In this episode of the Realistic CEO Podcast, the host interviews Michael Tremble, Chief Executive Officer of Valley Communications, who has been with the company for over 13 years. Michael explains his CEO responsibilities across people management, operations, sales, business development, and strategic planning. He shares the company’s history founded in 1945 by his grandmother and how it evolved over 80 years into a technology integration firm serving public sector clients across Massachusetts and Connecticut, including K–12 schools and local/state government. Michael describes his personal path from Springfield College graduate and strength-and-conditioning coach to joining the family business, starting in sales, and growing into leadership as a fourth-generation leader. He offers sales advice focused on honesty, transparency, asking questions, building solutions, proving ROI, and creating long-term partnerships rather than transactional deals, including how he learned by taking on distressed accounts and turning them around. He discusses leadership skills carried over from coaching communicating a vision, being dynamic, and aligning teams plus how he shares vision through passion and energy. Michael explains how Valley embraces AI as a force multiplier, using it to parse bid documents and speed design and bid responses, supported by strong prompting skills. He outlines competitive differentiators such as longevity, referrals, design-build expertise, and early collaboration with contractors and owners. Michael reflects on challenges like transitioning into unfamiliar roles, the importance of lifelong learning and networking, and future goals including growth, expanding services across voice/AV/security, and better unifying the company’s three divisions. He also walks through five types of work discussed by the host (hard work, teamwork, working right, working smart, and networking), shares pride in carrying on his grandparents’ legacy, and notes his proudest accomplishment as strengthening cross-division collaboration with company president Joshua. The episode closes with ways to support the Realistic CEO journey by ordering the book and podcast magazine at realisticceo.com or donating to help provide books to schools.

00:00 “It’s Unrealistic” to CEO: The Realistic CEO Journey Begins

00:22 Meet Michael Trouble, CEO of Valley Communications

00:37 What a CEO Actually Does: People, Ops, Sales & Strategy

01:43 80 Years of Valley Communications: Family Legacy & Evolution

02:33 From Strength Coach to Business Leader: Making the Career Pivot

04:42 Sales Advice That Works: Sell Solutions, Not Products

05:50 Coach-to-CEO Skills: Vision, Communication & Getting Buy-In

07:39 Leading With Energy: Sharing Vision So Teams Believe

08:34 Why Take the CEO Seat? Ownership, Impact, and the Future Mindset

10:31 Tech Company Growth + Using AI as a Force Multiplier

12:07 Standing Out in Competitive Bids: Partnerships, Design-Build, Reputation

13:55 Biggest Challenges: Transitions, Learning Fast, and Embracing the Unknown

15:16 Turning Around “Distressed Accounts”: Relationship-First Sales Strategy

17:40 Future Goals: Growing Services, Unifying Divisions, and Regional Impact

18:58 Favorite Moments: Still Getting to Coach People as a CEO

20:12 The “Long Lonely Boring Work” (LBW) and the Daily Grind

21:44 5 Types of Work: Hard Work, Teamwork, Doing Right, Working Smart, Networking

26:05 Pride in the Family Business + What He’s Most Proud Of at Valley

27:38 Fun Fact, Thanks, and How to Support the Show