Before he taught any of this, he lived it.

James is a Growth Leadership™ Coach who built and sold an eight-figure company.

Where it started

$300,000 in debt with two children in college.

James M. Barthel started a two-person venture $300,000 in debt with two children in college. He built it into a national eight-figure company serving consumers, Fortune 500 clients, the FBI, and the U.S. military, earned a place on the Inc. 5000, was featured in Forbes, and eventually sold it.

What he built

A national eight-figure market leader

He built it into a national eight-figure company serving consumers, Fortune 500 clients, the FBI, and the U.S military, earned a place in the Inc. 5000, was featured on Forbes, and eventually sold it.

The thousand days

A deeper kind of growth

The book was forged in the 1,000-day journey that followed his wife's healing from cancer. That is not a marketing story and it is not told as one. It is simply where the material came from.

An engineer's mind and a mentor's voice

A foundation that holds up

A Mechanical Engineering degree and an MBA are the reasons the Three Growth Horizons™ actually function as a diagnostic rather than reading as three inspirational words. Thirty years of operating is the reason they hold up on a Tuesday.

Beyond the story

The journey beyond the calling

From a corporate career and a struggling startup to building and selling an eight-figure company, James’s journey has been shaped by faith, perseverance, and a commitment to growing with God. Today, he brings those lessons to Christian entrepreneurs and leaders, helping them lead with clarity and build businesses that reflect a greater purpose.

READ JAMES’S FULL BIO

What he does now

Coaching, speaking, KBA, the book, and the advisory work

Today, James coaches leaders, speaks around the world, leads KBA, writes Thou Shall Grow, and serves in advisory roles. Each is an expression of the same mission — to help leaders become who God is preparing them to become, and build what matters.