Business Value Booster Program

09/15/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰 𝗗’𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂

Actually I deviate from the 4D’s used by the industry so we aren’t always dwelling on horrible consequences. A previous post discusses the positive reasons you might decide to step away from the business, even though they can arise unexpectedly: true retirement, pursuing another opportunity, or unexpected purchase offer.

Even though those are positive events, the truth is that they won’t work out well, or may not even happen at all, if your business is not prepared and you are not prepared. But at least you have some choices.

Then there are the 4 D’s. When they show up, you don’t get to choose. You just have to deal with them.

For many advisors, these are Death, Disease, Disillusionment, and Divorce. Some take it to a fine art, adding sub-species of these creatures. And there are other considerations, such as a Downturn in the market. I am sure if you dwell on it a while, you’ll come up with half a dozen other scenarios that could force you to step back from the business for a few weeks if not indefinitely.

And the big question is, will be business still be there when you get back?

Check out the free Someday Risk Assessment tool on our Resources page on the Business Value Booster website.

09/08/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 “𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘆”?

Someday... someday... someday. Most small business owners are too busy keeping up with today to "waste" time on something that won't affect them until Someday. The problem is that if you're not ready for Someday when it shows up on its own schedule (not yours), it's too late to do anything about it.

And the things you can do to get ready for Someday also make your business more enjoyable to own (less late nights and nightmares, less arguments with the family about when you're going to make time for them) in the meantime.

The exit planning industry uses a "4-D" list, or variations of it with even more causes, but those are all negative (death, divorce, disability, downturns in the industry). It's also possible that something positive comes up. You could be offered the opportunity to become a player in another potentially lucrative business, or take on a fantastic job assignment - but they require you to give them near-full-time attention. Maybe you acquire a dream property on the other side of the country. You'll need to be able to transfer that business to someone else fairly quickly, and that can only happen if the business (and you!) are ready for that transition when the opportunity arises.

Or, of course, the bad-guy versions of Someday could be the ones that show up uninvited.

If you'd like to know whether you and your business are ready for Someday, there's a quick free assessment in the Resouces tab of our website (https://:businessvaluebooster.com).

09/01/2026

Just released the second edition of the Business Value Booster Method. First version was more geared towards people actively thinking about selling a business. This one refocuses on owners who aren't having that thought yet. Many of them will be wondering whether they own their business of it owns them - that's a red flag for being able to keep it up in the long-term. This version shows you how to reduce the business depending on you so much and how to remove some key issues that are posing maybe-unnoticed risks every day. More than worth the price of a fancied-up latte.

Previously published as The Business Value Booster Method, by Douglas M. Brown. This new edition goes beyond just those who are planning to sell their businesses in the near future. It also contains several practical exercises so readers can actually do those steps instead of just reading about w...

08/07/2026

I'm not for everyone.

I’m not the coach who’s going to tell you it’s easy.
Or pretend you won’t have moments when you want to quit.
Or sell you some fantasy that you can have everything you want without showing up for it.

BUT

If you’re TRULY tired of working 50+ hours a week, never taking a vacation, and missing out on family time
If you’re finally convinced that you’re not going to change your habits by yourself…
If you’re ready for someone to stand with you while you figure it out…
And if you’re truly ready for having the time to do what is important to you, not just what is important to your business…

Truly having it, not just nursing the idea of it...

I’ve got 3 spots open next week for Owner Overload Diagnostic sessions.

No pressure. Just a real conversation with someone who cares.
And I won’t even ask you to work with me AT ALL. You decide whether you genuinely believe we should work together.
Drop VACATION below if you feel like it’s time.

I limit the number of clients I can work with effectively. After this next week, I may not be opening up Owner Overload Diagnostic sessions again for a while.

08/06/2026

I’m looking for a few small business owners to work with closely who are:
- Working 50+ hours a week and
- Feel that they cannot possibly take a real 14+ day vacation.
BUT
- Want to regain control of their business to the point that they can (and do) within the next 90 days confidently take a 7-day absence without the business collapsing.

You’ll also gain the skills to make your business much more fun to own, to be able to safely take a full 30 days away from the business, and also more valuable when you do decide to step away, with ongoing support.

So if you...
1. Are ready to start owning your business instead of it owning you
2. Are capable of allowing your employees to do their jobs without you standing over them
3. Are 100% committed to doing the work
4. And you are coachable…
Then this might be for you.

Drop the word VACATION below and I’ll send you the next steps.

08/05/2026

The time I almost gave up...

