The Business Strategist With Adam Strong

Adam Strong
  • 4.9 (29)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Weekly

The Business Strategist is the ultimate podcast for entrepreneurs, founders and business owners looking to scale, grow, and exit their businesses successfully. Hosted by Adam Strong, an award-winning strategist with over 30 years of industry experience and three times best selling author. Each episode delivers actionable business advice, practical tools, and insights to help you build a thriving enterprise. Whether you want to master leadership, craft a winning exit strategy, or implement proven scaling techniques, this podcast has you covered. With expert interviews, real-world case studies, and a focus on achieving business freedom, the business strategist is your go-to resource for taking your business to the next level. Tune in every week for new episodes designed to inspire, educate, and empower your entrepreneurial journey. Adam's Contact details LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong Is your business ready to run without you? Take the 2-minute Exit Readiness Assessment — a fast, strategic scorecard for founders who want to scale, sell, or step back without becoming the bottleneck. Get instant insights across leadership, systems, marketing, and more. Click here to take the assessment: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com

  1. Why Strategy Dies In Translation

    4d ago

    Why Strategy Dies In Translation

    Why does your strategy look perfect on paper but fall apart the moment you step out the room? In this episode I sat down with Kyle Harkema, researcher, executive leader, professor and author of Strategic Clarity, to unpack why so many founders feel like the only one who actually cares about the plan.  Kyle has spent two decades inside real businesses figuring out why growth stalls, and his answer surprised me. It isn't the market. It isn't the pricing. It isn't even the people. It's something quieter, sitting in the gap between what leadership says on Friday and what behaviour actually looks like Monday morning. We dig into the warning signs hiding in plain sight inside your business, the difference between agreement and alignment, and the moment most founders realise their company has been running them for years. Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ Timestamps 00:00 Understanding the Disconnect Between Strategy and Execution 04:00 The Role of Behaviour in Business Success 06:41 Communication vs. Alignment in Organisations 09:25 Identifying Misalignment and Its Causes 12:31 Recognising Warning Signs of Misalignment 15:04 Healthy vs. Dysfunctional Friction in Teams 17:53 Cultural Dysfunction vs. Strategic Misalignment 20:39 Adaptability and Alignment in Business Strategy 23:29 Understanding Leadership Disconnects 25:48 The SOI Framework Explained 27:39 The Role of Middle Management in Strategy 29:49 Scaling Challenges in Organisations 31:33 Lifestyle vs. Performance-Based Businesses 34:20 Operational Differences in Business Models 36:21 Practical Exercises for Identifying Misalignment 38:08 The Unique Approach of Kyle's Upcoming Book ABOUT THE GUEST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-harkema-dba/ YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@KyleJHarkema?ra=m Website: https://kylejharkema.com Gift: I’m offering 5 complimentary Strategic Alignment Briefings for leaders who feel like strategy is becoming difficult to execute consistently across teams. It’s a 30-minute executive conversation designed to help identify where strategy may be breaking down behaviourally inside the organisation. Just visit kylejharkema.com/connect and mention the podcast. ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    41 min
  2. The Invisible Tax Draining Your Business

    Jun 11

    The Invisible Tax Draining Your Business

    What if the thing quietly draining thousands from your business every year isn't your salary bill, your software stack, or even your team... but the hundreds of tiny decisions you make before lunch? In this episode I sit down with Barry Cryan, founder of Do More Better, who's coached over 6,000 entrepreneurs on how to work less and grow more. Barry's journey into this work didn't start in a boardroom. It started in a bathroom at work, locking the door for twenty minutes at a time, trying to function through undiagnosed Lyme disease. What he built to survive that period became the framework he now uses with six and seven figure founders. We get into the invisible tax most business owners are paying without realising, why your to-do list might be the problem (not the solution), and the small shift that helped one of his clients turn a day and a half of work into three hours. Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ Timestamps 00:00 The Invisible Tax on Business Decisions 07:18 Understanding Microdecisions and Their Impact 10:57 Conducting a Foundational Diagnostic Assessment 14:08 Maximizing Productivity Through Focus Blocks 19:11 Exploring the Flow State and Its Triggers 23:05 Understanding Flow Triggers and Friction Points 25:00 Revenue vs. Productivity: The Real Issue 27:47 The Invisible Tax of Low-Value Tasks 29:09 Filtering Noise for Better Focus 32:54 Coaching Session: Identifying Challenges 37:17 Structuring Time for Efficiency 40:59 Creating Predictable Processes for Success ABOUT THE GUEST www.barrycryan.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/barry-cryan-30158985/?skipRedirect=true https://www.instagram.com/cryanbarry/ 15-minute Founder Time Buyback Assessments (limited) https://www.domorebetter.ie/free_assessment ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    47 min
  3. The 7 Stages Of Growth Nobody Taught You

