Empire Flippers Podcast

What separates great entrepreneurs from everyone else is not avoiding failure. It's their ability to get back up and keep trying new things.Grant Hensel started 10 businesses, watched seven fail, scaled one into a 60-person company, shifted from building businesses to buying them, and recently raised nearly $12 million to back entrepreneurs acquiring small businesses.

In this episode of The Opportunity podcast, Grant joins us to share what separated his successful ventures from the failures and the benefits of buying businesses instead of building them from scratch. One of the keys to success for Grant was finding the right people. He explains that many of his own successes came from partnering with operators who were better suited to run the day-to-day business, while he focused on vision, support, and capital allocation. That philosophy now shapes how his fund evaluates acquisition entrepreneurs. We also dig into how he raised the fund itself, why he believes "boring" businesses can be incredible investments, and the warning signs that immediately kill a deal for him. We also discussed AI's impact on SEO agencies and why Grant believes AI is actually creating new opportunities for digital marketing businesses rather than destroying them.

If you're interested in buying businesses, raising capital, or building long-term wealth through acquisitions, this episode is packed with practical insights and hard-earned lessons.

• 04:12 - What separated Grant's successful businesses from the failures
• 11:26 - Why Grant switched from building businesses to buying them
• 13:41 - How Grant found his first acquisition
• 14:30 - How AI is affecting marketing agencies
• 17:34 - How the first acquisition was structured
• 20:03 - The benefits of buying vs building a business
• 23:23 - Ins and outs of raising a fund
• 30:28 - Why Grant is sceptical of acquisition synergies
• 39:52 - How Grant evaluates searchers
• 46:26 - How Grant raised $12 million for acquisitions

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Sit back, grab a coffee, and look behind the scenes of a $12million fund!

Most founders think selling a business is the finish line. For Beth Mazza, it was the start of a completely different challenge.

After selling her first consulting firm for a modest valuation, Beth rebuilt her next company with an exit in mind from day one. The result? A roughly $40 million exit and a crash course in what buyers actually value.

In this episode of the Opportunity Podcast, Beth shares the lessons she learned from both exits, including building systems that reduce founder dependency and creating relationships with potential buyers years before selling.

We discuss what really drives high-value exits: positioning, operational readiness, recurring relationships, and strong financials. Beth also explains why most founders wait too long to prepare their business for acquisition.

She also opens up about the emotional side of entrepreneurship, the identity shift that comes after an exit, and balancing motherhood while building companies at scale.

If you've ever wondered what separates a sellable business from one that traps the founder inside it, this episode delivers an honest look behind the curtain.

• 02:00 - The mistakes Beth made when exiting her first company
• 05:30 - Why Beth's second business earned a much higher valuation
• 08:00 - Building buyer relationships years before selling
• 13:00 - Lessons from bad LOIs and failed positioning
• 16:30 - Beth's thoughts on AI, SaaS, and agency businesses
• 25:00 - Turning founder expertise into systems and processes
• 28:00 - How Beth's $40M exit came about
• 36:00 - Why PE-backed strategic buyers pay higher multiples
• 40:00 - The emotional reality after selling a company

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Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to prepare for a profitable acquisition from the start!

For many eCommerce brands, getting the first sale is not the hardest part. Keeping customers coming back is.

In this episode of the Opportunity Podcast, Greg speaks with Matthew Holman, founder of D2C subscription agency Subscription Prescription, about how eCommerce brands can improve retention and increase recurring revenue by adding a subscription component to their business.Matt explains why subscriptions are often misunderstood by founders. Many brands treat them purely as a way to increase lifetime value, but according to Matt, the real opportunity is creating a better customer experience that naturally drives recurring revenue.

Good onboarding is key. Matt explains that the first 7–10 days after a purchase are critical because that is when customers decide whether they feel like they are "winning" with the product. Brands that educate customers early, guide them through the experience, and reinforce value tend to see far stronger retention. Greg and Matt also dive into why some ecommerce businesses force subscriptions where they do not belong, the psychology behind multi-month subscription offers, and why value stacking often works better than endless discounting. For founders looking to improve customer retention and grow recurring revenue, this episode is filled with practical insights and real-world examples.

