エピソード

  • John Solleder on Building People, Purpose & Value That Lasts

    John Solleder on Building People, Purpose & Value That Lasts
    2025/10/22

    In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy, host Sam Penny sits down with entrepreneur, author, and mentor John Solleder, whose 40-year career has been dedicated to one thing: helping people unlock their potential. From humble beginnings in New Jersey to building international, people-driven enterprises, John has spent decades proving that leadership, discipline, and personal growth are the foundations of lasting business value.

    Together, Sam and John unpack how to:

    • Build equity by developing people first.
    • Balance personal discipline with business agility.
    • Use technology and AI without losing the human touch.
    • Attract the right people and culture to scale beyond yourself.
    • Stay relevant across decades of change in marketing, mindset, and media.

    🧭 Key Topics Covered

    • The defining moment that launched John’s lifelong focus on mentorship and growth — inspired by Ronald Reagan’s 1983 commencement speech.
    • Success habits that compound: getting up early, staying consistent, and making each hour count.
    • How to pivot and stay agile, from cassette tapes and flyers to podcasts and AI.
    • The power of brand values and why personal integrity outlasts any tool or platform.
    • Leadership for the next decade — blending human empathy with technological fluency.
    • Equity as more than money: how to build reputation, culture, and enterprise value that endures.
    • Personal discipline & health — how John lost 40 kilos, redefined his diet, and turned lifelong habits into business fuel.

    💡 Key Quotes

    “Success isn’t luck — it’s design.” – John Solleder
    “For things to change, you have to change. For things to get better, you have to get better.”
    “Don’t let people rent space in your head unless they’re paying rent in positivity.”
    “Exercise is king, nutrition is queen — put them together and you build a kingdom.”
    “Businesses don’t scale — people do.” – Sam Penny

    🔑 Actionable Takeaways

    1. Discipline beats motivation. Go to bed early, get up early, and work like the future is now.
    2. Become a student of your craft. Read, listen, and learn constantly — success leaves clues.
    3. Build equity through people. Invest in culture and leadership, not just systems.
    4. Embrace change with agility. New tools don’t replace you; they multiply your reach if used right.
    5. Protect your mental bandwidth. Remove negativity and surround yourself with growth-minded people.

    📚 Mentioned in the Episode

    • Leaving Nothing to Chance and Equity by John Solleder
    • The Seasons of Life – Jim Rohn
    • Good to Great – Jim Collins
    • Influences: Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, Earl Nightingale, Mary Kay Ash

    🔗 Connect with John Solleder

    • Website: JohnSolleder.com

    • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johnsolleder

    • Books: Leaving Nothing to Chance | Equity | Moving Up 2020 (available via Amazon & JohnSolleder.com)
    • Podcast: Leave Nothing to Chance
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 5 分
  • Culture Branding: How to Build a Company That Moves 56x Faster — with Nader Safinya