    Jun 4

    The 7 Stages Of Growth Nobody Taught You

    What if everything you've built over the last 15 years was only worth a fraction of what you thought? And what if the reason had nothing to do with how hard you worked? In this episode I sat down with Matthew Pohl, founder of the ReWild Group, author of 16 books and the guy who took 30 years of research across 1,500 businesses and turned it into something every founder needs to hear. We got into the hidden barriers nobody talks about. Why headcount, not revenue, determines your real stage of growth. Why most founders are playing a game they don't even know has levels. Value bombs from this episode  Find out the 7 stages of growth and why most founders get stuck between two of themLearn the people, process, profit ranking that most founders get completely wrongDiscover the builder vs protector ratio and why it changes at every stageHear the brutal truth about why your business might be worth less than you thinkGet the diagnostic question that reveals where you actually are versus where you think you are Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ Timestamps 00:00 The valuation that gut punched Matt after 15 years  02:23 The rude awakening every founder dreads  04:37 The business Matt built and why it nearly broke him  06:09 Status quo or take the risk, the decision point  08:10 Discovering James Fisher and the stages of growth  09:31 Tripling revenue in three years using the roadmap  11:42 Why headcount beats revenue every time  14:59 The seven stages of growth explained  20:23 Lifestyle business vs performance business  26:38 The identity shift most founders refuse to make  30:24 The practical exercise to diagnose your real stage  33:46 Coaching segment begins 3 5:30 The gates of focus, people, process, profit  38:00 My live ranking and what it revealed  42:00 Why Matt got it wrong for 12 years  48:16 The builder vs protector ratio  51:12 The layoff that crushed Matt's confidence  53:24 Final takeaways and where to find Matt ABOUT THE GUEST https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewepohl/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoGoEIyS19fnAdcSJBdlh3g Stages of Growth Video Series (Stages of Growth Online Series — The ReWild Group)  ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    52 min
  4. Uncertainty Is The Best Time To Grow

    May 28

    Uncertainty Is The Best Time To Grow

    Ever wonder why you're grafting harder than ever and the needle just won't shift? Dr Rebecca Homkes is back on the show after one of our most popular episodes of 2025. She lectures at London Business School, advises Fortune 500 companies, and wrote the bestseller Survive, Reset, Thrive.  We got into why most founders are stuck in the wrong mode without realising it, what the data is actually saying about the economy right now, and the shift in mindset that could change everything for your business over the next twelve months. If you've been blaming the market for your flatlining business, this one is a reality check.  Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ Value bombs  The reframe that changes how you handle uncertaintyWhy hustle culture is quietly killing your growthThe K-shaped economy and what it means for youThe 4 Cs every founder needs when the wheels come offThe strategy frameworks Rebecca has banned Chapters 00:00 Introduction: The Challenge of Business Growth 01:14 Meet Dr. Rebecca Homkes: Expert in Strategy and Leadership 02:04 Reframing Uncertainty as a Growth Opportunity 02:58 The Power of Market Noise Filtering 05:30 Agility as a Methodology, Not a Structure 07:23 Beliefs, Trends, and Signposts in Strategy 09:59 Data Insights on Global Economic Trends 14:11 Stock Market Reactions During Crises 15:56 Consumer Confidence and Spending Trends 19:15 Managing Survive and Reset Phases 21:43 What Does a Reset Look Like? 26:12 Building a Robust Reset Strategy 28:17 Execution, Agility, and Learning 29:30 Avoiding Hustle Culture: The Importance of Alignment 30:11 The Role of AI in Business Strategy 32:47 Myths and Realities of AI Replacing Jobs 35:48 Predictions for the Next 6-12 Months 36:17 The Power of Learning in Uncertainty 37:09 Final Thoughts and Recommendations Enjoyed today’s episode? Leave a review over on Apple or Spotify. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325 https://open.spotify.com/show/4vKVMmsZ4MwVooQOlEAzrd ABOUT THE GUEST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-homkes/ Book: https://amzn.eu/d/0g524Mac ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    39 min
  5. Land Your First Board Seat in 60 Days Without Doing This