• What makes a business a good fit for subscriptions (06:16)
• When subscriptions do not work for ecommerce brands (09:30)
• The weirdest subscription product Matt has ever seen (12:38)
• What separates high retention offers from those that just churn (14:38)
• Mistakes founders make when trying to grow subscription revenue (18:56)
• Building offers that increase retention and LTV (22:03)
• How new businesses should test subscription offers (27:29)
• Matt's recommended testing framework for new subscription offers (32:42)
• How to attract high-value consumers instead of discount shoppers (36:17)

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  • TheSubscriptionDoc.com

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to reduce churn and increase recurring revenue through subscriptions!

Paid ads used to be simple: find the right audience, dial in your targeting, and scale.

Now? It's where a lot of businesses quietly burn cash.

In this episode, we are joined by Hernan Vazquez, a paid ads expert with over a decade of experience. Hernan explains why so many business owners are spending more on ads and getting less back. The biggest problem is the math. What used to work at $3 leads or cheap clicks doesn't work when acquisition costs have doubled or tripled. But many businesses haven't adjusted. They're still running the same funnels, expecting the same outcomes, and wondering why margins are disappearing.

According to Hernan, platforms like Meta and Google now rely heavily on AI, which means your creative is doing the real work. If your message doesn't land instantly, your budget gets eaten alive.

That's why more operators are shifting to low ticket offers.

Instead of risking everything on a cold high-ticket sale, Hernan suggests using low-ticket products to test demand, recover ad spend faster, and avoid wasting months on funnels that don't convert.

If you've ever looked at your ad spend and thought, "this should be working by now," this episode will show you what's actually going wrong, before it costs you even more.

• Hernan's background in paid ads (02:31)
• Paid vs organic and where to invest today (04:23)
• Hernan's advice for hiring your first media buyer (15:28)
• How paid media has changed and the current struggles with Meta (21:59)
• The shift from targeting to creative (25:30)
• Why low ticket offers are making a comeback (28:05)
• Funnels vs ecosystems and how to structure your strategy (35:31)
• Retargeting and what still works today (45:43)

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  • Hernan's LinkedIn
  • Low Ticket Profits - Hernan's book

Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to get more conversions from your paid ads!

In a world flooded with AI-generated content, standing out is harder than ever. Which is exactly why understanding why people make decisions matters more now than ever before.

In this episode of the Opportunity Podcast, we're joined by Nancy Harhut, co-founder and Creative Director of HBT Marketing. Nancy specializes in blending marketing with behavioral science to uncover what actually drives customer action.It's simpler than you might think. People rely on mental shortcuts to make decisions. Instead of carefully weighing every option, we act on instinct, often without realizing it. This impacts our purchasing decisions. Nancy explains that this is why tactics like loss aversion (avoiding mistakes), reciprocity (giving before asking), and autonomy (offering choice) are so effective. Small tweaks, like framing an offer as something to avoid losing, or giving two options instead of one, can have a big impact on conversions.

An added challenge is that AI has made content faster and cheaper to produce, which makes standing out harder than ever. That's where the Von Restorff Effect comes in. People notice what's different. And as more businesses rely on AI, differentiation becomes your biggest advantage. Nancy believes we're in a transitional moment. AI is changing how content is created, but human psychology still determines what sells.

The businesses that win won't be the ones producing the most content. They'll be the ones who understand how people think, feel, and decide.

• 04:33 - What neuromarketing is and why you should use it
• 07:30 - Loss aversion in action
• 10:30 - Reciprocity and influence
• 16:30 - Autonomy bias and choice
• 25:00 - Decision-making and "liminal spaces"
• 30:30 - Pricing psychology tactics
• 35:30 - The impact of AI on marketing
• 44:00 - Risks of over-relying on AI
• 52:00 - How to stand out (Von Restorff Effect)

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  • Using Behavioural Science in Marketing - Nancy's book
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Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to boost your sales and stand out from the crowd using neuromarketing!

Most hosting companies don't start because someone dreams of running servers. They start because something is broken and users are frustrated.

