Listen free for 30 days

  • Built to Sell

  • Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You
  • Written by: John Warrillow
  • Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
  • Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (140 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Built to Sell cover art

Built to Sell

Written by: John Warrillow
Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $21.00

Buy Now for $21.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A business parable about how to create a start-up that won't trap you when you want to sell it. According to John Warrillow, the number one mistake entrepreneurs make is to build a business that relies too heavily on them. Thus, when the time comes to sell, buyers aren't confident that the company-even if it's profitable-can stand on its own. To illustrate this, Warrillow introduces us to a fictional small business owner named Alex who is struggling to sell his advertising agency. Alex turns to Ted, an entrepreneur and old family friend, who encourages Alex to pursue three criteria to make his business sellable:

  • Teachable: focus on products and services that you can teach employees to deliver.
  • Valuable: avoid price wars by specializing in doing one thing better than anyone else.
  • Repeatable: generate recurring revenue by engineering products that customers have to repurchase often.

©2011 John Warrilow (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp

What listeners say about Built to Sell

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    104
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    7
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    74
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    11
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    92
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A well written easy to read book for entrepreneurs

I give this book to my clients. Every business should begin with the end in mind- an exit that is a win win for all involved.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great information annoying narrator

Great information for anyone interested in building a business capable of running without them, that's scalable and potentially easy to sell for big bucks.

I like the story format as well, only negative is the narrator's tone, sounded like he was trying to do too much.

A good listen nonetheless.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Info dense AND engaging

Even if you don't plan to sell your business, the wisdom in this book is important for me and to build scalable ones

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Must read for any business person

Got through this book in 2 days, interesting and relatable story line. Very knowledgeable and makes you think about your business or future business plans.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, reminded me of the Wealthy Barber

Took me a couple chapters to get used to the voice, but overall was a great way to listen and learn.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life Changing!!

I've always wondered if I'm doing things the right way as a business owner and this really made me look at me, my process and asses if I'm putting my team in a winng position.

Thank you John

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great if you can stomach a bad narrator.

at first I was put of by the narrator's style, and considered giving the book a miss. I'm glad I didn't though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Value

Valuable insight on growing business with value. Great actionable and easy tips for any business owner.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great insights!

As a long time business owner just starting to think about buying and selling businesses I loved the insights this book provides. The story fashion of the information provided a great way to really understand the concepts and how it applies to businesses.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The mental shift I needed

As a consultative service provider business owner who abhors how many services have been watered down in the name of scalability, this book helped me see how to productize and scale without selling out. On track now to a sellable business.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!