🟡 Digital Marketing, Done Better! Smart50 List 2023 🚀 Father 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Skater 🛹 CEO || Knows Nothing About Football ⚽️ 🏉 || Knows how to accelerate your sales.

For over three decades, I've helped visionary businesses harness emerging technologies to create extraordinary growth. 

From the dawn of mobile phones to today's AI revolution, I've consistently turned technological disruption into competitive advantage for my clients.

My journey began in 1987 with the first wave of mobile technology. 

The Car Phone.

Since then, I've successfully navigated every major digital transformation - from the internet's emergence in 1996 (launching the World's first coin operated Internet Kiosk) to digital marketing's evolution in 2010, & now the AI revolution. 

Each wave has deepened my expertise in spotting opportunities others miss.

Today, I lead Sydney Digital Marketing Agency, established in 2014 and recognized among Australia's smartest businesses on the 2023 Smart50 list. 

We partner with medium & enterprise businesses to reduce their cost of customer acquisition and transform their marketing results through data-driven strategies that consistently deliver measurable ROI.

What sets me apart isn't just the depth of my experience - it's my ability to see around corners and guide businesses toward future opportunities while delivering results today.

📍 Partner Benefits:

→ Strategic Innovation: You gain access to cutting-edge marketing strategies tested across diverse industries. Our early adoption of AI & automation tools means you're always ahead of competitors.

→ Proven ROI Framework: Our proprietary approach combines data analytics with creative strategy, consistently delivering 3-5x return on marketing investment for our clients.

→ Risk Reduction: Leverage our 35+ years of experience navigating digital transformations. We've already learned the costly lessons so you don't have to.

→ Holistic Growth Focus: Unlike agencies that chase trending tactics, we build comprehensive strategies that align with your business goals, market position, & growth targets.

→ Future-Proofed Solutions: In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, we ensure your marketing infrastructure is built to adapt and scale, protecting your investment long-term.

The 3 things to know about me - outside of my professional bio 👇

1️⃣ I’ve been digital since dial up - 1996 ☎️

2️⃣ My son+daughter were born 18 yrs apart 🥰

3️⃣ At least once a year I take a 4 day silent retreat to disconnect from the crazy. 📵 🤐

Simon Gould ✪ CEO ✪ Sydney Digital Marketing Agency ✪

Every week, a new AI feature launches.

ChatGPT. Gemini. Claude. Grok.

And marketing leaders are paralysed.

"Which one do I use?"

"Am I falling behind?"

Here's the truth from 30 years in sales and marketing:

Your customers don't want a drill. 

They want a hole in the wall.

They don't care about your tech stack.

They care about solving their problem.

That's it.

We helped Clean Health achieve a consistent 6:1 ROAS - not with fancy AI tools, but by understanding buyer psychology.

🏆 In 2026, the businesses that win won't have the most tools.

They'll have the most clarity.

Clarity on:
→ Who they serve
→ What problems they solve
→ What actually drives revenue

If you're a Founder, CEO, or CMO of a $7M-$100M service business in Australia and you're drowning in martech and Ai noise, let's talk.

Book an appointment on the link above this post.

Let's have my team help map your 2026 growth strategy around what actually works - not what's just shiny.

In a world of AI chaos, clarity is your competitive advantage.

Helpful? 


♻️ Save, Share Or Comment for Free Karma - Not A Free Download 🤓

Simon Gould ✪ Founder ✪ Chief Thinker ✪ Sydney Digital Marketing Agency

🏆Smart50 Lister. Founder. Father. Creator. Knows nothing about football ⚽️ 🏉 But knows your business is paying too much to acquire new clients. We fix that. So you can grow revenue, faster. ♻️ (B2B & B2C experts)

"Never go for an interview. Always go for a conversation." 🎯

Just dropped Part 2 of my podcast conversation "Before We Get Started" with Matty Greene, diving deep into the commercial side of his transformational four-pillar approach.

One insight that stood out : 

Most of us drift through life like "a feather in the breeze" 

I went to this school because it was close, 
Got a degree because mum and dad suggested it, 
Took a job because someone knew someone
Got a promotion because we were there...

Then we wake up at 45 or 55 wondering: "How did I get here?"

Matty shared a powerful reframe: Instead of trying to sell yourself into boxes you don't understand, show up authentically. 

Ask great questions. Be genuinely curious about co-creating something together.

The person across the table is probably just as scared as you are.

Key takeaway: Spend time understanding your ikigai - what you love, what you're good at, where you can create value, and how to make it sustainable. 

Most people invest more strategic thinking into their business than into themselves.

Without telling me where you live, who you work for, or what school you went to - who are you?

That question still gives me chills.

Thanks Matthew Greene for another profound conversation. 

Part 3 coming soon where we'll dive into the somatic practices that literally change how you show up in the world.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts: Apple and Spotify links below.

What's one decision you made this year that was truly intentional vs just going with the flow? 👇
#Leadership #Authenticity #PersonalDevelopment #PodcastLife

Let’s be real: there’s nothing more frustrating than doing the hard yards to build a great business… 

and then watching your website absolutely refuse to pull its weight.​

You’re not trying to “go viral”. 

You just want more of the right people booking calls, asking for proposals and becoming long-term clients.

