The short answer
Ian Silverberg shares the four questions he puts to an owner about identity, clarity and purpose, and why getting these right before you exit matters as much as getting the business ready for sale.
Key takeaways
- The first thing you need to define when you start a business
- Want to succeed in business? Switch from being outcome-focused to process-focused
- How to manage moral conflicts when they arise in business
- How to apply the DDARE framework for decision-making
Listen to the podcast
40 minWatch the full interview
About this episode
As a business owner, you will have bad days. You will come up against moral conflicts and dilemmas. And you will need to make decisions you may not feel very proud of looking back on. Yet oftentimes it can feel like a manner of life or death. Making payroll or not. Turning a profit or plunging deeper in the red.
Here to guide you through this is Ian Silverberg, an entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience. But more than growing businesses, Ian helps entrepreneurs grow themselves.
In this episode, you’ll walk away with a framework for defining your purpose. Only through getting to the root of your ‘why’ will you feel confident in making better business decisions. The truth may surprise you.
Chapters
- 19:21We need to stop using “Hey, I’m really sorry it’s just business” as an excuse. Ian stands behind your business being an extension of you, and thus, the morals you deploy in business are in fact your personal moral compass. Food for thought
- 26:45Business leaders are often faced with conflicts and dilemmas, especially around strategic decision-making. Here’s what it all boils down to
- 33:24This is the key to Ian’s business. It frames everything he does and drives every interaction with his clients. While it sounds monumental, it boils down to four questions and he’s used it to buy and sell his health club
- 49:24Ian’s definition of success is to help entrepreneurs see the big picture, help identify and solve the right problems, get a return on the energy they give, and have fun along the way
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About Ian Silverberg
Ian Silverberg has more than 25 years of entrepreneurship and business management experience.
Ian’s experience includes overseeing the acquisition, development, management, and successful sale of a Santa Barbara, California based health club; founding Affinity Medical Fitness, Inc., a medically integrated wellness/physical therapy clinic; and founding Silverberg Management, Inc. and Silverline Ventures, a small business consulting, coaching, investment, and management company that primarily focuses on the wellness and real estate sectors.
Connect with Ian Silverberg
About the show
Buy Grow Sell is hosted by Simon Bedard, founder and managing director of Exit Advisory Group, a boutique mergers and acquisitions advisory firm that helps Australian business owners value, prepare for and navigate a sale. Every conversation draws on real deals and the patterns behind them.
