Do This To Make More $$$

April 04, 2025

Hey, oh, happy Friday! This week, I flipped through more content than wardrobe changes during a Michigan spring (snowthunder one day, flash floods the next, and 60s the following) to find you these all-weather pieces.

This week's wardrobe:

  1. Wanna sell your business someday? Do these 6 things first

  2. A trend that’s hard to miss

  3. This one 

1. Wanna sell your business someday? Do these 6 things first

Business owners are warriors.  They’ve built their business with more blood, sweat and tears than an MMA bout that goes the distance. 

At some point, the grind gets a little too heavy and you might think about hanging up the gloves. 

But where do you start?

There is post-fight work you can do to improve your recovery and get the most $$$ when selling your business. 

Here are 6 things you can do right now to increase your business’s value:

1.Clean books = clean exit

Hire a decent bookkeeper. Buyers love clarity. The easier it is for the buyer to figure out if you're profitable the quicker the exit will go.

2.Stop being the business

If your business falls apart when you take a vacation… you have a job. Document your ops and delegate more.

3.Lock in recurring revenue

Buyers will pay a premium for revenue that shows up like clockwork. Subscriptions, retainers, or repeat clients = $$$

4.Build a bench

Your team matters. Solid managers and cross-trained staff reduce perceived risk—and increase valuation.

5.Growth is gold

Most business owners built their business on reputation not sales and marketing. Hire an expert, invest in sales and marketing and go for gold with consistent growth. 

6.Online reputation is for the stars

Google reviews are the best way to show your reputation.  A buyer will pay more for a business with 100s of 5 star reviews vs. 5 sub-par reviews.  And all you need to do is ask.  Ask customers for a review and your reputation digitally will grow. 

2. A trend that’s hard to miss

And it will make jobs obsolete in no time. 

Substitute teacher named Herb and tech billionaire, Bill Gates, recently said “humans won't be needed for most things in 10 years.”  

And it's not just Gates.

The WEF’s recent report, summarized in this LinkedIn post, stated that AI will cause 59% of the global workforce to be reskilled by 2030.

CEO of Replit, Amjad Masad, noted it’s “pointless” to learn coding since AI is already making coding obsolete. 

Mr. Masad said instead, “I would say learn how to think, learn how to break down problems, right? Learn how to communicate clearly, with humans, and also with machines.”

What does this mean for us for the future of jobs and businesses? 

Here what I think businesses will be looking for in an AI future. 

Businesses will look for employees that are:

  • Insatiably curious…have the curiosity of my 3 year old Leona why, why, why…what's that? 

  • Gritty mother f*ckers…because problem solving requires grit

  • Tech talkers…and can direct (prompt) AI to solve more problems, faster. 

  • Think like a boss…understanding return on investment, can prioritize and know how to make a business run smoother and grow faster

  • Connectors…able to connect through empathy and can take complex ideas and make them relatable. 

And what will this mean for their businesses? 

  • Fewer employees needed. AI will reduce headcount but increase productivit…good for margins.

  • Valuations will shift. Businesses with repeatable, automatable workflows will be more attractive. People-heavy, process-light businesses will be less so.

  • Buyers will pay for IP and customer relationships, not just cash flow. AI levels the playing field on execution…what’s scarce is brand, loyalty, and insight.

  • Operators will be AI-powered. The most valuable owners will use AI as an engine…to research, write, automate, and optimize in real time.

  • Culture and empathy will matter more. When everything can be automated, what’s left is trust. People buy from…and work for people they like.   

As for me?

My curiosity is on fire right now. I’m learning faster than ever.
Every day, I’m using AI to break down problems, make better decisions, and communicate more clearly with people.

And I’m doubling down on empathy. It’s the one thing that can’t be faked by a prompt.

In a world of infinite machines, it turns out the most valuable thing…is still being human.

3. this one

Born at home during a global crisis.

No, this isn't 1940s Europe.

My Stelle Belle Ballerina (“full pet name”) turns 5 today. 

Stelle was born at the peak of the pandemic, which caused us to make the difficult decision to go with a home birth just days before she arrived ahead of schedule.   

I got to deliver her (under the watchful eye of our midwife, of course).

This girl is a lover of nature, has a huge heart, and is an ace at imaginative play. 

She has brought so much joy into our lives over the last 5 years. 

One of my favorite things is to watch her find joy in the smallest thing. 

Happy birthday, my sweet Stelle. 

Happy Friday ya’ll!

👋 Know a small biz owner who’s thinking of selling in the next 5 years? Hit me up—I’d love to connect.