Beyond A Million

Since launching The S.M.A.R.T Blueprint in 2020, Adam Lyons has helped over 1,900 entrepreneurs scale their businesses through acquisition. He talks about his 5-part framework to leverage customer data and uncover new opportunities, aiming to give business owners a way to generate additional revenue without new leads. Today, I'm talking with Adam about how he went from working as a janitor to becoming a serial entrepreneur who owns over 16 active companies. You'll hear him explain his no-money-down approach to acquiring new businesses and his method for hiring people to run them. We also talk about why he deliberately decides to stay small, the science of generating upsells, and his strategy for overcoming objections and boosting future sales. Key Takeaways from Adam Lyons Teaching over 1,900 students (in 2 years) a proven framework to scale businesses through acquisition. Why do so many founders who exit between $10M-$20M end up depressed? The no-money-down strategy Adam used to acquire a CRM business that earned him 2x what he paid for it. The process Adam uses in all of his businesses to create new streams of revenue and increase customer lifetime value. How Adam uses surveys to uncover key consumer insights—and a story of how this strategy made his client $500k in a single morning. How to find out the biggest reasons why a prospect didn't buy. Use this tactic to overcome objections and make more sales. Why an expert who doesn't know marketing will rarely beat the non-expert, who does. Being deliberate about where you spend your time and how much you really want your business to grow. Why Adam will often just acquire a business that does the thing that he needs rather than pay another company to do the thing. How does Adam get the right people on his team to run the businesses he acquires? Why an ineffective upsell strategy, means you're only operating at a maximum of 30% capacity. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Brian Scudamore is a serial entrepreneur recognized for building 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, a junk removal company operating 2,000 trucks and generating $600M/year in revenue. He is the founder and CEO of O2E Brands, an umbrella company that includes 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, and Shack Shine. Since 1999, O2E has expanded to 254 franchise locations and employs nearly 500 people. In this episode, Brian shares the story of dropping out of school to bootstrap a junk hauling company from the ground up. While it took him 8 years to hit the $1M mark, you'll hear how he systematized the business and used the franchise model to scale to $600M/year in revenue. We also talked about his process for hiring high-quality people, the PR strategy he used to get the attention of major media outlets, and his tips for building a brand that people will never forget. Key Takeaways with Brian Scudamore People don't fail; systems do. Brian explains how he systematized his business and used the franchise model to scale 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. The interviewing process Brian used to hire nearly 500 people. How to create a vision that inspires amazing people to work for you. How Brian used storytelling to get free PR from major media outlets like The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and more. The power of branding and how to measure its effectiveness. The parallels between running a family and running a business. Dropping out of college to continue growing his junk removal business. Why hitting the $1B mark may be easier than reaching $100M, $10M, or even $1M in revenue. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Jeremy Perkins started Precision Medical Products in 2010 out of his garage and became one of the top 25 CEOs in the medical device industry within 10 years. His fully self-funded company has scaled to 300+ people (primarily contractors) and hit $80M in revenue last year. Before getting into the medical device industry, Jeremy really didn't excel at anything professionally. He always thought he wanted to be a stockbroker, but after 2 years of trying, he realized he sucked at it. In this episode, you'll hear how he went from being "bad at sales" to becoming one of the top medical device sales reps in the nation—and how this led to bootstrapping and scaling the #1 Fastest Growing Company in the Sacramento region, 2 years in a row. We talk about the importance of having a conviction for what you're selling, how he leverages 1099 contractors to speed up the sales cycle, and his framework for thinking big and accomplishing audacious goals. Key Takeaways with Jeremy Perkins From a stockbroker who couldn't sell anything to becoming one of the top medical device sales reps in the nation. Jeremy explains the competitive advantage that led to Precision Medical Products becoming the #1 Fastest Growing Company in the Sacramento Region. Setting a goal to help 20 people within his company become millionaires. How Jeremy leverages 1099 contractors to distribute and sell his products. Why passion and desire are critical factors to succeeding in sales. Creating a vision, setting specific goals, and building a life by design. Find out why Jeremy has the largest swimming pool in California. The magic of thinking big and why nothing's impossible. Is there such a thing as work/life balance? Jeremy explains how he practices Intentional Imbalance to be purposeful about how and where he spends his time, energy, and effort. The power of mentors and tips for getting them to say YES. