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
Your business is profitable.
Maybe even 7 or 8 figures.
But here’s a tough question:
What happens if you disappear for 30 days?
Does the business keep growing?
Or does it fall apart?
There’s a simple test I call Freedom Math—and most founders don’t like their score.
If you’re thinking about selling your business “someday,”
This is the equation you need to solve first.
You’ve built a 7- or 8-figure business.
Profitable. Growing.
But when it’s time to exit?
Most owners don’t get the deal they want.
Many don’t get a deal at all.
Not because the business isn’t successful…
But because it doesn’t work without them.
If you’re banking on a future sale—this is your wake-up call.
The #1 question buyers ask isn’t about your story.
It’s about their risk.
His company hit $10M in revenue.
And then… a car accident.
In one moment, it was all gone.
Not because the business failed.
But because it couldn’t survive without him.
This isn’t a dramatic story. It’s a common one.
And the lesson he learned the hard way?
I’m giving it to you right here.
If your business still depends on you…
You need to read this.
She came to the event knowing no one there could help her.
She showed up anyway.
Another guy skipped it because “only 5 people” were attending.
Guess who walked away with a powerful new connection?
This isn’t a post about networking.
It’s about what really creates leverage in business—
and why some people miss it entirely.
I break it down here.
He’s planning to attend a networking event.
But find out only 5 people will be there.
Meanwhile, he’s packing 100 business cards, ready to hand them out.
Is this event a total waste of time…
or the room that changes everything?
Most people would skip it, scanning the web for a “better” event.
But what if what you really needed was already in the room?
Not more people.
Just the right ones.
His daughter graduated.
His wife smiled.
But something felt… off.
There was no fight. No bitterness.
Just silence.
And when the message came in—
“Call me. We’ve got a problem…”
He said the same words he always did:
“I’ll be right back.”
Except this time…She didn’t wait.
This isn’t about one missed dinner.
It’s about what happens when the life you built… forgets to include you.
“Why pay him? He’ll work for free.”
That’s what my boss told an investor who wanted to promote me.
I’d been building the business backend from scratch.
No salary. No support. No credit.
That moment taught me one thing:
Never let anyone undervalue your work—or your business.
If your pricing says “I’m just getting by,” don’t be surprised when buyers ignore you later.
He built the company.
Closed deals. Took commissions.
Even beat his own team to the clients.
The result?
Millions made…
But tens of millions lost and even more left at the table.
And he wasn’t unique in that founders trap.
It’s the same mistake a lot of other entrepreneurs are still making today without realising it.
If your business depends on you to function…
It could be costing you more than you can possible imagine..
Even this second…
Read to find out more…
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