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 fee.
Disney offered him money.
He chose equity.
And thirty years later, equity is still paying him.
Not every business owner is that smart.
Let me show you the other side of the coin.
A developer I met was entering a new market.
Complex jurisdiction.
Lots of paperwork.
Lots of rules that only locals understood.
He hired a consultant for $8,000 a month to guide him through the maze.
Then his own team got delayed.
The project didn’t even start for 90 days.
But the consultant kept showing up.
Kept preparing.
Kept the path warm.
When it came time to pay?
The owner refused.
A “technicality,” he said.
And since $16,000 wasn’t enough for a legal battle, the consultant walked away.
The developer bragged that he “saved” the money.
Except he didn’t.
He torched an asset.
And here’s what happened next:
- Every step of the government approval process cost him money.
- Every mistake cost him more.
- Every misfiled form added weeks of delay.
- Every wrong turn had a price tag.
By the time he finally realised he needed help?
No one would take his call.
People talk.
Reputation spreads.
And nobody wants to work with the guy who proudly stiffed his consultant.
He ended up losing $63,000 in direct costs…
And eventually abandoned the entire market after losses exceeded $100,000.
All to save $16,000.
He didn’t just burn a bridge.
He burned the entire revenue stream on the other side of it.
That’s the difference between the owners who win — and the owners who never escape the hustle treadmill:
Investors protect assets.
Arsonists brag about burning them.
Winners think like Jason Weaver:
Long-term equity > short-term ego.
Losers think like the developer:
Short-term savings > long-term wealth.
So ask yourself:
Are you building a business that pays you every day…
or burning one down to “win” pointless fights?”
If you’re done making the mistakes that destroy equity — and want to build something someone would actually buy — then get on the preview list for Fall in Love with Your Business Again.
A practical, step-by-step program to shift from chasing paycheques…
to building an asset that pays you whether you show up or not.
No pressure. No spam. Just early access when it launches.
Sign up here to join the preview list.
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P.S. I’m not the “systems,” “finance,” or “fix your processes” guy.
I help you fall in love with your business again—Because it finally gives you the life you want today
While setting you up to exit on your terms tomorrow.
Join my list for blunt insights and practical strategies to build a business that gives you your life back – and the power to walk away, when you’re ready, on your terms