Built to Sell Radio

John Warrillow author of Built to Sell and The Automatic Customer, and The

Built to Sell Radio

  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    Ep 478 After the Deal: When Can You Afford to Fly Private? with Preston Holland

    That’s why we created the After the Deal series on Built to Sell Radio. This series explores life after selling a business—delving into the personal, financial, and emotional transitions that come when work becomes a choice, not a requirement. 

    In this episode, we speak with Preston Holland, author of Private Jet Insider and an expert in private aviation. Preston shares why private jet travel isn’t just for celebrities and explains how business owners use private aviation to buy back their most valuable asset: time. 

    24 January 2025, 6:00 am
  • 54 minutes 11 seconds
    Ep 477 Inside the Mind of an Acquirer: Lessons from Analyzing Thousands of Real-Life Transactions

    This week on Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow interviews Blake Hutchison, CEO of Flippa, the world’s largest marketplace for buying and selling digital businesses. With experience overseeing thousands of real transactions, Blake offers a unique window into the minds of today’s acquirers. 

    17 January 2025, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 11 minutes
    Ep 476 Exit Story: How Ben Landers Avoided an Earn-Out in His 8-Figure Sale of Blue Corona

    Ben Landers built Blue Corona, an 8-figure digital marketing agency focused on home service businesses, into a data-driven powerhouse. When it came time to sell, Ben achieved something extraordinary: a clean exit with no earn-outs, a rare feat in the service business world where earn-outs are practically the norm.

    10 January 2025, 6:19 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    Ep 475 Inside the Mind of an Acquirer: Adam Kerrigan on Selling His Service Business, Acquiring 16 More, and Moving From a 1X to a 15X Multiple

    Adam Kerrigan started as the owner of a managed service provider (MSP) business, which he built and eventually sold. After his exit, he joined the acquiring company to lead its M&A group, where he completed 16 deals and helped build a private equity-backed organization. 

    In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Adam pulls back the curtain on how acquirers often push for cashless deals, offering equity instead of cash—and how sellers can negotiate to ensure they get the deal they deserve. 

    3 January 2025, 6:00 am
  • 38 minutes 37 seconds
    Ep 474 2024 Year-End Special: The Insider’s Guide to Maximizing Your Exit

    As we gear up for 2025, I wanted to highlight the top strategies covered this past year on Built to Sell Radio. These insights are designed to help you increase the value of your business and position yourself for a successful exit.

    27 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 55 minutes 15 seconds
    Ep 473 Exit Story: How Grace & Stella Survived a $28M Setback to Sell for 5.8x EBITDA

    Imagine personally guaranteeing millions in debt to fill a $28M order—only to have it yanked at the last minute. It nearly bankrupted founder Adi Gullia as well as Grace & Stella. Yet he overcame it all and sold at a 5.8x EBITDA multiple. 

    20 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 50 minutes 17 seconds
    Ep 472 Exit Story: The Broken LOI: How George Hartley Salvaged the Sale of SmartrMail

    Blue Thumb, Australia’s largest art marketplace, spawned SmartrMail—a SaaS business that grew to $2 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). When George Hartley decided to sell SmartrMail, he faced a major setback: the buyer he signed an LOI with didn’t have the funds to close. 

    In this week’s Built to Sell Radio, George shares the lessons he learned when his first deal fell apart and how he ultimately salvaged the sale. 

    13 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 31 minutes 50 seconds
    Ep 471 Exit Story: Kaelon Egan on Selling AccelaSchool to PowerSchool, Targeting Strategic Buyers, and Avoiding Earn-Outs

    In this week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow interviews Kaelon Egan, the founder of AccelaSchool, who successfully sold his company to PowerSchool—a giant in the K-12 education technology space. 

    For most founders, the ultimate dream is to sell to a strategic acquirer: a well-funded, industry leader with deep pockets. Egan shares exactly how he positioned his company to become a natural acquisition target, avoiding common pitfalls along the way. 

    6 December 2024, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
    Ep 470 After the Deal: James Ashford on the Aftermath of Selling a 12-Employee Company for 8 Figures

    James Ashford built GoProposal with a clear goal: to sell. From designing the logo with potential acquirers in mind to rallying his team around the vision, James executed his plan with precision. The result? An eight-figure sale to Sage, a FTSE 100 company. But what happened after the deal? 

    In this week’s Built to Sell Radio, part of our After the Deal series, James opens up about life post-exit. Selling a company can bring financial freedom, but as James reveals, it also comes with unexpected challenges. 

    29 November 2024, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 10 minutes
    Ep 469 Inside the Mind of an Acquirer: The Private Equity Roll Up Playbook

    If you’re a business owner, chances are buyers are considering your industry for a roll-up. From veterinary clinics to auto body shops, pharmacies to advertising agencies—you name the industry, there’s probably a private equity firm looking to roll it up. 

    This week’s episode is part of our Inside the Mind of an Acquirer series, where we dive into the strategies and motivations of different types of buyers. Jordan Dubin, co-founder of Guild, shares how he raised $35 million to create a roll-up of garage door companies and reveals what he looks for in a potential acquisition. 

    22 November 2024, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    Ep 468 The Hustler’s Guide to a Big Exit: How Shane Neman Conquered the Business of Partying

    What does it take to turn nightlife into big business? Med school dropout Shane Neman cracked the code on the nightclub industry, transforming its back office into a finely tuned, revenue-generating machine. From pioneering one of the first SMS platforms for small businesses to setting up his companies for top-dollar exits, Shane shares the technical strategies that turned his ideas into high-value assets. 

    15 November 2024, 6:00 am
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