Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You

142 Pages·2011·0.73 MB·English

by  John Warrillow

Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 - A Company in Chaos
Chapter 2 - A Worthless Business?
Chapter 3 - Putting the Process into Practice
Chapter 4 - Pressure from Within
Chapter 5 - The Test
Chapter 6 - The Candidates
Chapter 7 - Growing Pains
Chapter 8 - The Number
Chapter 9 - Gaining Momentum
Chapter 10 - A Blank Check for Growth
Chapter 11 - Telling Management
Chapter 12 - The Question
Chapter 13 - A Sellable Company
Chapter 14 - The Finish Line

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE
Summary of Ted’s Tips
Recommended Reading and Resources
“Having built and sold four successful companies, John knows the secrets to
creating a sellable business. John shares his own experiences and lessons
learned, and talks about his new book, Built to Sell.”
E-Myth Worldwide

“What do buyers look for when buying a business, and what should
entrepreneurs be doing if they want to sell their firm? If you want to know, I
strongly suggest you pick up a copy of Built to Sell, by John Warrillow.
Covering every important aspect of the process, from attracting multiple bidders
to getting the most for your business, this book easily explains what you must
know and do if you want to create a business you can sell.”
Steve Strauss, USA Today

“A terrific boon to all the folks I deal with on a day-to-day basis that are lurching
from customer to customer trying to get out of the quagmire. Some terrific
lessons which go far beyond my ‘How to catch a Leprechaun’ chapter in my
book which chronicles basically the same observation about the lack of
preparedness of most business owners for the sale of their business. One of the
strengths of the book is the continuity. It was great following Alex through his
trials and tribulations. Very real-life. I fully intend on sharing with my customers
and TEC. I’m sure it will be a tremendous success!”
Bruce Hunter, Chair, TEC (Vistage) Canada

“John Warrillow’s story gets business leaders to focus on a critical question: If
others wouldn’t pay a fortune for your business, do you have a business worth
growing? This is essential reading for owners looking to build a valuable
business.”
Verne Harnish, founder, Gazelles, and bestselling author of The Rockefeller
Habits

“By contrast [to Michael Gerber’s book The Most Successful Small Business in
the World], in Built to Sell, Toronto-based serial entrepreneur John Warrillow, a
columnist with the Globe and Mail’s Your Business section, is much more
grounded, focused and effective on how to turn your business into one you can
sell. It’s a well-told, sensible approach, with lots of tips clearly demarcated
within the fable for entrepreneurs to ponder and follow as they dress up their
business for sale and then take it through that complicated, delicate process, with
millions of dollars at stake.”
Harvey Schachter, Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Your business just might be worthless if you don’t read this book.”
John Jantsch, bestselling author of Duct Tape Marketing

“FANTASTIC! Small businesses need this book. So many business owners have
the dream of building a business that’s bigger than themselves, and getting away
from the tyranny of constantly putting out fires. John’s book is an entertaining,
to-the-point way of showing them how to do it. They might just find they like
their business much better and not even want to sell later. But if they do sell,
they’ll get much more value from following the book’s advice.”
Anita Campbell, editor in chief, Small Business Trends

“As we’ve always advised at StartupNation, the end depends upon the
beginning. Built to Sell, like other great business books, brings into clarity the
game-changing importance of clearly envisioning the destiny of your business.
But even more, it tells you how to bring that destiny to life.”
Rich Sloan, cofounder and chief startupologist, StartupNation

Built to Sell reminds me of Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s The Goal, in the way that the
valuable lessons about successfully exiting a service business are intertwined
with Alex Stapleton’s compelling story. Alex’s story drew me in immediately.
Any current or aspiring service business owner should read Built to Sell and take
heed of John Warrillow’s valuable lessons and Alex Stapleton’s enriching and
engaging experience.”
Mike Handelsman, general manager, Bizbuysell.com
PORTFOLIO/PENGUIN
Published by the Penguin Group
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This edition published in 2011 by Portfolio / Penguin,
a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright © John Warrillow, 2010
All rights reserved

Previously published by Flip Jet Media Inc.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING IN PUBLICATION DATA
Warrillow, John, date.
Built to sell : creating a business that can thrive without you / John Warrillow. p. cm.
eISBN : 978-1-10151411-5
1. Sale of business enterprises. 2. Entrepreneurship. I. Title.
HD1393.25.W37 2011
658-dc22
2010049338

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