    May 21

    Land Your First Board Seat in 60 Days Without Doing This

    Ever wondered why most board seats seem to go to the same handful of grey-suited blokes, while the rest of us are told to go off and buy a certificate? I sat back down with Callum Laing for a conversation that quietly flipped a few of my own assumptions. We got into how boards actually work behind the closed door, why most of what you've been told about landing one is nonsense, and the simple move that can put you on a board in weeks rather than years. I'll be honest, I came in thinking I knew the rules of this game. I left with a notebook full of stuff I'm now actively using. Callum Laing is a serial entrepreneur, ambassador, and bestselling author of four books, including his latest, Boardroom Blueprint. He's spent the last decade working in the gap between small business and public markets, helping founders take companies public while keeping control. He runs the Veblen Director Programme and lives in Singapore. Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com/ A few teasers from the chat: The board certification con (and who's really cashing in on it)The one-line pitch that gets you on a board without ever applyingWhy your first board seat should never be your final oneHow a 70-year-old retired entrepreneur turned a free advisory role into hundreds of thousandsThe five things you actually need to land proper board roles Chapters  00:00 Introduction 03:45 Creating and Joining Boards: Filling Gaps in Leadership and Small Businesses  11:42 Debunking Myths: Certifications and Best Practices in Board Membership  25:20 Promoting Diversity in Boardrooms: Challenges and Opportunities  26:42 Recognising Overlooked Points  28:52 The Power of Creating Your Own Board  29:43 Interest in Getting on Boards  35:56 The Value of Being a Foreigner on a Board  40:06 Compensation for Board Positions  44:43 Leveraging Board Experience  47:32 Tying Compensation to Results  50:55 The Veblen Director Program and Boardroom Blueprint ABOUT THE GUEST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/callumlaing/  X: https://x.com/laingcallum  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallumLaing  Book: https://bit.ly/BB-dbook  Audiobook: https://bit.ly/BB-AudioYT ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    53 min

  6. May 14

    How to Know When to Scale Your Business

    Most founders are convinced they're ready to scale. Most of them aren't. So how do you actually know the difference? The leads are coming in. The team's growing. Revenue's up. Then six months later you're more exhausted, more overwhelmed and somehow further from where you wanted to be. Sound familiar?  In this solo episode I'm walking through the five indicators I actually look for before I tell any founder they're ready to scale. I've pulled in real stories from clients I've worked with recently, including an architecture firm doing something most businesses would never dare to do, plus a few mistakes I've made in my own business that I'd rather you didn't repeat. Inside this episode The five numbers I track every single week (and the three most founders ignore)Why one firm I work with deliberately turns paying clients awayThe cash flow trap that hits hardest right when things feel goodThe team conversation you keep putting off and what it's quietly costing youWhy being brilliant at your craft can actually keep your business stuck Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics test and identify the gaps in your growth and scale model. Go here:  Enjoyed today’s episode? Leave a review over on Apple or Spotify. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325 https://open.spotify.com/show/4vKVMmsZ4MwVooQOlEAzrd Chapters 00:00 Identifying Market Demand for Business Growth 02:38 Understanding Cash Flow Dynamics 05:47 Streamlining Operations for Efficiency 08:25 Preparing Your Team for Expansion 11:38 Crafting a Clear Growth Plan ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    16 min
  7. The Exit Strategy 82% of Founders Get Wrong

