70% of her revenue was tied to one person. The buyer walked away.

I sat across the table from a founder a few months ago. Seven-figure business, great team, 25 years of graft. Within 20 minutes of looking under the hood, I had to tell her the business was essentially worthless to a buyer. Not because the numbers were bad — because she was the business.

When the buyer dug into due diligence, they discovered 75% of the revenue was tied to her personal relationships. The deal collapsed. And the worst part? She had no idea — because she'd been telling herself the same five lies I hear from almost every founder I work with.

In this episode I break down all five, using real examples from my advisory work. I walk through the founder revenue test, the 90-day vanish test, and why your expertise might actually be your biggest liability when a buyer comes knocking.

I also share why the founders who build truly sellable businesses always tell me the same thing afterwards — "I wish I'd done this five years ago." Not because they wanted to sell sooner, but because the business became so much better the moment they stopped being the bottleneck.

If even one of these lies sounds familiar, you've got work to do before you go anywhere near an exit.

Take my free Exit Readiness Assessment — it takes two minutes and shows you exactly where the gaps are: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com

Enjoyed today’s episode? Leave a review over on Apple or Spotify.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325

https://open.spotify.com/show/4vKVMmsZ4MwVooQOlEAzrd

ABOUT THE HOST
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong
Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

Blockbuster asked how do we make more money. Netflix asked how do we give people better entertainment. One question built an empire. The other killed one. So which question is your business asking right now?

In this episode I sit down with Lisa Earle McLeod, the woman who literally wrote the book on purpose driven business. She's worked with Google, Hilton and some of the smartest founders on the planet and what she told me completely flipped how I think about profit, purpose and why so many business owners end up stuck on a hamster wheel they built themselves.

We get into the real reason businesses get commoditised, why your proposals aren't landing the fees you deserve and what separates founders who exit rich from those who just burn out.

Five reasons to listen

1. Understand why purpose and profit aren't two separate things and why treating them that way is costing you money
2. How Hilton used one sentence from their founder to become the number one workplace in hospitality and smash profit records at the same time
3. You'll hear the three questions every founder needs to ask this week to uncover a purpose that actually drives revenue
4. Why most business owners have built themselves a glorified job and what to do if that's you right now
5. Lisa coaches me live and calls out the one thing missing from how I talk about my own business and how it can apply in yours.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:47 Purpose-Driven Businesses and Their Impact

03:47 Common Mistakes When Scaling Businesses

07:31 Hilton's Purpose and Differentiation Strategy

10:16 The Relationship Between Purpose and Profitability

14:25 How Small Firms Can Activate Purpose Easily

18:03 Embedding Purpose into Business Operations

22:09 Preparing Your Business for Sale and Exit

26:52 Practical Exercises to Define Purpose

31:26 Pricing and Value-Based Fees

35:11 The Risks of Not Having a Clear Purpose

38:49 Stories That Illustrate Purpose in Action

42:34 Reigniting Passion and Purpose in Business Leaders

46:16 The Emotional Connection to Business Impact

49:12 Final Thoughts and Practical Takeaways

We’ve been nominated for podcast of the year, if you enjoy the show we would love your nomination. It only takes 30 secs: https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/annual_awards/voting?cat=3&scat=27

ABOUT THE GUEST

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaearlemcleod/

Website - https://www.lisaearlemcleod.com/resources

Book: Leading with Noble Purpose by Lisa Earle McLeod - https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Noble-Purpose-Transform-Organizations/dp/1119546794

ABOUT THE HOST
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong
Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

What if the real reason your business is stalling has nothing to do with your strategy?

I sat down with Michael King, executive coach, keynote speaker and recording artist with over 100 published songs. The leaders he works with, the ones hitting burnout, losing sales and watching their teams fall apart, they all share the same root problem. And it's not what you think.

Michael has spent close to 20 years coaching high performing entrepreneurs and top level executives, and he's built a framework called the TEAMS Method that flips conventional leadership advice on its head.

In this episode he walks me through his Identity Matrix, explains why your strategy will never work without clarity on who you actually are, and reveals how he combines original music and cinematic film to unlock breakthroughs in the boardroom.

Five reasons you need to listen to this episode:

1. Learn why 80% of leaders are starting their day in completely the wrong place
2. Discover the one question that exposes whether you have an identity problem or an energy problem
3. Get a full walkthrough of the TEAMS Method and how to apply it this week
4. Find out why feelings come before awareness and why that order matters for lasting change
5. Hear the rule Michael follows every single day to protect himself from burning out

We’ve been nominated for podcast of the year, if you enjoy the show we would love your nomination. It only takes 30 secs: https://www.thinkers360.com/tl/annual_awards/voting?cat=3&scat=27

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Book a call with the founder of Xentum Dominic Baldwin, limited spaces!

Website: https://www.xentum.co.uk/

ABOUT THE GUEST

www.michaelkingjr.com
www.teams.coach

www.facebook.com/michaelrkingjr75

x.com/michaelkingjr

www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkingjr75/

www.instagram.com/michaelkingjrofficial/

ABOUT THE HOST
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong
Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

Less Than 18% of Businesses Ever Sell. Will Yours Be One of Them?

I sat down with Bill Snow, a 30 year veteran of mergers and acquisitions, author of Mergers and Acquisitions for Dummies, and someone who has been in the trenches of hundreds of deals across multiple industries.

What he told me completely changed how I think about buying and selling businesses.

If you are planning an exit or looking to make your first acquisition, this one is not to be missed.

5 Reasons To Listen

1. The hidden deal killers that are silently destroying your valuation right now
2. Why chasing the highest price could be the worst decision you ever make
3. The three things every buyer must have before approaching a single target
4. The one part of buying a business that nobody talks about and why it breaks most deals
5. Why your cash flow statement matters more than your EBITDA and what it is really telling buyers about you

We’ve been nominated for podcast of the year, if you enjoy the show we would love your nomination. It only takes 30 secs: Click here

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Mergers and Acquisitions

04:03 Bill Snow's Journey in M&A

06:51 Understanding Investment Banking

09:41 The Challenges of Selling vs. Buying

12:31 The Importance of Exit Strategies

15:02 Hidden Deal Killers in M&A

17:37 Customer Concentration Risks

20:38 Valuation and Seller Expectations

23:14 The Role of EBITDA in Valuation

25:53 Cash Flow vs. EBITDA

29:32 Preparing for a Sale

32:32 Conclusion and Insights from M&A for Dummies

35:47 Understanding Mergers and Acquisitions Frameworks

38:39 The M&A Process: Search, Negotiate, Finance

42:15 Finding Hidden Opportunities in M&A

43:17 The Myth of Revenue Growth and Valuation

45:08 Identifying the Ideal Buyer

47:46 Building a Business with the Buyer in Mind

50:25 Coaching Session: Strategies for Acquisition

58:37 The Art of M&A: Offering Value, Not Just Asking

01:02:21 Understanding Pain Points in Business transactions

01:04:01 Upcoming Book: The Gimme Chronicle

ABOUT OUR SPONSORS
Ready to exit, but worried you'll regret it? Book a call with the founder of Xentum Dominic Baldwin, limited spaces!

Website: https://www.xentum.co.uk/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Mergers and Acquisitions for Dummies

Bill Snow's LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/billsnow/

Bill Snow's upcoming book 'Gimme Chronicle'

ABOUT THE HOST
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong
Website

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong