Our Daily Blog

Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Customer Experience Q&A: Part 1 – Objections

Continuing with the Purpose of Business is to create customers who create customers.

An important aspect of that is investing your time, focus, and yes money to provide a superior customer experience.

For many business owners, they see customer service as an expense to be limited.. not as an investment like advertising or sales.

Some of the common objections are in this post… the answers in the next one ..

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Driving Business through Referrals..

The purpose of business is to create customers who create customers.
To do so, you have to provide a superior experience. Are your customers making more customers for you?

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Customer Experience
George Sotiropoulos

The Purpose of Business

“Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two–and only two–basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business.”

– Peter Drucker

Taking Peter’s quote I found an expansion of that in one of Dan Kennedy’s BS books. It’s the theme of this short story and my following 3-4 posts.

“The Purpose of Business is to Create Customers Who Create Customers.”

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Grow Your Business, Not your Hours

Growing a business doesn’t always require more hours or resources; sometimes it just requires smarter strategies like automation, outsourcing, and delegation.
Automating to help make things more efficient at work. Outsourcing to free up your time to invest in more important activities, and delegating to utilise your staff better and take the stress off your back.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

10x Your EBITDA – A True Story

Ever feel like you are a trapped in the trenches of a price war.

You don’t have to be.

Ron Holt shows the power of standing out, scaling up and ultimately selling at a premium.

By standing out he could charge what he wanted. That funded his growth which then made him attractive for a high premium offer.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Wokezis, Books and Business

Trolls beware! Don’t mess with my wife’s 20 years of experience as a teacher and senior leader in the British Curriculum.

When it comes to phonics, she has literally transformed hundreds of children from struggling readers to confident ones.

A reminder that when you’re choosing mentors or resources for your business, don’t be fooled by ideologues who preach without getting results.

Go for the real thing – those who take the time to get to know your unique situation and help you reach your goals

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Work, Life and Profits

Working hard is great, but don’t forget to rest and rejuvenate too! Maintaining a good work/life balance can be a key to success.

Taking regular breaks to relax and unwind can help you mentally, physically and you’re your creativity – all of which are essential for growing your business.

So take some time off, let your mind and body recover – you’ll be glad you did.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Should They Trust You

People do business with those whom they like and trust. Do the following to help people feel comfortable trusting you and doing business with you.

When they trust you and you exceed their expectations, you gain repeat customers. The ones who will keep buying from you, referring you, and funding you to help your business grow.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Blessed are They That…

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous and influential speeches in history. And if you look at it from a “business perspective”, it’s a masterpiece in showing the power of communicating benefit and transformation. In short, how to stand out from your competition and communicate it effectively.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Confused and Returned

Every try to assemble something when the instructions are pure ****. Best is EU purchases where the only instructions are in 15 different languages and they are warranty cards.
If instructions are included, often it’s written by engineers for other engineers and as useful as just telling us to ask the Cat how to put it together.

But here’s the thing.. purchases that do not get consumed get returned. So why deal with refunds because instructions are not clear. Start there and see what happens…

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

When Mr. Ed Crossed the Mob

Knowing your audience can be a force for good or evil.
For good so you can provide the solution that can change people’s lives into their hands.
For evil, like poor Mr Ed….

Regardless, knowing your audience makes it possible to scale your business because they are more likely to listen and buy from you.. that is if you know how and when to speak to them…

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Uncategorized
George Sotiropoulos

Win a $1 million Deal with $1 dollar Sushi Dinner?

Being successful in business is about understanding the core desires that drive your customers and providing solutions to fulfill them. We can learn a lot from two very different restaurants – one aimed at impressing clients for business deals, and another for throwing a 3 year old’s birthday – on how to create the right atmosphere, understand customer desires and price accordingly.

By doing this, you can outsmart your competitors and attract the customers you want and charge the prices you want. At the end of the day, it’s not about prices – it’s also about understanding and fulfilling customer desires.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Kuro Maguri Sushi with Sliders Please

This headline is ridiculous because pairing blue fin tuna sushi with sliders doesn’t have anything wrong with it logically, but rather awkward from an emotional aesthetic point of view.

it’s about atmosphere and how it reflects some of our deepest core desires.

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Scaling the Business
George Sotiropoulos

Stand Out

Ever wonder why you go to the restaurants you do?
Do you only go because you are hungry?
If that’s the case why go out and not just deliver?
What restaurant would you take a client to win a critical project?
How about 20 3-year-old children to a birthday party?
Pick the same place? If not.. why?

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Discount from a Thief

Ever get a call from a company that only cares about price? it’s like a robber calling you to offer a discount on buying back what he just stole from your house.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

When Budgeting is Just Plain Stupid

Budgets are necessary to control spending, but mindlessly following them is insane when it comes to scaling and growing your business beyond what the budget “allows”. You can be flexible and still grow smart as long as you look at key metrics for growth and allow them to supersede what some arbitratry budget measure says.

When and how do you balance growth while making sure you don’t go nuts on spend?

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Abstract Version of Mr. T.
Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

When I Threw “Mr. T” To The Mat

Have you ever felt really intimidated by an upcoming challenge? Like time I stepped onto a wrestling mat to face “Mr T.”* in the 1980s.

But then something amazing happened: when we got into the middle of the match, I realized he wasn’t so scary after all! In fact, if it hadn’t been for me being pysched out in the beginning and gave up points for nothing, I would have won.