    Culture Branding: How to Build a Company That Moves 56x Faster — with Nader Safinya
    2025/10/15
    In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy, host Sam Penny sits down with Nader Safinya, founder of Black Ribbit and creator of the Culture Branding™ methodology — a powerful framework that bridges brand, culture, and leadership to accelerate decision-making and deepen loyalty inside and outside organisations.Over two decades, Nader has worked across continents and industries to help businesses design cultures that live their values, not just print them on a wall. He reveals how aligning core beliefs across employees and customers can make decisions up to 56 times faster, boost retention, and drive measurable growth.From his multicultural upbringing to the birth of Black Ribbit and the development of the Culture Brand Filter — an AI-driven decision-making system — Nader shares how empathy, consistency, and design thinking can transform both company culture and bottom-line results.🧠 Key Themes Covered1. The Origins of a Culture BuilderGrowing up across Iran, Indonesia, France, and the US, Nader’s early life taught him to observe human behaviour and cultural dynamics. He credits his mother’s legendary parties — where CEOs and housekeepers mingled as equals — for teaching him the power of consistent treatment and emotional safety.2. The Birth of Black RibbitWhat started as a misread tattoo shop in Munich turned into a global agency name — and an ethos. Frogs, as Nader later discovered, symbolise empathy, transformation, and guidance across cultures. “It was fate — or as my mum would say, kismet,” he laughs.3. Defining Your Core ValuesBefore he could define company values, Nader had to define his own. After a decade-long personal transformation, he identified his three non-negotiables — reliability, compassion, and deliberate action — values that now underpin every decision at Black Ribbit.4. What Is Culture Branding?Traditional branding focuses on customers. Culture Branding connects both sides of the business — employees and customers — through shared values and consistent experiences. It ensures that what companies say aligns with what they do.“Culture Branding bridges the gap between what companies say and what they do — by designing the customer and employer brand simultaneously.”5. The Culture Brand FilterThe heart of the framework is a powerful AI-driven tool that helps organisations make values-based decisions at speed.“We had clients who’d been deliberating for 12 months and solved it in 12 minutes,” Nader explains.The tool ensures decisions align with three core values, increasing clarity, trust, and cohesion across teams.6. Quantifying the ImpactCulture Branding has delivered dramatic results:56x faster decision-making96% increase in customer loyalty$2M saved in staff retention43% reduction in hiring costsYet the greatest ROI, Nader says, is time — “the one thing holding us back from becoming better humans.”7. The Challenge of ImplementationDespite its success, many companies hesitate to act. “It’s fear,” Nader admits. “They ask, ‘What do we get?’ — even as I show them the data. But what they’re really missing is the willingness to install the program, not just buy it.”8. AI, Humanity, and the Future of CultureNader warns that if businesses don’t integrate empathy and values into their systems now, “we risk becoming cattle to the machine.”“Culture Branding gives humans back time. It lets technology handle the monotonous so we can get back to being better humans.”9. Practical Steps for LeadersIf you want to apply Culture Branding in your business this week:Look in the mirror — Ask yourself, “Would you want to work for you?”Ask your team and customers — “Why do you want to work here or buy from us?”Read your reviews — Identify what feedback is consistent, good or bad, and act on it.“Consistent behaviour elicits consistent responses. That’s how trust is built.”💬 Memorable Quotes“Consistent behaviour elicits consistent responses — and that’s the foundation of brand trust.” “Culture Branding designs the inside and the outside of your business at the same time.” “Time is the only thing holding us back from becoming better humans.” “If your values change with your product, you don’t have values — you have preferences.”🏁 Final TakeawayAligning your brand and culture isn’t a marketing exercise — it’s a business accelerator. When your team and customers tell the same story about who you are, your company moves faster, makes better decisions, and becomes magnetic to the right people.Clarity of values leads to clarity in decisions — and clarity drives growth.🔗 Connect with Nader SafinyaWebsite: blackribbit.comPodcast: Frog TalkLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nadersafinya
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 3 分
  • Culture That Sells: Chris Dyer on Transparency, Trust & Remote Leadership

    Culture That Sells: Chris Dyer on Transparency, Trust & Remote Leadership
    2025/10/08

    When it comes to building a business people actually want to buy, it’s not just about profits — it’s about people.

    In this episode, Chris Dyer, bestselling author, culture consultant and former CEO of PeopleG2, joins Sam Penny to unpack how company culture directly drives performance, profitability and business valuation.

    Long before remote work became mainstream, Chris built one of America’s most recognised “Best Places to Work,” scaling a fully virtual company through the GFC and eventually selling it — all by putting culture first.


    From his Seven Pillars of Culture to radical transparency, and why he ditched one-on-one meetings for faster decision-making, this conversation reveals how culture isn’t soft — it’s a hard-edge advantage that creates enterprise value buyers can see and feel.

    In this episode:

    • How Chris turned a struggling business during the GFC into an Inc. 5000 success story
    • Why transparency (even sharing your P&L) boosts profitability and trust
    • The “Seven Pillars” that every great culture is built on
    • How to make remote and hybrid teams thrive — without losing connection
    • The secret to “feed forward” instead of “feedback”
    • The quiet quitting myth — and what’s really behind disengagement
    • How culture impacts valuation (and why buyers pay more for great teams)
    • The meeting revolution: “Cockroach meetings,” “Tiger Teams,” and eliminating one-on-ones
    • Why the future of leadership depends on empathy, AI adaptability, and human-centred thinking

    Guest bio:

    Chris Dyer is a global culture expert, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of The Power of Company Culture and Remote Work. As the founder and former CEO of PeopleG2, he built one of the world’s first fully remote companies, recognised seven years running as a Best Place to Work. Chris now helps leaders worldwide build transparent, high-performing, human-centred organisations that attract and retain top talent.

    👉 Learn more at chrisdyer.com

    Follow Chris on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chrispdyer7

    On Instagram/TikTok: @chrisdyer

    Key takeaway

    A great culture isn’t a perk — it’s a multiplier.
    When you build transparency, trust, and meaningful connection into your business, you don’t just create happier teams — you build a company worth buying.

    Subscribe & share

    If this episode helped you rethink what really drives value in your business, share it with a fellow founder or leader.
    Subscribe to Built to Sell | Built to Buy wherever you listen to podcasts.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    52 分
  • Behaviour Drives Money: Hugh Massie on DNA Insights, Leadership, and Building Exponential Businesses

    Behaviour Drives Money: Hugh Massie on DNA Insights, Leadership, and Building Exponential Businesses
    2025/10/01

    What if the way you’re wired is silently driving every financial and business decision you make?

