Fail Fast, Scale Faster: Future-Proofing a 21-Year-Old Multimedia Business with Tom Bohn

What does it take to transform a 21-year-old print magazine into a cutting-edge multimedia empire powered by AI? In this compelling episode of Scaling the Gap, host Madeleine MacRae sits down with Tom Bohn, CEO of TheHomeMag, who did exactly that—and doubled his company's revenue in just three years.

In today's rapidly evolving market, standing still is the fastest path to irrelevance. Under Tom’s leadership, the traditional home-improvement media company embraced AI tools like ChatGPT, launched a competitive digital platform, and even expanded into the pet industry—all while maintaining the human touch that built their legacy. Tom also shares profound leadership lessons from his most formative moments and his "Clear the Path" philosophy that creates a culture where teams move fast, fail forward, and challenge ideas without ego.

For any leader facing disruption—whether from AI, market shifts, or internal growing pains—Tom's story offers both inspiration and actionable strategies. Discover what it truly means to build a business that evolves without losing its soul.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding how AI tools can boost efficiency by 30% and how we should recognize them as our co-pilot, not our replacement
• How a “clear the path” and trust-filled work culture removes roadblocks for both teams and customers
• The importance of laughter as a secret weapon in high-pressure situations
• Why it’s better to fail fast than to fail cheap and to strive for progress over perfection
• The realization that success isn’t a paycheck; it’s freedom, family, and writing your own rules

In This Episode

• (00:00) Introduction to Tom Bohn
• (01:10) Transforming TheHomeMag  
• (02:56) Embracing change and innovation  
• (08:06) The role of AI in business growth  
• (15:47) The importance of resilience and trust  
• (22:36) Defining success and leadership  
• (26:07) Conclusion and final thoughts 

Notable Quotes

• (01:46) "If you just stay comfortable with what you are and who you are, what's going to happen is that's all going to start to disappear and change because the world's changing so rapidly." — Tom

• (07:40) "AI has now made it so that the speed and the radicalization of change that's coming at everything is so significant that you actually have to get out ahead of it and integrate and utilize it." — Tom

• (08:51) "AI is not a job replacer, it's a job enhancer. What it has done for us is taken the ability for us to bring product to market much quicker." — Tom

• (14:38) "I'll take speed over accuracy any day. I will argue that to the nth degree because if you're fast enough, if you're resilient enough, you can always change course, you can always tweak. But if you're late, too many people are going to beat you out to it." — Tom

• (19:36) "Resiliency is often incredibly underestimated. [...] Now is the time to try and fail. Eventually, you get to a place where you want to be." — Tom

• (22:35) "I think I'm successful because, by and large, I've been able to do what I wanted to do my entire career." — Tom

Our Guest

As CEO of TheHomeMag, Tom Bohn transformed the 21-year-old print publication into a $60M multimedia powerhouse spanning home improvement and pet care. His "Clear the Path" leadership philosophy drives innovation through AI adoption and bold experimentation. Known for hiring philosophy majors over programmers, this disruptive leader proves legacy businesses can outpace startups when they embrace change...