Saturday, November 07, 2026
A volunteer mentor and a paid coach solve different problems. Here is who each suits, what each costs, and six questions that settle it.
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.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Decision fatigue, not hours worked, is what wrecks an owner's judgment by Thursday. Here's how to batch routine decisions and protect the ones that actually need you.
Friday, September 04, 2026
The highest-probability sale in your business is sitting in your existing customer file. Here's how to systemise cross-sell and upsell instead of leaving it to chance.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Claims about your own business don't convert — customer proof does. Here's how to systemise the kind of proof that actually moves prospects, on any marketing budget.
Friday, September 04, 2026
A new 2026 survey of 1,305 owners found only 20% would trust AI alone with a major growth decision — most still want a human in the room. Here's what that, and what owners really call "winning," means for your business.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most owners build strategy around growth targets, not whether the business would survive a buyer's due diligence. Here's why the exit-ready test is the sharpest strategy audit you're not running.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Hiring too early burns cash on capacity you don't need yet; hiring too late caps growth before anyone admits it. Here's how to time headcount off real capacity signals instead of a gut feeling.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Friends validate the decision you've already made. A good coach asks what's actually underneath it. Here's why that single question is the real value of business coaching — and why it's meant to be uncomfortable.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Constant switching between finance, sales, and operations quietly drains an SME owner's decision quality all day long. Here's how day-theming groups similar work together and ends the context-switching tax.
Friday, September 04, 2026
A single price turns every sale into a yes-or-no decision on cost alone. Here's why packaging your offer into three tiers changes the conversation, protects margin, and closes more deals without discounting.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most SME content marketing generates activity, not revenue, because nothing in it points to a next step. Here's how to give every piece of content a job and build a path that actually converts.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Most SME growth targets are last year's number plus a round figure nobody can defend. Here's how to build a target from capacity, market, and unit economics instead — one your team can actually plan against.
Friday, September 04, 2026
A new survey found 56% of small business owners hit a major cash flow crisis in their first three years, and 80% still face it yearly. The fix isn't a better bookkeeper — it's a rolling cash system.
Friday, September 04, 2026
88% of founders admit stress causes poor decisions, but only 19% have the delegation skills proven to fix it. Why the fix for founder burnout is a decision-rights system — not rest.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Launching new lines the moment your core product works feels like growth. The data says it's usually what causes the plateau.
Friday, September 04, 2026
Being the best operator built your business. Staying the best operator is now the ceiling on how big it can get.