Twenty-Five Dollars and an Eleven-Year Leap with Dan Berkon at Culmen International
From $25 in the Bank to Building a Global Company with Dan Berkon, CEO of Culmen InternationalDan Berkon was 17 when his family lost their business and their…
From $25 in the Bank to Building a Global Company with Dan Berkon, CEO of Culmen International
Dan Berkon was 17 when his family lost their business and their home. A year later, he joined Mark Moses at Student Painters, determined to learn how to become an entrepreneur.
Years later, Dan left an eleven-year career with just $25 in savings and three young children at home to start Culmen International.
Today, Culmen has more than 450 employees, operates across six continents, and supports critical national security programs in more than 150 countries.
Mark and Dan reflect on their 37-year relationship, the leadership decisions that helped Culmen grow beyond $100 million in revenue, and what it takes to build a company that no longer depends on its founder to make every decision.
Dan shares why he waited too long to move a loyal executive into a different role, how he found a minority private equity partner without giving up control, and why surrounding himself with exceptional leaders has been essential to Culmen's growth.
What You'll Learn
- Why difficult people decisions can't wait: How Dan learned that keeping a good person in the wrong role can hurt the entire organization, including that individual.
- How to scale beyond the founder: Why Dan transitioned from personally leading everything to building an executive team that includes three former CEOs.
- What to look for in a private equity partner: How Dan selected Hale Capital Partners based on shared values, strategic support, and retaining control.
- How to integrate acquisitions successfully: Why Culmen begins planning integration before an acquisition closes and prioritizes cultural alignment.
- Why great CEOs never stop learning: How coaching, peer groups, and an experienced board helped Dan identify blind spots and become a stronger leader.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
00:00 Introduction: Most leaders wait too long to move a loyal person out of the wrong seat.|
03:38 Losing the family business and home at 17.
11:07 Leaving an eleven-year career with $25 in the bank to build something his own way.
15:16 Stopping disease outbreaks in the Congo starts with catching them before they spread.
21:28 Growth stalls when only one or two leaders are carrying the whole company.
34:55 A talented, loyal leader in the wrong role cost the company far longer than it should have.
39:34 Most private equity firms want control. Dan went looking for a partner instead.
45:54 A board becomes a superpower the moment you stop treating it like a threat.
52:44 The strongest sign of a leadership team's success is when it stops needing you.
62:13 The world's best athletes all have one thing in common: they know they need a coach.
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RESOURCES MENTIONED
Culmen International: The global security and international development firm Dan Berkon built from $25 in savings into a 450-person company supporting US government programs in over 150 countries.
Hale Capital Partners: The minority private equity firm Culmen International partnered with in 2019 — brought in for capital and board expertise without taking a control position.
YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): The global peer network of CEOs Dan credits with shaping how he thinks about leadership, board dynamics, and continuous learning.
EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization): The peer organization Mark Moses first introduced Dan to early in his entrepreneurial journey.
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