Build Better Business Podcast with Chuck Crumpton

The conversation with Chris Hadnagy was facinating! He has tremendous insight on reading people and you'll benefit by listening to this episode. The true story about breaking into the water treatment center was riviting.

During the show we unpack Hadnagy's book "Human Hacking",

Some key principles I extract from the book:

1. understanding yourself first
2. matching communication styles (DISC) 
3. pretexting/narrative control
4. emotions override logic
5. building rapid rapport through mimicry 
6. elicitation versus direct questioning
7. listening for rhythm, speed, volume and pitch changes
8. suspending ego to find common ground   

and more...listen and enjoy!

I help business owners sell remarkable companies for the best price and terms. If you're considering selling your business in the next 3-5 years, let's talk. 

Chuck Crumpton
Dealpoint Business Brokers, LLC

Stuart Faught has completed over 20 micro SaaS exits.

Faught defines micro SaaS (which he brands as "mini horse") as small, profitable software businesses that can cash flow and provide life freedom, as opposed to massive unicorn or "elephant" companies.

He targets first-time founders, with approximately 90% of his buyers being first-time acquirers.

Stuart does a great job unpacking his business model in today's conversation. Enjoy!

I help business owners sell remarkable companies, achieving the best price with the best terms. If you're considering selling one day, let's chat.

Chuck Crumpton
President
Dealpoint Business Brokers, LLC

3.5 to 4 million businesses shut down annually in the US.

Simple Closure's mission is helping companies shut down efficiently so founders can move to their next venture, summarized by their tagline "Shutting down sucks. We make it simple".

Dori identifies two key warning signs for potential shutdowns...

Enjoy the show!

I help business owners sell remarkable companies. We'll get you the best price and terms when you sell your business. Let's chat today.

Chuck Crumpton 

Book call here.

The core discussion focuses on why salespeople fail. Edmond states they're simply "not equipped to be successful", citing lack of strategy, immature sales processes, and poor management as root causes.

Critically, he examines sales margins, not just revenue, to ensure deals actually profit the company—noting many salespeople chase numbers for bonuses without understanding profitability.

Edmond and I discuss other topics like:

• Hunter vs. Farmer roles
• Making good hires in your sales department
• When to cut a salesperson loose
• Why salespeople fail

Enjoy the conversation!


I help business owners sell remarkable companies for the best price and terms. If you're considering selling, let's chat.

Chuck Crumpton
864-915-0066

Lee argues that private equity has been "like shooting fish in a barrel" for the past 20 years, benefiting from low interest rates and rising asset multiples. Those conditions have changed, and the result is a backlog of roughly 33,000 businesses worth approximately three trillion dollars that PE firms cannot sell profitably.

He says firms must get involved from day one, understand the data, assess the impact of AI and other technologies, and actively partner with CEOs rather than simply governing from a distance.

Much, much more conversation around Private Equity...enjoy!

I help business owners sell remarkable companies for the best price and terms. If you're considering selling, let's chat.

Chuck Crumpton
864-915-0066

Adam turned a short trip to the Philippines into a 16-year stay, during which he built a business and learned how low-cost global destinations can expand a company's bottom line and capabilities.

He cautioned that businesses rushing to implement AI must first get their processes correct, warning that poor inputs produce poor outputs.

We discuss the risk of over-reliance on a single client. I shared that 80% of my healthcare company's revenue once came from one client.

I help business owners sell remarkable companies for the best price and terms. If you're thinking of selling one day, let's chat.

Chuck Crumpton
864-915-0066

Janessa launched her wedding business and had her first customer within two weeks, grew rapidly to $7 million in revenue across 37 destinations, and conducted over 14,000 weddings. She talks transparently about how Covid and cancer greatly impacted her life and business.

A defining feature of the business was that it was built from day one with the explicit intention of selling to The Knot Worldwide. Janessa maintained an open, four-year relationship with The Knot before the sale, sharing financials and growth updates transparently, which meant that when she was ready to sell, the acquirer was already internally prepared to move forward.

Janessa argues that the rules of entrepreneurship were not built by or for women, and that women need to develop stronger confidence in selling themselves and standing alongside male counterparts.

I help business owners sell remarkable companies for the best price and terms. If you're thinking of selling one day, let's chat.

Chuck Crumpton
864-915-0066

Jay's pivot to private money began in January 2009 when his bank, without warning, closed his line of credit during the global financial crisis, leaving him unable to fund two properties he had under contract.

Within 90 days of applying what he learned, Jay attracted over $2,150,000 in private funding without ever directly asking for money, and his business tripled in 2009.

Jay draws a clear distinction between private money and hard money...much, much more on this conversation. Listen and enjoy!

I help business owners sell remarkable companies for the best price AND terms. Let me know if I can help you sell or buy a business. 

Chuck Crumpton
864-915-0066

Randy cautions that founders who are burned out are often the least well-positioned to sell, because desperation leads to poor outcomes and the company is typically not at peak value during a difficult stretch.

Most founders Randy has spoken with waited too long to sell and too long to prepare.

Beyond founder dependency, contractual weaknesses are among the most common issues uncovered during due diligence, including outdated or unsigned client contracts. Private equity buyers in particular apply rigorous financial modelling and require clean, reliable data.

I help business owners sell remarkable companies, achieving both best price and best terms. If I can help you, please reach out and let's chat.

Chuck Crumpton
864.915.0066

The central theme of the conversation is how improv comedy thinking can transform business culture. Kathy explains that doing improv and standup gave her skills in risk-taking, adaptability, and confidence, and she eventually founded Keeping It Human to merge those two worlds.

She argues that most companies talk about innovation but fail to create cultures where employees feel safe enough to take risks or admit mistakes.

Kathy states that when healthy laughter is absent, there is no trust, and that when people laugh at their mistakes it signals psychological safety.

I help business owners sell remarkable companies, acheiving the best price with the best terms. If I can help you, let me know.

Chuck Crumpton
864.915.0066