a one-off? How do we make an issue a one-off? That mentality of, listen, mistakes are going to happen—problems are going to come up. What's the way that we don’t make it happen again?”— Madeleine MacRae

• [18:46] “What separates the highly successful from the moderately successful—or the not successful? What is that? It’s that sense of lose your ‘I’... that ability to embrace humility.”— Madeleine MacRae

• [20:30] “Don’t use your business as the vehicle to constantly prove your worth.”— David Balkan

• [21:54] “I’d like to think of myself as a lifelong learner. I always want to learn new things. I, you know, sometimes get frightened—but I don’t get stopped.”— David Balkan

Our Guest

David Balkan is the President of Balkan Plumbing, a third-generation, family-run business that’s grown from 7 laborers to over 100 employees. With nearly four decades of experience and a passion for people-first leadership, David has redefined what success looks like—not in dollars, but in dignity, culture, and legacy.

Resources and Links

David Balkan

• Website –.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}