Even though I have worked with over a hundred owners and buyers and shown them what makes a business valuable many times,

I know what it's like to struggle with being the one that the business depends on.
Because years ago...that struggle consumed me.
I know what it’s like to wake up and think about digging more money out of my personal savings to cover payroll and vendors.
And to lay down at night thinking about how to generate more sales.
Then I found out what “really bad” could be. My Reserve unit got activated with orders to deploy to the Middle East. And there I was with hundreds of thousands of dollars in leases for office space and vehicles – or keep the business going from 10,000 miles away.
So, I know how painful it can be.

And, I know what it’s like to be on the other side of it.
To have a life where you wake up to working on the things that are most important to making your business bigger and better – when you want to; and doing things that aren’t business related at all when you want to – like your children’s big events, your family vacations, your community service activities. Whatever is important to you.
The best part is that business becomes worth something if you do need to step away. Which will put you in a small club of about 6 percent of small business owners.
And I want this kind of life for all small business owners!
Which is why I do the work that I do.

If you, or a business owner you know of, is struggling with long working hours and never being able to step away for a couple of weeks or more, then the business owns you. I'd love to help you get back to you owning it and making it work for you.
I’m opening 5 Owner Overload Diagnosis Sessions this week.
No charge. My gift to you.

If you'd like one of these spots, drop the word "IN" below...or send me a private message

08/04/2026

The Fear That’s Been Holding Me Back...

Even though I have owned and sold my own business and have worked with over a hundred business owners and buyers, I have to admit that I have hesitated to go out and offer help to other business owners because I wanted to make my approach absolutely polished and professional first.

But that changes this week!

It’s professional but maybe not completely perfect. But that can be tweaked over time. That’s not a reason to avoid helping people who need help now.

Because I know there are so many small business owners who are working much too hard (over 50 hours a week) and cannot step away from the business, and want to start owning their business instead of it owning them.

[Crass request: a like or comment to this post might get it to the eyes of the person that really needs that help!]

07/21/2026

Interesting set of quadrants with only one good scenario for a business owner. With great respect for Seth Godin , the assessment is flawed in one place: assuming that the government is the one who should be finding you a better job if you are a good but abused or unappreciated employee. Especially in the post-COVID market, you will find no shortage of people wanting to hire someone who will do more than cash the paychecks, if they show up at all. But under any circumstance it would be better to rely on yourself than on the government. What it gives it can take away, even if only by mistake.

It’s a dance between workers, bosses and the market. The most stable quadrant happens when a thoughtful and consistent boss hires the right person, pays them fairly, creates positive working …

06/09/2026

Whenever I ask a business owner, small or large, what the number one challenge is, the answer is always “people”. For larger businesses, it is managing the large numbers, the many compliance rules, and how to promote for the future while weeding out the disrupters. For small businesses, it’s much more basic than that.
• “How can I find people who are willing to work?”
• “How can I keep them once they come on board?”

Yes, the post-COVID world. But sooner or later we have to get past that.

One of the main reasons that employees don’t stick is that they aren’t clear as to what is expected once they are hired. Some of that may be an unrealistic view of the world now that the helicopter moms can’t save them, but there are a lot of small businesses that say one thing when they are hiring and another when the job has to get done.

Are you relying on boilerplate job descriptions handed down from your former corporate job? Your business doesn’t operate like that. Having a recruiter or an AI generate a position description, again based on thousands of other firms, isn’t going to match the reality either. You need more staff members to do very specific things, many of which cross over “traditional” roles. Tell them what those things are. Show them, if they come in for an interview. Let them get their hands dirty for a day – if they are willing.

Let them self-select out before hiring them; for the ones who accept, let them do the job you need to have done, which would be the same as the one they thought they were hired for. When you’re crystal clear on that, it will be a lot easier to attract the kinds of people who want to do that. They’re out there; they just didn’t know you were looking for them.

It’s not completely simple to define new, unique job roles, but they don’t have to be pages and pages of mumbo-jumbo. One of the elements of the Business Value Booster Program is to have the right people working at the right jobs – right for them and right for you.

06/02/2026

Are you feeling overwhelmed as a business owner? With so many responsibilities, it's easy to feel like you're drowning.

Everyone tells you “delegate” or “outsource”. But who can you trust to do things right? Where will you get the time to train them? It’s easier, faster, and cheaper to just keep on doing it yourself.

That’s a nice thought until you’re not able to be there for several days or maybe for weeks.

What if there was a way to regain your time and start owning your business instead of it owning you? And do it safely, without risking your business collapsing in your absence or taking on several new employees?

Find out how at Business Value Booster Program and take a free test ride on our Starter Kit to see if it will work for you.