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Yanik Silver is a serial entrepreneur, author, digital marketing expert, and visionary leader redefining how business is played in the 21st century. By the time he was 31, he had reached his goal of becoming a millionaire and produced more than half a dozen 7-figure online businesses. We jump into this episode by talking about some of his earliest entrepreneurial wins, including Instant Sales Letters®—an info marketing business that built fill-in-the-blank sales letter templates for any niche. You'll hear how he started and scaled this business during the rise of the internet on the back of a 40,000-person affiliate network that he built from scratch. This company was the catalyst for how Yanik thinks about business. He explains how entrepreneurs often get so hung up on the details and metrics that they lose the curiosity and joy that comes from pursuing ideas and figuring things out as they go. Following his heart and focusing on the ideas that interest him, without knowing the outcomes, has been a consistent throughline in all of his ventures. You'll get to hear how this mindset has built several companies, including Maverick1000, The Cosmic Journal, and Evolved Enterprise. Through his stories of building companies, you'll learn how Yanik is rewriting the rules of business and cultivating a culture that creates more profits, more fun, and more impact. He believes that business can become one of the biggest levers for good, while also being good for business. Key Takeaways with Yanik Silver Making the difficult decision to listen to his gut and quit the family business. Yanik shares the story of building his first information product business, Instant Sales Letters—a company that made him money while he slept. Following your curiosity and pursuing ideas that interest you, even if you're unsure where they will lead. Why intentionality is more important to Yanik than setting specific goals. How almost going out of business helped Yanik create a better blueprint for what success looks like and gave him the direction to turn his Maverick1000 mastermind group into a thriving company. How Yanik builds businesses around Growth, Impact, and Fun and cultivates a culture that protects those values. Creating a die-hard community that cares deeply about your purpose and mission. The ethos behind Evolved Enterprise™ and why businesses can make an impact without compromising profits. Diving into the Evolved Profits business model—a no-cost opportunity for companies to reduce expenses while also making an impact in the world. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Ryan Daniel Moran is a serial entrepreneur, investor, author, and the founder of Capitalism.com, responsible for creating over 100 millionaires, many in 12 months or less. While Ryan's specialty is helping entrepreneurs make their first million, that's only a small piece of his overall business model. The company acts as an incubator for entrepreneurs with high growth potential. In return for a 30% equity stake in their business, Ryan provides them with funding, mentorship, and access to his network. Essentially, the community he coaches is a pipeline for future deal flow. His goal is to help them reach the $10M mark, exit within 3-5 years, rinse and repeat. In this episode, not only do we talk about Ryan's business model, but he explains how he uniquely structures the company to increase valuations, raise capital, and incentivize employees. We also dig into how he built Sheer Strength Labs, a muscle-building supplement brand that led to a $15M exit for him and his partner. Unfortunately, the private equity firm that bought it drove it into the ground. They took it from a million dollar per month top line revenue with multimillion-dollar EBITDA to a company that did just over $1M per year in sales and took home no profit. Five years later, Ryan bought the company back for pennies on the dollar. You'll learn why the existing company failed to scale, how exactly he was able to re-acquire it, and his plan to reposition the brand to bring it back to life. Key Takeaways with Ryan Moran How Ryan built and sold a $15M supplement brand, and why he bought it back 5 years later at a major discount. How Ryan's company, Capitalism.com, invests in entrepreneurs early on and takes a 30% equity stake in their businesses by agreeing to help them reach the $10M mark. Ryan's roadmap to reposition an existing brand, revitalize the product line, and acquire