Built to Sell Built to Buy

Most business owners think poor sales performance comes down to bad salespeople. Ben Wright disagrees. In this episode of Built to Sell Built to Buy , Sam Penny sits down with sales strategist and founder of Stronger Sales Teams, Ben Wright, to unpack what really drives sales performance and why behaviour, process and leadership often matter more than sales skills. Ben shares practical insights fr...

What if the biggest limitation in your business isn't strategy, systems or staff... but your own leadership capacity? In this episode of Built to Sell, Built to Buy , Sam Penny sits down with leadership strategist, culture architect and Cultural Catalyst founder Jaclyn Orent to explore the invisible forces that shape business performance. While most business owners focus on strategy, KPIs and exec...

Most founders think the answer is more clients. More leads. More revenue. More hustle. But what if the real problem is you? In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy , Sam Penny sits down with Jesse Gilmore, founder of Niche In Control, to unpack one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs today: becoming the bottleneck in their own business. After building businesses that consumed hi...

Most founders build something that works. Very few build something that works without them. In this episode of Built to Sell Built to Buy , Sam Penny speaks with Hadri Jaffal , founder of Iron Body Fit , about how he scaled from one EMS fitness studio to around 250 locations across multiple countries , while keeping ownership of the business and avoiding the typical venture capital path. But this...

What actually breaks growth in a business? It is rarely just the ads. In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy , Sam Penny sits down with Ivan Janku , founder of Digital Rocket Ads , to unpack what really sits behind profitable growth in 2026. Ivan has helped generate more than $250 million in client revenue , building his agency from a solo freelance operation in Serbia into a global growt...

What happens after you sell the business that defined you? In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy , Sam Penny sits down with Gabby Montagnese — the founder behind New Age Caravans — to unpack one of the most compelling comeback stories in Australian manufacturing. Gabby scaled New Age into one of the country’s top RV brands before bringing in Walkinshaw and ultimately exiting. But what fo...

Most founders spend years obsessing over growth, valuation, and exit strategy. But there’s one risk almost nobody plans for — and it quietly destroys businesses, derails deals, and wipes out hundreds of thousands in value: Divorce. In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy , Sam Penny sits down with forensic accountant, CPA, and valuation expert Ryan Finley to unpack what really happens when...

How to Launch, Scale & Profit from an App in 2026 (Before Everyone Else Does) | Jonathan Maxim Alternatives: The Fast Founder Playbook: From Idea to 10,000 Users (and Profit) Why Most Startups Fail (And How to Actually Build a Profitable App) From 0 to 10,000 Users: The Viral Growth Blueprint Every Founder Needs Stop Building, Start Launching: The 2026 Startup Playbook The Truth About Virality...

What separates a business that quietly exists from one that becomes a category leader? According to filmmaker-turned-brand strategist Jake Isham , the difference is storytelling - not as marketing "garnish," but as foundational infrastructure . In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy, Sam Penny and Jake Isham (who has generated billions of views for challenger brands) unpack why expertise...

What happens when you trade the "work hard, party hard" hyper-growth of WeWork for a more deliberate, design-led, and deeply human approach to scaling? In this episode, Sam Penny sits down with Mark Goldfinger , the General Manager and Head of North America at Mindspace , to discuss the craft of building culture at scale.  From opening global markets during WeWork's meteoric rise to redefining bou...

In this episode of Built to Sell, Built to Buy , host Sam Penny sits down with Glenn Poulos , a sales powerhouse with nearly 40 years of experience. Glenn shares his journey from being a "failed civil servant" to building and selling two successful companies: MMWave Technologies and Gap Wireless He is the author of Never Sit in the Lobby , a practical field manual containing 57 hard-earned lessons...

If your marketing feels like guesswork — some months booming, others bone-dry — today’s episode will show you exactly what’s missing. Sam sits down with Jeff Wenberg , founder of Offer Evolution and former early-stage team member at Leadpages and Zipify Apps , where he helped scale tech companies by focusing on one core principle: ➡️ Marketing works when your machine works Jeff went from broke mus...

In this episode, Sam dives deep into the power of communication as a growth driver — not a buzzword. Joshua Altman, former Capitol Hill journalist and now pioneer of the Fractional Chief Communications Officer (CCO) model, explains how smart communication shapes perception, accelerates decisions, builds trust, and connects every part of a business to its strategy.  From small-to-mid-size companies...

From Chiropractic Tables to Digital Empires: Dr Ben Adkins on Building Systems That Sell Themselves Guest: Dr Ben Adkins — Founder of Fearless Social and One Hour Influencer Host: Sam Penny Duration: 1h 10m Episode Overview Dr Ben Adkins went from an overworked chiropractor in a small town to one of the most trusted marketing minds online.  When faced with an empty waiting room, he taught himself...

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...

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 busin...

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 mo...

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 accoun...

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 alw...

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 discover...

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...

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...

Selling your business isn’t something you decide on Monday and complete by Friday — it’s a strategic, multi-step process that can take 12 months, 18 months, or even years to get right. In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy , host Sam Penny sits down with returning guest Sally Stuart , one of Australia’s top business brokers specialising in healthcare, allied health, aged care, and NDIS b...

Too many business owners confuse burnout with readiness . Feeling exhausted after a tough year doesn’t mean your business is ready to sell—and waiting too long for the “perfect moment” can be just as costly. In this episode, Sam Penny breaks down how to know whether you’re truly exit ready or just tired, and the steps you can take to avoid one of the most expensive mistakes an owner can make. Sam...

What really makes a business sellable — and what will turn buyers away? In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy , I sit down with Sherryn Deetlefs , a LINK business broker who’s walked in the shoes of both sellers and buyers. Before moving into broking, Sherryn built and sold multiple businesses across hospitality, textiles, health, and design — giving her a unique, hands-on perspective of...