Business Value
Next Huge Thing is ZZZ
“NEXT HUGE THING” “We’re looking for 500k to finish the MVP.. if we just get 1% of the market you will have made 10,000x the
October 20, 2026
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“NEXT HUGE THING” “We’re looking for 500k to finish the MVP.. if we just get 1% of the market you will have made 10,000x the
Jack’s saviour arrived four weeks before his cash ran out. It came as an email, accepting his proposal. Good terms, and a lifeline. Overnight, his
I knew better. But it was so convenient. Years ago I ran a different company, and I had a client who made up 75% of
“I have stepped back, just like you told me,” Mike said. “But you have Ron running everything now,” I replied. “Yes, but it is not
It is my birthday today. Not a particularly grand milestone. I am into my 56th year, or if you prefer, my 2,912th Tuesday on this
I met Danny at an event over the weekend. After being introduced and finding out what I do, he pulls me aside with a big
So the premium company wrote back, and their reply told me everything about how they see the world. Their position was simple. Here is our
Yesterday I left you with my AC dead, a CH04 error flashing, and a premium company booked to put it right. What I left out
You have heard me talk a lot about cheapskates, discount zombies, and clients who just want to rip you off or get you working for
Sam was a star. The iceman, the closer. He shut deals faster than anyone, and closed 20% more than the rest of the team. Management
In Dubai, working for free is almost a rite of passage for business owners. It has happened to me more than once, and never because
Once upon a time…. Carl walks into a beautiful clinic with serious chest pains. He is seen by Dr Sam, a heart specialist with more
A while back I watched a buyer walk away from a business he had spent weeks looking at. Good numbers, pretty profitable and the business
Most owners are about to waste AI, and it will have nothing to do with the AI. Here is why and it comes from a
Ever seen that reality show about the Pawn shop. Some guy hauls in his grandfather’s watch, dead certain it is worth a fortune. By his
“That’s How It’s Done Here” How often have you heard or believed those words? Perhaps in your industry there is something you follow as if
Colin took the family to Crete in June. By Wednesday he’d taken fourteen calls. Not one of them was a crisis. One was the wifi
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
He opened the offer And felt sick.
There was a digit missing.
And when the broker explained why—it was a punch to the throat.
Not a finance issue.
Not a recession.
Just one painful truth:
If you’ve ever wondered what your company’s really worth…
This story might sting.
He spent three decades building it.
When it was finally time to walk away… no one wanted it.
He made one fatal mistake—one that 7-figure founders make every day without realizing it.
The worst part?
He didn’t even see it coming.
This isn’t a story about business.
It’s about the blind spot that kills exits before they even start.
He built the company.
Closed the biggest deal of his life.
Finally made it.
But instead of celebration, he got silence.
Cold dinners. Missed memories.
And one question from his daughter that nearly broke him.
This isn’t about revenue.
It’s about what success costs when you build it wrong.
I wrote this for the founder who thought the grind would end—but it didn’t.
It just got worse.
Most business owners don’t realize it…
But there’s a silent shift that happens somewhere between year 3 and year 10.
It doesn’t show up on the P&L.
It doesn’t get mentioned in strategy sessions.
But it kills freedom, ruins families, and traps even the most successful founders.
I wrote this for the ones who feel it—but can’t name it yet.
Read it. Then ask yourself:
Is this already happening to me?
Sometimes the truism is in front of you face to face.. last night it was the idea that who you spend your time with can play a big part of how successful you become. I saw the power of that in Sophia Moulin’s Epicon Iftar where I spent 5 hours speaking with successful family offices and investors and enjoyed the amazing conversations… I
Three years ago, a business owner had millions on the table. He wasn’t quite investor-ready, but with a few smart moves, he could have been.
We mapped out a plan. He didn’t say yes. He didn’t say no. He just disappeared.
Now? His numbers have dropped, and the best offer he can get is pennies on the dollar.
Opportunity doesn’t wait. It knocks—once.
Are you ready when it does?
At the gym, I used to see a guy who was obsessed with one thing—getting bigger arms.
Every day, he went straight to the curl station, lifting faster and harder, convinced this was the secret.
But no matter how much effort he put in, nothing changed.
Then one day, he disappeared.
I see business owners make the exact same mistake.
And it’s costing them time, money, and real growth.
And something else.. which I’ll touch on over the next few days..
Every business owner carries a weight. Some wear it like a badge of honor, convinced it’s just part of the grind. Others don’t even realize it’s holding them back. But there comes a moment when you have to ask—am I actually moving forward, or just pushing the same rock uphill over and over again?
I met someone recently trapped in this cycle. His story might sound familiar.
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