Episode 667 | Increase Your Exit Price by Decoupling Yourself from Your Business with John Warrillow
Jun 27, 2023
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John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell, joins to discuss his newest venture, VidGuide, a tool for creating effective Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). He reveals his motivations for launching VidGuide and the importance of validating SaaS ideas. The conversation highlights how well-structured SOPs can increase a business's exit price and shares success stories of others utilizing SOPs effectively. John also dives into the challenges of customer validation and enhancing user adoption of new software solutions.
Implementing effective Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) can significantly increase a business's value by decoupling it from its founder, attracting better exit offers.
VidGuide innovatively simplifies the creation and consumption of SOPs through engaging video content, enhancing employee adherence and operational effectiveness.
Deep dives
The Role of Standard Operating Procedures in Business Exits
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) play a crucial role in enhancing the exit potential of a business. Properly implemented SOPs can decouple the business from its founder, making it more appealing to potential buyers. This separation increases the business's value as it demonstrates a systematized operation that doesn't rely solely on the founder's expertise. Furthermore, a well-documented SOP framework can reduce earnouts during acquisitions by proving to buyers that the business can run independently.
Creating Effective SOPs with VidGuide
VidGuide addresses common challenges associated with traditional SOPs by facilitating their creation and consumption in a more engaging way. Unlike conventional written SOPs stored in shared drives, VidGuide utilizes video content to demonstrate procedures, making them easier to digest for employees. The platform tags video guides directly to specific software, providing context and enhancing accessibility for users as they navigate their tasks. This method not only improves the chances of employees utilizing SOPs but also aligns the training process with their day-to-day responsibilities.
Market Validation and the Importance of Context
Initial market validation for VidGuide highlighted the uniqueness of its approach to SOPs and the necessity of context in training. While many business owners acknowledge the need for SOPs, the challenge lies in ensuring employees actually follow them. By conducting surveys and focus groups with their audience, John Warlow and his team discovered that the real pain point was not the creation of SOPs but engaging employees in their usage. This insight shifted their messaging from simply promoting the need for SOPs to emphasizing how VidGuide encourages adherence among users.
SOPs as a Tool for Business Independence
The podcast features success stories that illustrate the value of SOPs in creating independent businesses that can thrive without their founders. One notable example is Jodie Cook, who built a media agency and successfully exited her business without relying on an earnout by leveraging her comprehensive SOPs. Her careful documentation allowed her to sell her business for a premium, demonstrating that strong SOPs can significantly enhance the value of a company at the time of sale. Such examples reinforce the idea that entrepreneurs can maintain autonomy and maximize their returns by fully embracing SOP practices.
In episode 667, Rob Walling speaks with John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell, about validating and launching his second SaaS business, VidGuide. They cover how Standard Operating Procedures can help your business, from leading toward better exits to easing your burden as a founder.
Topics we cover:
2:59 – Why John decided to launch VidGuide
7:23 – Validating and positioning a “scratch-your-own-itch” SaaS idea
13:45 – Considerations for novel software solutions
18:27 – Success stories of others and their SOPs
22:42 – John’s early validation for VidGuide
26:13 – Following April Dunford’s methodology for positioning
If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!