Built to Sell by John Warrillow: My Complete Book Retelling
I just finished reading “Built to Sell” by John Warrillow and I have to share it with you. This book hit different.
Here’s the deal. Most business owners build companies that can’t survive without them. They’re stuck doing everything, putting out fires, and working crazy hours. And when they finally want to sell? Nobody wants to buy because the whole thing falls apart without the founder.
What This Book Is About
Built to Sell tells the story of Alex Stapleton, a guy who owns an advertising agency. His business is doing okay on the surface. But he’s stretched thin, his clients all want him personally involved, and his company is basically worthless without him.
Then he meets Ted Gordon, a successful entrepreneur who becomes his mentor. Ted teaches Alex how to turn his chaotic, owner-dependent agency into a real business that someone would actually want to buy.
The story is fictional but the problems are super real. Out of 23 million businesses in the US, only a few hundred thousand actually get sold each year. That’s roughly 1%. The other 99% just can’t find buyers.
Why I’m Retelling This Book
This is one of those books that every person running a business should read. Even if you never plan to sell. Because the things that make a business sellable are the same things that make it actually good to run.
I’m going to walk through each chapter, break down the key ideas, and share my thoughts on what works and what you should pay attention to.
Book Details
- Title: Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You
- Author: John Warrillow
- ISBN: 978-1-59184-582-9
What’s Coming
This series has 18 posts covering all 14 chapters plus the implementation guide, Ted’s tips, and my final thoughts. One post per day.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why most small businesses are unsellable
- How to pick one thing and do it really well
- How to build a process that doesn’t need you
- How to handle pushback from your own team
- What buyers actually look for
- How to figure out what your business is worth
- The step by step playbook for making it happen
Let’s get into it.
Next up: Chapter 1 - When Your Business Is a Total Mess
All posts in this series: Built to Sell