“I Thought I'd Tried Everything to Grow My Business… Until I Realised What I Was Really Missing!”
This is the true story of a real business owner's journey to doubling his revenues.
I wanted to double my revenue within two years.
That was the goal.
It didn’t feel unrealistic. We had a good business, a solid offering, and a track record. I thought if I just pushed a bit harder, made a few smarter moves, we’d get there.
Instead, I went in circles.
At the time, it felt like I was doing everything right. Working hard. Talking to people. Chasing opportunities. But the results never quite matched the effort.
So I did what most business owners do.
I went looking for answers.
I followed advice. A lot of it.
Good advice, on the surface:
“You need a clearer value proposition”
“Define your ideal customer”
“Build a proper sales process”
I joined peer groups. Spent serious money. Sat in rooms full of smart people having the same conversations.
And still…
Nothing really changed.
Because knowing what to do… and actually doing it inside your own business… are two very different things.
The part nobody talks about
The more I tried, the more scattered things became.
I chased different ideas. Followed my instincts (which weren’t always great). Spread myself too thin.
And slowly, that turned into something else:
Confusion.
Then stress.
Then something closer to fight-or-flight.
It was always there — in the background.
You wake up thinking about it. Carry it through the day. Bring it home at night.
And that’s where it really hits.
Because it doesn’t just affect your business.
It affects how you show up as a partner. As a parent.
I wasn’t present. I was distracted. Short-tempered.
All because I couldn’t get clarity on something that felt like it should have been fixable.
I know, I just need a salesperson…!
At some point, I landed on what felt like the obvious solution:
Hire a salesperson!
If someone else could take over selling, I could focus on running the business.
So I did.
And it didn’t work.
Because what I didn’t realise was this:
They were expecting a business that already had:
a clear value proposition
a defined ideal customer
a structured way to win business
And I didn’t have that.
Not really.
So they struggled.
Then they left.
And I was back where I started — only more frustrated than before.
The real problem
It took me a while to see it.
But it wasn’t a sales problem.
It was the absence of a clear, structured way to grow.
Everything we were doing was:
reactive
instinct-driven
dependent on me
And that works… until it doesn’t.
What finally changed
When I met Peter, I was sceptical.
I’d heard it all before.
But this time was different.
He didn’t start with advice.
He didn’t tell me what I “should” be doing.
He just sat down with me and said:
“Let’s work this out, for your business, together.”
And that’s exactly what we did.
We didn’t just talk about:
value proposition
ideal customers
sales process
We workshopped and built them.
Together.
Step by step.
Applied directly to what I do.
Peter calls it “co-creation”.
And that’s exactly what we did.
The shift
The first thing that changed wasn’t revenue.
It was me.
I gained clarity.
The noise dropped away, the fog lifted.
I stopped chasing everything. and stopped second-guessing every move.
For the first time, I could see:
what actually mattered
what actually worked
what i could safely ignore
From there, everything else followed.
What changed
Revenue became more consistent.
Not perfect, but predictable enough to feel in control.
Deals moved with more purpose, faster, more easily.
There was an easier way to win business, and we could repeat it.
But the biggest shift?
Was personal.
I felt calmer. More focused. More in control.
That constant pressure I’d been carrying for so long… it vanished.
I stopped bringing it home.
I became more present again. A better husband. A better father.
From rollercoaster to cruising
That’s the best way I can describe it.
Before: a rollercoaster, stress, anxiety.
After: easy, calm, cruising.
Still growing. Still moving.
But without the constant ups and downs.
A year later I doubled my revenues and sold the business.
Life is good now.
What I wish I’d known earlier
The biggest mistake I made wasn’t working too hard.
It wasn’t trying too many things.
It was trying to figure it out all on my own…
…being told what to do, but never shown how to actually do it.
Working with Peter changed that.
Because we didn’t just talk about what the business needed, what I needed.
We built it.
Together.
What will you wish you’d known earlier?
“I Thought I'd Tried Everything to Grow My Business… Until I Realised What I Was Really Missing!”
If this true story sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
And you’re probably closer to that solution than you think.
Let's find out together, in a complimentary call.
Book your free call with your #1 Top Line Revenue Growth Specialist, Peter Strohkorb
Book your free call with your #1 Top Line Revenue Growth Specialist, Peter Strohkorb