Built to Sell Radio

William Brown, an entrepreneur thriving in Dubai, shares how he turned a $50 trading advice document into a multi-million dollar online education business. He discusses the surge in day trading during the pandemic that fueled his growth and his transition from one-off sales to a successful subscription model through automated webinars. Navigating the complexities of selling his business, he reflects on the emotional journey of the acquisition process and emphasizes the significance of authenticity in information products.

In this insightful discussion, Christopher Vollmond-Carstens, Chief M&A Officer at Ntiva, reveals the secretive world of corporate mergers and acquisitions. He shares his journey from academia to leading significant deals and the common misconceptions surrounding the M&A process. Listeners learn how strategic planning, personal relationships, and strong financial metrics play pivotal roles in successful acquisitions. Christopher also emphasizes the importance of trust in negotiations and how effective communication can reshape deal outcomes.

Kristi Herold, founder of Jam, a Toronto-based company that connects people through recreational activities, shares her insights on small business acquisitions. She dives into the evolution of her company from local leagues to national expansion, revealing strategic mergers and pandemic adaptations. Kristi discusses the emotional journey of balancing ambition with comfort, and offers nuanced strategies for navigating acquisitions in the sports sector. She emphasizes the importance of valuing relationships and understanding business valuations for successful negotiations.

Jeff Archibald, founder of Paper Leaf, shares insights on turning a 3x EBITDA offer into 5x through creative earn-outs. He discusses declining projects without losing customers, focusing on simplicity in business, and navigating missed acquisition opportunities. Jeff also delves into the successful sale of his service business, highlighting the importance of negotiation strategies and post-acquisition commitments.

Nicole Osmer, founder of Health+Commerce, shares insights on growing her agency from $1M to $10M in revenue, handling acquisition offers, minimizing re-trading, deciding when to sell, and communicating with employees during an acquisition. She also discusses the dynamics between M&A professionals and lawyers, emotional highs of selling a business, and future acquisitions in healthcare services.

In this week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow interviews Michael Lynch, the creator of TinyPilot, a hardware device that allows users to remotely control their computers without installing any software.   Like most small companies, TinyPilot was a Main Street business with around $1 million in revenue and roughly $250,000 in profit, so Michael’s story is a revealing snapshot of a typical exit for the majority of small businesses

In this week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow interviews Kiri Masters, founder of Bobsled Marketing. Kiri’s marketing agency specialized in helping companies merchandise their products on sites like Amazon.com and Walmart.com.  Kiri successfully transformed a significant social media following into a valuable company.

David Sinkinson, co-founder of AppArmor, shares insights on bootstrapping their campus security app to a $40M exit. Topics include near negotiation disaster, evolving business model, sibling partnership challenges, and navigating M&A negotiations with strategic advantages.

Have you considered the psychological toll of building your business?     In this week’s Built to Sell Radio episode, John Warrillow sits down with Bill Hudenko, a psychologist, Dartmouth professor, and serial entrepreneur, to discuss the psychological impact of building and exiting a business. Bill shares his personal journey through multiple exits and offers insights into the mental health challenges that come with selling your life’s work.     As someone who has experienced these challenges firsthand, and as a professional with access to extensive data, Bill provides practical advice on how to avoid the common mental health pitfalls associated with selling your business.  

Renowned expert Tom Deans shares insights on selling a family business, highlighting challenges in transitioning control and passing on values. He discusses covert narcissism in family businesses and stresses the importance of focusing on value creation for successful succession planning.