In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufrense didn’t wait until he was “ready” for his exit. When he picked up that rock hammer for the first
His name was Robert. Engineering consultancy. Fifteen years in business. Solid revenue. Good clients. Respected in his industry. On paper, worth north of $2 million.
One of my first clients was proud of his spreadsheet. Massive thing. Hundreds of tabs. Colour-coded. Formulas nested inside formulas. He’d built the entire accounting
“My customers are different.” “My employees wouldn’t respond to that.” “My industry doesn’t work that way.” BS I hear these lines constantly. From owners in
A friend of mine owns a construction company. Every time I see him, he looks like he’s been dragged through a hedge backwards. Bloodshot eyes.
I once had a potential client who ran a logistics company. Smart guy. Built the thing from nothing. Knew every truck, every driver, every client
This week I told you two stories. The first was a man who threw a chair across a Greek café, danced a warrior dance, and
That’s how the conversation started. No excitement. No ambition. Just a man who’d spent years building a technology business and was ready to be done
This week I’ve been telling you about a friend who turned down an 8-figure offer for his business that happened to be seven times bigger
Yesterday I told you about a tiny café in a Greek village. A three-piece band. A warrior dance. A chair thrown across the room. After
The café was tiny. Packed wall to wall. The kind of place you’d walk past and never notice if you didn’t know it was there.
I was with a business owner while he took a Zoom call from Greece. Everyone else has the usual fake backgrounds. Blurred offices. Corporate bookshelves
This week I told you a story. A company that found a niche so good it felt like magic. Fuel delivered to your doorstep. A
I was a loyal customer. Weekly fuel deliveries. Used the car wash. Topped up the tyres. The kind of customer every business says they want.
“I don’t mind the price… I just hate being ripped off” My sister was shaking her head. We had just finished with a one year
Recurring revenue is one of the four levers investors love. Money that arrives like clockwork. Predictable. Bankable. The kind of revenue that lets you plan
Yesterday I told you about a company that nailed its niche. Fuel delivery to your doorstep. Specific. Underserved. Painful enough that people happily paid for
Yesterday I talked about the four levers investors care about. Today we start with the first one: profitable niches. And I want to tell you
Here’s something that stings when you first hear it. Investors don’t care how hard you work. They don’t care about your 5am starts, your grinding
This week wasn’t random. It was about understanding what you’re really selling. And having the spine to protect it. We started with the dog grooming
“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.” My favourite line from my least favourite Godfather movie. And I hear it
I live next to the Headquarters of one of the largest Grocery chains in the Middle East. They have a full-size café which is the
“I’m really sorry that because I’m so attractive, you chose this expensive restaurant for our date.” She raised her glass for a pour. At the
“But it’s not about the dogs…” she proclaimed. “It’s about the men in the yachts parked nearby.” I’d never heard a dog grooming community pitched
I love this story I heard at an event this week. Years ago, a founder walked into his office with nothing but a sketch of
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: Teacher, which
After several weeks away, we came home to the wonderful surprise of our Samsung washing machine being dead. Mid-cycle the beeping begins — and this
4th quarter. Bears down by 18. “Can I call them the Greedies?” my daughter Sophia asked about the Green Bay Packers. “Sure,” I said. I
This week had a theme about owners breaking their own businesses … Slowly, unintentionally, and with the best of intentions. Monday we met Skinny-Leg Arm
“Winterwonderland!? Get ready to get ripped off” Admission – Cha Ching Unlimited Ride Pass for kids – Cha Ching Meals – Cha Ching Rides for
One by one the University of Chicago MBAs lined up to meet the older man who accompanied the young female Goldman FX trader who was
“Growing sales killed my business.” It was sad.. resigned.. And his voice has been in my head since the event.. John had followed the
Friday night was one of those perfect Dubai evenings. Good wine at happy hour. Then a short walk to a neighbouring restaurant where alcohol wasn’t
This week had one theme: Owners sabotaging themselves — not from stupidity, but from the illusions that sound smart. Let’s review the carnage… MONDAY —
Yesterday I shared the story of Jason Weaver — the young Simba voice actor who chose $100,000 plus lifetime royalties over a $2 million upfront
“Poor man wanna be rich… rich man wanna be king…and a king ain’t satisfied until rules everything”-Bruce Springsteen “Badlands” Bruce wasn’t talking about business owners.
Last month, A Business owner “Sam” pulled me aside to tell me about his ex-employee – a brilliant operations manager — Sarah — who walked
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