That's exactly how Terry Kyle built WPX.

In this episode, Terry joins us to discuss how he built WPX from a single server into a globally distributed hosting company with 100+ staff, thousands of loyal customers, and a reputation built on speed and hands-on support.

We also dive into Terry's approach to modern SEO. While many entrepreneurs spend thousands of dollars buying courses and attending events, very few actually implement what they've learned. His advice is to start small, take action quickly, and build momentum through repetition rather than overthinking.

He also highlights emerging opportunities, particularly in non-English SEO markets, where competition is lower, and the upside remains significant.

While WPX gave Terry profit, he found purpose in his charity work after founding Every Dog Matters. Terry has built a large-scale dog rescue operation that now cares for hundreds of dogs daily. And while building a business was challenging, he describes the charity as far more difficult, both operationally and emotionally.

This episode shows that success isn't just about building a profitable company. It's about what you choose to do with the resources, skills, and leverage you've built along the way.

• The origins of WPX hosting (05:14)
• Setting up the infrastructure to own a hosting company (11:29)
• Growth mistakes Terry made while building WPX (16:56)
• Naivety in entrepreneurship is often crucial to success (21:55)
• Terry's advice to entrepreneurs who suffer from analysis paralysis (29:48)
• How to hire people to counter your weaknesses as a founder (32:32)
• Does parasite SEO work for real brands? (38:40)
• Terry's three pillars of great SEO (44:13)
• Where Terry sees SEO going in the future (46:33)
• More about Terry's dog charity Every Dog Matters (53:19)

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Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to break out of analysis paralysis and take action!

Many online businesses fail to grow not because of bad products, but because of bad hiring.

In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, Greg speaks with Mads Singers, a management coach who runs multiple recruitment businesses, to talk about where founders go wrong when building teams.

One of the most important hiring considerations is cultural fit. Culture is defined by behavior, not by what's written on your website, but by what you allow. If missed deadlines slide or high performers behave poorly without consequences, that becomes the standard. New hires quickly adjust to whatever they see around them.

We also discuss why personality often matters more than experience. Skills can be trained. Behavior is much harder to change. Matching someone's natural strengths to the role dramatically increases your odds of success.

Mads also reveals how he finds the best talent. The strongest candidates are usually already employed. If you're just posting a job ad and waiting, you're likely missing them. Expanding your reach and being proactive increases your chances of finding someone exceptional.

And if you're hiring a specialist in an area you don't understand? Borrow expertise. Bring in someone knowledgeable to assess technical skill, then set clear expectations from day one.

Mads explains that hiring isn't about filling seats. It's about building a team that solves problems without you. That's what turns a stressful job into a scalable, sellable asset.

If you're hiring right now, planning to hire, or feeling frustrated with your current team, this episode is worth a listen.

• Mads' background and his recruitment companies (02:18)
• Mistakes and key characteristics to look for when hiring new staff (07:03)
• Why personality matters more than skills (10:07)
• The importance of identifying and protecting your company culture (14:16)
• Identifying proactive people and supporting new hires (23:16)
• How to make your job posting more attractive (28:58)
• How to hire high-level leadership positions from outside your business (33:14)
• Hiring, evaluating, and managing people more skilled than you (42:39)
• Information about the SEO Mastery Summit happening in March (48:20)

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Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to hire the right people for your business!

What if the smarter path to building wealth online isn't launching a new business… but acquiring something that already works?

In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, we sit down with Paul Lajoie, a CPA turned acquisition entrepreneur who has bought more than 25 businesses over the past two decades.Paul breaks down his experience starting businesses from scratch vs buying established businesses. The difference is night and day. Paul's success rate in buying businesses is 92%. When starting from scratch? Just 25%. A large part of Paul's success is his buying criteria. He focuses on businesses that have been around for at least ten years and have already survived economic downturns. He looks for proof of resilience, not just potential.

He also opens up about the early mistake that nearly derailed his first deal. Running out of working capital was a hard lesson, but one that shaped how he approaches every acquisition today.