    In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy, host Sam Penny sits down with Hugh Massie, founder of DNA Behavior International, to explore how our natural behavioural wiring influences money, decision-making, leadership, and ultimately the value of a business.

    Hugh’s journey from chartered accountant to global entrepreneur reveals why behaviour is the denominator of success. He shares how losing his father at a young age shaped his passion for mentoring boys without fathers, why understanding behaviour is critical in scaling businesses, and how leaders can adopt an exponential mindset to unlock massive growth.

    Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, team leader, or someone simply looking to make smarter financial choices, this conversation will give you practical steps to align behaviour with money, reduce risk, and open the door to exponential growth.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • How behaviour drives money — and why financial outcomes start with self-awareness
    • The story of how Hugh built DNA Behavior into a global platform impacting millions
    • Why stress reveals your true wiring and how that impacts decision-making under pressure
    • The role of culture and behavioural alignment in maximising business valuation
    • What it means to adopt an exponential mindset vs. incremental growth
    • Lessons from Hugh’s initiative Boys Without Fathers, and how mentoring shapes leadership
    • How AI and technology are reshaping behavioural insights in business
    • Three practical steps you can take today to align your behaviour and money

    About Hugh Massie

    Hugh Massie is the Founder and Executive Chairman of DNA Behavior International, a global leader in behavioural profiling and money insights. His tools have been used by thousands of companies and advisors to improve decision-making, leadership, and financial outcomes. Hugh is also passionate about youth mentoring, particularly helping boys who grow up without fathers, and advocates for leaders to integrate purpose and values into business.

    👉 Learn more at dnabehavior.com

    👉 Contact Hugh: dnacare@dnabehavior.com

    Resources & Links

    • Explore DNA Behavior insights: dnabehavior.com

    • Connect with Hugh: dnacare@dnabehavior.com

    • Follow Sam Penny and discover more episodes: sampenny.com
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 8 分
  • Jim Penman: From a $24 Lawn-Mowing Gig to a Global Franchise Empire

    Jim Penman: From a $24 Lawn-Mowing Gig to a Global Franchise Empire
    2025/09/24

    What does it take to turn a side hustle into a household name? For Jim Penman, it started with mowing lawns for twenty-four dollars a week — and grew into Jim’s Group, one of the largest and most recognisable franchise networks in Australia and beyond.

    In this conversation, Jim shares the story of how he built a brand that now stretches across more than 50 industries, why customer service has always been his non-negotiable, and the mindset that helped him grow from a single operator into a leader of thousands.

    But this isn’t just a business story. It’s a conversation about vision, persistence, and the courage to build something bigger than yourself. Jim opens up about:

    • The leap from working solo to creating a scalable system.
    • Why he believes strong values beat flashy marketing every time.
    • The lessons he learned about resilience, delegation, and trust.
    • How personal discipline and faith shape the way he leads.

    Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a leader steering a growing organisation, or simply someone fascinated by how ordinary people achieve extraordinary things, Jim’s story offers a rare window into the grit behind the growth.

    👉 If you enjoy this episode, you might also love my other podcast Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, where I explore the stories of people who attempt the extraordinary and say yes to the impossible. Find it on Apple, Spotify, or at sampenny.com/brave.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 3 分
  • From Rock Bottom to Exit: John Williamson’s Journey with Construct Health

    From Rock Bottom to Exit: John Williamson’s Journey with Construct Health
    2025/09/15

    What does it take to build a company, nearly lose it twice, and still walk away with a successful exit?

    In this episode, Sam Penny sits down with John Williamson, founder of Construct Health. John grew his physiotherapy business to 40 staff, faced near-bankruptcy during the mining downturn, and ultimately rebuilt, restructured, and sold his company to a national group. Along the way, he discovered that resilience isn’t just about spreadsheets and strategy — it’s about daily habits, tough conversations, and choosing to keep turning up when everything inside you wants to quit.

    Whether you’re an owner thinking about your exit, or a buyer wanting to understand what it really takes behind the numbers, this conversation is packed with lessons you won’t want to miss.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • Why cash flow discipline matters more than revenue in high-growth businesses.
    • How acquisitions can quickly turn toxic — and what to watch out for in due diligence.
    • The mental and physical habits John used to survive the darkest entrepreneurial moments.
    • How he restructured his business, repaid debts, and rebuilt trust with staff and stakeholders.
    • What it really feels like to walk away after 17 years when you finally sell your company.

    Quotes from John

    • “I didn’t know if I could do it or not, but I knew I was going to keep turning up.”
    • “Even when you’re growing fast, cash flow is an issue. I learned that the hard way.”
    • “Sometimes survival isn’t about brilliance — it’s about refusing to walk away.”

    Resources & Links

    • Connect with John Williamson on LinkedIn

    • Learn more about his new venture: Unventured.life
      (coming soon)

    Like What You Hear?

