Over the holidays I caught up with some reading including Dan Kennedy. He talked about Good Enough. How to not waste time and money trying
35 years ago right before Christmas I was in Berlin. Table after Table were set up with memorabilia you could buy from the Old East
We all remember Carrie Fisher at Princess Leia… but she was also the jilted girlfriend in the Blue Brothers. She has caught up with Jake
Beat … Beat…. Beat… “Another One Bites the Dust” The music would blast The lights would flash And he came out. Heaving curls… set after
Tomorrow we fly back to Dubai. It has been enjoyable being back in London and Wales Revisiting places I used to live and work and
Happy New Year. Today was a brilliant sunny day in Wales … warm enough to take a nice walk while still needing to bundle up
Well… this is it. The last day of the year. Thank you — to my clients, partners, friends, colleagues, and everyone who let me into
Not long ago, Salesforce proudly announced it had slashed roughly 4,000 customer service jobs, handing the workload over to AI bots instead. The message was
One of my favourite stories is the Barefoot winery acquisition I shared before. Where the seller closed a deal to sell his wine business that
The Christmas story has a dark chapter to it. When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and
Adeste fideles, laeti triumphantes, Venite, venite in Bethlehem. Natum videte, Regem angelorum: Venite adoremus, venite adoremus, Venite adoremus… Dominum. When I was a kid
One more sleep shouted my girls as they tear apart the last box on their advent calendars. One more sleep until Christmas Watching their joy
We woke up early our first day in London. “Let’s go show the kids the Christmas Decorations in Harrod’s windows.” I proposed. They would love
This week you would have noticed a pattern. Many businesses don’t fail just because of competition, the economy or the markets. They failed long before
“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
“But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome
This week I had one theme: Business owners who fail because of the beliefs that run their business. Four stories. Four different owners. Four ways
He was looking to sell his business and wanted to get the best price. His high-priced consultant told him… “It needs to be bigger.. now”
“You know you need to fire her.. right?” “But she’s nearly half my revenue…” “True and she’s killing you and your business by a thousand
I’m back at the outdoor café on a perfect 25°C morning — the same place the PigeonWaffe dive-bombed me last week. This time I made
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 18-year-old self? Most people say things like: “Don’t be so stupid.” “Grow up.”
This week was about one thing: How otherwise smart business owners slowly — and often proudly — destroy the very thing they spent years building.
“Sarah Connor?” (Insert heavy Arnold Austrian accent.) “Yes…” That moment in The Terminator when you realise this machine will do anything — absolutely anything —
What if the reason you’re burned out isn’t your workload — but your customer base?
Sam thought he wanted to sell.
What he really needed was a better client mix.
Read what happened when we changed just one thing
Is your business bleeding — but no one will tell you?
Referrals down? Customers ghosting? Team afraid to speak up?
This isn’t about “improvements.”
It’s about brutal truths.
And whether you’ve built a real business — or just a house of silence.
Every empire that collapsed had this in common:
The leader killed the messenger.
Not always literally — but definitely in spirit.
If no one in your circle tells you the hard truth… you’re one bad decision away from irrelevance.
If your business was for sale right now — would you buy it?
Or would you run once you saw what it actually takes to keep it going?
Whether you want to sell one day, or even just stop working 16-hour days or 7 day weeks, you might want to start with this question.
…And take the 60-second readiness test..
He built the best souvlaki shop in town.
Then one doctor’s mistake ended everything.
This is what happens when you build a business that depends on you.
Don’t let your legacy die the moment you step away.
One beach. Three businesses. Only one struggling.
I’ve watched a once-great business die in real time — and the owner still doesn’t see it.
This isn’t about hospitality.
It’s about what happens when you look to cut corners to “save costs” by cutting back on the Customer Experience.
Everyone’s racing to replace humans with AI in customer service.
But what if that move is silently choking your profits?
Today I shared a quick example that might make you rethink the “cost savings” logic.
Everyone’s obsessed with AI.
And yes — it can be powerful.
But when it replaces common sense… it starts costing you profit, peace of mind, and even sleep.
Just ask the guy canceling roaming charges at 4am in Greece.
Sign up to receive daily insights, actionable strategies, and expert advice to help you free up your time, boost profits, and build a sellable business.