Saturday, November 07, 2026
If the only number you check is your bank balance, you're measuring survival, not success. Here's the four-number scorecard SME owners can run every Monday instead.
Short answer: Making It Happen is a self-paced online masterclass for a one-time US$297 payment. It is built for owners who already know roughly what to do and keep not doing it. If your real problem is that you do not yet know where the business is heading, start with Know Your Future instead. If you need a quick sales lift, look at Quick Wins.
A disclosure first: Simple-Growth publishes this guide and sells Making It Happen, so read it with that in mind. Everything about the program below comes from its live sales page, opened on 10 November 2026.
The sales page describes self-paced video training, pre-made templates, a key points summary, real-world examples from large and small businesses, and Kevin D'Ambros-Smith's practical tips. A workbook is mentioned in an image caption only. The page lists six modules:
The page does not state a total running time, video count or module length, so we cannot tell you how many hours it takes. Payment is $297 once, and the page offers a 30-day money-back guarantee: if it is not useful, you can ask for a refund.
Planning is rarely the bottleneck. The U.S. Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey (data collected 14 December 2025 to 3 May 2026) found that AI use among US businesses stayed between 17% and 20%, and that firms with four or fewer employees were below 20%. Our reading, which is a judgment and not a Census finding: a tool that exists but is not being used is an implementation gap, and that gap is common in small firms where the owner is also the person doing the work.
How much does Making It Happen cost? US$297 as a single payment, with a 30-day money-back guarantee according to the sales page.
How long does it take? The sales page does not say. It is self-paced, so you set the speed.
Is it the same as coaching? No. It is recorded training with templates. Coaching adds a person who diagnoses your constraint and holds you to account.
Can I talk to someone before buying? Yes. Kevin offers a free 30-minute call, and there is no obligation.
Results vary and depend on the work you put in; nothing here is a guarantee.
Next step: See Making It Happen · Take the five-question check first · Book a free 30-minute call · All online programs · Growth tips hub
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Large Firms With at Least 20 Employees Biggest AI Users (May 2026) · Making It Happen sales page
Checked 10 November 2026. Last updated 10 November 2026.
Tuesday, September 08, 2026
New 2026 grocery data shows branded FMCG products are being promoted twice as often as private label — and still losing share and loyalty. Kevin D'Ambros-Smith on why discounting harder is the wrong fix, and what pricing architecture looks like instead.
Monday, September 07, 2026
A 2026 Fed survey of 6,525 small businesses found owner confidence at a 6-year low — while actual revenue, employment and profitability held steady. Why the gap, not the economy, is the real risk for SME and FMCG owners.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Burst campaigns reset to zero every time. Here's why a sustainable weekly cadence beats an intense one-month push, and how to protect it through the slow months.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most SME sales forecasts are built by adding up pipeline value — and it's almost always wrong. Here's how exit criteria, deal age, and weighted forecasting fix it.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most of what fills an owner's calendar isn't driving results. Here's how to run a structured 80/20 audit that identifies the real 20% — and what to do with the rest.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
One-on-one coaching diagnoses and designs strategy. A peer accountability group enforces it. Here's why the combination produces follow-through that neither achieves alone.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Organic growth isn't the only path. Here's how well-chosen SME acquisitions can compress years of growth into one transaction — and where most owners get the due diligence wrong.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most SME roadmaps fail from what they never remove, not what they add. Here's the three-question kill list to run before your next planning cycle — and why pruning, not adding, is what actually frees up growth capacity.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Paid social and search rent attention you don't own. Your email list is the one channel most SMEs already have permission to use — and almost never invest in properly. Here's how to turn it into a real asset.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most sales training focuses on the pitch and the close. The call is usually already lost in the first five minutes. Here's the agenda-set and diagnostic sequence that fixes it — at the team level, not just for one rep.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Delegation doesn't fail because your team can't do the work — it fails because nobody defined what "done" looked like before the task started. Here's the four-part handoff that fixes it.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Self-funded expansion runs out of capital and management bandwidth before it runs out of market opportunity. Here's the franchise-readiness test and how to compare licensing against scaling it yourself.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Business coaching has borrowed a lot from therapy's language, and it's blurred an important line. A coach uses psychology to find what's blocking you — then converts it into a dated business action, every time. Here's where the line sits.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
A 2026 survey of 1,500 business owners found 32% have never taken a full week off. Kevin D'Ambros-Smith on why that's a systems problem, not dedication — and what the regret data reveals about coaching and support.
Sunday, September 06, 2026
Most SME growth plans have one forecast and no backup. Here's how to build a 90-day roadmap with base, stretch, and contraction scenarios — plus the trigger points that tell you when to act.