Most founders say they want to sell their business someday… but they’ve built a company that can’t be sold. In this episode of the E4’s Podcast, we break down the hard truth: revenue doesn’t equal business value, and hustle doesn’t create an exit. If your company only works because you’re holding everything together, you don’t own an asset—you own a job with overhead. Certified Exit Planning Advisor Troy Hoffman explains what actually increases business valuation, what buyers look for, and how to build a company that can scale, operate, and grow without the founder.

You’ll learn how to reduce key-person dependency, install real operating systems, build an executive team, and de-risk the company so it becomes attractive in the M&A market. Troy also shares why founders should start tax planning and estate planning years in advance, why ego kills companies, and how the right rooms, mentors, and frameworks (like EOS / Scaling Up) accelerate growth. Whether you’re at $3M, $5M, $10M, or $30M in revenue, this conversation is a step-by-step mindset shift: build like a buyer, not just an owner—so you have options, leverage, and a real exit strategy.

What You’ll Learn / Highlights

• Why revenue ≠ value (and what creates real business valuation)

• The #1 reason businesses can’t sell: founder dependency

• What buyers actually want in a company (de-risking + systems)

• How to go from 80-hour weeks → 8 hours a week → 8 hours a month

• Green flags for choosing coaches, advisors, and operator mentors

• Why ego kills companies (and how to build with humility + process)

• Why to start tax planning 6 years before an exit

• The “facts over feelings” approach: score your sellability and close gaps

• How to build a leadership team and operating cadence (meetings, dashboards)

Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below.

Facebook

Magnify Your Wealth

Disclaimer -

This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

If your website traffic is dropping even though your SEO is solid, you’re not crazy—AI search is changing how customers find businesses. People aren’t scrolling Google like they used to. They’re asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, and Google AI Overviews and getting an answer before they ever click a website. And here’s the scary part: AI often picks one business (maybe 3–5 max) and calls it “the best” based on credibility signals, not just keywords. That means your business can lose leads even while you still rank on page one.

In this episode of the Force Podcast, Corey Long answers the top 10 AI questions business owners are really asking, including how AI decides who to recommend, why traditional SEO isn’t enough, and what “authority” actually means in the AI era. If you’re a business owner, operator, local service provider, agency owner, coach, contractor, doctor, or marketer trying to stay visible as AI takes over search—this is your roadmap. No gimmicks. No hype. Just a clear strategy to build AI authority, strengthen your reputation, and become the answer AI recommends.

What You’ll Learn / Highlights

• Why AI Overviews can cut website clicks even if your rankings are strong

• How AI decides which business is “the best” (authority, citations, reputation)

• The new “SEO” signals: reviews, awards, testimonials, structured FAQs

• Why you can’t “submit your site to AI” (and what to do instead)

• What content AI actually pulls from (and what it ignores)

• Which AI tools matter most for business owners (and what’s a time-waster)

• How AI can increase leads when you become the recommended answer

• The ethical risk: where automation helps vs. where it hurts trust

• The real truth about being “behind” in AI—and what to do daily

• Why this is an online land rush and how to move now

Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below.

Ai Authority Engine https://invisibletoinvinciblechallenge.com/aiengine

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@therealcorylong

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e-forge-with-cory-long/id1823417933

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4aZD9YaIr5OttNLce5iGOm?si=7149ceb9ed9c4819

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealcorylong/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/therealcorylongEforge/

Disclaimer -

This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

AI search is already changing how customers find (or don’t find) your business. Before someone clicks your website, AI systems like Google AI Overviews, Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, voice search, and more are filtering who gets recommended—and who gets ignored. If AI doesn’t see you as credible, authoritative, and trustworthy, you can be invisible even if you rank on page one. That’s why so many business owners are seeing a slowdown and blaming the economy… when the real issue is authority. In 2026, visibility isn’t just “SEO keywords and backlinks.” It’s your digital footprint, your citations across trusted sources, your expert-led content, your reviews with context, your structured answers, and your brand clarity across platforms. This episode explains how AI search actually works, what signals AI looks for, and how to position your business, agency, practice, contractor service, nonprofit, or ministry as the recommended answer. If you want more inbound leads, more calls, and more trust—this is your roadmap for AI SEOand long-term authority.

What You’ll Learn / Highlights

• Why traditional SEO alone won’t guarantee AI visibility in 2026

• The #1 reason you’re losing leads: AI doesn’t trust your footprint yet

• What AI is really reading: signals, citations, mentions, and authority

• How Google AI Overviews vs AI Mode vs normal search can show different winners

• The authority signals AI rewards: reviews with context, expert content, FAQs, structured data

• A simple test you can run today: ask AI to explain who you are + who you serve

• Why “more content” isn’t the fix—aligned authority is

Want to learn more about Cory Long? Check out the links below.

Facebook

Magnify Your Wealth

Disclaimer -

This video is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed tax professional or financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.