Built to Sell Radio

In this week's episode of Built to Sell Radio, we are joined by William Ury, the co-founder of the Harvard Program on Negotiation and the International Negotiation Network with former President Jimmy Carter. Drawing from his extensive experience in high-stakes diplomatic negotiations, Ury shares invaluable strategies to help you punch above your weight in a negotiation to sell your business. From understanding buyer motivations to mastering negotiation processes, you will gain actionable insights from one of the world's foremost negotiation experts.

Brian Dean has been called an SEO genius for his search engine optimization courses, so it probably shouldn’t have been a surprise when Semrush, a publicly traded SEO software company, came knocking. What was surprising was that Semrush paid $5 million for Brian’s one-employee company.

This week we’re featuring an interview with John Rood, who built Next Step, a test prep business that helped students prepare for the medical school admissions test (MCAT). John Rood built Next Step to almost $10 million in revenue, with EBITDA margins ranging from 20–40% before selling to New Harbour Group, a private equity business doing a roll-up of test prep companies.   Although it was a financial windfall for John, his exit left him feeling empty inside. John drifted and ended up having a difficult time processing his newfound life, which led him to consider if other founders struggled with life post-exit. He began interviewing other entrepreneurs who had sold and is now putting the finishing touches on a book called Beyond the Exit, which will come out later this year.

This week we’re bringing you an extraordinary story of resilience and determination as we delve into the lives of Payam and Frank Zamani. Starting their American dream with a mere $75, the brothers embarked on a venture that led to the founding of Autoweb, a groundbreaking lead generation service in the auto industry.   Autoweb’s journey to success reached its zenith with an IPO that valued the company at an astonishing $1.2 billion, with shares peaking at $50. However, the narrative took a dramatic turn as investor demand for a new CEO led to a steep decline, plummeting the share price to a mere 18 cents.   Through the turbulence, Payam Zamani’s story unfolds as one of unwavering spirit and the relentless pursuit of a vision despite formidable challenges.   Tune in to hear how Payam navigated the highs and the heartbreaking lows of Autoweb’s saga as he offers a treasure trove of lessons for capitalists.

Ned MacPherson started helping clients optimize their websites back in 2016. Demand for Ned’s time quickly outpaced supply, so he started building a team. Within seven years, Ned had 70 employees, more than $2 million a year in EBITDA, and multiple acquisition offers.

Jordan van Schyndel grew his service business to more than 30 employees without having anyone quit. He credits his unique culture for the loyalty of his team. Ultimately it was that team that caught the attention of Spiria, which offered to acquire van Schyndel’s business.

In 2015, 25-year-old Alexx Leyva was traveling around Thailand when a shocking phone call brought him back to the United States to take over his father’s $3 million business. Over the next five years, Alexx and his brothers tripled the company and ended up selling it for more than $20 million.

In recent years, "entrepreneurship through acquisition" courses at Ivy League MBA programs have surged in popularity, outshining traditional classes in marketing or corporate finance. This trend reflects a shift in aspirations among students, many of whom now prioritize acquiring a business over roles in consulting or banking.   As a business owner, you're likely to encounter increased interest from these eager MBA graduates keen on acquiring your company with the backing of people who specialize in funding these first time entrepreneurs.   For example, this week we interviewed Steve Divitikos a Harvard MBA who decided to acquire and build a small business using money he raised from investors. There are pros and cons of selling to an acquisition entrepreneur.

When it comes to your endgame, what’s your highest priority? Do you want to maximize your personal wealth and walk away? Or do you want to de-risk but keep some chips on the table? Or is your highest priority protecting your culture, your employees, and the legacy you have built? If your goal is to protect your culture, then selling to an individual investor may be worth considering.   In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, you’ll hear from Carl Allen, a former guest and HP executive who was responsible for acquiring companies for the tech giant. These days, Carl teaches individual investors how to buy their first business. You’ll get inside the minds of the individual investors Carl coaches to understand how they structure acquisition offers, and you’ll discover the telltale signs that an individual investor is either going to honor or ruin your company’s legacy.

