Jonathan (Jon) Bunten is the Co-founder and CEO of RecorGroup, a consumer goods brokerage agency that connects consumer goods manufacturers with retailers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Finance from The College of Idaho and has a diverse background in finance, trade marketing, and sales with major manufacturers like Smuckers. Before his entrepreneurial ventures, Jon served 14 years in the US Army, where he honed his leadership skills as a finance and contracting officer. In 2024, he also co-founded Big Delta Capital, which focuses on empowering women with the tools, education, and opportunities to become financially active and build generational wealth.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [1:54] Jon Bunten shares his upbringing on a farm in Idaho and his early family struggles
- [5:08] How joining the military shaped Jon’s leadership and problem-solving skills
- [12:08] The role of client service in building a successful brokerage business
- [14:41] Why traditional brokerage firms fail and how RecorGroup does things differently
- [22:39] How peer networks like the Entrepreneurs’ Organization help businesses scale
- [27:43] The mission behind Big Delta Capital and supporting women in building wealth
In this episode…
Many companies struggle with delivering the level of service that fosters long-term success, often cutting corners to boost short-term profits. So, what does it take to create a business that not only grows but sustains success through exceptional client service?
According to Jon Bunten, a seasoned entrepreneur with a deep understanding of business growth, the key lies in prioritizing relationships over transactions. He highlights how many large brokerage firms, despite their size, fail to provide the attention and service their clients truly need. Instead of following the traditional industry model, Jon built a company focused on white-glove service, personalized solutions, and a people-first culture. This client-centric approach has driven double-digit growth year after year, proving that when businesses focus on delivering real value, success follows.
In this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, host John Corcoran sits down with Jon Bunten, Co-founder and CEO of RecorGroup, to discuss how prioritizing client service helped him build a thriving brokerage business. They explore how Jon’s military background shaped his leadership style, why he saw a huge gap in the industry, and how he turned that insight into a fast-growing business. Jon also shares how self-reflection and personal growth played a pivotal role in his journey to success.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- EO San Francisco
- EO Accelerator
- Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)
- John Corcoran on LinkedIn
- Rise25
- Jonathan (Jon) Bunten on LinkedIn
- RecorGroup
- The J.M. Smucker Co.
- Enactus (previously known as Students in Free Enterprise)
- Mark Verrinder on LinkedIn
- EO Idaho
- Joel Flake on LinkedIn
- Syama Bunten on LinkedIn
- Big Delta Capital
- The Women & Wealth Catalyst Summit
Quotable Moments
- “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.”
- “The military was so helpful in providing structure and discipline to me and helping me think in different ways.”
- “We saw a huge opportunity to do it differently, to prioritize white-glove service, and to really create a company that people want to work for.”
- “I’m a firm believer that your soulmate exists; they are out there, and you don’t have to do anything to find them.”
- “This life of forceful doing and willing things into existence wasn’t working for me. Letting go and trusting the universe brought me peace.”
Action Steps
- Develop a strong leadership mindset: Embrace discipline, creative problem-solving, and structured decision-making to build business resilience and adaptability.
- Identify gaps in your industry: Analyze inefficiencies within existing systems and create innovative solutions to provide better service and value to customers.
- Prioritize personal growth and self-awareness: Engage in self-reflection, meditation, and mindfulness to navigate personal and professional challenges with clarity and purpose.
- Leverage networking for business growth: Join organizations like EO to access mentorship, peer support, and frameworks that help scale and optimize business operations.
- Align business with a greater mission: Focus on building companies that not only generate revenue but also serve a meaningful purpose and create lasting impact.
Sponsor for this episode…
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Episode Transcript:
Intro 00:03
Welcome to the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, where we feature top founders and entrepreneurs and their journey. Now let’s get started with the show.
John Corcoran 00:13
All right. Welcome everyone. John Corcoran here I am, the co-host of this show. And if you check out some of our archives, we’ve got some great interviews with smart CEOs, founders and entrepreneurs from all kinds of companies. I’m also the Co-founder of the company Rise25, where we help connect B2B business owners to their ideal prospects using done for you podcasts and content marketing. And this episode is brought to you by EO San Francisco. EO San Francisco is the local Bay area chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, which is a global peer to peer network of more than 20,000 influential business owners across 200 chapters, 60 plus countries. And if you are the founder, co-founder, owner,or controlling shareholder of a company that generates over $1 million a year in revenues, and you want to connect with other like minded, successful entrepreneurs, EO is for you. And the EO San Francisco chapter enables leading entrepreneurs in the Bay area to learn, grow and achieve greater success. And you can learn more at eosf.org. All right. And my guest here today is Jon Bunten. Am I saying that right, Jon. Jon Bunten. Bunten.