This experience taught me an important lesson: don’t judge a situation by its cover. You never know what lies underneath. So be confident in yourself and take that leap of faith—you may surprise yourself!

*(P.S. It wasn’t the real Mr. T just in case you were wondering…)

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artistic rendition of the 46 defense sack
Dependency on Owner
George Sotiropoulos

The 46

As I posted this article on my Linkedin profile, I saw the date 26 January. It’s a coincidence, but it’s extremely relevant (and I’ll explain shortly).

Growing up in Chicago in the 1980s we witnessed one of the best NFL defenses to ever be on a field. It caputed a whole city and people went crazy.. even waiting in hundreds of thousands in 20 below zero to welcome them back after a championships.

Why do I bring them up? Because it’s a cautionary tale. How a system that brings you to the heights can also fail you when it outlives its time.

Like in business, and the system you used to launch can now destroy the value you built ..

As for the date? 26 January 1986 was the date they won the Super Bowl..

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A triangle with lightning behind it.
Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

The Triangle of Success

As a founder, especially if you were a solopreoneur, you had to do a bunch of things at once.

You had to hustle and find your customers, you had to onboard them, you had to service them, you had to bill them, and you had to collect from them all the while still trying to find new customers and working on the quality of your products and services.

And pay the bills, and deal with the government agencies, etc etc.

But when you are ready to scale and grow your business it’s best to keep in mind the Triangle of Success and the importance of being able to execute all areas simultaneously.

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Person at a Cross Roads...
Customer Experience
George Sotiropoulos

Do You Sell to Trade or Invest – Part 2

Investing in your customer relationships pays off!

Don’t get so wrapped up in making a sale that you miss the long-term benefits of providing great service and using that sale to build a relationship with the customer.

And whatever you do, don’t ‘rip them off’ or you’ll find yourself out of business before too long.

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Person at a Cross Roads...
Customer Experience
George Sotiropoulos

Do You Sell to Trade or Invest: Part 1

Are you in business to trade your product or service or invest in your customer base – as an asset to your business?
It’s investment versus transaction and sometimes, as the example from my FX days shows, it’s not so clear cut.

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Tiger climbing up a mountain and a main holding on to his back paw
Business Value

A Business Parable

A business parable of how an owner transformed a horrible culture to one that allowed him to grow the business and become free.

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woman staring through a gaping hole in her house to a dark stormy day outside
Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

My Roof and Windows Walked Away

Imagine this: a house hears it’s up for sale—and chaos breaks loose. The roof vanishes, the fridge heads to the pub, and even the walls start negotiating elsewhere. Sounds crazy? Maybe. But what if something eerily similar happens when it’s time to sell your business?
This story might just change how you think about the future of your business.

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George smoking a cigar and a beer after successful delegation
Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Short and Fast Q&A on how Investors See Your Business

Looking for quick, powerful insights on what investors really want in a business?
We covered it this week, and these game-changing lessons continue to surprise business owners.
If you’re thinking of selling one day, ask yourself: are you prepared with answers that will make investors sit up and take notice?
Or are you leaving the hard questions unanswered?

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George giving a presentation at In5 campus for Dubai Media City. He is showing a screen and participants are looking.
Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Is Your Business a Sure Bet or a Risky Promise?

When it comes to valuing a business, risk is everything. Imagine bidding at an auction on a note that might pay $1 million or might pay nothing—how high would you go?
Now, if that $1 million was guaranteed, suddenly, you’d pay much more.
The difference? Predictability. Too many profitable businesses fail to sell because they lack this key ingredient.
Curious about building investor confidence? Join the free Business Owners Club and our live Zoom session on November 19.

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man in expensive suit begging for money
Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

Pass The Business Down and Lose the Legacy?

As a kid, “Uncle Ted” terrified me—he saw through my spoiled antics and wasn’t afraid to call me out. Later, I realized he was more than tough; he was a self-made success and, eventually, a mentor. But when it came time to sell his thriving business, things didn’t go as planned. Now, I share his story to help other business owners avoid his fate.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

To Invest In You…

9 out of 10 business owners struggle to sell their businesses on terms they want. Why?
They can’t convince investors of their business’s future potential in the right hands.
If you want to attract serious buyers and keep control over the deal, start planning now.
Sign in to the Owners Club for the 4 questions you need to answer to make your business investor-ready. Plus, join our Open Office Discussion!.

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Business Value
George Sotiropoulos

It’s about Your Business Potential, not Your Past Efforts

Last night, I watched a documentary on the 2004 Red Sox—a team that, after 86 years, made bold moves to secure a championship.
It reminded me of a key insight when valuing businesses: like a traded sports icon, your past efforts alone don’t drive investor interest.
Investors focus on future potential under their control.
Find out more in our free Owners Portal and Join me on November 19 for a free session where I’ll cover how to make your business irresistible to investors.

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Uncategorized
George Sotiropoulos

It’s Not Just About Selling the Business

Ever thought about what would happen if life threw you an unexpected curveball?
I recently heard a story that hit me hard—a business owner who poured everything into his work until, one day, he couldn’t anymore.
No backup plan, no safety net… and in an instant, everything he’d built was on the line.
It’s a powerful reminder of why having a business that can be sold today really matters.

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Uncategorized
George Sotiropoulos

Thank God I was Exit Ready

A conversation with Brian highlighted the millions he saved by building a sellable business even when he didn’t have any intention to sell at the time.

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