Anastasia Koroleva is an experienced entrepreneur and former technology company CEO. After her first nine-figure exit, she went on to start three more businesses. Today she is the host of the podcast, Exit Paradox, where she talks to some of the most remarkable founders in the world about the lessons they learned about life after selling a business. This episode will help you design your ideal life post-exit.

Michael Lieberman built Datastay, a software company that helped brake manufacturers and distributors catalog their models. The application proved sticky with parts manufacturers, which is why Autodesk made an acquisition offer for Datastay of more than ten times its revenue despite Datastay having just nine employees at the time of the acquisition.

Adam Coffey spent 21 years as a CEO of three national service companies backed by nine private equity sponsors. During that time, he completed 58 acquisitions and generated more than one billion dollars of value at exit. Adam’s book, The Private Equity Playbook, is a bestseller, and on this episode of Built to Sell Radio’s “Inside the Mind of an Acquirer” series, Adam teaches a masterclass on how private equity works.

Jason Swenk sold his marketing agency in 2011. Since then, he’s transitioned to the role of an acquirer, purchasing nine agencies. With experience on both sides of the negotiating table, Jason reveals his unique perspective on how to sell your service business.

Joe Khoubbieh is the Chief Investment Officer at Valsoft, one of the most prolific acquirers of software companies in the last few years. In 2023 alone, Valsoft completed 25  acquisitions in 10 countries. In total, Valsoft has acquired 95 companies and paid the founder 100% of their proceeds in cash in all 95 deals.   In this week's episode of Built to Sell Radio, we get inside Joe's head and find out how he thinks about evaluating companies to buy, structuring a role for the founder post acquisition, the downside of selling to private equity, dealing with egos and what to do when an acquirer tries to re-trade.

In this episode featuring Mark Zweig, we explore the aftermath of selling his company, The Zweig Group, to a private equity group. Zweig Group, known for serving the architecture industry with magazines, reports, and trade shows, achieved remarkable growth, landing three times on the Inc. 5000 list. At its peak, the company reached $19 million in revenue. However, Mark's sale to a private equity group unfolded as a cautionary tale, showcasing the potential pitfalls when partnering with the wrong acquirer.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all the rage these days, but do you remember the cannabis craze? Basem Hanna sure does. He rode that wave to perfection, leaving his cannabis startup with a cool $25 million and shares that could be worth double that one day. This week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio is a no-holds-barred chat (yep, expect some strong language) about making it big in the green rush.

Aaron Leibtag cofounded Pentavere Research Group, a digital health company that identifies patients not receiving the medications or interventions they should be receiving because critical data is buried in a patient’s electronic health record. Despite having just 15 employees, they attracted an acquisition offer that valued Pentavere at $15 million

This week on Built to Sell Radio, we highlight the top strategies from the 10 most popular shows of 2023. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: ·        Grow your email list. ·        Compete with industry giants. ·        Replace yourself inside your business. ·        Implement a three part strategy for hiring high-potential employees. ·        Get your customers to fund your growth. ·        Use silence to help you get the upper hand when negotiating the sale of your business. ·        Provoke a bidding war for your business. ·        Use a surprising negotiating tactic to get an acquirer to increase their offer.  ·        Rebut a low-ball offer. ·        Handle negotiation points that are non-starters for you.

If you've ever wanted to create recurring revenue inside your business you'll want to listen to today's episode of Built to Sell Radio. The show is the third in our three-part expert series and features a conversation between John Warrillow, the author of The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in any Industry, and Robbie Kellman Baxter, the author of The Membership Economy and The Forever Transaction -- two of the world's leading experts on subscription models in one episode.

Negotiating the sale of a business sale is intense and emotional for founders. Clear thinking is vital. In our second expert series installment, we feature Hasard Lee, a renowned clear-thinking expert. Lee, a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, authored the international bestseller, The Art of Clear Thinking. This Wall Street Journal bestseller, #2 in U.S. business books, has been translated into multiple languages. As a flight commander in Afghanistan, Lee led over eighty combat missions, piloting two different jets on the same day in support of ground troops. Selected to fly the F-35, a cutting-edge, costly weapons system, he later became Chief of Training Systems at the world’s largest training base, innovating pilot training technology and methods. Lee’s book translates combat lessons into daily life. Today he provides a mental toolbox for founders, guiding clear thought amid the emotional challenges of selling a business.