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When Your Best Customer Becomes Your Worst Nightmare

Most business owners dream of landing a prominent blue-chip client. Selling to companies like Nike, Apple, Amazon, or Walmart can be transformational for a business. 

Although companies differ, most big brands place larger orders, always pay, are less price sensitive, and provide expansion opportunities.

Read More ›

How Thinking Like an NFL GM May Help You Sell Your Company

Before putting your company on the market, creating a list of potential buyers for your company is paramount. Rather than courting generic investors, I’ve learned that founders that sell for the highest multiples understand the key players in their industry that are paying a premium for businesses like theirs.

Read More ›

David vs. Goliath

We’re hardwired to cheer for an underdog. 

From Rocky versus Creed to, more recently, last year’s run by the Saint Peter’s Peacocks into the NCAA Elite Eight, we are captivated when an underdog pulls off an improbable upset against an overwhelming favorite.

Read More ›

The Danger of Being Lured into a Proprietary Deal

If you were looking to buy a house, you wouldn’t want to compete with other bidders. Acquirers are no different.
They want to avoid competing with anyone to buy your business. Acquirers land a proprietary deal (or “prop deal”) by convincing you to sell your business without creating a marketplace for your company.

Read More ›

3 Ways an Acquirer Evaluates Owner Dependency

When I was a kid, my father owned restaurants. Growing up, I remember my dad dreading a random visit from the health inspector, who had the power to shut his restaurants down. Acquirers also perform random inspections, although they are not evaluating your cleanliness. Instead, they are trying to ascertain how dependent your company is on you.

Read More ›

One vs. Four Times Revenue

Most founders aim to grow sales, but if focusing on your top line attracts the wrong kind of revenue, it may do more harm than good. 

This week’s Built to Sell Radio guest, Mike Winnet, provides an excellent case study on the importance of prioritizing your company’s value over its size. 

Read More ›

3 Ways You Can Shift from Player to Coach

Have you ever wondered why some athletes fail in the transition from player to coach?

Wayne Gretzky, the best hockey player of all time, failed to make the playoffs in four years as the coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. Ted Williams, the best hitter of all time, like Gretzky, could not lead his team to the playoffs in four years as a manager in the MLB.

By contrast, some of the all-time most successful coaches never excelled or even played the sport they coached professionally. Bill Belichick has won six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, yet he never played a down in the NFL. Greg Popovich considered one of the best NBA coaches of all time, never played professional basketball.

Read More ›

Why Things Break at 20 Employees (and How to Fix It)

Have you noticed something weird happens when a company hits around 20 people?

I’ve interviewed over 400 founders and noticed that when a company reaches a couple dozen employees, the company starts to face some new challenges. 

Some founders decide to sell. Others soldier on. 

Read More ›

One Critical Business Lesson from LeBron James

In 2010 the Cleveland Cavaliers led the NBA with a record of 61-21. The following season, they went 19-62, finishing second to last in the league. 

What caused the dramatic downfall?

After the 2010 season, LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat, leaving Cleveland in ruins. 

The Cavaliers missed the playoffs for the next three years, failing to win more than 33 games in a single season. 

Read More ›

The Secret to Avoiding an Emotional Breakdown After Selling

Growing up, my entire life was centered around one goal: playing on the PGA Tour. My family and friends knew me as “the golfer,” an identity I latched onto. 

I spent every day thinking about ways I could get better. My passion led me to play two years of NCAA college golf before making the decision to turn pro. 

I couldn’t believe I had the chance to make a living playing the game I loved. 

Then one day I woke up, and three years had passed since turning pro. I realized my passion for golf was gone.

Read More ›
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When Your Best Customer Becomes Your Worst Nightmare

Most business owners dream of landing a prominent blue-chip client. Selling to companies like Nike, Apple, Amazon, or Walmart can be transformational for a business. 

Although companies differ, most big brands place larger orders, always pay, are less price sensitive, and provide expansion opportunities.

Read More ›

How Thinking Like an NFL GM May Help You Sell Your Company

Before putting your company on the market, creating a list of potential buyers for your company is paramount. Rather than courting generic investors, I’ve learned that founders that sell for the highest multiples understand the key players in their industry that are paying a premium for businesses like theirs.

Read More ›

David vs. Goliath

We’re hardwired to cheer for an underdog. 

From Rocky versus Creed to, more recently, last year’s run by the Saint Peter’s Peacocks into the NCAA Elite Eight, we are captivated when an underdog pulls off an improbable upset against an overwhelming favorite.

Read More ›

The Danger of Being Lured into a Proprietary Deal

If you were looking to buy a house, you wouldn’t want to compete with other bidders. Acquirers are no different.
They want to avoid competing with anyone to buy your business. Acquirers land a proprietary deal (or “prop deal”) by convincing you to sell your business without creating a marketplace for your company.

Read More ›

3 Ways an Acquirer Evaluates Owner Dependency

When I was a kid, my father owned restaurants. Growing up, I remember my dad dreading a random visit from the health inspector, who had the power to shut his restaurants down. Acquirers also perform random inspections, although they are not evaluating your cleanliness. Instead, they are trying to ascertain how dependent your company is on you.

Read More ›

One vs. Four Times Revenue

Most founders aim to grow sales, but if focusing on your top line attracts the wrong kind of revenue, it may do more harm than good. 

This week’s Built to Sell Radio guest, Mike Winnet, provides an excellent case study on the importance of prioritizing your company’s value over its size. 

Read More ›

3 Ways You Can Shift from Player to Coach

Have you ever wondered why some athletes fail in the transition from player to coach?

Wayne Gretzky, the best hockey player of all time, failed to make the playoffs in four years as the coach of the Phoenix Coyotes. Ted Williams, the best hitter of all time, like Gretzky, could not lead his team to the playoffs in four years as a manager in the MLB.

By contrast, some of the all-time most successful coaches never excelled or even played the sport they coached professionally. Bill Belichick has won six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, yet he never played a down in the NFL. Greg Popovich considered one of the best NBA coaches of all time, never played professional basketball.

Read More ›

Why Things Break at 20 Employees (and How to Fix It)

Have you noticed something weird happens when a company hits around 20 people?

I’ve interviewed over 400 founders and noticed that when a company reaches a couple dozen employees, the company starts to face some new challenges. 

Some founders decide to sell. Others soldier on. 

Read More ›

One Critical Business Lesson from LeBron James

In 2010 the Cleveland Cavaliers led the NBA with a record of 61-21. The following season, they went 19-62, finishing second to last in the league. 

What caused the dramatic downfall?

After the 2010 season, LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat, leaving Cleveland in ruins. 

The Cavaliers missed the playoffs for the next three years, failing to win more than 33 games in a single season. 

Read More ›

The Secret to Avoiding an Emotional Breakdown After Selling

Growing up, my entire life was centered around one goal: playing on the PGA Tour. My family and friends knew me as “the golfer,” an identity I latched onto. 

I spent every day thinking about ways I could get better. My passion led me to play two years of NCAA college golf before making the decision to turn pro. 

I couldn’t believe I had the chance to make a living playing the game I loved. 

Then one day I woke up, and three years had passed since turning pro. I realized my passion for golf was gone.

Read More ›
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