Welcome to Making Business Profitable with EBITDA Growth Systems, the podcast where business owners, leaders, and operators in manufacturing come to sharpen their edge, scale smarter, and build highly profitable companies. Hosted by Mike Watkins and Dave McKeown, co-founders of EBITDA Growth Systems, each episode delivers battle-tested insights, real-world stories, and step-by-step strategies on topics like sales and marketing pitfalls, workforce retention, ERP systems, turnaround culture, o ...
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A podcast for entrepreneurs – reverse engineering the formula for successful scale, sale and exit. Inspired conversations with world-class entrepreneurs and the specialists who support them.
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#70 - The Entrepreneurial Operating System – the blueprint for business success with Mike Paton of EOS.
1:13:24
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1:13:24Send us a text If you're a business owner or in a leadership role, this episode could genuinely change how you think about running and growing your company. My guest is Mike Paton, an entrepreneur and author who is one of the driving forces behind EOS—the entrepreneurial operating system We implemented EOS at my firm, Capital Partners, a few years …
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#69 The Entrepreneur Whisperer - How To Get Exit Ready with Damian Connolly
1:08:12
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1:08:12Send us a text The pod's strapline is "reverse engineering the formula for successful scale, sale, exit, and life on the other side," and that's exactly what we discuss in this episode—strategically reverse engineering success. My guest today is Damian Connolly, the founder of a boutique accountancy business that focuses specifically on getting fou…
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#68 Tax Planning Masterclass for business owners - Malli Kini: Head of Entrepreneurs at Blick Rothenberg
1:02:59
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1:02:59Send us a text Welcome back to the latest episode of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast. I’m your host Alan Smith and right from day one my goal for this pod was to provide a valuable resource for all UK founders and business owners. And therefore I’m delighted today to bring you a masterclass in tax planning from one of the UK’s leading lights i…
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#67 How to Create an Unbreakable Mindset - Graeme Godfrey, Entrepreneur and Coach to High-Growth Business Owners.
1:14:16
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1:14:16Send us a text Hello and welcome back to the latest episode. We took a short break, but now we’re back. We've moved into a proper recording studio and launched our own YouTube channel. So you prefer to watch the discussion, please check out the link below and subscribe to our free newsletter as well. Our guest, Graeme Godfrey, is a successful entre…
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Season 5 - Episode 8 - Business Growth - Whats Negotiating Worth To You
23:34
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23:34Season 5, Episode 8 of Making Business Profitable is here! Join Mike and Dave as they dive deep into today's topic - "Whats Negotiating Worth To You." How can negotiating properly help you make the most money you can? A huge part of your business you need to focus on!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Season 5 - Episode 7 - Radical Transparency - How To Grow Your Company
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18:39Season 5, Episode 7 of Making Business Profitable is here! Join Mike and Dave as they dive deep into today's topic - "Radical Transparency." How can being transparent help you, your business and your success? This is an overlooked aspect that can help your business!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Season 5 - Episode 6 - Walk a mile in my boots for a great customer experience
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23:15Season 5, Episode 5 of Making Business Profitable is here! Join Mike and Dave as they dive deep into today's topic - "Walk a mile in my boots for a great customer experience." How can you improve your customer experience for your customers? A very imporant aspect that will help your business!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Season 5, Episode 5 - Maximizing Your Value
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22:50Season 5, Episode 5 of Making Business Profitable is here! Join Mike and Dave as they dive deep into "Maximizing Your Value." Learn actionable strategies to increase your worth in the marketplace and boost your bottom line. Don't miss out on this crucial episode!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Season 5 - Episode 4 - Sales and Marketing the Achilles Heel
23:18
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23:18Join Mike & Dave on Episode 4 of Season 5! Today, the guys talk about Sales & Marketing and how they are the achilles heel of many companies.By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Season 5, Episode 3 - Relationships are Paramount
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17:02Join Mike and Dave as they discuss how important relationships are for you business!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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#66 - Joe Bryan - Creator of ‘What’s The Problem?’ The Most Important Video You’ll Watch This year. The future of money, business and wealth.
1:37:18
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1:37:18Send us a text Welcome to the latest episode of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur - a podcast for founders, owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. As anyone in business knows, things are tough out there. Inflation is driving up the costs of everything, including staff wages, rent, and supplies. Tax is at its highest level in 70 years and is about to rise fu…
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#65 From selling software to the CIA to a Multi-Million $ Exit. Lessons in business and life from tech entrepreneur Adam Rossi
1:12:51
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1:12:51Send us a text This is the first episode of 2025 and I’m delighted to bring you a really insightful and valuable conversation I had recently with Adam Rossi from Washington DC in the United States. Adam is a born entrepreneur and always knew that he wanted to build his own company and be in control of his destiny. And so he launched a tech startup …
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Season 5 - Episode 2 - Planning Tools you need to know!