customers, so he can scale from $1M to $10M. Why good communication and understanding people is a superpower in your business. One of the biggest reasons entrepreneurs fail to scale between the $1M-10M mark. Why taking as much off the table as possible when exiting a company is so important. Ryan explains how putting out content leads to incredible community and connections. How to structure your company in a way that allows you to attract and retain top talent. Defining your customer avatar and creating product lines that serve them at different stages of life. The power of self-talk and how to use it to accomplish anything. What Ryan believes is the most effective sales strategy in the entire world. How your beliefs determine the filter through which you see the world. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Tom Shipley is a serial entrepreneur, eCommerce investor, strategic advisor, and speaker who has become one of the leading experts in omnichannel brand building. In 2005, Tom and his partner launched Atlantic Coast Brands and grew it into one of America's largest direct-to-consumer multi-brand companies. They generated over $2 billion in sales before successfully exiting in 2021. More recently, Tom co-founded two other companies, including Foundry, an e-commerce and Amazon brand aggregator, and AVA, which aims to acquire and scale 30 advertising agencies annually. In this episode, Tom shares his entrepreneurial journey and his process for building successful businesses. We dig into his mental frameworks and how shifting his operating assumptions and everything he thought he knew about growing a company led to him raising $100M in 18 months. You'll also discover why some companies never scale despite having the full potential and how to think like a billion-dollar brand builder, so you can reach levels of success you never imagined were possible. Key Takeaways with Tom Shipley How to become a category king by creating purple ocean opportunities—and an example of how Tom used this strategy to build his first billion-dollar brand. Want to buy a business with no money or track record? This is exactly how Tom acquired a $15M/year business when he was out of cash and fully leveraged. Tom went from $800k/month net positive to losing $600k/month six months later. Find out how he used Massive Imperfect Action to climb his way back to profitability. How Tom challenged his preconceived ideas of what was possible and grew from $35M to $100M in 18 months—all during the pandemic. Tom's framework for removing blinders, thinking big, and making the "impossible" a reality. What his company AVA is doing to disrupt how agencies grow. Learn about their process to scale at speed through acquisition and organic growth. The importance of expanding your product line. Understanding when it's okay to overpay for a deal. Return on relationship versus return on investment. Pulling enough money out of your business so you always have a plan B. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Michael Bernoff is the President and Founder of the Human Communications Institute, a leader in the personal and professional development industry dedicated to creating rapid and lasting change in people's lives. He believes that communication is an underdeveloped and underutilized asset that, if appropriately harnessed, can help someone achieve anything they want in life. He's used his strategies to help entrepreneurs, athletes, executives, Fortune 500 companies, and more. Today, we're talking specifically about how Michael's communication principles apply directly to the sales world. Although, selling isn't the term he would use to describe what he does best… Michael uses the power of communication as a tool to influence people into action. Instead of persuading someone to buy, which he believes serves his own self-interests, he empowers them to make a decision for themselves. In this episode, you'll learn the language that influences buying behavior, the psychology behind decision-making, and how to use emotion to overcome objections, so you can close more sales. Key Takeaways with Michael Bernoff How to charge more by creating extra value upfront—and an example of how to use this sales tactic when a prospect asks, "how much does it cost?" How Michael piques interest and attracts clients by saying and doing things differently than they expected. Find out why Michael never tells his team he's proud of them. Use this strategy to empower your customers to buy—not because you told them to, but because they wanted to. How good can you help somebody feel by empowering them to decide what they want to do? The psychology behind decision-making and why "I have to think about it" is just a buyer avoidance technique. Why average sucks and is the metric that controls your level of success in every area of life. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Ryan Deiss has founded dozens of companies and had multiple 8-figure exits. He created a name for himself in the marketing world through startups like DigitalMarkerter.com, War Room, and Traffic & Conversion Summit, the largest digital marketing conversion conference in North America. In this episode, we talk about hiring salespeople that are the right match for your ideal customers, the importance of building a sales process that doesn't rely exclusively on rockstar sales reps, and why building a brand and marketing are critical to scaling up. We also dig into Ryan's latest company, Scalable, which helps entrepreneurs build operating systems to scale their businesses without sacrificing freedom. You'll learn all about Ryan's process mapping framework, an approach to document and visualize how your company creates value from start to finish, so it can ultimately run without you. Key Takeaways with Ryan Deiss The biggest mistakes Ryan made when he started to serve enterprise-level clients. Why your approach to hiring and sales needs to change depending on who you're targeting (B2C vs. B2B). Slow to hire, quick to fire OR quick to hire, quick to fire? Important considerations you should be thinking about as you build your sales team. Reasons why you shouldn't rely too heavily on rockstar salespeople to scale your business. Business process mapping to visualize how your company creates value from start to finish. The million-dollar napkin that allowed Ryan to escape bankruptcy and scale his company. The 7 levels to scaling a business that Ryan's company teaches entrepreneurs. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

Randy Cohen is the owner of Z'Tejas (a renowned TexMex chain in Austin) as well as the Founder and Chief Energizing Officer (CEO) of TicketCity. He started TicketCity in 1990 with the goal to make it easier for fans to get tickets to their favorite events. Since then, the company has grown into one of the largest privately held ticket marketplaces in the world. By 96' he had reached $12M in sales. As the internet took off, and with the acquisition of SoldOut.com, company revenues surpassed $100M. In this episode, Randy shares the story of starting and scaling TicketCity into the company it is today. We discuss the challenges of running an event based business during Covid and how he kept all his staff happy and employed, despite being hit hard. We also dig into Randy's framework for building a culture of trust and empowering staff to make decisions on their own, while serving customers at the highest level. Key Takeaways with Randy Cohen The story of how TicketCity started and scaled its first $12M in sales by 1996. By 2000 the company reached $100M after acquiring SoldOut.com. Why Randy bought a failing restaurant and his philosophy around taking a chance on people who have a passion to win. How Randy navigated the struggle of running 2 event based businesses during Covid, without letting any staff go. The core values Randy instills in all of his staff that empowers them to make decisions on their own. The power of a morning huddle and how Randy energizes the people around him to be the best version of themselves. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥

David Hassell is the founder and CEO of 15Five, a performance management SaaS solution that helps companies create better managers and successful employees. Their software combines surveys, weekly check-ins, peer recognition, and people analytics all in one platform. In this episode, David and I talk about why he decided to raise capital after bootstrapping the business for 6 years. He explains his steps to grow from 50 employees and $6M in revenue to 300+ employees and closing a Series C financing round for $52M. We dig into his approach to company culture/core values, tactics for tracking and evaluating employee performance, hiring for fit versus skill, and more. Key Takeaways with David Hassell How 15Five got started and why David spent six years bootstrapping before taking on VC funding. He recently closed a Series C round for $52M. David's humanistic way for managing and leading people that allows his company to win, while also unlocking an employee's full potential. Why company culture can only be influenced, not controlled—and the 4 core values David's company stands behind. How to create a high performing team, without sacrificing a high level of care for your people. Tools and tactics for tracking and measuring employee performance across various roles and responsibilities. The pros/cons of using numerical ratings when evaluating performance. How often should you have performance reviews and check-ins? Hiring right fit people, both in terms of culture and skill set. How do you avoid subjectivity when evaluating candidates How the sales process changed as he grew from a 50 to 300+ person company. Subscribe to the Podcast We hope you enjoy this episode and that you find some golden nuggets within this interview. Trust us, it's there! If you want episodes delivered straight to your inbox, consider subscribing to the show and we'll email you each time a new episode is released! Thanks for tuning it & keep being awesome. BAM! 💥