We also discuss why the structure of a deal can matter more than the purchase price, how seller financing works in practice, and the importance of diversification in business success.

If you're an online business owner thinking about buying instead of building, or an entrepreneur searching for a smarter path to financial freedom, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, risk, and long-term wealth.

• Paul's experience going from being a CPA to buying 25 businesses (02:15)
• Buying vs building from scratch and why Paul prefers acquisitions (05:11)
• Paul's acquisition criteria and why deal structure matters more than price (07:01)
• Paul's advice on seller finance deals and how he finances his acquisitions (15:37)
• Due diligence best practices and major red flags to avoid (20:05)
• The niches Paul favors and how to protect businesses from AI (23:17)
• Why diversification is critical for long-term success (32:11)
• The realities of absentee ownership and the importance of working capital (36:17)
• How Paul manages multiple businesses at the same time (51:37)
• The best professional advice Paul has ever gotten (53:22)

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Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to acquire a portfolio of successful businesses.

For Amazon sellers, discovery determines everything. If customers can't find your products, nothing else matters.

What many sellers haven't realized is how quickly Amazon's discovery engine is changing.

Amazon is moving beyond traditional keyword-driven search toward AI-powered, intent-based answers through Rufus. This impacts how products are surfaced, compared, and ultimately purchased.

In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, we're joined by Jon Tilley, CEO and co-founder of ZonGuru, to unpack what this change means for sellers.

For years, growth on Amazon centered around search volume, keyword placement, and ranking tactics. But Amazon is now interpreting intent, not just indexing terms. The platform is increasingly focused on understanding what shoppers are trying to accomplish, not simply what they typed into the search bar.

That changes how listings should be structured and how images communicate value. It changes how sellers approach visibility, conversion, and long-term positioning.

In our conversation, we discuss what sellers are getting wrong, which outdated techniques are still being used, and what it will take to stay competitive heading into 2026.If you're building or scaling on Amazon, this episode will help you understand where the platform is heading and how to position your business for what comes next.

• How Rufus and AI-based discovery are changing the Amazon marketplace (04:59)
• Rufus's big impact on Black Friday 2025 (09:23)
• How Amazon sellers can convert more using Rufus (11:40)
• How to make listing images more readable for Rufus (15:25)
• The aspects of your listing that matter most for visibility and ranking (18:26)
• Outdated techniques that Amazon sellers still use (21:10)
• Services ZonGuru offers that can help sellers optimize for Rufus (24:25)
• How to stay ahead as an Amazon seller in 2026 (27:52)

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Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to optimize your Amazon listings for AI-based discovery.

Many entrepreneurs leave huge sums of money on the table because they don't understand business credit.

In this episode, Ty Crandall, CEO of Credit Suite, breaks down how business credit really works and how online business owners can use it as a serious growth and acquisition tool.

We start by unpacking the key differences between business credit and personal credit, and why separating the two is critical if you want to scale responsibly. Ty explains the types of business credit you can access without personal guarantees and what actually goes into a business credit score.

From there, Ty walks us through how to identify which business credit cards truly count as credit lines, the four credit tiers businesses move through as they build credibility, and how tradelines function specifically for online businesses.

We also dig into how entrepreneurs can qualify for 0% interest cards and when it makes sense to use them. Finally, we tackle how to use creative financing and business credit to acquire companies. We compare SBA loans and revenue-based financing and discuss when each option makes sense for acquisitions.

If you're an online business owner thinking about scaling, buying your first company, or simply becoming more fundable, this episode is packed with insights you can apply immediately.

• How business credit differs from personal credit (04:00)
• The types of business credit you can get without personal guarantees (06:02)
• What makes up a business credit score (09:44)
• How to know which business credit cards count as credit lines (12:43)
• The four business credit tiers for building credit (15:32)
• How tradelines work for online businesses (21:25)
• How entrepreneurs can gain access to 0% interest cards (28:47)
• Is using business credit risky? (30:47)
• Using creative financing to acquire businesses (36:48)
• SBA vs RBF for business acquisition financing (48:39)

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  • CreditSuite
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Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to fund growth and acquisitions without risking your personal finances.