Instead, you’re dealing with:

↘ A site that feels fragile every time someone updates it
↘ Enquiries that go nowhere, or worse – crickets
↘ A nagging feeling that you’re bleeding opportunities to competitors who haven’t worked half as hard as you
↘ A website that actually damages your reputation

This is exactly why we design websites the way we do:

 ↗ Built to be found by the right buyers on Google and the new wave of answer engines (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and co)
↗ Built to turn curious visitors into confident, ready-to-talk prospects
↗ Built to make your brand look and feel as sharp as the work you actually deliver

If you’re a founder or business owner and you’re tired of your website being the weak link in your growth plan, now is the time to fix it.

Not “someday in 2026”.​

Book a quick website consult with me today, and let’s see what it would take for your site to finally become one of your best-performing sales assets.

---------

♻️ I’m Simon Gould, Founder of Sydney Digital Marketing Agency.​

Since 2014, my team and I have been the trusted growth partner for brands and businesses that need marketing to actually drive revenue, not just vanity metrics. 

We design everything from logos and landing pages to award‑winning, sales-focused websites, social media campaigns and SEO that all plug seamlessly into your CRM, so you can see exactly what’s working and what’s not.​

If you’re planning to scale in 2026 and you want a marketing engine that consistently brings in better leads and clearer ROI, let’s talk. 

Book a quick call with me today using the link above and we’ll map out the smartest way to hit your growth goals next year.

#website #geo #seo #marketing

AI overwhelm is real. 

But you don't need another tool.

This week's newsletter cuts through the noise:

→ Why AI assistants have changed how customers buy
→ The 3 search ecosystems you must exist in
→ What actually drives revenue in 2026 (hint: it's not more tech)

If you've felt exhausted by the constant AI updates, this one's for you.

Read it below 👇

Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️  Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue

View newsletter: The Growth Marketing + AI Edge

If you’ve felt even a little overwhelmed by AI this year, let me reassure you: It’s not you. It’s the industry. Every week there’s a new model, new fe

Open article: The AI Overwhelm Is Real, But Here’s What Actually Matters For Brands In 2026 🫵🏻 by Simon Gould ✪ Founder ✪ Chief Thinker ✪ Sydney Digital Marketing Agency • 4 min read

The AI Overwhelm Is Real, But Here’s What Actually Matters For Brands In 2026 🫵🏻

Why is no one talking about this ??

In the last few days, ChatGPT quietly released Group Chats.

A truly groundbreaking new feature that lets up to 20 people collaborate together, with AI actively participating in the conversation. 

I don't know about you - but using chatGPT is quite the solo experience yes? 

When I read this last night I thought what about some of the other widely used collaboration platforms. How would it affect them ? (More to come on this in our newsletter later this week) 

But this isn’t just a Slack or Monday.com alternative - it’s OpenAI moving ChatGPT from solo assistant to shared workspace, where AI helps teams brainstorm, plan, summarise, and decide together.

🧐 What’s special? 

↳Spin up a chat, invite the team, and have AI summarise threads, expand ideas, or organise notes - all in real time.

↳ Upload docs, images, files for instant group analysis. AI can even make lists, compare options, and structure deliverables.

↳ Set custom instructions (like “reply in bullet points”) and fine-tune privacy, with group chats siloed from personal use.

For SMEs and remote teams, this could be a game-changer:

↳ Accelerate brainstorming and decision-making - early tests show up to 30% less time spent in meetings.

↳ Democratise AI access (even free plan users get this!) without expensive IT.

↳ Lower onboarding and knowledge transfer cost with real-time, AI-organised notes for new hires.

❗️Yes, there are trade-offs. 

AI contributions may (will) need moderation, privacy risks exist for sensitive data, and groups are capped at 20 people (no integrations - yet). 

But OpenAI’s rollout signals a big shift in how we collaborate - with AI truly “at the table,” not just observing from the sidelines.

If your team’s not trying this, you’re missing out on a glimpse of the future of work!

Thoughts ? 

Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️  Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue

#chatgpt #openai #aitips

Spiderman meme sydney digital marketing agency style

🗣️ We’re getting ready for growth in 2026 and would love to speak to any senior account managers looking for a new role next year. 


☎️ This doesn’t come up very often so be quick to apply. 

And If you know of anyone please feel free to share ♻️ 🙏

Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️  Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue

Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️ Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue

View company: Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️  Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue

Senior Account Manager Required!

Ready to take your next big career leap in 2026?

Join one of Australia's most trusted digital marketing agencies and lead transformational campaigns from our stunning beachside office in Kingscliff, NSW.

What You'll Bring:
·     5+ years in marketing + 3+ years account management experience
·     Digital expert in paid social, paid search, GA4 and HubSpot
·     Creative storyteller meets data-driven optimiser
·     Exceptional project manager with strategic vision

What You'll Get:
✓ Work with established businesses across diverse industries
✓ Strategic influence from day one
✓ Genuine work-life balance (no late nights!)
✓ Growth trajectory in a scaling agency

Ready to transform your career?

Don’t wait until next year to find your dream role. Apply now!

https://lnkd.in/gjWkHqB9

Applications close Friday, Dec 19th.

2026 is going to bring more noise, more AI, and more competition for the same customers…

but the fundamentals for service businesses haven’t changed: 

you still need to be seen, trusted, and chosen.

If you want to grow revenue next year, your marketing needs to do three things consistently: 

•build brand awareness, 
•deepen trust with the right buyers
•generate a steady flow of qualified leads your team can actually close.

