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 almost didn’t make it. Worked through his 60s. Heartburn, fatigue, resentment.
But somehow, he rebuilt.
And at 70…He finally sold the business that once owned him.
Most don’t get that far.
This is the rare story of the guy who clawed his way out to get something….
but still left a vast majority of his lifetime of cash at the table.
It’s not a blueprint.
It’s a warning.
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..
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.