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
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
He sells a $40,000 product — but kept the store locked because he was “busy.”
Prospects knocked. No one answered.
What if your biggest growth opportunity isn’t more leads… but unlocking the ones you’re blocking?
If you’re buried in the grind and wondering why sales feel stuck… read on..
You’re pushing harder, selling more, landing bigger clients…
But your margins are thinning. Your team’s burning out. And the business feels like it’s held together with duct tape and crossed fingers.
It’s not growth. It’s chaos disguised as progress.
If you’re a 7-figure business owner, you already know what I mean. The next big win won’t save you — it might bury you.
Want to stop the madness?
Ever walked into a room and instantly knew something stank?
That’s how a buyer sees your business—if it’s too reliant on you, a key client, or a fragile process.
I had my own “what’s that smell?” moment at the gym this morning.
It reminded me how blind owners can be to what’s festering in their business until it’s too late.
Here’s how to know where you stand—before the stink costs you everything.
One business owner I met is leaving Dubai this summer—for 3 months.
His only concern? The kids’ school calendar.
His business doesn’t need him.
Another owner? He’s starting over.
His last business collapsed because it relied on too few clients—and too much of him.
Both are focused on building real equity now.
How about you?
Will your business give you options… or excuses?
A bug in my own system.
That’s what I found this week—thanks to a friend in my corner.
It messed up results from my 60-Second Survey. And it reminded me of something powerful:
You can’t build a business of real value if you’re surrounded by yes-men or quiet bystanders.
You need people who’ll call out the bugs—especially the ones you can’t see.
Took me a bit of time to fix. Might take you just 60 seconds to start.
Most business owners say they want freedom.
Time. Peace. A business that doesn’t own them.
But saying you “want it” isn’t the same as doing what it takes.
This story is about a business owner working 16-hour days, ruining his marriage — and for what? Micromanaging his way into misery.
Wanting a sellable business is one thing.
Working for it — the right way — is another.
This one’s about the difference.
I’m not a tax consultant.
But I keep getting cold emails written like I am.
No research. No relevance. No unsubscribe link.
Just like the copy-paste advice that traps so many business owners in jobs they can’t quit.
If you’ve ever paid for “the answer” and got a mess that wasted your time instead…
You’ll get this.
This one’s for the 7-figure owner sick of templates and hungry for real traction.
Some teams are known for winning. Others… for ruining careers.
When the stakes are high and the spotlight is on, even the best talent dies in the wrong system.
So here’s the question:
If someone stepped into your business today—could they thrive without you?
Or would it bury them?
You may be running a machine… or a minefield.
Find out before it’s too late.
Take the 60-second Business Exit Readiness Survey
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