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

1. The sameness tax and what it costs you at exit
2. How brand can add two or three to your multiple
3. The one line that turned a fund manager into a bank robber
4. How a law firm grew 400% without changing the law it practised
5. 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

1. Why people resist being changed, not change itself
2. The real reason founders never follow through on the plan
3. How to build your change muscle with one small daily habit
4. The DOC framework for reinventing how you lead
5. 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

1. Why your personal brand could be the biggest risk in your exit
2. Brand versus branding, and why only one shows up in your valuation
3. How buyers use arbitrage to buy low and sell high
4. The three things a buyer checks before making an offer
5. 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

1. Why identical profits can sell at very different prices
2. The dead body in the closet that kills deals
3. How buyers read your culture in due diligence
4. Why alignment is a dangerous word in your boardroom
5. 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 

1. The five checks that stop a business collapsing overnight
2. Why equal profit can mean a 2x difference in price
3. The £1M lesson one first time buyer learned the hard way
4. How service firms can bolt on recurring revenue
5. 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

For years I was convinced I had built a real business. So why did the whole thing fall apart the second I stepped away from it?

Over 52% of business owners have no exit plan, and with the biggest wealth transfer in history already underway, that window is closing fast.

In this episode, I had the privilege of appearing on James Lamb’s podcast called ‘The Ownership Journey, where I break down how to build a business that runs without you, the kind of company acquirers actually want to buy, so you can sell on your own terms and the exact blueprint to maximise valuation 2-3 years before exiting. 

I share why founder dependency is the biggest drag on your valuation, how an exit plan exposes the gaps in your company, and the mindset shifts that break the revenue ceilings trapping most entrepreneurs. I also go back to my own story, from elite distance runner to McDonald's manager to advisor, and why healthy high performance beat the hustle that was burning me out.

Five key takeaways

1. Why what you own might be a job, not a business
2. Why founder dependency is the biggest drag on your business valuation
3. How an exit plan exposes the gaps holding your company back
4. The mindset shifts that break through revenue ceilings
5. Why rest and recovery drive high performance more than hustle

Timestamps

• (00:00) Introduction
• (01:49) The Exit Planning Crisis: Why 52% of Founders Have No Plan
• (03:13) My Athletic Roots: Training Alongside Mo Farah
• (08:47) From McDonald's Manager to Business Coach
• (14:18) How to Build a 400+ Episode Podcast That Lasts
• (21:25) Founder Dependency: The Biggest Drag on Business Valuation
• (30:48) The LAPS Framework for Tracking Business Metrics
• (37:17) Hustle Culture vs Healthy High Performance
• (43:05) A Holistic Approach to Exit Strategy for Business Owners
• (46:29) Breaking Through Business Growth Ceilings at Every Revenue Level
• (52:22) Lead Generation, LinkedIn Strategy, and Business Acquisition
• (01:05:52) What a Successful Exit Really Looks Like
• (01:08:58) Overcoming the Fear of Being Insignificant
• (01:12:53) Creating Your Own Economy: Build a Business That Runs Without You

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/adamistrong
Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠

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

ABOUT THE HOST
James Lamb LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslambuk/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ownership-journey/id1882591694

What if the smartest growth move you could make this year was buying the competitor that keeps stealing your clients? And what if I could do it with none of my own money?

I got Jeremy Harbour back on the show and this one shifted how I think about growing my own business. We got into why buying a competitor beats trying to out market them, why most owners quietly wind their business down instead of selling, and the low key way to open that first conversation without spooking anyone. 

Jeremy is a Wall Street Journal best selling author and founder of the Harbour Club, the largest M&A community of its kind. He closes one to two acquisition deals every month.

Value bombs 

1. Why 92% of small businesses never sell, and how that becomes your opening
2. The buyer pyramid that quietly doubles what a business is worth
3. How to spot a competitor worth buying in the first conversation
4. Turning red flags into leverage for a no money down deal
5. The consulting to equity route into your first acquisition

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/jeremyharbour/ 

Website: https://www.harbourclubevents.com

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

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

What if the first thing that makes your business worth millions has nothing to do with growth? When private equity buys a company they never fix growth first. They fix five things most founders have never even looked at. And here is the part that should bother you, none of them are a secret. So why do owners leave that value sitting on the table for decades?

I have watched buyers walk into a room and unlock value the owner left behind for years. No clever formulas, no trick the big firms know. Just five moves most founders never make until someone is sitting across the table with a chequebook and a list of demands. 

In this one I hand you the whole list so you can fix it yourself, keep the value and build a business worth buying, whether you ever sell it or not.

What you will learn

1. Why a business that depends on you sells for far less
2. The two week test that exposes what breaks without you
3. How to tell a reputation apart from a real client acquisition engine
4. The one person sitting in the wrong seat quietly draining your growth
5. The single claim that lets you charge a premium nobody can copy

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

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

What if the one area where you feel most sure of yourself is exactly where you cannot see straight? I have always backed my gut in business, so this conversation properly challenged me.

In this episode I sat down with someone who has spent her career in rooms most of us never get near, from the UN stage to Fortune 500 boardrooms. We got into why brilliant leaders get blindsided, why your gut might be quietly steering you wrong, and a simple audit that could sharpen your very next big decision. I will leave the rest for you to hear.

Cornelia Choe is an international leadership expert, global keynote speaker and Thinkers50 Radar honoree. She has advised hundreds of CEOs across five continents and wrote The Panoramic Leader with Marshall Goldsmith.

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/

What you will learn

1. Why your biggest blind spot hides exactly where you feel most certain
2. The perspective audit that sharpens any decision in 15 minutes
3. How to keep your instinct without letting it trap you
4. What really happens to your identity when you step away from your business
5. Why the truth gets more filtered the higher you climb

ABOUT THE GUEST

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelia-choe/

Instagram: corneliachoe_author

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

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

What if the harder you push, the more fragile you get?

For years I believed the fix was self discipline. More willpower, more grind, more 5am starts. Every time I fell off I told myself the same thing: just try harder. So what actually moves human behaviour, and why might the smallest action be the one thing that finally helps you grow?

I sat down with a behavioural economist who has spent 20 years studying what really changes the way we behave. She told me slow beats fast, big goals freeze us, and there's a silent burnout most founders never spot until the body forces the issue. Then she walked me through her framework live, using one of my own goals. I left questioning a belief I've carried my whole career.

Dr Christiane Schroeder is a behavioural economist, TEDx speaker and bestselling author of five books. She hosts the Happy Healthy Hustle Podcast, a top 1% global show, and was named Woman in Podcasting 2025 in the education category. Her new book, Petite Practice, is out 16 August 2026.

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/

Value bombs

1. Why the harder you push, the more fragile you get
2. The rule of thirds, and why bad days are built in
3. Slow beats fast, and how speed quietly costs you the wins
4. The silent burnout hiding behind your highest performers
5. Her STEP framework, walked through live on my own goal

ABOUT THE GUEST

Website:  https://doctorchristiane.com

Instagram:  https://instagram.com/doctor.christiane

LinkedIn:  https://linkedin.com/in/christianeschroeter/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@doctor.christiane

TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@doctor.christiane

X:  https://x.com/Christiane_711

Challenge:  https://doctorchristiane.com/the-do-it-anyway-challenge-3/

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

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