Here’s how I’m helping founders and C-suite leaders lock those three in for 2026:

1.	Map your pipeline to real revenue  
In 2026, I’ll help you get clear on where money is leaking in your funnel, then rebuild your digital journey so more of the right prospects move from click, to conversation, to client.

2.	Turn your marketing into a predictable lead engine  
Using SDM’s ABC methodology (Audience, Brand, Competition), I’ll help you attract higher-intent leads, lift conversion rates, and give your board confidence that every marketing dollar is working harder.

3.	Install tracking and automation your sales team actually uses  
By tightening up analytics, CRM and marketing automation, you’ll see exactly which channels drive profitable deals - and scale the ones that deliver the fastest revenue growth.

DM me before the holidays if this sounds like a conversation you need to have for 2026.

#aisearch #marketing #digitalmarketing

Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️  Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue

Simon Gould ✪ Founder ✪ Sydney Digital Marketing Agency

li_at

JSESSIONID

Talks about #ai, #seo, #socialmedia, #digitalmarketing, and #sydneydigitalmarketing

Susanne Rauer ✪ Executive Coaching Sydney ✪ has been my business coach and our team coach at Sydney Digital Marketing Agency | ⭐️  Digital Marketing Designed To Power Your Business Revenue for over 6 years.

Susanne knows me, my team and our dynamics inside out and has been pivotal in supporting us through the good times and the more challenging ones.

We dive into some of those times in a series of short video podcast chats - here’s the part 4.

I can’t thank you enough Susanne for your support and insights that have helped me get clarity and a better understanding of our team dynamics. And thanks for having me on the Pod 🙏

And anyone thinking about executive leadership coaching for 2026 - I cannot recommend GAIA Coaching - Executive Coaching Sydney highly enough 🙌

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 ✪ 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 ✪ We provide personalised, boutique coaching experiences for seasoned executives, high-achievers & small business owners

Susanne Rauer ✪ Executive Coaching Sydney ✪

View Susanne Rauer ✪ Executive Coaching Sydney ✪’s profile

When was the last time you truly stopped? 
Not to plan the next step, but simply to breathe.

In this final episode of Continuous Reinvention: Leading Beyond the Numbers, I sit down with Simon to explore what it really means to lead beyond performance and metrics.

When asked what advice he would give to leaders who feel out of sync, Simon didn’t mention strategy or targets. 
He spoke about something far simpler, and far more powerful, breath.

Pausing. 
Breathing. 
Returning to the present moment.

These are not signs of slowing down; they are acts of leadership. 
They reset stress, quiet the noise, and make space for clarity.

Leadership isn’t just about what you deliver. 
It’s about how you show up. 

And sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is stop, breathe, and begin again.

Listen to the last part of our episode: Part 4/4 (7:41) https://lnkd.in/eixwhKPZ

I hope you enjoyed this our Conscious Leadership Podcast, which is created by Australian business owners, for Australian business owners.

Feel free to explore our Conscious Leadership program: 

#MindfulLeadership #LeadershipMindset #GrowthMindset #ExecutiveLeadership #ExecutiveCoaching
#ConsciousLeadership #SydneyExecutiveLeadership #SydneyExecutiveCoaching

Open video: Part 4 Continuous Reinvention: Realign. Recommit. Re-energise. on youtu.be

Part 4 Continuous Reinvention: Realign. Recommit. Re-energise.

I love this point from Irene Cassiotis  about the holiday period being a time for reflection. 

It's not just a mindset shift, data confirms it's a strategic B2B window:


• 🔥 Cost Advantage: Due to competitor withdrawal, many B2B advertisers see their digital CPC/CPA costs drop by 20% to 30% in December/January. 

Your budget buys more visibility!


• 🗣️ Reduced Noise: Key decision-makers aren't "unplugged." LinkedIn engagement drops by less than 1.15% in Australia during the holidays, but their inboxes and ad feeds are significantly less crowded. 

Your content stands out.


• 🧠 Strategic Headspace: B2B buyers complete 67% of their research digitally before engaging a vendor. The quiet summer break is when they finalise vendor shortlists and conduct deep-dive research for their 2026 strategy.

💎 Brand Strategy Partner 🔵 Director & Connector 🔵 Impact & Purpose-led 🔵 Actively seeking to partner with philanthropic and B2B businesses

Holiday period misconception - time to double down?

Over the years I've heard many clients and business owners considering holiday breaks a break for their clients too. 

For some industries it can be a great time to RAMP UP your sales, branding and marketing (or test that it's a good season to do so). 

Since the majority are not running ads or focussing on campaigning:

Your market is less distracted and may be more open to considering new services while taking a break from the day to day. 

What does your market reflect on during breaks? 

If you are in CONSULTING, OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT, COACHING, MARKETING, FINANCE 
Or your service addresses internal topics which may be set aside because of BAU thinking...

Your market is likely in REFLECTION mode and may be ready for you! 

Consider campaigns at strategically placed times this holiday season and see if it's a golden time for you!

Thanks for the look behind the scenes at SDM Hannah Booth  🙌

It’s been a while since we last posted, so here's what's been keeping our team busy lately! 👀

The past couple of months saw us overseas attending global conferences, launching multiple new award-winning websites, and of course, celebrating plenty of client wins - all the motivation we need for December.