    May 7

    The Exit Strategy 82% of Founders Get Wrong

    12 exits. $925 million. And Gregory Shepard told me the one thing that nearly destroyed every single one of them was something no founder ever sees coming. Gregory Shepard is a serial entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and author of The Startup Lifecycle who has spent five years researching why over 90% of startups fail using 210,000 case studies.  He walked me through the whiteboard technique he used to reverse engineer his own mistakes across three decades of building and scaling companies and the mindset shift around exit planning that changed everything.  We got into some really honest territory around what hustle culture actually cost him, why he believes the people giving founders advice on growth and valuation are often the ones doing the most damage, and a dead simple piece of exit strategy advice for business owners who think they have left it too late to sell.  This one is packed full of golden nuggets In this episode we cover The real reason most startups fail and why nobody talks about itThe question you should be asking yourself every week that could save your business years of painThe exit strategy mistake that keeps 82% of business owners trappedWhy the people you trust most might be giving you the worst adviceThe signal that tells you exactly when to sell before you are left without a chair Enjoyed today’s episode? Leave a review over on Apple or Spotify. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325 https://open.spotify.com/show/4vKVMmsZ4MwVooQOlEAzrd 00:00 Introduction 02:54 Reflections on Early Entrepreneurship 07:17 Learning from Mistakes 12:15 The Importance of Documentation 14:06 Pivotal Realisations in Business 20:47 The Impact of Hardship on Resilience 21:37 Balancing Multiple Startups 24:26 Motivation Behind the Hustle 26:30 Evolving Definitions of Wealth 27:43 Mindset Shifts in Exiting Businesses 31:34 Understanding Startup Failures 36:25 Navigating Bad Advice in Entrepreneurship 38:47 Navigating Startup Challenges 40:09 Defining a Startup 42:02 Lessons from High-Stakes Professions 44:56 Handling Business Fires 46:06 Moments of Brutal Honesty 48:39 The Importance of Altruistic Capitalism 49:08 Convincing Investors of Purpose 54:00 Understanding Exit Strategies 55:43 Selling to Competitors 57:25 Life After Exiting a Business 58:45 Future Aspirations and Legacy 01:02:05 Identifying Opportunities in Disruption 01:06:15 Timing Your Exit ABOUT THE GUEST Website: https://www.gregoryshepard.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregshepard ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    1h 9m
  8. Stop Solving Your Team's Problems: The Founder Trap That's Killing Your Business

    Apr 30

    Stop Solving Your Team's Problems: The Founder Trap That's Killing Your Business

    What if the reason your team won't step up is because you keep stepping in? I sat down with Elizabeth Lotardo, bestselling author of Leading Yourself, Harvard Medical School Institute of Coaching Fellow and the brain behind a LinkedIn course that's been taken by over two million people worldwide. We got into something I think every founder secretly wrestles with but rarely says out loud. The trap of being the one who solves everything. The hidden cost of caring too much. And why the high performer wiring that got you here is the exact thing keeping you stuck. Elizabeth pulled back the curtain on what actually goes on inside the heads of operators who can't switch off, and she walked me through five questions she coaches her clients to use that completely change the dynamic between you and your team. Then I let her coach me live on a belief I've carried around for years. I'll let you decide who came out on top. WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN Find out the three well-meaning beliefs that keep founders stuck in the weedsHear the five questions to ask when your team dumps a problem on your deskDiscover why your high performers are quietly planning their exitThe simple seven day tracking exercise that exposes the real damageWhy "no one can do it better than me" might actually be true (and what to do about it) If you've ever taken a laptop on holiday, answered Slack at 7am on a Sunday, or wondered why you can't seem to scale past yourself, this one's for you. Interested in freeing yourself in the business? Take the exit ready diagnostics assessment here: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com Enjoyed today’s episode? Leave a review over on Apple or Spotify. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-business-strategist-with-adam-strong/id1518654325 https://open.spotify.com/show/4vKVMmsZ4MwVooQOlEAzrd ABOUT THE GUEST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethlotardo ABOUT THE HOST LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong Website: ⁠https://adamstrong.net⁠ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong

    52 min
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About

The Business Strategist is the ultimate podcast for entrepreneurs, founders and business owners looking to scale, grow, and exit their businesses successfully. Hosted by Adam Strong, an award-winning strategist with over 30 years of industry experience and three times best selling author. Each episode delivers actionable business advice, practical tools, and insights to help you build a thriving enterprise. Whether you want to master leadership, craft a winning exit strategy, or implement proven scaling techniques, this podcast has you covered. With expert interviews, real-world case studies, and a focus on achieving business freedom, the business strategist is your go-to resource for taking your business to the next level. Tune in every week for new episodes designed to inspire, educate, and empower your entrepreneurial journey. Adam's Contact details LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamistrong YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/adamstrong Is your business ready to run without you? Take the 2-minute Exit Readiness Assessment — a fast, strategic scorecard for founders who want to scale, sell, or step back without becoming the bottleneck. Get instant insights across leadership, systems, marketing, and more. Click here to take the assessment: https://readytoexit.scoreapp.com

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