    This episode was originally recorded for Sam’s other podcast, Why’d You Think You Could Do That? — a show about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. If you want more stories of bravery and resilience, follow it wherever you get your podcasts.

    And don’t forget to subscribe to Built to Sell | Built to Buy so you never miss an episode on maximising value, preparing for exit, and buying businesses the smart way.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 10 分
  • The Art of the Exit: How to Sell Smart and Buy Right with Broker Nathan Hulls

    The Art of the Exit: How to Sell Smart and Buy Right with Broker Nathan Hulls
    2025/08/27

    What does it really take to sell your business for the best possible price—or to buy one without getting burned?

    In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy, I sit down with Nathan Hulls, a seasoned business broker and exit advisor with Link Business Brokers. Nathan’s journey spans from starting his first lawn mowing business at 12, to running companies across tech, retail, and fitness, and now guiding business owners and buyers through the high-stakes world of acquisitions.

    With his unique blend of real-world business ownership and brokerage expertise, Nathan reveals:

    • Why being “exit ready” matters more than wanting to exit—and how to prepare your business years before you sell.
    • The psychology of the deal: how motivation, storytelling, and empathy shape both buying and selling outcomes.
    • The biggest mistakes sellers make (and how to avoid becoming a “dumpster fire” listing).
    • How buyers can protect themselves—from red flags in due diligence to spotting when emotions cloud judgment.
    • Why culture and fit can outweigh the financials in making a business sale stick.
    • The one surprising sale that smashed expectations—going from a $5M appraisal to a $12M deal.

    Whether you’re a business owner eyeing an exit or a buyer chasing your dream acquisition, Nathan breaks down the numbers, systems, and human factors that truly drive value.

    👉 If you’re planning to sell in the next 12 months, his number one piece of advice could save you years of regret.
    👉 If you’re buying your first business, his due diligence checklist will keep you from making an emotional mistake.

    🔑 Key Takeaways

    • Exit success starts with preparation—years before you plan to sell.
    • Buyers don’t just buy profit; they buy confidence in the future.
    • Culture, systems, and owner-independence drive valuation far beyond the P&L.
    • The right broker doesn’t just list a business; they connect people, stories, and strategies.

    📬 Connect with Nathan Hulls

    • LinkedIn: Nathan Hulls

    • Email: nathan.hulls@linkbusiness.com.au

    If you want to work directly with Sam, head to sampenny.com/action
    続きを読む 一部表示
    53 分
  • How to Navigate the Deal Without Getting Burned

    How to Navigate the Deal Without Getting Burned
    2025/08/25

    Buying a business isn’t just about reviewing a P&L and signing a contract. Too many investors discover after settlement that they’ve inherited hidden problems—missing systems, staff departures, or a culture that doesn’t fit. In this episode, Sam Penny (aka The Impossible Guy) breaks down the biggest risks buyers face, how to spot them early, and the safeguards you need to put in place so you don’t get burned.

    Sam shares real-world deal stories, the key questions every buyer should be asking, and the practical protections that separate smart acquisitions from costly mistakes.

    If you’re planning to buy a business in the next 12 months—or you’ve got one on the radar right now—this session will give you the foresight and tools to take ownership with confidence.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode

    • The four core risks that derail business purchases: overstated performance, key person departures, undocumented systems, and cultural mismatch.
    • How to test assumptions during due diligence instead of discovering problems post-settlement.
    • The questions that reveal hidden weaknesses, including:
      • “What are your biggest operational vulnerabilities right now?”
      • “Who are the three most critical people in the business and what keeps them here?”
      • “What would a worst-case first 90 days look like?”
    • Red flags in seller behaviour that signal deeper problems.
    • How to protect yourself with smart deal structures: transition plans, retention clauses, escrow/earn-outs, and SOP handover.
    • A real-world example of a buyer who uncovered undisclosed staff resignations—and saved six figures by renegotiating.

    Resources & Next Steps

    • 📋 Download the DealSafe Toolkit – includes a due diligence checklist, key buyer questions, and a transition plan template.
    • 🎯 Book a Strategy Session with Sam – review your deal and test assumptions before you sign: sampenny.com/chat
    • 🎙️ Keep building your skills with the Built to Sell | Built to Buy Podcast – practical lessons from real-world deals.

    Podcast Exclusive!
    If you want to work 1:1 with Sam, a small number of spots are available for his loyal podcast listeners. Visit sampenny.com/action to take up this great offer.

    Next Episode Teaser

    In the next session, Sam dives into one of the most overlooked aspects of acquisitions: intangible assets. Learn how to identify, value, and leverage intellectual property, brand equity, customer data, and proprietary processes—the hidden drivers of valuation and growth.

    Click here to view the episode transcript.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分