Feeling inspired by the amazing team around us, we can’t wait to see what the rest of 2025 has in store.

Here's to finishing the year strong 🙌

Behind the minds at Sydney Digital Marketing

Helping Founders Break the $10M Ceiling | Strategy, Cash Flow & Leadership Systems | Scaling CFO

Scaling Founders Beyond $10M with Strategy, Financial Clarity, and Leadership Expansion

Most companies stall not because of lack of effort—
but because the founder has outgrown the systems, strategies, and financial models that once worked.

At Ascend Growth Ventures, we partner with CEOs of $3M–$10M companies to implement Scaling Up, strengthen financial infrastructure, and elevate leadership teams—building businesses that scale profitably and predictably, without burning out the founder.

By integrating Scaling Up, Exponential Organizations, and CFO-level financial insights, we deliver a complete, battle-tested system for sustainable, high-performance growth.

🔹 We Work With CEOs Who Want To:
✔️ Scale revenue and profits without chaos
✔️ Build self-managing leadership teams
✔️ Unlock hidden cash flow and improve financial decision-making
✔️ Sharpen their strategy for exponential growth
✔️ Prepare for capital raises, acquisitions, or exits

🔹 Our Core Focus Areas:
  * Strategic Scaling Up Implementation

  * Financial Strategy & Cash Optimization

  * Leadership Team Development

  * Systems for Predictable Growth

  * Valuation Prep and Exit Strategy

✅ Why Work With Me?
25+ years of experience scaling businesses from the inside out:
➡️ Regional CFO, GE Gas Power (LATAM, +1.5GW record year)
➡️ Strategic finance and underwriting leadership at GE Capital
➡️ Business/project development for 8-figure ventures
➡️ Trusted advisor to founders scaling past $10M and beyond

✅ Industries We Specialize In:
✔️ Clean Energy & Decarbonization
✔️ Industrial Goods & B2B Services
✔️ Impact-Driven Companies
✔️ Scaling Coaching & Consulting Firms

🧠 If You're Ready to Scale Intelligently and Sustainably

Let's have a strategic conversation about where you are—and where you can go.

Easiest way to work with me?

Book a 30 min call and let's see if we are a fit.
https://calendly.com/cruzagamboa/call-with-cruz-ascend-30min

Cruz Gamboa

The market tells stories. Your financials & metrics tell truth.

In 2001, Amazon's stock cratered from $113 to $6.

Wall Street declared it dead.

Let's be clear: that had to be terrifying. Even for Bezos.

Watching 95% of your valuation evaporate. Hearing the whispers. Feeling the pressure from every direction.

But here's what separated him from founders who fold in those moments, he kept coming back to his dashboard:

Customer acquisition costs...improving. 

Fulfillment efficiency...improving. 

Contribution margin per unit...improving. 

Defect rates...declining.

The stock price reflected fear. 

The operating metrics reflected reality.

Confidence isn't the absence of fear. It's choosing to trust what you can measure over what you can't control.

This is Financial Intelligence: knowing which numbers actually predict your future, especially when everything around you is screaming that you're losing.

Watch the video. Bezos is calm. 

Not because he wasn't scared, but because he had clarity.

He knew exactly what was true inside his business.

That's how you survive what looks like a reversal, and come out the other side stronger.

That's how $6 becomes $1.7 trillion.

So here's my question for you:

What would it be worth to have that kind of clarity the next time everything feels like it's falling apart?

To know—not hope, not guess—that you're on the right track?

That's the game worth playing.

Check out comments for details

#founder #growth #ceo #scalingup

At 40, he’d lost everything.
His company. His savings. His confidence.
Most people would’ve walked away.

But Aaron Krause wasn’t “most people.”

He went back to the garage.
Back to tiny problems no one cared about.
And from that… came a smiling sponge the world didn’t see coming.

Stores rejected him.
Investors laughed.
The idea sat on a shelf for years.

But he didn’t quit.
He took one uncomfortable shot: Shark Tank.

He walked in with a box of sponges.
He walked out with Lori Greiner.
$200,000 for 20%.
Momentum activated.

Then the episode aired…

Overnight demand.
Shelves cleared out.
Factories overloaded.
Scrub Daddy everywhere, from Walmart to Bed Bath & Beyond.

A simple sponge became a billion-dollar brand.
Not because it was cute.
Because he executed when life said “stop.”

Here’s the truth:

👉 He didn’t need a perfect plan: he needed one more attempt.
👉 He wasn’t chasing validation: he was chasing resilience.
👉 He proved the principle every founder forgets:
A small idea + relentless execution can beat a big idea that never ships.

Critics mocked the smile.
Then watched it become one of Shark Tank’s biggest wins ever.

The ones who win?
They push past rejection.
They build through uncertainty.
They keep going when almost everyone quits.

Because billion-dollar outcomes don’t happen in comfort, 
they happen right after the moment you think it’s over.

#resilience#scalingup#founderstory#entrepreneurship

Stephen Schwarzman built Blackstone into a global giant…
without using calculus.

Why?
Because the game he played didn’t reward equations.

It rewarded judgment, negotiation, and understanding people.

Those were the leverage points.

Charlie Munger said the same thing:

Simple thinking beats complicated math in most investing.

But here’s what most people miss:

It’s not about whether calculus matters.
It’s about whether it matters in the arena you choose.

Private equity = people, decisions, patterns.

