by Scott Sylvan Bell | Aug 4, 2026 | Business exit strategies
Direct answer: A quality of earnings report exposes personal expenses run through your business — fitness memberships, country clubs, family yacht clubs, cars, and excessive vacations. Buyers audit this during due diligence to determine what to add back to enhance...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Aug 3, 2026 | Business exit strategies
Direct answer: Anyone can sabotage your exit — including you. The most common saboteurs are the business owner (through emotions and fear), attorneys who kill deals for sport, spouses, adult children, business associates, and vendors. Do a saboteur audit before...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Aug 2, 2026 | Business exit strategies
Direct answer: A business exit journal is one of the highest-value tools available to founders during and after the sale. Write weekly by hand for 20 minutes. Buy a leather-bound journal, not a yellow notepad. Provides emotional processing and closure at signing....
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Aug 1, 2026 | Business Growth
Direct answer: An NDA business strategy gives you two key advantages: pre-planning capability for sensitive conversations and protection from employees spilling secrets that damage valuation. Have employees sign NDAs at onboarding covering financials, profits,...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Jul 31, 2026 | Business Growth
Direct answer: Pau Hana is a Hawaiian pay model where if the work is done right, employees get paid for all eight hours regardless of hours worked. It is returning to modern business as owners rethink pay and incentives for attracting top talent. Filmed in Sacramento,...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Jul 30, 2026 | Business Growth
Direct answer: Create a thank-you SOP where everyone who touches a client sends a signed thank-you card. Cost is $2.50 per card. Apply RFM marketing (recency, frequency, monetary) to add upsell offers. Prevents buyer’s remorse, generates referrals, and...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Jul 29, 2026 | Business Growth
Direct answer: Whether to hire or grow a manager depends on your exit timeline. Growing internally builds loyalty but takes 6 months to 2 years. Hiring externally gets you immediate speed but requires interviewing 5-6 candidates against real business scenarios...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Jul 28, 2026 | Business Growth
Direct answer: Should you hire top talent when you find them on the market? Yes, if they bring 10x their salary to bottom-line profit. Use phantom equity tranches, sign your accounting team to an NDA, and have honest upfront conversations about limitations. Filmed in...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Jul 27, 2026 | Business Selling Psychology
Direct answer: Consulting frustration is real when you shift from being the expert to being the client. You know your industry cold. Now you take advice instead of giving it. Reconcile what you know with what the advisor knows — get multiple opinions. Filmed in...
by Scott Sylvan Bell | Jul 26, 2026 | Business Growth
Direct answer: Order of operations determines whether your business plan succeeds or fizzles into the ether. Wrong sequence stalls progress. Use a preflight checklist mental model, plan in 60-90 day increments, and consult qualified professionals early — before you...
