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
“It hit me like a brick. Years of blood, sweat, and sacrifice — and when they presented me the number for my business, I had next to nothing to show for it.”
That’s the gut punch most founders don’t see coming.
Because the market doesn’t buy hustle.
It buys assets.
If your business collapses without you, you don’t have an asset — you have a job with stress.
He’s the boss.
He’s the owner.
He’s “free.”
Except… He’s not.
On vacation, He’s in the hotel business centre.
At dinner, He’s glued to his phone.
His kids know the top of his head better than his face.
Dysfunctional independence isn’t freedom — it’s a trap.
If you can’t fire yourself from your own business, you don’t own it…
It owns you.
Take 60 seconds to find out where you stand.
Many business owners pride themselves on being “their own boss.” It’s a matter of pride to know you went on your own and have been
The coach meant well.
No two-way players. Keep everyone safe. Play smart.
One problem:
The offensive line were giants.
The defensive line?
A 5-foot, 121-pound nose tackle.
The result?
We got crushed.
In business, it’s no different.
Good intentions can blind you to the brutal reality on the field — and by the time you see it, the clock’s almost out.
Here’s the hard question:
Are you even playing the right game?
At harvest time, there’s no time left to explain.
No time to point at the good patches.
No time to hide the weak spots.
The field gets sorted — wheat to the barn, weeds to the fire.
Your business will face its own harvest moment.
Call it exit. Call it succession. Call it the buyer’s due diligence.
The only question is:
Will you reap the reward — or watch it all burn?
It wasn’t the numbers that killed the deal.
It wasn’t the valuation, the brand, or the market potential.
It was the team.
An investor walked away from a million-dollar deal—not because the business was bad, but because the management team was a train wreck.
If you think your biggest risks are only revenue or profit, think again.
Here’s the brutal truth about what buyers look at—and where it can all fall apart.
What if I told you there’s one thing sitting right in front of you…
That silently reveals whether your business will give you freedom—or burn you out slowly?
It’s not your revenue.
It’s not your brand.
And it’s definitely not the hustle.
It’s something most founders overlook.
Even though it tells the truth—every single time.
Here’s what it is…
And what it might already be telling you.
What happens when you build your business like you’ll sell it—even if you won’t?
You get your time back.
You get freedom.
And sometimes… you 50x your revenue in 36 months.
That’s exactly what one founder did without ever stepping foot in his office.
No hustle porn. No VC. No consultants.
Just the right structure, the right people, and a business built to run without him.
Here’s what that looks like…
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