Business Value
The Advisor Who Cried Wolf and Meant It
So what is it you want to see? My client was asking me earnestly. I had just come with a dozen requests and he was
September 2, 2026
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So what is it you want to see? My client was asking me earnestly. I had just come with a dozen requests and he was
“I’d have got rid of Dean four years ago. I just can’t.” Rob runs an industrial packaging distribution company. Six million in revenue, thirty-one staff,
In my last post I told you about the scowling woman at the restaurant who put a deep flurry of clouds in the experience when
They say things happen in threes. I told you about my Grumps experience by the seaside. Well within 48 hours we stopped in the Gower
“She’s a bucket of sunshine” My wife Natalie exclaimed after our waitress rolled her eyes when we said we need a minute or two to
“That’s a palace?” my daughters exclaimed. Their eyes were declaring what their mouths were too polite to say. That’s complete ***t. So they weren’t impressed
“Wisdom is worth more than silver; it makes you much richer than gold. Wisdom is more valuable than precious jewels; nothing you want compares with
I have been out of touch for a week or so. Not because I am blowing you all off but just to step back and
Friday was fun. I organised an afternoon lunch and then happy hour with over a dozen business owners and service providers. We didn’t have an
“I learned more from a 3 minute record than I ever learned in school” Bruce Springsteen – “No Retreat, No Surrender” In the mid 80s
You know what’s funny about my business? The wide variety of industries and situations I get called into that differ significantly on the surface but
Last day of FAQ week. And this one is the question that separates the owners who end up with options from those who end up
Day 2 of FAQ week. Today’s question hits a nerve with almost every owner I talk to. “You talk about building a business that runs
It’s a holiday week all across the globe with bank holidays in the West and US, Eid here in the Mideast, and Pentecost both last
I recently met a business owner generating nine figures in revenue. Multiple suitors circling. The kind of interest most owners dream about. And none of
Paul and David both started logistics companies around the same time. Both built them to roughly $8 million in revenue with teams of about 30
Yesterday I told you about the blind man and the Pharisees and how the experts who were supposed to see most clearly were the ones
In the Gospel of John there’s a scene that has always stuck with me. Jesus encounters a man who has been blind since birth and
Yesterday I ran an intimate M&A deep dive breakfast with eight professionals who all touch mergers and acquisitions from different angles and what came out
Last night I attended a hosted dinner featuring Gaston Hochar, the third-generation family owner of Chateau Musar, one of Lebanon’s most iconic wineries.Twenty-four of us
Met a guy called Adam at the gym this week. We got talking between sets and he mentioned he’d recently exited a cybersecurity firm here
Over the weekend one of my email subscribers asked if he could get in on the Pioneer deal because he didn’t have time to sign
She nailed it. So I agreed to having Mitch Martina Cleaning Company come to our house for a deep cleaning of the apartment even though
The other day I took my youngest to a new café while we waited for her sister to finish school. When we sat down the
Monday’s business growth cohort call for Fall in Love with Your Business Again went somewhere I didn’t plan. What was supposed to be a walkthrough
A carpet cleaner in Baltimore charges double what everyone else charges. He has a waiting list. His competitors slash prices to win jobs and wonder
The Answer Changed the Wine Industry. A few years ago when I was working as a Value Builder Advisor with John Warrillow’s Built to Sell
Today is St George’s Day. My namesake and patron saint. Legend has him on a horse slaying a dragon. Well forget the dragon because the
Who do you think won my business? Met a wealth advisor at a networking event a while back. Seemed sharp. We agreed to grab a
Most founders overcomplicate their business and chase low-value customers. Discover how to simplify, systemize, and scale your business for profit, positioning, and exit — even if you’re stuck in the grind today
“Just pick a dress!”
That’s me this morning — negotiating like a hostage negotiator with a 4-year-old who couldn’t decide what to wear.
What would have worked much better? A uniform. A hard system (which she will be required to wear starting next week Tuesday).
And that’s when it hit me —
Most founders don’t have uniforms in their business.
They’ve got chaos, decisions, firefighting… every single day.
Here’s the wake-up call (and the solution)
“Why are you grabbing their shoes?”
My wife wasn’t wrong — and her comment hit harder than I expected.
Because I’ve seen too many business owners make the exact same mistake — and stay stuck for years because of it.
Read on and see if this common life and business killer looks familiar and what you can do about it.
“I didn’t want the business. I just wanted my dad.”
A reader sent me that after my last post — and it remined me of the song Cat in the Cradle.
His father built a profitable company from nothing.
But it took everything from him.
Time. Health. Connection. Life.
When he finally offered it to his son —
the answer was no.
Not because the business didn’t make money.
But because no one else could survive it.
Founders, if you’re building something no one wants to inherit…
Maybe it’s time to change what you’re building
He built it for his son.
His son didn’t want it.
And now the business is gone.
Founders — your legacy only matters if someone actually wants it.
Let me show you how to make sure it’s worth passing on — or selling for millions.
I haven’t trimmed my beard in two weeks.
Not because I’m lazy.
Because the only guy I trust is out of town — and I’d rather look like a werewolf than let the wrong hands touch my face.
That’s loyalty.
And if your business doesn’t have customers who feel that way about you — you’re leaving a goldmine untapped.
Let me tell you why the best clients are the “wolfmen”…
(And why you never, ever let them go.)
I saw a restaurant commit business suicide.
I watched a project lose its sponsor and still gain value.
And I spent 7 weeks away — not because I’m rich.
But because I built for control.
Most entrepreneurs build themselves a cage.
Q4 is about unlocking the door — and stepping into open roads and open skies.
If you want real control over your time, money, and relationships…
Stay tuned.
What if the client you’re afraid to lose… is actually the one suffocating your business?
I’ve fired clients before.
Some readers hated me for saying that.
Some unsubscribed.
But what happened next was a lesson in revenue, sanity, and scaling.
Blindly believing that the “client is always right” can be a recipe for killing your business margins and your family life.
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