Quant trading, derivatives, risk modelling = math, models, precision.

Different games.
Different skills.
Different leverage.

People fail because they try to be good at everything…
and end up great at nothing.

The real move?

👉 Pick the game you want to win.
👉 Identify the skills that game rewards.
👉 Get insanely good at those, and ignore everything else.

That’s how you scale.
Not by doing more.
But by mastering the few things that actually move the needle.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

At 22, he was rejected by Toyota.
At 38, his factory was bombed. Twice.
Most people would’ve accepted defeat.

But Soichiro Honda wasn’t “most people.”

He went back to the workshop.
Back to broken engines and scraps no one wanted.
And from that… came a machine the world didn’t see coming.

Japan had no money.
Fuel was scarce.
Factories were rubble.

But he didn’t quit.
He bolted a tiny motor onto a bicycle 
not pretty, not perfect, but powerful enough to move people again.

Stores ignored it.
Critics dismissed it.
He kept building anyway.

Because he wasn’t chasing applause.
He was chasing motion.

Then came the breakthrough…

The Super Cub.
Light. Reliable. Unbreakable.
The bike that took Japan and then the world by storm.

A simple motorbike became a $100B legacy.
Not because it was glamorous.
Because he refused to stop when everything told him to.

Here’s the truth:

👉 He didn’t need perfect conditions: he needed one more rebuild.
👉 He wasn’t chasing status: he was chasing solutions.
👉 He proved what most innovators forget:
Small beginnings + relentless persistence beat rejection every time.

Toyota turned him down.
Life knocked him down.
But he got back up again and again until the world couldn’t ignore him.

The ones who win?
They rise after failure.
They create after chaos.
They build when everyone else quits.

Because billion-dollar stories don’t start with luck
they start with someone who refuses to give up.
#scalingup #founder #CEO #boston

They emailed eBay 200 times.
eBay ignored every single one.
Most people would’ve given up.

But Marc, Oliver, and Alexander Samwer weren’t “most people.”

They cloned eBay.
Launched it in Germany.
Executed with speed and perfection.
Within months… eBay bought it back for $43 MILLION.

Then the brothers doubled down.
They built Rocket Internet, the company that turned cloning into a billion-dollar machine.

They copied.
They improved.
They scaled.
And they sold again, and again, and again.

Here’s the truth:

👉 They weren’t chasing approval, they were chasing execution at scale.
👉 They didn’t wait to be discovered, they created their own leverage.
👉 They mastered the one principle most founders overlook:
Doing it better beats doing it first.

Critics called them “copycats.”
But behind the noise, the Samwer brothers built an empire worth billions.

Most people stop when they hear “no.”
The one who succeed?
They push when it’s uncomfortable.
They build when others hesitate.
They turn rejection into momentum.

If you want outsized results, do what most won’t:
Step past comfort.
Step past doubt.
Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live right beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #bostonfounders

He went to Texas to buy a bank.
He walked out owning a hotel.

Most people would’ve gone home.

Conrad Hilton didn’t.

1919. Cisco, Texas.
Oil boom town. 
Money everywhere.

Hilton arrived with $40,000 and one clear plan.

Buy the local bank.
That was the dream.

He studied the deal for months.
Location checked out.
Customers were guaranteed.

Then the last meeting happened.
The owner doubled the price.
Take it or leave it.

Hilton left. Furious.
Plan A was dead.

That night, he needed a bed.
The only option was the Mobley Hotel.
40 rooms. Run down. Forgettable.

But something didn’t add up.

Every room was full.
Not just full.
Overfull.

Beds were rented in 8-hour shifts.
Same room. Three guests a day.

It wasn’t pretty.
But it worked.

The owner wanted out.
“I’m chasing oil,” he said.

Hilton didn’t see a bad hotel.
He saw demand screaming for supply.

So he did the unthinkable.
He spent his banking money on beds.

$40,000.
Deal closed.

A banker became a hotelier by accident.

He rebuilt everything with one rule.
Minimum cost. Maximum comfort.
Every square foot had to earn.

Profits bought the next hotel.
Then another.
Then another.

Banking faded away.
Hospitality took over.

Years later, he bought the Waldorf Astoria.
From a 40-room flophouse
to the most iconic hotel in the world.

Today?
7,000+ Hilton hotels globally.

Here’s the real lesson:

👉 The rejection wasn’t a setback. It was a redirect.
👉 The failure wasn’t the end. It was the entry point.
👉 He didn’t find his calling by planning harder. He found it by paying attention.

Most people quit when the plan breaks.
Builders look around and ask,
''What’s working?''

Sometimes the wrong deal saves your life.
Sometimes Plan B builds the empire.

Because the stories we admire don’t start with perfect plans
they start with someone who refuses to walk away empty-handed.

#entrepreneurship #founder #businessstories #resilience #scalingup

Security Verification | LinkedIn

He built a dating site that generated exactly zero activity.
No users. No traction. No revenue.

Most leaders call that a failed model.
I call it an early audit.

Three ex-PayPal employees launched “Tune In Hook Up,” expecting market fit.
What they got was silence.
Operational cost? Rising.
User acquisition? Non-existent.
ROI? Negative from day one.

But here’s what mattered:
They reviewed the data instead of reacting to the emotion.

They noticed users trying to upload videos
Not for dating, but for everyday moments.
Unintended behaviour, but real demand.