Jon Bunten 01:14
That’s right. John.
John Corcoran 01:15
Cool. Jon is the CEO and Co-founder of RecorGroup, which is a full service boutique brokerage agency specializing in connecting consumer goods manufacturers with retailers. He’s got a lot of crazy stories here, not the least of which is the fact that he met his wife, Shyama, who I know through EO San Francisco while I was president. I was there when they met each other at an event. And so we’re going to hear about that in a moment or two. But first, Jon, I always love asking people about what they were like as a kid. And you grew up in a farm in Idaho. And I, you know, very different experience for me because I grew up in the suburbs. But tell me a little bit about what that upbringing was like.
Jon Bunten 01:54
Yeah. Well, first of all, it’s great to be with you, John. Really excited for this interview. Growing up, I was always I was the oldest of three. So I have a brother and sister. I grew up kind of in a rural farming life, and my parents were very poor growing up, and my dad was a construction laborer and ultimately was able to save enough money to purchase our farm. And so we grew up farming and which is really hard work. So I grew up as a very as a pretty serious kid.
John Corcoran 02:28
Yeah. Because you were and you were the oldest and you were taking care of the, the younger ones. And there was abuse in the home.
Jon Bunten 02:36
Yeah. So, you know, once my parents divorced, you know, it, it placed us in a, in a, in a tough spot. You know, my mom was, you know, we really became, you know, we went to live with my mom, and my dad was was pretty well out of the picture at that point. And, and so I grew up really with a single mom. And as a result of that, you know, she she didn’t have a lot of great skills She had to go to work in a grocery store, and so we ended up being placed in some kind of dangerous positions that were somewhat, you know, basically became abusive situations. And so I ended up leaving home when I was 15 and actually going to live with, with another friend’s parents through through graduation of high school.
John Corcoran 03:19
And, and what was that like for you? You know, you had a friend, I guess, who was. Yeah. That’s hard in that family to bring. Bring you in. It’s hard for you. What was that experience like the last few years of high school? It’s been. I mean, even, you know, I think, like, shame, you know, to admit it to your classmates. What? You know, tell me a little bit more about that.
Jon Bunten 03:40
Yeah, it was tough. It was tough to be, you know, to separate from my siblings to, you know, when I left, it was really this feeling of self-preservation that I had. And so I carry a lot of guilt with me, actually, into adulthood of leaving my brother and sister behind. But at the time it was it was it was self-preservation mode. And it you know, I ended up, you know, creating this, this feeling inside of me when I was 15, that and I had this, this mantra that I would say to myself that. And the mantra really was, if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me. And that really fueled my life well into my mid 30s was this idea of like, I’m on my own and if I’m going to be a successful human being, then it’s up to me to drive forward and to create that success in my life.
John Corcoran 04:33
You end up at 17 entering the military, which of course, a lot of people historically have done when they don’t have other options or they don’t have resources to pay for a college education. I my grandfather was in was a was in the Air Force and my father was in the Air Force. And I was raised with a lot of respect for those who spend time in the military and also what it does for people, because it gives you a path upward. It gives you an opportunity to create growth for yourself. So talk a little bit about what that was like for you.
Jon Bunten 05:08
Yeah, the military was incredible for me. The army was really good to me. I, you know, entered in, as you said when I was 17. Really not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. You know, my parents weren’t weren’t in a position to send me to school. My dad was actively opposed to me going to college. And so I didn’t really know.
John Corcoran 05:31
What kind of mess with your head, because what what was that like?
Jon Bunten 05:35
Yeah, it’s pretty wild. It was confusing. And I think for me, it fueled me further. Like the kind of the adage when somebody tells you no, you kind of want to do something more. So yeah, I was 17. Like, I really was a fairly serious kid, and I was academically a high achiever. And so I knew I wanted to do something with my life. I just didn’t know how yet to yet to do it. So when I entered the military, it was such an interesting place for me. You know, growing up on a farm in Idaho, it really, you know, lacked any diversity. So we grew up, you know, 99.9%, you know, white, white rural folks. And so going to Fort Benning in Georgia for my basic training and being around people from all walks of life and all sorts of other countries as well, we we were also part of an exchange program with the Korean ROK Army Army, the Egyptian Army. So I met so many, so many cool people through that. And it really spurred this love of continuous learning, leadership and education and connection. And I think for me, the Army was such a great place to form connection. Like to this day when I meet other people that are in the military, like we can form like really fast bonds, just because it’s the, you know, we’ve had those shared levels of experience. But for me, the Army really taught me leadership and at And at a young age. So, you know, I was I was active those first couple of years did did my medic training. I ended up going to medic school. Had some officers, really wonderful mentors. Two in particular that I thought just at the time were just the most grown up, most like ideal like leaders.
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