Beyond A Million 211: How a "Boring" Business Sold for 2x Market Value with Will Duke
Physical security is a brutally competitive, commoditized industry. Most companies look the same, act the same, and sell for the same.
Will Duke did things differently. And when it came time to sell, buyers lined up.
He didn't just exit the core business. Along the way, Will built an internal software platform to manage and track thousands of security devices for customers. That platform eventually became its own SaaS company, and both businesses were sold as part of the same exit, at roughly double market value.
In this episode, we break down how he differentiated in a crowded market, what actually mattered during the sale, and his repeatable process for investing smartly after an exit.
If you want to understand what actually drives valuation, and why buyers were willing to pay a premium for Will's business, this episode is definitely worth your time.
Key Takeaways
(00:00) Intro
(00:45) Building a Business Over 20 Years
(03:00) Selling Outcomes, Not Security Hardware
(08:19) Using Data to Differentiate
(14:00) The SaaS Tool that Became a Competitive Advantage
(21:45) Video Surveillance for Small Business Owners
(26:20) Advice for Entrepreneurs Exiting a Business
(31:02) Exiting Two Companies at the Same Time
(33:46) How to Use AI Before Talking to Attorneys
(35:39) Maximizing Exit Value Through Culture & Core Values
(43:07) Learning How to Invest Post-Exit
(46:12) A Repeatable System for Vetting Investments
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XhpaE31zOg0
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