Built to Sell
Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You
Author: John Warrillow
Length: 224 pages (~5-hour read)
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audible
Grab your copy of Built to Sell on Amazon here.
Why This Book Matters
If your business feels like a trap you can’t escape—or you’ve built something too dependent on you—Built to Sell is the wake-up call you need. Through a simple fable about an agency owner, John Warrillow shows how to transform a founder-dependent company into one that’s valuable, scalable, and sellable—even if you never plan to sell. This book is a must-read for business owners stuck doing everything themselves, and especially relevant if you’re considering an exit in the next few years.
Core Idea
A business isn’t truly valuable unless it can run without you. Warrillow argues that most small businesses are unsellable because they revolve around the founder. The fix isn’t a better marketing plan or more hustle—it’s redesigning your business to be a productized, process-driven company that others can run and eventually buy. Selling is optional. Scalability is essential.
Key Tactics & How to Apply Them
1. Narrow Your Focus
Specialization increases value. Generalists are harder to scale and less appealing to buyers.
How to apply: Choose one service you can deliver consistently and profitably. Stop saying yes to every request. Position your company as the go-to expert for that one offering.
2. Productize Your Service
Repeatable services are easier to delegate—and easier to sell.
How to apply: Turn your customized, time-consuming work into standardized packages with clear scope, pricing, and outcomes. Think like a product company, even if you deliver services.
3. Build a Process, Not a Personality
If you’re the only one who can deliver results, you don’t have a business—you have a job.
How to apply: Document your workflows. Create step-by-step playbooks for how the business runs. Train others to deliver the same results, with or without you.
4. Say No to Custom Work
Custom projects feel lucrative—but kill scalability.
How to apply: Eliminate one-off requests. Stick to your core offering and price structure. Every exception adds complexity, which adds dependency on you.
5. Create a Sales Team That Doesn’t Rely on You
If all deals flow through you, growth hits a ceiling.
How to apply: Hire and train a sales rep to sell your productized offering. Equip them with scripts, CRM tools, and performance metrics. Your business should sell itself without you being in the room.
6. Get Paid Upfront
Cash flow is king—and makes your business more attractive to buyers.
How to apply: Shift your pricing model to upfront or milestone-based payments. Avoid chasing invoices or floating client work on your own dime.
7. Build with the End in Mind
You don’t have to sell—but you should build as if you could.
How to apply: Run your company as if a buyer were watching. Track key metrics. Remove owner dependencies. Make decisions that grow transferable value, not just short-term income.
Real-World Example
The story centers on Alex, an ad agency owner overwhelmed by client demands. With the help of a mentor, he turns his chaotic, custom-service agency into a focused, process-driven business that sells one type of marketing package to a specific niche. By eliminating custom work, training a team, and productizing his offer, Alex eventually sells his business for a life-changing sum—proving that designing a sellable company pays off, even if you don’t plan to exit.
When to Use This Book
Your business depends too much on you personally
You’re considering selling—or want the option to sell someday
You’re exhausted from juggling custom client work
You want to increase the value of your business without raising revenue
You’re tired of running a company that feels more like a job than a business
Grab your copy of Built to Sell on Amazon here.