The Business Strategist With Adam Strong

Why would anyone pay more for your business when it sounds exactly like the firm down the road? I sat down with my good friend Les Evans for his return to the show, and this one turned into a proper masterclass. We got into the hidden cost of sounding like everyone else in your industry, why it drags down what a buyer will pay when you sell, and what a soap brand, a guitar maker and a law firm handing out free coffee can teach you about standing out. If you’ve ever read your own website and wondered why it sounds like your competitor’s, grab a notebook for this one. Les is the author of Uncopyable, has worked with founders in over 25 countries and once ran a $100 million investment fund. In this episode The sameness tax and what it costs you at exit How brand can add two or three to your multiple The one line that turned a fund manager into a bank robber How a law firm grew 400% without changing the law it practised The question that exposes what you’re really selling Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ ABOUT THE GUEST Website: https://reallesevans.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesevansofficial LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-evans-uncopyable/ ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

My business isn’t held back by the market, the economy or my team, and I’d bet yours isn’t either. So why does nothing change when I already know exactly what needs to change? I sat down with Dr Michael Hagemann to work out why founders who know they need to change still don’t, and before long I was the one in the coaching seat. We got into why the habits that built your business can quietly hold it back, why people don’t really resist change so much as they resist being changed, and the slightly uncomfortable exercise that showed me what I’m actually chasing. If you’ve ever set a big goal and looked back twelve months later to find nothing had moved, this one is for you. My guest Dr Michael Hagemann is a change and transformation leader at a global multinational, founder of Transformationdoc and author of two books on leadership and change. In this episode Why people resist being changed, not change itself The real reason founders never follow through on the plan How to build your change muscle with one small daily habit The DOC framework for reinventing how you lead The eulogy exercise that reveals what you really want Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ Timestamps 00:00 Why good businesses stall 03:00 From priest to change leader 08:22 People resist being changed, not change 10:49 The real reasons we resist change 15:03 Knowing you need to change but staying stuck 18:39 Why the plan never gets followed through 20:27 How your brain keeps you in a rut 23:48 How to train your change muscle 34:40 The DOC framework for getting unstuck 42:25 Live coaching: why my goals keep stalling 53:46 The eulogy exercise 58:39 The MIC method for changing your team 1:03:32 Final thoughts ABOUT THE GUEST https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michael-hagemann-20359156 ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

For years I've heard founders being told to build their personal brand, so why does my guest believe it's the worst thing you can do if you ever want to sell your business? This conversation puts my guest at odds with Daniel Priestley and half of LinkedIn, and I wanted to find out why. We talk about the difference between brand and branding, why buyers hunt for undervalued businesses the way a dealer looks for a Picasso at a car boot sale, and the one asset Stevey says nobody can replace once you've sold. If you run a professional services firm and you've ever wondered whether your name is holding up the valuation, listen before a buyer asks you that question. My guest Stevey Arroyo started on the creative side, learning his craft at a studio in Australia whose clients included Apple. He now works on the deal side, putting a number on what a brand is worth when a business is sold. He also hosts The Brand Exit podcast, where he talks to founders and buyers about what makes a business worth more. Value bombs Why your personal brand could be the biggest risk in your exit Brand versus branding, and why only one shows up in your valuation How buyers use arbitrage to buy low and sell high The three things a buyer checks before making an offer What to do if you've spent years building your own profile Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ ABOUT THE GUEST www.linkedin.com/in/steveyarroyo www.linkedin.com/company/the-brand-exit https://www.instagram.com/stevey.arroyo/ https://www.instagram.com/the.brand.exit https://www.thebrandexit.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

What if two businesses with the same revenue and the same profit went to market, and one sold for millions more than the other? I've watched it happen more times than I can count, and the reason never shows up anywhere on the balance sheet. Alex Brueckmann has been a good friend of mine for the best part of five years, and this is the third time he's joined me on the show. This time we tackle the question most founders never think to ask until a buyer is already sitting across the table: why will an investor happily pay more for one business than another when the numbers look almost identical? Alex sits on both sides of that table, advising founders and investing in businesses himself, so he knows exactly what makes a buyer lean in and what quietly sends them walking. Towards the end I asked him to coach me through my own exit plan, and the very first question he put to me is one I think every founder planning to sell should be able to answer before they go anywhere near a deal. Alex is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Strategy Legacy and creator of the Nine Elements of Organisational Identity framework. Value bombs Why identical profits can sell at very different prices The dead body in the closet that kills deals How buyers read your culture in due diligence Why alignment is a dangerous word in your boardroom Where to start if you plan to exit in the next 24 to 36 months Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ ABOUT THE GUEST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderbrueckmann Website: www.AlexBrueckmann.com ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

Would you rather spend three years building a business from scratch, or buy one that's already paying out every month? There's a whole market most founders never see. Websites, SaaS tools and digital products change hands every single day, some of them for millions. I sat down with someone who's brokered over $120 million of these deals. We got into what buyers are really paying for, why two businesses making identical profit can sell for double the price, and the million dollar purchase that went to zero overnight. I'm joined by Mike Swigunski, employee number four at Empire Flippers, the world's largest marketplace for buying and selling online businesses. He helped grow it to a 100 person remote team, brokered over $120 million in acquisitions, and is a number one bestselling author and TEDx speaker. He's now building Dividends, a platform that lets everyday investors own a share of cash flowing online businesses. Value Bombs The five checks that stop a business collapsing overnight Why equal profit can mean a 2x difference in price The £1M lesson one first time buyer learned the hard way How service firms can bolt on recurring revenue Why the best offer doesn't always win the deal Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ ABOUT THE GUEST #1 Bestselling Book: https://globalcareerbook.com Dividends Raise: https://wefunder.com/dividends Dividends Website: https://dividendscapital.com TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/MQpotNI5NvQ?si=vBq41Ts_io6eIbHV Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikeswigunski LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeswigunski YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/MikeSwigunski Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swigunski ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong