The Opportunity Podcast

Hosted by Empire Flippers

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Episodes

235

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May 2026

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About the show

Welcome to the Opportunity Podcast, where entrepreneurs come to learn from real buyers, sellers, and industry experts, the lesser-known growth opportunities to build their online business empires. This podcast series will help you uncover tactics veteran online business entrepreneurs have used to build, buy, flip, and sell their way towards personal wealth. Learn from tech insiders and digital business owners the secrets they've used to achieve their personal & financial goals.

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60 recent

June 16, 2026Episode 2151 hr 2 min

Rebuilding From Bankruptcy to $50K Months as a Solopreneur With Moe Choice [Ep.215]

Most entrepreneurs don't get it right the first time. In fact, the average founder fails around four times before they land something that really works. What matters isn't avoiding failure, it's what you do to bounce back.In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, Greg sits down with entrepreneur and solopreneur mentor Moe Choice for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to rebuild after things fall apart. Moe has built 12 different businesses, lost everything more than once, gone through bankruptcy in Dubai, and had his plans completely disrupted during COVID. But instead of giving up, he doubled down on building a successful business designed around freedom. A big part of the conversation is about why skill alone isn't enough. Moe explains that many talented people stay stuck because they focus too much on improving their craft and not enough on learning how to position, market, and sell it. He also highlights how important focus is. Many solopreneurs jump between tactics, but Moe's breakthrough came when he committed to one channel, LinkedIn outreach, and stuck with it long enough to get genuinely good at it. That consistency became the foundation for rebuilding and eventually scaling his coaching business. If you're building a business, this episode is a reminder that resilience matters just as much as strategy, and that sustainable success usually comes from simplifying, not complicating. Topics Discussed in this episode: 02:38 - Moe's entrepreneurial journey and how he built a $250K business on LinkedIn 07:00 - Why Moe's business in Dubai went from $400K profit to bankruptcy 12:49 - The benefits of creating an American LLC 17:13 - Moe's only regret from his failed Dubai business 21:17 - How Moe built his LinkedIn business coaching company 32:51 - Good enough is better than perfection 37:52 - How Moe helps solopreneurs reach 15K 53:29 - The difference between successful entrepreneurs and those who fail Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Moe's LinkedIn Moe's Website Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to succeed as a solopreneur!

May 26, 2026Episode 21456 min

How to Raise $12M to Buy Small Businesses With Grant Hensel [Ep.214]

What separates great entrepreneurs from everyone else is not avoiding failure. It's their ability to get back up and keep trying new things.Grant Hensel started 10 businesses, watched seven fail, scaled one into a 60-person company, shifted from building businesses to buying them, and recently raised nearly $12 million to back entrepreneurs acquiring small businesses. In this episode of The Opportunity podcast, Grant joins us to share what separated his successful ventures from the failures and the benefits of buying businesses instead of building them from scratch. One of the keys to success for Grant was finding the right people. He explains that many of his own successes came from partnering with operators who were better suited to run the day-to-day business, while he focused on vision, support, and capital allocation. That philosophy now shapes how his fund evaluates acquisition entrepreneurs. We also dig into how he raised the fund itself, why he believes "boring" businesses can be incredible investments, and the warning signs that immediately kill a deal for him. We also discussed AI's impact on SEO agencies and why Grant believes AI is actually creating new opportunities for digital marketing businesses rather than destroying them. If you're interested in buying businesses, raising capital, or building long-term wealth through acquisitions, this episode is packed with practical insights and hard-earned lessons. Topics Discussed in this episode: 04:12 - What separated Grant's successful businesses from the failures 11:26 - Why Grant switched from building businesses to buying them 13:41 - How Grant found his first acquisition 14:30 - How AI is affecting marketing agencies 17:34 - How the first acquisition was structured 20:03 - The benefits of buying vs building a business 23:23 - Ins and outs of raising a fund 30:28 - Why Grant is sceptical of acquisition synergies 39:52 - How Grant evaluates searchers 46:26 - How Grant raised $12 million for acquisitions Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Main Street Capital Network Grant's LinkedIn Sit back, grab a coffee, and look behind the scenes of a $12million fund!

May 19, 2026Episode 2131 hr 0 min

Building for Acquisition: Lessons From a $40 Million Exit With Beth Mazza [Ep.213]

Most founders think selling a business is the finish line. For Beth Mazza, it was the start of a completely different challenge. After selling her first consulting firm for a modest valuation, Beth rebuilt her next company with an exit in mind from day one. The result? A roughly $40 million exit and a crash course in what buyers actually value. In this episode of the Opportunity Podcast, Beth shares the lessons she learned from both exits, including building systems that reduce founder dependency and creating relationships with potential buyers years before selling. We discuss what really drives high-value exits: positioning, operational readiness, recurring relationships, and strong financials. Beth also explains why most founders wait too long to prepare their business for acquisition. She also opens up about the emotional side of entrepreneurship, the identity shift that comes after an exit, and balancing motherhood while building companies at scale. If you've ever wondered what separates a sellable business from one that traps the founder inside it, this episode delivers an honest look behind the curtain. Topics Discussed in this episode: 02:00 - The mistakes Beth made when exiting her first company 05:30 - Why Beth's second business earned a much higher valuation 08:00 - Building buyer relationships years before selling 13:00 - Lessons from bad LOIs and failed positioning 16:30 - Beth's thoughts on AI, SaaS, and agency businesses 25:00 - Turning founder expertise into systems and processes 28:00 - How Beth's $40M exit came about 36:00 - Why PE-backed strategic buyers pay higher multiples 40:00 - The emotional reality after selling a company Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Female Mavericks Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to prepare for a profitable acquisition from the start!

May 12, 2026Episode 21253 min

Subscription Strategies for Ecommerce Growth With Matt Holman [Ep.212]

For many eCommerce brands, getting the first sale is not the hardest part. Keeping customers coming back is. In this episode of the Opportunity Podcast, Greg speaks with Matthew Holman, founder of D2C subscription agency Subscription Prescription, about how eCommerce brands can improve retention and increase recurring revenue by adding a subscription component to their business.Matt explains why subscriptions are often misunderstood by founders. Many brands treat them purely as a way to increase lifetime value, but according to Matt, the real opportunity is creating a better customer experience that naturally drives recurring revenue. Good onboarding is key. Matt explains that the first 7–10 days after a purchase are critical because that is when customers decide whether they feel like they are "winning" with the product. Brands that educate customers early, guide them through the experience, and reinforce value tend to see far stronger retention. Greg and Matt also dive into why some ecommerce businesses force subscriptions where they do not belong, the psychology behind multi-month subscription offers, and why value stacking often works better than endless discounting. For founders looking to improve customer retention and grow recurring revenue, this episode is filled with practical insights and real-world examples. Topics Discussed in this episode: What makes a business a good fit for subscriptions (06:16) When subscriptions do not work for ecommerce brands (09:30) The weirdest subscription product Matt has ever seen (12:38) What separates high retention offers from those that just churn (14:38) Mistakes founders make when trying to grow subscription revenue (18:56) Building offers that increase retention and LTV (22:03) How new businesses should test subscription offers (27:29) Matt's recommended testing framework for new subscription offers (32:42) How to attract high-value consumers instead of discount shoppers (36:17) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Matt's LinkedIn TheSubscriptionDoc.com Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to reduce churn and increase recurring revenue through subscriptions!

April 28, 2026Episode 21157 min

Rewriting the Paid Ads Playbook With Hernan Vazquez [Ep.211]

Paid ads used to be simple: find the right audience, dial in your targeting, and scale. Now? It's where a lot of businesses quietly burn cash. In this episode, we are joined by Hernan Vazquez, a paid ads expert with over a decade of experience. Hernan explains why so many business owners are spending more on ads and getting less back. The biggest problem is the math. What used to work at $3 leads or cheap clicks doesn't work when acquisition costs have doubled or tripled. But many businesses haven't adjusted. They're still running the same funnels, expecting the same outcomes, and wondering why margins are disappearing. According to Hernan, platforms like Meta and Google now rely heavily on AI, which means your creative is doing the real work. If your message doesn't land instantly, your budget gets eaten alive. That's why more operators are shifting to low ticket offers. Instead of risking everything on a cold high-ticket sale, Hernan suggests using low-ticket products to test demand, recover ad spend faster, and avoid wasting months on funnels that don't convert. If you've ever looked at your ad spend and thought, "this should be working by now," this episode will show you what's actually going wrong, before it costs you even more. Topics Discussed in this episode: Hernan's background in paid ads (02:31) Paid vs organic and where to invest today (04:23) Hernan's advice for hiring your first media buyer (15:28) How paid media has changed and the current struggles with Meta (21:59) The shift from targeting to creative (25:30) Why low ticket offers are making a comeback (28:05) Funnels vs ecosystems and how to structure your strategy (35:31) Retargeting and what still works today (45:43) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Hernan's LinkedIn Low Ticket Profits - Hernan's book Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to get more conversions from your paid ads!

April 21, 2026Episode 2101 hr 5 min

Neuromarketing: The Science Behind What Makes People Buy With Nancy Harhut [Ep.210]

In a world flooded with AI-generated content, standing out is harder than ever. Which is exactly why understanding why people make decisions matters more now than ever before. In this episode of the Opportunity Podcast, we're joined by Nancy Harhut, co-founder and Creative Director of HBT Marketing. Nancy specializes in blending marketing with behavioral science to uncover what actually drives customer action.It's simpler than you might think. People rely on mental shortcuts to make decisions. Instead of carefully weighing every option, we act on instinct, often without realizing it. This impacts our purchasing decisions. Nancy explains that this is why tactics like loss aversion (avoiding mistakes), reciprocity (giving before asking), and autonomy (offering choice) are so effective. Small tweaks, like framing an offer as something to avoid losing, or giving two options instead of one, can have a big impact on conversions. An added challenge is that AI has made content faster and cheaper to produce, which makes standing out harder than ever. That's where the Von Restorff Effect comes in. People notice what's different. And as more businesses rely on AI, differentiation becomes your biggest advantage. Nancy believes we're in a transitional moment. AI is changing how content is created, but human psychology still determines what sells. The businesses that win won't be the ones producing the most content. They'll be the ones who understand how people think, feel, and decide. Topics Discussed in this episode: 04:33 - What neuromarketing is and why you should use it 07:30 - Loss aversion in action 10:30 - Reciprocity and influence 16:30 - Autonomy bias and choice 25:00 - Decision-making and "liminal spaces" 30:30 - Pricing psychology tactics 35:30 - The impact of AI on marketing 44:00 - Risks of over-relying on AI 52:00 - How to stand out (Von Restorff Effect) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Using Behavioural Science in Marketing - Nancy's book HBT Marketing Nancy's LinkedIn Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to boost your sales and stand out from the crowd using neuromarketing!

April 7, 2026Episode 2091 hr 5 min

Finding Purpose Beyond Profit With Terry Kyle [Ep.209]

Most hosting companies don't start because someone dreams of running servers. They start because something is broken and users are frustrated. That's exactly how Terry Kyle built WPX. In this episode, Terry joins us to discuss how he built WPX from a single server into a globally distributed hosting company with 100+ staff, thousands of loyal customers, and a reputation built on speed and hands-on support. We also dive into Terry's approach to modern SEO. While many entrepreneurs spend thousands of dollars buying courses and attending events, very few actually implement what they've learned. His advice is to start small, take action quickly, and build momentum through repetition rather than overthinking. He also highlights emerging opportunities, particularly in non-English SEO markets, where competition is lower, and the upside remains significant. While WPX gave Terry profit, he found purpose in his charity work after founding Every Dog Matters. Terry has built a large-scale dog rescue operation that now cares for hundreds of dogs daily. And while building a business was challenging, he describes the charity as far more difficult, both operationally and emotionally. This episode shows that success isn't just about building a profitable company. It's about what you choose to do with the resources, skills, and leverage you've built along the way. Topics Discussed in this episode: The origins of WPX hosting (05:14) Setting up the infrastructure to own a hosting company (11:29) Growth mistakes Terry made while building WPX (16:56) Naivety in entrepreneurship is often crucial to success (21:55) Terry's advice to entrepreneurs who suffer from analysis paralysis (29:48) How to hire people to counter your weaknesses as a founder (32:32) Does parasite SEO work for real brands? (38:40) Terry's three pillars of great SEO (44:13) Where Terry sees SEO going in the future (46:33) More about Terry's dog charity Every Dog Matters (53:19) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter WPX Every Dog Matters Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to break out of analysis paralysis and take action!

March 3, 2026Episode 20850 min

Hiring Mistakes That Slow Down Your Business Growth With Mads Singers [Ep.208]

Many online businesses fail to grow not because of bad products, but because of bad hiring. In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, Greg speaks with Mads Singers, a management coach who runs multiple recruitment businesses, to talk about where founders go wrong when building teams. One of the most important hiring considerations is cultural fit. Culture is defined by behavior, not by what's written on your website, but by what you allow. If missed deadlines slide or high performers behave poorly without consequences, that becomes the standard. New hires quickly adjust to whatever they see around them. We also discuss why personality often matters more than experience. Skills can be trained. Behavior is much harder to change. Matching someone's natural strengths to the role dramatically increases your odds of success. Mads also reveals how he finds the best talent. The strongest candidates are usually already employed. If you're just posting a job ad and waiting, you're likely missing them. Expanding your reach and being proactive increases your chances of finding someone exceptional. And if you're hiring a specialist in an area you don't understand? Borrow expertise. Bring in someone knowledgeable to assess technical skill, then set clear expectations from day one. Mads explains that hiring isn't about filling seats. It's about building a team that solves problems without you. That's what turns a stressful job into a scalable, sellable asset. If you're hiring right now, planning to hire, or feeling frustrated with your current team, this episode is worth a listen. Topics Discussed in this episode: Mads' background and his recruitment companies (02:18) Mistakes and key characteristics to look for when hiring new staff (07:03) Why personality matters more than skills (10:07) The importance of identifying and protecting your company culture (14:16) Identifying proactive people and supporting new hires (23:16) How to make your job posting more attractive (28:58) How to hire high-level leadership positions from outside your business (33:14) Hiring, evaluating, and managing people more skilled than you (42:39) Information about the SEO Mastery Summit happening in March (48:20) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter Mads' website Mads' LinkedIn Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to hire the right people for your business!

