After reading John Warillow’s excellent book Built to Sell, my first reaction was John picked the wrong title.
It's an excellent book for entrepreneurs looking to sell their businesses, but the lessons are useful for anyone interested in building a successful company.
Which is why I really like the book’s tag line: “Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You.”
Built to Sell is about building successful, growing businesses that can scale beyond the owner’s span of control. This creates a business that others will value and want to acquire, creating options and opportunities - even for a business owner that doesn’t want to sell.
The book is written as a novel-like business parable. The story’s main character is Alex Stapleton, who owns a struggling advertising and design firm. Each chapter outlines how Alex shifts his business practices to become a “sellable business.” Along the way, Alex and his mentor share the techniques and methods Alex uses to improve his company.
Some of the key lessons Alex learns include creating a business that is teachable, repeatable and valueable to others. The lessons are explained and nicely illustrated with examples. There is also a very useful implementation guide at the end of the book.
To help promote the book, there is a special offer this week and this week only. Order a copy for $16 and get a $65 basket of goodies, including:
- One Year Subscription to Inc. Magazine
- 2-Hour Teleconference with John Warrillow
- The E-Myth ebook, The Four Pillars of a Sellable Business
- BizBuySell Valuation Report
- $25 Kiva Loan in Your Name
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