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16:04Join Mike and Dave for Episode 2 of Season 5! Today, the guys talk about the planning tools you NEED to know about to help you create a successful 2025!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Season 5 - Episode 1 - Welcome to the EGS Community
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14:13Welcome to SEASON 5!! On today's episode, Mike and Dave discuss the EGS Community. We are so THANKFUL each of you are part of the EGS journey.By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Season 4, Episode 6 - The Secret to Greatness is FOCUS
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20:27Join us for Episode 6 of Season 4 of the Making Business Profitable! Today we talk about the Secret to Greatness is FOCUS!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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#64 Never Sell Your Business for an EBITDA Multiple - 6 x Exited Founder Mack Lackey on designing your perfect exit strategy.
1:16:32
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1:16:32Send us a text My guest today is Mac Lackey has a fascinating story and some original insights that I think you’re going to like and get a lot out of, especially if you’re building your company towards an exit - and let’s face it all, business owners are doing that in one form or another. When his original ambition to become a professional football…
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#63 Richard Farleigh (Dragon’s Den) - Succeeding Against All the Odds
1:25:20
1:25:20
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1:25:20Send us a text You may be familiar with today’s guest, Richard Farleigh, a high-profile entrepreneur, former Dragon on the TV show Dragon’s Den, and member of the Sunday Times Rich List. The successes are well documented - but Richard’s start in life couldn't have been much worse. Born into a family of 11 children with an alcoholic father, they tra…
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#62 Paul Luen - A serial entrepreneur and the author of Eight Figure Entrepreneur: Scale Up While Living A Balanced, Adventurous And Happy Life
1:10:19
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1:10:19Send us a text Paul is a serial entrepreneur who has started, scaled up and sold several businesses, invested in many others, and is now building yet another company. He also advises and mentors several other founders and business owners. Through his personal and business experiences, he’s effectively created a success blueprint for any business ow…
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#61 - Budget Special with Josie Day and Richard Jameson from leading tax advisers Saffery
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46:31Send us a text Welcome to a special episode of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast. One issue that has been dominating the conversations online and in person for business owners over the last few days has been the budget. October 30th was a very significant day. It was the first labour budget for almost 15 years and the first by a female Chancello…
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#60 From an idea dreamed up at a cricket match to a £ multi-million exit, Magnus Willis, co-founder of Sparkler on his entrepreneurial journey.
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1:17:02Send us a text We’re publishing this episode just before the Autumn 2024 Budget, when Rachel Reeves will share her vision of how she plans to improve the country’s economy. I really hope she understands how valuable the start-up and entrepreneurial economy is in the UK and that she’ll encourage it and ensure its continued success. Today’s guest is …
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#59 Pre Budget Special - A Tax Planning Masterclass for Business Owners with Nimesh Shah, CEO of Blick Rothenberg
1:08:36
1:08:36
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1:08:36Send us a text This show is all about reverse engineering the successful scale, sale, and exit of your business and enjoying life on the other side. And for every successful business owner, smart tax planning is crucial to business growth and future sale. Whether it's corporation tax, PAYE, income tax, dividends, or VAT, , they all play a part and …
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The Chocolate Entrepreneur - Helen Pattinson, founder of Montezuma, on scaling, exiting, and then returning to save her company.
1:32:42
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1:32:42Send us a text Our guest today is Helen Pattinson, a former lawyer who left behind a promising career to embark on a bold and, at times, uncertain new path—one that would ultimately lead to a flourishing business, Montezuma Chocolate. But this story is far from straightforward. Helen doesn’t just share the wins—she takes us through the moments of d…
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From a council flat with an outside loo to a millionaire fintech entrepreneur. Lessons in business and life with Jason Butler
1:32:29
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1:32:29Send us a text Hello, and welcome back to the latest episode of the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast. I’m your host, Alan Smith. In this episode, I speak with someone I’ve known for many years, and as you’re about to discover, he’s a force of nature! His name is Jason Butler, and although I’ve known him for a long time, I had no idea just how chall…
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“I sold my business for millions, and then tragedy struck.” An Inspiring Story of Success, Passion, and Resilience - Elizabeth Hopkins
1:24:57
1:24:57
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1:24:57Send us a text My guest, Elizabeth Hopkins, candidly shares her inspiring journey through the ups and downs of life as a founder entrepreneur who has experienced everything that life has to offer, including scaling a business to a multi-million-pound exit, but then having to deal with the worst kind of tragedy immediately after. As Liz mentions, sh…
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John Rood: Beyond the Exit - An Entrepreneur's Blueprint for Life After Sale.
