What happens when your business valuation comes back far lower than expected because AI is threatening your entire industry?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast⁠, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360, to break down how a shocking valuation forced him to rethink his agency.

Wes had built a successful web agency, but the business was still too dependent on him, margins were tightening, and custom projects were becoming harder to scale. Then came the wake-up call: the market saw his agency as vulnerable to AI disruption.

Instead of ignoring the warning, Wes rebuilt the business.

That shift led to:
✔️ 60% recurring revenue
✔️ Higher-margin service delivery
✔️ Stronger niche positioning
✔️ Faster project turnaround
✔️ Better internal systems
✔️ Less founder dependency
✔️ His most profitable year yet

In this episode, we break down:
✔️ Why AI forced Wes to rethink his agency model
✔️ How niching into construction changed his positioning
✔️ Why taking the wrong clients can destroy margins
✔️ How productized services made delivery easier
✔️ Why recurring revenue changed the business
✔️ How AI can support better workflows
✔️ Why removing services can create more growth

If you run an agency, service business, or founder-led company, this episode will help you think differently about focus, systems, and long-term value.

👉 Connect with Wes Towers:
• Website: https://uplift360.com.au/
• Wes Towers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/westowers/
• Wes Towers on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Uplift360Aus
• Wes Towers on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@westowers
• Wes Towers on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uplift_360/
• Wes Towers on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@uplift_360/streams
• Wes Towers on X: https://x.com/uplift_360

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, Your Business Growth Playbook

Chapters:
00:00 Niching Painful Lessons
00:48 AI Threat Wake Up Call
01:14 Show Intro And Guest
01:46 Wes Origin Story
03:24 Finding The Trade Niche
05:02 Lifestyle First Growth Plan
06:50 Plateau And Margin Squeeze
09:16 Valuation Shock Explained
11:23 Personal Brand Exit Risk
12:44 Team Led AI Overhaul
15:17 Exit Mindset And Systems
17:15 Niching Horror Story
20:42 Productized Website Frameworks
24:17 Pricing Power And Delegation
25:53 Maintenance Saves Clients
27:05 AI Content Workflows
28:31 SEO Automation With Rank Math
31:50 Recurring Revenue Stability
35:00 Niche Attracts Bigger Clients
37:33 Standardizing Delivery With ClickUp
40:16 Eliminate Low Value Work
44:00 Mentors And Decisive Focus
46:13 Rapid Fire Growth Questions
50:39 Wrap Up And Where To Find Wes

Keywords: Wes Towers, Uplift 360, web agency growth, recurring revenue, business valuation, AI in business, niche marketing, construction marketing, digital agency, productized services, agency systems, founder dependency, SEO, service business growth, Jeremy Shapiro, Your Business Growth Podcast

#podcast #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #DigitalMarketing #AgencyLife #RecurringRevenue

Want to be a ⁠guest on Your Business Growth Podcast⁠? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on ⁨PodMatch here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcast

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What happens when the biggest contracts in your business are actually slowing you down?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Albert Butler, a CPA and business advisor, who shares how chasing large government contracts nearly limited his firm’s growth—and what happened when he shifted focus instead.

Albert built his career working across multiple industries before stepping into a firm heavily focused on government proposals. While these contracts looked prestigious, they required massive effort, long timelines, and high risk—often delaying revenue and draining resources.

Instead of continuing down that path, Albert made a bold decision—shift focus to smaller, high-value clients with faster turnaround and stronger relationships.

That shift led to:

✔️ 3X revenue growth

✔️ Faster sales cycles (months to weeks)

✔️ Higher profit margins

✔️ Stronger client retention and referrals

✔️ Long-term, lifetime customer relationships

In this episode, we break down:

✔️ Why large contracts can limit business growth

✔️ The hidden cost of long sales cycles

✔️ How to reduce customer acquisition time

✔️ Building a client-for-life business model

✔️ Why accounting is the heartbeat of business

✔️ The mindset shift from transactions to relationships

If you're a business owner, consultant, or service provider chasing big deals but struggling with growth, this episode will challenge how you think about profitability, scale, and focus.

👉 Connect with Albert Butler:

• Albert Butler on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@albertbutlercpa

• Albert Butler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/butleralbert

• Albert Butler on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/albertbutlercpa

• Albert Butler on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577977890720

• Albert Butler's Book: https://www.amazon.com/LIFE-Success-Failure-Quotes-Advice-ebook/dp/B0FKGJD7LD

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, Your Business Growth Playbook

Chapters:

00:00 Proposal Pain Points

00:59 Meet Albert Butler

01:46 Origin Story Accounting

03:11 Entering Government Contracts

06:00 Client Experience Matters

07:24 Partner Disagreements

08:43 Partner Exit Buyout

12:58 New Growth Strategy

15:26 ROI And Sales Cycle

20:57 Training Team Shift

23:24 Heartbeat Framework

24:28 Accounting Heartbeat

25:46 Tripling Through Niche

27:44 Client For Life

29:15 Legacy Life Strategy

32:13 Margins And Value

34:35 Purpose Over Money

35:53 Plan Act Review

37:58 Hire Better People

39:06 Retention Referral Metrics

43:14 Rapid Fire Wrap Up

45:05 Final Recap And Links

Keywords: Albert Butler, accounting business, CPA growth, small business strategy, client retention, business scaling, profit growth

#podcast #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #Accounting #SmallBusiness

Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/your_business_growth_podcast

🔔 Subscribe today to get notified of new episodes, interviews, and shorts when they drop!

What happens when your team is working harder than ever—but your revenue refuses to grow?

In this episode of Your Business Growth Podcast, Jeremy Shapiro sits down with Shawn Boehme, a sales leader in cloud communications, who shares how poor alignment across product, sales, and marketing nearly stalled his business—and what happened when he fixed it.

Sean started his career during the early days of cloud communications, joining a fast-growing company and riding the wave of VoIP adoption. But as competition increased and the pandemic accelerated the market, growth stalled despite increased effort and hiring.

Instead of accepting the plateau, Sean made a bold decision—realign product, redefine the ideal customer, and restructure the entire offer.

That shift led to:

✔️ 20%+ growth after a complete plateau

✔️ Quadrupling overall revenue

✔️ Higher close rates (up to 50% inbound)

✔️ Reduced churn by nearly half

✔️ Stronger alignment across teams

In this episode, we break down:

✔️ Why high activity doesn’t equal high growth

✔️ How misalignment silently kills revenue

✔️ The importance of defining your ideal customer profile (ICP)

✔️ Why product should lead sales strategy

✔️ How tiered pricing increases deal size and revenue

✔️ Leveraging partnerships as scalable lead sources

If you're a business owner, sales leader, or entrepreneur stuck in a growth plateau, this episode will reshape how you think about scaling, alignment, and execution.

👉 Connect with Shawn Boehme:

• Panterra Networks: https://www.panterranetworks.com/

• Shawn Boehme on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-boehme-72934469/

📊 Hosted by: Jeremy B. Shapiro, Host and Author, Your Business Growth Playbook

Chapters:00:00 Doing More With Less00:24 Podcast Setup And Guest Intro01:08 Sean's Origin Story03:50 Why Pantera Networks05:18 Early Cloud Growth Years06:29 Pandemic Plateau Hits09:06 Sales Team Morale And Poaching11:05 Redefining ICP And Offer14:28 Product Led Alignment Wins17:45 New Seat Tiers Drive Revenue20:05 Cutting Team And Value Pricing21:42 Pivot Toward Channel Sales22:46 Channel As Lead Source24:32 Hybrid Sales Model25:34 Scaling With Owners28:48 Product As North Star30:39 Differentiation Boosts Close33:17 Churn Cut In Half38:07 Metrics And Feedback40:02 Hindsight Customer Engagement41:20 AI Content Lead Gen42:48 Books And Mentors45:12 Wrap Up And Subscribe Keywords: Shawn Boehme, sales growth, SaaS sales, business scaling, cloud communications, VoIP, sales leadership, product market fit, revenue growth strategies, ICP strategy

#podcast #BusinessGrowth #SalesStrategy #Entrepreneurship #SaaS

Want to be a guest on Your Business Growth Podcast? Send Jeremy Shapiro a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetail/your_business_growth_podcast

🔔 Subscribe today to get notified of new episodes, interviews, and shorts when they drop!