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 —
“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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