James runs a mid-sized 20-person accounting practice focused on Tax, audit, advisory, and bookkeeping. Last month he was in a pitch meeting with a logistics
Tony runs a 12-person engineering services firm. Started out doing MEP design for commercial fit-outs and was genuinely excellent at it. Then a client asked
Sarah runs a marketing consultancy. Eight staff. Decent client list. She wins almost every proposal she submits and she’s proud of that number. Tells people
BOOM. That shot me upright in bed. 2 am on the clock. Was the bedroom actually shaking or did I dream that part? Couldn’t tell…
There’s an old Allstate commercial. “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” A simple reassuring message to stop worrying because someone has your back. Now ask
Marcus runs a managed IT services company. Fifteen staff. Thursday afternoon he shut his laptop at two, drove to his daughter’s school, and grabbed a
A business owner wants $10 million for his company. The buyer comes back at $5 million. The seller says the business has more in it.
I was making an introduction recently between an investor and a logistics company that could be a good fit for his portfolio. Before the meeting,
After a presentation I gave recently on the four key questions every investor asks before putting money into a business, an older gentleman approached me.
If you’ve seen The Founder, you already know the gut punch. Dick and Mac McDonald built something extraordinary. A kitchen that ran like a machine.
If you’re reading this from Dubai, Abu Dhabi or anywhere in the region right now then you already know… The last couple of weeks have
Took the girls to the park this morning. Getting them some exercise. After playing ball they wanted to run and for me to time them.
My friend is stranded outside the country His grown-up children are still here in Dubai. Desperately he wants to get back here…while I’m looking how
Saturday was the deadline to become a lifetime pioneer member of Fall in Love with your Business Again. Saturday, I had set aside all day
Wednesday I told you about Scott who was hustling hard on a newer business and doing everything himself. When I mentioned building an exit-ready business
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
This week, police in North Carolina found Michele Hundley Smith alive and well. She’d been missing since December 2001. Left home to go Christmas shopping
In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufrense didn’t wait until he was “ready” for his exit. When he picked up that rock hammer for the first
His name was Robert. Engineering consultancy. Fifteen years in business. Solid revenue. Good clients. Respected in his industry. On paper, worth north of $2 million.
One of my first clients was proud of his spreadsheet. Massive thing. Hundreds of tabs. Colour-coded. Formulas nested inside formulas. He’d built the entire accounting
“My customers are different.” “My employees wouldn’t respond to that.” “My industry doesn’t work that way.” BS I hear these lines constantly. From owners in
A friend of mine owns a construction company. Every time I see him, he looks like he’s been dragged through a hedge backwards. Bloodshot eyes.
I once had a potential client who ran a logistics company. Smart guy. Built the thing from nothing. Knew every truck, every driver, every client
This week I told you two stories. The first was a man who threw a chair across a Greek café, danced a warrior dance, and
That’s how the conversation started. No excitement. No ambition. Just a man who’d spent years building a technology business and was ready to be done
This week I’ve been telling you about a friend who turned down an 8-figure offer for his business that happened to be seven times bigger
Yesterday I told you about a tiny café in a Greek village. A three-piece band. A warrior dance. A chair thrown across the room. After
The café was tiny. Packed wall to wall. The kind of place you’d walk past and never notice if you didn’t know it was there.
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
They had Bin Laden in their sights.
A thousand men ready to finish the job.
And the operation was called off—because of ego and turf wars.
This isn’t just history.
It’s a warning to every founder who aims to let go… but does so to the wrong person
Spend more time with family. Earn more while working less. Fire bad clients. Buy back your time.”
You’ve heard all the promises.
You’ve probably even paid for them.
But if they’re so common, why do so few actually live them?
This one’s for the business owner who knows the script… but hasn’t seen the ending.
Let’s find out why. And fix it.
You’re up late. You’re up early. And even when you’re out, you’re still “in.”
The phone buzzes. The inbox explodes. Your team can’t breathe without your approval.
It’s not just stress.
It’s business-induced sleep deprivation.
You built this company for freedom — so why does it feel like a trap?
Especially if you’re pushing 7 figures and feeling stuck in the grind..
You ever been stuck in the mud?
I mean really stuck—wheels spinning, engine revving, mud flying everywhere… and going nowhere.
That was me at a Boston concert in ’86.
It’s also most business owners I meet today.
They’re busy. Covered in stress.
But progress? Zero.
This post isn’t about music or mud.
It’s about the silent killer of your business valuation—and how to spot it before it buries you.
You gave it everything.
Time. Energy. Sacrifice.
And now, just when you thought you’d step back…
The wind hits harder.
The exit you imagined feels further away.
This one’s for the business owners still sprinting through the storm — not because they want to, but because they have to.
If the finish line feels like it keeps moving…
It might be that you’re just running the wrong way …. against the wind.
What does your business do when you leave the building?
Many owners dream of a real vacation—one without guilt, panic, or inbox chaos.
But too many can’t step away without something breaking.
They’re not weak. They’ve just built the business wrong.
If your holidays feel more like landmines than getaways…
You’re not alone.
But you can fix it.
Here’s a 60-second gut check worth taking
“I want to finally step away from the day-to-day… and still have the business grow.”
It’s the dream.
But most owners build a business that does the exact opposite.
One that can’t grow without them.
One that dies the second they step back.
The business you’re building right now —
Will it run without you?
Or does it trap you?
Take 60 seconds to find out.
An investor asked for 36 months of revenue.
Simple request.
What he got?
Confusion.
Contradictions.
Spreadsheet gymnastics worthy of Cirque du Soleil.
He didn’t have time to play detective.
So he moved on.
And the seller — after years of sweat and sacrifice — walked away with a lowball offer.
Why?
Because confusion kills deals.
And risk? It gets priced in.
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.