So they executed the smartest financial move any early-stage team can make:
A low-cost pivot.

Same infrastructure.
Same upload system.
Zero additional burn.
Just a shift in positioning:
Share any video.

And that decision changed their entire valuation trajectory.

Users scaled exponentially.
Cost per acquisition plummeted.
Engagement skyrocketed.
Suddenly, they weren’t running a dating site…
They were running the internet’s first true video platform.

By 2006, their risk profile had flipped
High growth. High virality.
And high legal exposure.

Enter Google.
They offered $1.65B in stock for a business that still had no established monetisation engine.
From a financial lens?
That’s called derisking the future.

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim accepted.
Smart move.
They transferred operational liability…
And secured generational wealth.

Today, YouTube contributes over $40B in yearly ad revenue
and sits at a valuation north of $500B.

All from a product that started as a complete miss 
until the data told a different story.

Lesson:
You don’t scale perfection.
You scale what the market proves it wants.
Listen to the numbers, not the narratives.
And never underestimate the ROI of a well-timed pivot.

#CFOInsights #Leadership #Strategy #Scalingup

He got fired.
The company he built said, “We don’t need you anymore.”
Everyone forgot him.

But Steve Jobs didn’t stop.

He poured tens of millions into a failing company called Pixar.
Everyone thought he was crazy.
Most would have quit.

12 years later… that gamble sold for $7.4 BILLION.

Here’s the thing:

👉 He wasn’t chasing money. He was chasing vision.
👉 He embraced risk when others ran from it.
👉 He bet on what he believed in, even when the world said no.

Most people quit right before the payoff.
The real winners? They push through when it’s hardest.
They see opportunity where others see failure.

If you want massive results, you need to do what most won’t.
Step past comfort. Step past doubt. Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live just beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup  #growth #ceo

Steve Jobs

He built pole barns to pay for college.

Decades later, John Menard Jr. built Menards, an $18B home improvement empire.

Most people call that luck.

I call it financial discipline.

He opened a small lumber yard in 1964…

Kept prices rock-bottom by building his own factories…

And built every store with cash, not debt.

No investors. No loans. No noise.

While others chased speed and Wall Street, John chose control.

He knew his margins by product line. He tracked cash flow like a pilot tracks altitude. He made the numbers his single source of truth.

Store by store. State by state. Slow, steady, unstoppable.

When 2008 hit, he didn't scramble; he expanded.

Today?

340+ Menards stores. $13B+ revenue. 3rd third-largest home-improvement chain in America. Still 100% private.

The lesson?

You don't need to grow fast. You need to grow right.

That means: 
→ Knowing your profit margins by service line 
→ Tracking cash flow weekly, not just at tax time 
→ Building systems so the business works, not just you

Financial clarity isn't about being a "numbers person."
It's about building simple, repeatable habits that let you scale with confidence.

Have the courage to own every decision, starting with your numbers.
#founder #growth #businessmindset #financialclarity #scalingup

Most people think success comes from working harder, dreaming bigger, or thinking smarter.

Here's the truth: none of that matters if you don't act.

In one simple test, a $50 bill was up for grabs. 

Everyone wanted it. 
Everyone talked about it. 
Everyone wished they had it…

Except Debbie.

She stood up. She walked forward. She took it.

That's it. 

That's the difference between winners and everyone else.

While everyone else burns time and money chasing online strategies that become less effective every day…

The smartest entrepreneurs thriving in 2025 are walking away from their screens and adding an extra 7-figures through live events.

Real humans. In-person communities. High-profit partnerships.

The ultimate advantage in the age of AI isn't replacing humanity with efficiency; it's experiences that are deep, connective, transformative, and profitable.

Getting face-to-face with your ideal clients AND peers is the most consistent solution to the Trust Recession.

I'll be at Event Profit Engine in Austin (December 10-12)...and I still have 4 discounted tickets.

If you're ready to get clarity on the financial blind spots keeping you from scaling, this is your moment.

Don't sit in the room wishing. 

Be Debbie.

P.S. Stop waiting for perfect timing. The money, the deal, the break… it's waiting for the first person who moves. Will it be you? DM me AUSTIN for ticket details.
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

Most people think scaling a business is about speed.

Jeff Bezos once reflected on Warren Buffett’s approach and said the real reason it isn’t copied more often is simple: it’s slow.

Not because it’s complicated, but because most people aren’t willing to wait.

Scaling, growing profits, and building something lasting work the same way.

It’s about thinking 7 years ahead instead of 3.

It’s about delaying gratification when everyone else is chasing quick wins.

It’s about obsessing over operational excellence and the tiny details nobody else notices.

It’s about doing the hard things quietly, consistently, and with pride.

That discipline?
That patience?
That’s the real unfair advantage.

Fast growth might make headlines, but slow, intentional scaling builds businesses that last and profit sustainably.

I help founders and leaders harness that mindset, turn operational excellence into financial clarity, and scale profits with impact.

🔗 Start scaling with impact: https://lnkd.in/epcnGuXE

#ceo #founders #scalingup #growth

Passion isn’t happiness.
It’s pain.
It’s grinding when no one is watching.
It’s suffering through every mistake, every rejection, every late night, just to build something nobody thought was possible.

