The Business Strategist With Adam Strong

Could AI be the reason my LinkedIn content still sounds like everyone else’s?I’ve been trying to get Charlie Hills on the show for well over a year and this conversation was worth every bit of the wait. Charlie built one of the biggest audiences on LinkedIn while admitting he was never a natural writer, and the way he did it isn’t what most people would expect. By the end he turns the spotlight on my own profile, and what he picked up on is something you’ll want to check on yours straight after listening.Charlie Hills is a LinkedIn creator and AI content strategist with over 160,000 followers who helps founders grow their audience and turn attention into sales and partnerships.In this episodeWhy context now beats clever promptsThe AI privacy risk in your connected toolsThe CHEF framework for content that sounds like youWhen lead magnet posts build trust and when they burn itA live LinkedIn profile audit you can stealInterested 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 GUESTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-hills/ABOUT THE HOSTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrongWebsite: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

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 episodeThe sameness tax and what it costs you at exitHow brand can add two or three to your multipleThe one line that turned a fund manager into a bank robberHow a law firm grew 400% without changing the law it practisedThe question that exposes what you’re really sellingInterested 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 GUESTWebsite: https://reallesevans.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lesevansofficialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/les-evans-uncopyable/ABOUT THE HOSTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrongWebsite: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠YouTube: 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 episodeWhy people resist being changed, not change itselfThe real reason founders never follow through on the planHow to build your change muscle with one small daily habitThe DOC framework for reinventing how you leadThe eulogy exercise that reveals what you really wantInterested 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/Timestamps00:00 Why good businesses stall03:00 From priest to change leader08:22 People resist being changed, not change10:49 The real reasons we resist change15:03 Knowing you need to change but staying stuck18:39 Why the plan never gets followed through20:27 How your brain keeps you in a rut23:48 How to train your change muscle34:40 The DOC framework for getting unstuck42:25 Live coaching: why my goals keep stalling53:46 The eulogy exercise58:39 The MIC method for changing your team1:03:32 Final thoughtsABOUT THE GUESThttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-michael-hagemann-20359156ABOUT THE HOSTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrongWebsite: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠YouTube: 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 bombsWhy your personal brand could be the biggest risk in your exitBrand versus branding, and why only one shows up in your valuationHow buyers use arbitrage to buy low and sell highThe three things a buyer checks before making an offerWhat to do if you've spent years building your own profileInterested 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 GUESTwww.linkedin.com/in/steveyarroyowww.linkedin.com/company/the-brand-exit  https://www.instagram.com/stevey.arroyo/https://www.instagram.com/the.brand.exithttps://www.thebrandexit.co.uk/ABOUT THE HOSTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrongWebsite: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠YouTube: 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 bombsWhy identical profits can sell at very different pricesThe dead body in the closet that kills dealsHow buyers read your culture in due diligenceWhy alignment is a dangerous word in your boardroomWhere to start if you plan to exit in the next 24 to 36 monthsInterested 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 GUESTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderbrueckmann Website: www.AlexBrueckmann.comABOUT THE HOSTLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrongWebsite: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong