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
Are you burning out in your business by acting like an employee — grinding instead of growing? Learn how one simple mindset shift can move you from burnout to business freedom.
My daughters had a complete meltdown during their swim lesson.
A year ago, I would’ve snapped.
Today? I sat on the pool bench… calm.
No yelling. No panic. No pressure to fix everything.
Not because I’ve become some Zen master.
But because my business isn’t bleeding me dry anymore.
If your business still explodes through you like a landmine during life’s chaos…
You already know something needs to change.
“I didn’t like who I’d become. I wasn’t a good father, a good husband… hell, I wasn’t even good company.”
Scott wasn’t talking about addiction.
He was talking about his business.
It was profitable — but it was slowly killing him.
His wife was afraid to go to bed beside him because of his rage-fueled business nightmares.
And the worst part?
He kept telling himself it would all be worth it “someday.”
Until the day he stopped lying to himself — and changed everything.
Is your Business blind…. Or is it you?
We all love pointing out the “specks” in other people’s operations.
Pricing’s too low. Team’s a mess. Offer’s unclear.
But you know what’s harder?
Spotting the plank in your own business.
The one costing you time, freedom, and money every single day.
Here’s how to finally see it — and fix it — before your business becomes a job no one wants to own or a legacy none of your children want to inherit.
30 Days in 2001.
In August, I stood on top of the World Trade Center, unwinding with teammates after a long day.
In September, I stood at Ground Zero — alone, just hours before it was roped off for visitors and tourists to come and pay respects.
That month left a mark.
Not just because of what I saw… and smelled…but because of what it taught me about value, purpose, and what we choose to build — or protect.
And it all came rushing back when I watched a documentary about a little church that stood its ground next to giants.
Too many business owners bleed cash by attracting the wrong clients. Here’s how one owner fired the dead weight, rebuilt his business, and got his life back — starting with better margins.
In part 2 we meet more with Earl, who nearly killed his business… by chasing the wrong customers.
More sales ≠ more money — especially when your prices are bleeding out to match bottom-feeders.
Today we look at how Earl realised more volume wasn’t the answer — and tomorrow….what he did instead to stop the bleeding and rebuild real profit.
“People just want it cheap…”
That’s what he told me after blowing 5-figures on marketing to get more customers — while his margins dropped 25%.
But more customers wasn’t the problem.
The real issue?
He was discounting to chase the wrong people — the ones who’d always leave, complain, or demand more for less.
So we sat down and started fixing the real problem.
The first question I asked him made him stop cold.
Full story here
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