February 24, 2026Episode 20756 min

Real World Lessons in Acquisitions and Deal Making With Paul Lajoie [Ep.207]

What if the smarter path to building wealth online isn't launching a new business… but acquiring something that already works? In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, we sit down with Paul Lajoie, a CPA turned acquisition entrepreneur who has bought more than 25 businesses over the past two decades.Paul breaks down his experience starting businesses from scratch vs buying established businesses. The difference is night and day. Paul's success rate in buying businesses is 92%. When starting from scratch? Just 25%. A large part of Paul's success is his buying criteria. He focuses on businesses that have been around for at least ten years and have already survived economic downturns. He looks for proof of resilience, not just potential. He also opens up about the early mistake that nearly derailed his first deal. Running out of working capital was a hard lesson, but one that shaped how he approaches every acquisition today. We also discuss why the structure of a deal can matter more than the purchase price, how seller financing works in practice, and the importance of diversification in business success. If you're an online business owner thinking about buying instead of building, or an entrepreneur searching for a smarter path to financial freedom, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, risk, and long-term wealth. Topics Discussed in this episode: Paul's experience going from being a CPA to buying 25 businesses (02:15) Buying vs building from scratch and why Paul prefers acquisitions (05:11) Paul's acquisition criteria and why deal structure matters more than price (07:01) Paul's advice on seller finance deals and how he finances his acquisitions (15:37) Due diligence best practices and major red flags to avoid (20:05) The niches Paul favors and how to protect businesses from AI (23:17) Why diversification is critical for long-term success (32:11) The realities of absentee ownership and the importance of working capital (36:17) How Paul manages multiple businesses at the same time (51:37) The best professional advice Paul has ever gotten (53:22) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter BizBuyPro The Exit Plan book by Paul Lajoie Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to acquire a portfolio of successful businesses.

February 17, 2026Episode 20632 min

Optimizing Your Amazon Listings for Rufus and AI Search With Jon Tilley [Ep.206]

For Amazon sellers, discovery determines everything. If customers can't find your products, nothing else matters. What many sellers haven't realized is how quickly Amazon's discovery engine is changing. Amazon is moving beyond traditional keyword-driven search toward AI-powered, intent-based answers through Rufus. This impacts how products are surfaced, compared, and ultimately purchased. In this episode of The Opportunity Podcast, we're joined by Jon Tilley, CEO and co-founder of ZonGuru, to unpack what this change means for sellers. For years, growth on Amazon centered around search volume, keyword placement, and ranking tactics. But Amazon is now interpreting intent, not just indexing terms. The platform is increasingly focused on understanding what shoppers are trying to accomplish, not simply what they typed into the search bar. That changes how listings should be structured and how images communicate value. It changes how sellers approach visibility, conversion, and long-term positioning. In our conversation, we discuss what sellers are getting wrong, which outdated techniques are still being used, and what it will take to stay competitive heading into 2026.If you're building or scaling on Amazon, this episode will help you understand where the platform is heading and how to position your business for what comes next. Topics Discussed in this episode: How Rufus and AI-based discovery are changing the Amazon marketplace (04:59) Rufus's big impact on Black Friday 2025 (09:23) How Amazon sellers can convert more using Rufus (11:40) How to make listing images more readable for Rufus (15:25) The aspects of your listing that matter most for visibility and ranking (18:26) Outdated techniques that Amazon sellers still use (21:10) Services ZonGuru offers that can help sellers optimize for Rufus (24:25) How to stay ahead as an Amazon seller in 2026 (27:52) Mentions: Empire Flippers Podcasts Empire Flippers Marketplace Create an Empire Flippers account Subscribe to our newsletter ZonGuru Free Readiness Report Special Offer: 25% OFF on 3+ AI-Mapped Listings Sit back, grab a coffee, and learn how to optimize your Amazon listings for AI-based discovery.