In this episode of The Long Game, Josh Sparks sits down with Steve Stagner, Executive Chairman at Infinity Home Services and former CEO of Mattress Firm, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, growth, and what it takes to build something that lasts.

Steve reflects on decades of experience leading companies through multiple growth cycles, economic downturns, and moments of real uncertainty. He shares how leadership must evolve as organizations scale, why clarity becomes more important than optimism in hard seasons, and how culture is built and protected over time.

Josh and Steve discuss the shift from founder-led organizations to leader-led systems, the importance of trust and accountability, and why great leaders focus on stewardship rather than short-term wins. They also talk about transparency in difficult moments, learning through mistakes, and creating environments where people can grow and take ownership.

This conversation is grounded in practical experience and long-term thinking. It’s about staying steady under pressure, simplifying what matters most, and making decisions today that will still hold up years from now.

The Long Game is hosted by Josh Sparks, Founder and Chairman of Infinity Home Services. Each episode features real conversations with leaders focused on building strong teams, durable cultures, and businesses designed to endure.

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Josh and MJ Sparks have been building together for more than twenty years. Long before Infinity Home Services became a national roofing company, it began with two people in a small Milwaukee duplex, a yellow pages ad, a newborn on the way, and a shared sense of duty to create something better.

In this episode, Josh and MJ talk openly about the early days of Infinity Exteriors, what it was like running every part of the company as a husband and wife team, and the moment that shifted everything when Josh walked away from subcontracting to build a business rooted in integrity. They share the real story of long nights, financial risk, miscommunication, and eventually the discipline and clarity that allowed them to scale a company while raising a family.

They also discuss why communication, trust, and aligned purpose matter even more in marriage than they do in business, how stoic principles shaped their parenting, and what it took for MJ to step out of the company after the first private equity partnership. This is a candid conversation about what partnership really looks like when the stakes are high at home and at work.

Key themes include:
• Working with your spouse and staying aligned through growth
• Building a business from nothing with discipline and integrity
• The Betty story and the moment Infinity’s mission was born
• Culture, transparency, and accountability in the early scaling years
• How leadership lessons carried into parenting and family life
• Stepping away from the business and finding a new identity
• Why duty, clarity, and communication remain the foundation

The Long Game is hosted by Josh Sparks, Founder and CEO of Infinity Home Services, a company on a mission to elevate what it means to be a contractor in North America. Each episode features real stories from leaders who are playing the long game by putting people first and letting the profits follow.

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Nick Zavala did not take a straight line into leadership. Before he became the leader of American Home Contractors, he was a young man searching for purpose, stumbling through adversity, and learning the trades one job at a time. His path is a story of discipline, resilience, and choosing to grow through the challenges rather than running from them.

In this episode, Nick sits down with Josh to talk about the journey from production manager to leading a forty million dollar multi-state brand, and the setbacks that shaped him into the leader he is today. Nick opens up about the tough years that forced him to develop character, direction, and a mindset built around service and responsibility.

Josh and Nick explore:

How adversity becomes the foundation for strong leadership
What it takes to scale from a local shop to a multi-state operation
Leading through change and keeping culture strong as a company grows
The rise of Tesla Solar and how AHC became a national leader
The habits and philosophies that keep leaders grounded
Tactical advice for operators on how to understand their business at every level

Nick’s story is a reminder of one of the core Stoic ideas: the obstacle is the way. Strength is built by doing the hard things, showing up for your people, and staying committed to growth even when the path is not clear.

The Long Game is hosted by Josh Sparks, Founder and CEO of Infinity Home Services, a platform built to elevate what it means to be a contractor in North America. Each episode features real conversations with leaders who build their companies by building their people first.

Subscribe for new episodes and more conversations like this one.