Jensen Huang didn’t follow the market.
He didn’t wait for AI to be big.
He invested 10,000 engineer-years ahead of demand.
He pivoted Nvidia from graphics chips to AI dominance.
That’s vision. That’s first-principles thinking. That’s suffering smarter than everyone else.

Breakthroughs aren’t born in comfort zones.
They’re born when you refuse to quit, when you embrace the grind, and when you’re willing to suffer today for what the world will celebrate tomorrow.

Extraordinary isn’t given.
It’s earned.
Through struggle.
Through relentless work.
Through being willing to do what everyone else won’t.

If you want to be great, get comfortable being uncomfortable.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

He was dropped at an orphanage at seven.
No food. No money. No choice.

By 14, he was on a factory floor, making metal frames.
One wrong move crushed part of his finger. Permanent injury.

Most people would quit. Most people would settle.
He didn’t.

He watched. He learned.
Every machine. Every process. Every decision.
Night classes. Every penny saved. Knowledge accumulation.

At 26, he opened a tiny eyewear shop in the Italian Alps.
Nothing fancy. No connections. Just him, a few employees, and an obsession with understanding the craft end-to-end.

Most competitors sold parts. He had a different idea: make complete frames. Control the product. Own the market.

By the 1980s, he was making designer frames for fashion houses.
By 1995, he bought LensCrafters—suddenly he controlled both the product and the retail.

Then came Ray-Ban.
Everyone said he overpaid $640 million for a dying brand.
He didn’t see risk. He saw opportunity.

Ray-Ban wasn’t just glasses anymore.
Movies. Celebrities. Fashion statements.
Value multiplied. Brand exploded.

He kept buying. Oakley. Sunglass Hut. Prada. Versace. Chanel. Pearle Vision.
Vertical integration? Check. Market dominance? Check. Monopoly? Almost.

When he died in 2022, Leonardo Del Vecchio had $25.8 billion.
One orphan. One factory worker. One relentless learner.

Lesson:
You don’t need luck. You need mastery, observation, and relentless execution.
Start small. Learn everything. Then own the ecosystem.

#ceo #scalingup #growth #founder

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Most founders grind hard for years… and never hit $10M.

Here’s the brutal truth: it’s not about working harder. It’s about thinking differently.

The founders who scale don’t chase approval. They hunt reality.
They don’t run the machine they build the machine.

They don’t wait for perfect conditions, they turn constraints into leverage.

Scaling isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the few things that actually move the needle.
It’s about creating systems that work without your mood, decisions that multiply impact, and alignment that accelerates everything.

You can keep grinding, or you can flip the mindset switches that separate founders who stall from founders who explode past $10M.

Which one are you?

#scalingup #founder #ceo

Most founders don’t fail because they’re lazy.
They fail because their goals are small.

Small goals keep you grinding.
Big goals force you to rebuild the system.

When you raise the target to 10x, everything changes:
your strategy, your thinking, your standards, your circle.

You stop playing in the crowded middle
and start operating where very few people dare to go.

10x isn’t harder.

It’s cleaner. 
It’s clearer. 
It’s smarter.

Stop playing safe. Start playing big.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

I wanted to grow my LinkedIn presence to 100K in a year.
I had 2k followers. 

A few people said that it would take years and that I was unrealistic.

Maybe they would have been right - if I'd believed them

I tried anyway. 
I took a course to learn from others who were ahead of me.
I showed up here every day.
Continuously improved my content (and my mindset)
Hired people to help me.

Did I accomplish my goal?
NO. 

I am still at 72k followers today, a year into that challenge.
But I am still grateful for the results. 

Can you imagine what would have happened if I had played small?
I may be at 15K followers at best. 

And that's the whole point. 

Even if you miss the 10X mark, it beats linear thinking. 

This same principle is why I help founders identify the 7 financial blind spots killing their scale - because small thinking about money keeps you grinding, while 10x financial clarity forces you to rebuild the system.

Want to apply 10x thinking to your finances? 

I've identified the 7 blind spots most founders miss. 

Download the guide; link is in the comments. 

#founder #ceo #growth #scalingup

10X Thinking = 10 X Results

He started with $5,000 and a pizza shop paycheck.
Nobody cared. Nobody believed.

Most people would’ve stayed broke.

Dan Gilbert didn’t.

He looked at a broken mortgage industry slow, complex, full of middlemen and said: “There’s a better way.”

He worked 18 hours a day. Seven days a week.
He studied every inefficiency.
He simplified the impossible.
He moved online when the internet was “just a fad.”
He ignored the naysayers.

It all started with Rock Financial. 
And eventually
Rock Financial became Quicken Loans.
Applications went from weeks to minutes.
Rates went from hidden to transparent.
Customers went from frustrated to obsessed.

Then he didn’t stop.
He bought the Cleveland Cavaliers, poured money into the city, and turned it upside down.
Downtown boomed. 
The team won a championship. 
The city transformed.

Here’s the lesson most people miss:

👉 You don’t need a perfect idea.
👉 You don’t need permission.
👉 You need to see broken systems, fix them better, and move faster than everyone else.
👉 And then, reinvest the wins into something that actually matters.

From pizza shifts to $28.5B, Gilbert’s story isn’t luck.
It’s obsession, timing, and execution.

Most people quit at “too hard.”
The few who succeed? 
They see the gap, go first, and keep building while others sleep.

If you want outsized results, do what most won’t:
Step past the “impossible.”
Step past the doubters.
Step past comfort.