1:20:01
1:20:01
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1:20:01Send us a text Our guest, John Rood, hails from Chicago, USA. John and his wife built an education business which they later sold to a private equity firm for a life-changing sum of money. And to some degree, that’s where his problems started... ‘Life after exit’ was far from plain sailing for John, despite the fact that he was now financially secu…
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Marc Adams - Secrets to 10xing Your Business Value and Cashing Out Tax-Free
1:08:49
1:08:49
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1:08:49Send us a text My guest today, Marc Adams, is the author of a book by the same title and has spent nearly four decades deep in the trenches of business and entrepreneurship. His extensive experience, from a career in corporate life to setting up his own business, has given him a unique perspective on the ups and downs of life as an entrepreneur. A …
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Josh Keegan - Key Lessons in Building A Thriving, High Profit Business: The Secrets Your Accountant Didn't Tell You.
1:07:56
1:07:56
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1:07:56Send us a text This podcast is for entrepreneurs, reverse engineering the formula for successful scale, sale, and exit—inspired conversations with world-class entrepreneurs and the specialists who support them. I came up with that strapline when I launched the pod a couple of years ago, as that’s exactly what I wanted to create—a resource that, if …
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Phil Bray - From Failure to Success; “I lost my business, my house and my car - and then used the lessons I learned to build a successful business”
1:06:29
1:06:29
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1:06:29Send us a text This podcast is for business owners and entrepreneurs - reverse engineering your way to success through inspiring conversations. And the conversation you're about to hear is truly inspiring. I'm conscious that many of the guests I've had on the podcast over the last couple of years have shared stories of incredible success. But anyon…
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S03E19 - Joanna Jensen, founder of Child’s Farm (£40m exit) on what it really takes to succeed as an entrepreneur.
1:28:54
1:28:54
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1:28:54Send us a text Joanna Jensen is the founder of Child's Farm, the hugely successful baby and child skincare company that was recently sold for £40m. This is one of the most inspiring conversations I’ve had since we launched the podcast. Joanna is a fabulous storyteller, and her enthusiasm is infectious! Hers is an amazing story of grit, resilience, …
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S03E18 - Alexis Sikorsky - The True Story of Selling My Company to Private Equity for $100 Million
1:15:19
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1:15:19Send us a text Welcome back to the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast, where we delve into the minds of experienced entrepreneurs and uncover their secrets to success. I’m your host, Alan Smith, and I’m really excited to bring you my conversation with today’s guest, Alexis Sikorsky. Alexis is an entrepreneur who built a software business from the gro…
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S03E17 - James McLaughlin - I sold my business for millions and then lost it all! Lessons for entrepreneurs planning a sale.
1:20:17
1:20:17
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1:20:17Send us a text If you’re a business owner who plans to sell your business one day, this episode is essential listening. Picture this: You've poured years of your life into a business, helping to build it from the ground up, and then the business is sold. As a result, you receive a seven-figure sum, and you’re financially secure. Or at least you hop…
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S03E16 - Peter Cowley - Public Success, Private Grief
1:24:04
1:24:04
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1:24:04Send us a text Peter Cowley is one of Europe’s best-known angel investors and active supporters of entrepreneurship. He studied computer science at Cambridge and founded his first company in 1984. Since then, he’s launched no less than 12 companies, some of which he exited from successfully, some of which failed, and one that is still going over 40…
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Onboarding is how you keep employees from jumping ship! - Season 4, Episode 5
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14:51Join Mike & Dave as they dig into a big part of keeping your employees happy and for a long time - onboarding!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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S03E15 - Jeremy Harbour - A serial entrepreneur reveals the secret to building incredible value in your business.
1:05:18
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1:05:18Send us a text I’m pleased to share a fascinating conversation I had recently with Jeremy Harbour, one of the most successful and experienced entrepreneurs around. Jeremy is a born entrepreneur who started selling jeans, watches, and even Cadbury creme eggs at age 11! He left school at 15 and has gone on to build, buy, and sell multiple companies. …
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Are you holding your company back with a Everest Summit Mountaineer - Season 4, Episode 4
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25:19This is an amazing episode! We can't even tease it enough...listen for yourself and see if you are holding your business back.By EBITDA Growth Systems
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S03E14 - Russ Haworth - On The Business of Family
1:12:38
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1:12:38Send us a text Let me set the scene by telling you that one of my all-time favourite TV shows is "Succession”. It's a fascinating tale of a wealthy family wrapped up in the complexities of their business empire led by the founder and patriarch, Logan Roy, brilliantly portrayed by the actor Brian Cox. If you haven't watched it yet, I highly recommen…
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The Hard Truth about Scheduling | Season 4, Episode 3
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18:43Join Mike & Dave as they discuss something you need to remember each day - how to schedule...properly. You may not think this is a vital part of your success, but it is!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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How to ask for a raise | Season 4, Episode 2
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23:50Join Mike & Dave as they discuss something every employee needs to know about - how do you go about asking for a raise?By EBITDA Growth Systems
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S03E13 - How to increase the value of your business 12x and get ‘exit ready’ - Business Mentor of the Year, Christine Nicholson.