Because fortune isn’t at the starting line, it’s at the point where everyone else stops.

#growth #scalingup #entrepreneurship #CEO #execution

He bought a bankrupt textile factory for $15 million.
Forty years later, Bernard Arnault built a $500B luxury empire.

Most people call that impossible.
I call it vision.

He didn’t invent anything.
He didn’t design a product.
He didn’t chase trends.
He just saw what others couldn’t.

Buried inside that dying company was a forgotten gem: Christian Dior.
Everyone overlooked it.
Arnault didn’t.

He sold everything except Dior.
Bet the house on one iconic brand.
And rebuilt from zero.

Then he made an even crazier move
He went after LVMH.
Louis Vuitton. Moët. Hennessy.
The crown jewels of French luxury.

The elite hated it.
The media mocked it.
It was the most hostile takeover France had ever seen.
Arnault didn’t blink.

He bought the shares quietly.
Took control boldly.
And turned LVMH into a global machine.

One acquisition at a time.
Fendi. Tiffany. Givenchy. Sephora.
Dozens of brands reborn under one ruthless strategy:

Let creators dream.
But keep the business razor sharp.

While tech giants chased disruption…
Arnault chased timelessness.

While others discounted…
He raised value.

In 2023, he became the richest man on Earth.
Quiet. Precise. Unshakeable.
He outplayed every tech titan without writing a single line of code.

Lesson?
You don’t need to invent.
You need to see the hidden gem
And have the courage to bet everything on it.

#entrepreneur #growth #businessstrategy #founder #scalingup

Most people obsess over predicting the next 10 years.
Wrong game.

Real builders, real investors, real wealth-creators?
They ask a different question:
“What’s NOT going to change?”

Because the things that never change…
are the things you can compound for decades.

In business AND in finance.

Think about it:
People will ALWAYS want

➡ Lower prices
➡ Faster delivery
➡ Higher value
➡ Better convenience

And most importantly…experiences.

And in finance, the same truths hold:

✅ People will always chase returns
✅ Risk will always exist
✅ Cashflow will always matter
✅ Compounding will always win
✅ Discipline will always outperform prediction

No one in 2035 is saying:
“Please increase my fees.”
“Give me slower growth.”
“Charge me higher interest.”
“Help me stay at home so I don’t connect with others”

Not happening.

You don’t get rich predicting trends.
You get rich betting on constants…
and repeating the same right actions for years.

Business rewards consistency.
Finance rewards patience.
Both reward those who stop guessing and start executing.

Find the truths that never change
and go all-in until the rest of the market wakes up.

#scalingup #ceo #growth #founder

While everyone's fighting over TVs today, I'm fighting for your 2026.

One stage does what 6 months of content can't.

That's why I'm speaking in Austin December 10-12.

Here's what I've learned:

You can spend hundreds of hours posting content, cold DMing event hosts, vetting podcast opportunities, and hoping something sticks...

Or you can walk into one room where the work is already done.

That's Event Profit Engine.

Hosted by Alex Moscow ($130M in client results) and Eben Pagan (built 10 seven-figure companies, 3 over eight figures).

200 founders doing $500K-$2M+ in one room.

The kind of people you'd normally pay $25K to join a mastermind just to meet.

But this isn't networking. It's deal flow.

On Day 3, they run facilitated sessions where they literally pair you with:

→ High-caliber stages for 2026 
→ Aligned promotional partners 
→ Sponsors for your events (I am one of the sponsors for this event)

Not "hope you meet someone cool at the cocktail hour."

Strategic. Intentional. Partnerships that lead to revenue.

The stages you actually want to be on in 2026? They're in this room. The relationships that would take 6 months to build? Done in 3 days.

I'll be speaking on why most founders are operationally excellent but financially blind—and how to fix it.

This is for you if:
→ You're a founder doing $1M-$10M 
→ You want stages and partnerships locked in for 2026 
→ You're tired of cold outreach that goes nowhere 
→ You'd rather be in the right room than grind online for 6 more months

This is NOT for you if:
→ You're just getting started (under $500K) 
→ You're not ready to invest in growth 
→ You think "networking" means collecting business cards

Here's my Black Friday deal for you:

$1K tickets (normally $4K, goes to $5K on Monday).

I only have a few left. First come, first served.

You can fish with a pole for the next 6 months.

Or you can grab a net and walk into this room.

Comment "AUSTIN" or DM me and I'll send you the code before they're gone.
This is the only deal worth buying today.

See you in Texas.
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

Every business grows until it hits a constraint.

Then it grows no further.

I just hit mine.

Here's how I'm breaking through in 2026:

Brought on Diego Bravo as COO—20+ years of finance and ops leadership across Latin America. I see the blind spots. He builds the systems.

Speaking at Event Profit Engine in Austin (Dec 10-12). 200 founders. Real deal flow. I have 4 tickets left at $1K (normally $4K).

Launching the CEO Financial Intelligence OS in January. 15 spots. First cohort.

Building Alex—an AI-powered CFO copilot that answers "can I afford this AND hit my next milestone?" in seconds.

Leaders go first.

Full breakdown → link in comments.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

Every business grows until it hits a constraint. Then it grows no further—until you remove that constraint. I've been thinking about this a lot lately

Open article: The Three Moves That Change Everything by Cruz Gamboa • 4 min read

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