1:27:08
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1:27:08Send us a text Let me start by sharing some statistics with you, which I find rather shocking. 90% of SMEs are unsellable 50% close down for zero value Only one in 2,000 are sold for the full market value. It was today’s guest, Christine Nicholson, who shared that data with me, and as awful as the numbers are, the good news is that she’s developed …
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S03E12 Alex Chisnall - What working with Sir Richard Branson taught me about entrepreneurship, resilience and taking big risks.
1:18:53
1:18:53
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1:18:53Send us a text Alex Chisnall is the creator and host of one of the UK’s leading podcasts called Screw It Just Do It and is now a highly successful entrepreneur in the content creation space. The name of his podcast is a reference to the time he spent working at Virgin and observing his then-boss, Sir Richard Branson, at close quarters. Screw It Let…
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S03E11 - Rand Fishkin, the founder who turned down a $250 million offer, reveals the painful truth about life as an entrepreneur.
1:11:28
1:11:28
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1:11:28Send us a text My guest today, Rand Fishkin, is the author of one of the best business books I’ve ever read, and trust me, I’ve read a lot of business books! It’s called Lost and Founder, and it charts his journey as a marketing tech business entrepreneur who raised money from Venture Capital investors and was growing at 100% year on year. It’s a r…
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Is having an overseas partner good for you? | Season 4, Episode 1
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14:54Welcome to Season 4 of the Making Business Profitable Podcast! On Episode 1, Mike & Dave discuss a questions many shops are asking - Is having an overseas partner a good idea?By EBITDA Growth Systems
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S03E10 - Ray Trapani from Bitconned (now streaming on Netflix) - an insider’s experience of investing in cryptocurrency.
1:15:05
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1:15:05Send us a text Hello, and welcome back to the Bulletproof Entrepreneur podcast, the first of 2024. We’ve got something special for you to kick off the New Year! ‘Bitconned” is currently one of the top shows streaming on Netflix around the world is and it features my guest Ray Trapani. It tells the story of 3 young hustlers who get caught up in the …
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Season 3 Success Stories | Season 3, Episode 27
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18:21Join Mike & Dave as they look back at what an amazing year we had during season 3 of the Making Business Profitable podcast! Stay tuned, Season 4 will start very soon!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Beating the Whirlwind | Season 3, Episode 26
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15:25Join Mike & Dave as they talk about how you can find peace amongst the whirlwind! Episode 26 of Season 3 is LIVE!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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Join Mike and Dave as they share some thoughts on what you should be thinking about - your next 5 moves!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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S03E09 - Victor Haghani - Author of The Missing Billionaires, discusses how entrepreneurs can build and keep wealth.
1:30:53
1:30:53
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1:30:53Send us a text Most business owners that I know aren't entirely focused on making money or on the financial rewards, but nevertheless, creating economic security for you and your family is a vital part of why you started your business in the first place. So whether you sell your business in the future or simply use it as a vehicle to build your per…
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Preparation gives you Peace | Season 3, Episode 24
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15:28Join Mike & Dave for Episode 24 of Season 3 as they discuss how you can have peace - it is all in the preparation!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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How your ERP can be a huge sales tool with special guest Paul VanMetre | Season 3, Episode 23
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15:45We have a treat for you today! Our friend Paul VanMetre joined us for episode 23 of season 3 of the Making Business Profitable ! We discuss how ERP can be a huge sales tool!By EBITDA Growth Systems
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S03E08 - Bruce Whitfield - The Secret Sauce of Successful Entrepreneurship - learned from 50,000 interviews with business leaders.
1:04:05
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1:04:05Send us a text I was in Cape Town a couple of months ago, speaking at a conference, and I was in the audience to witness one of the best keynote speeches I’ve ever seen, certainly the best keynote on the subject of entrepreneurship. The speaker was Bruce Whitfield, who is a big-name broadcaster in South Africa, hosts his own daily business show and…
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