Built To Sell

04/02/2025

Ever wonder how to sell your business to a Fortune 500 giant? Brock Weatherup has done it three times, selling companies to heavyweights like PetSmart and Petco.

In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Brock joins John Warrillow to share his playbook for attracting strategic acquirers, navigating investor preferences, and maximizing your exit.

🎧 Listen now: https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-479/

If selling to a Fortune 500 company is part of your dream, this is the episode for you.

Selling your business to a Fortune 500 company is a dream for many founders. Strategic acquirers often pay the most because they can integrate your business into their larger ecosystem. It’s rare to pull off even once—Brock Weatherup has done it three times.

16/10/2024

Peters explains why achieving a 10% EBITDA margin was critical to positioning NewAir as an attractive acquisition target and how this helped him maximize the company’s value when it was time to sell.

Listen to the full episode here: https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-463/

08/10/2024

Matt Ebert’s entrepreneurial journey started with a teenage car wreck and led to a $2.8B collision repair business. Hear how Matt sold a majority interest in Crash Champions to private equity and then used their backing to buy hundreds of shops. 🎙️ https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-462/

25/09/2024

💡 From Basement Startup to £275M Exit 💡

Jessica DeLuca, co-founder of Cult Beauty, turned her frustration with beauty retail into one of the UK’s most trusted online beauty platforms. In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Jessica shares how she navigated the ups and downs of building Cult Beauty, taking money from friends and family, and the pressure she felt to deliver.

🎙️ Highlights from the episode:
- How Jessica transformed a niche idea into a £275M business
- The emotional weight of asking friends and family to invest
- Creating 29 millionaires through her exit to The Hut Group

Hear Jessica’s incredible journey on Built to Sell Radio, and learn what it takes to turn a passion into a life-changing exit.

📲 Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts!

Jessica DeLuca co-founded Cult Beauty in 2008, creating one of the UK’s leading online beauty retailers. In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Jessica reveals the path that led her to selling the business for £275 million to The Hut Group (THG).

17/09/2024

What happens after you sell your business for a life-changing sum? Whether you’re exiting for $2 million or $2 billion, the post-sale transition can be challenging. Alex Bean sold Divvy for $2.5 billion and shares why the sale left him feeling unfulfilled. In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Alex talks about raising capital, talking to your kids about wealth, and how to avoid the “disease of more.”

🎧 Listen to Alex’s story: https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-459/

Alex Bean sold his company, Divvy, for $2.5 billion. But after reaching this monumental milestone, why didn’t the sale bring him the happiness he expected? In this episode, Alex shares his journey and the lessons he learned about life after a business exit.

10/09/2024

🚨 New Episode Alert 🚨

This week, on Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow interviewed Tim Schumacher, co-founder of SaaS Group and acquirer of 20 businesses. Tim explains how understanding whether you’re a “zero to one” or “one to ten” founder can make all the difference when preparing your business for sale. He also shares tips on protecting your business from nosy acquirers and avoiding getting re-traded during negotiations.

👉 Learn how to position your business for a successful exit.
- Identify if you’re a “zero to one” or “one to ten” founder.
- Attract acquirers with product-led growth.
- Protect your business from nosy acquirers.
- Avoid re-trading during negotiations.

Listen here:

On this week’s Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow talks to Tim Schumacher, co-founder of SaaS Group, about the mindset of an acquirer.

03/09/2024

🎧 New Episode Alert: Mastering High-Stakes Negotiation with Harvard’s Jim Sebenius

Are you preparing to sell your business or just want to sharpen your negotiation skills? In our latest episode of Built to Sell Radio, we dive deep into the art of negotiation with Jim Sebenius, the founder of the Negotiation Unit at Harvard Business School. Jim has advised some of the world’s largest companies and shares his powerful 3D Negotiation framework, revealing how you can:

- Balance empathy with assertiveness in high-stakes negotiations
- Unlock hidden value in your deals by crafting the right strategies
- Avoid the pitfalls of a “busted auction” and manage competitive tension effectively
- Prepare for the challenge of re-trading and protect your deal from erosion

Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or just starting out, this episode is packed with actionable insights that can help you maximize the value of your business.

🎙️ Tune in now: https://builttosell.com/radio/negotiation-masterclass-harvards-jim-sebenius-on-maximizing-your-business-sale-built-to-sell-radio/

27/08/2024

Matt Matros started Protein Bar with everything on the line—his savings, a loan, and maxed-out credit cards. He turned that risk into a $44 million valuation when private equity giant L Catterton came knocking. But what seemed like a dream deal quickly turned into a cautionary tale.

When Matt decided to roll 40% of his equity, he thought he was setting himself up for an even bigger payday down the road. What he didn’t foresee was the power of a liquidity preference, which gave L Catterton the right to take their money out first—plus interest—before Matt could see a dime. Now, years later, Matt’s equity is likely to be worth nothing, even if the company sells.

Check out this clip from our conversation, and hear Matt’s story on the latest episode of Built to Sell Radio.

08/08/2024

Have you ever wondered who might buy your company when you’re ready to sell?

Most people imagine strategic acquirers or giant private equity groups, but the reality is that most small businesses are acquired by other small businesses.

In this week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio, we explore this reality through the experiences of Kristi Herold, the founder of Jam. Based in Toronto, Jam connects people through adult recreational sports leagues and corporate team-building events. Kristi has completed eleven acquisitions, making her an expert in how small businesses buy other small companies.

Here’s a compelling insight from Kristi:

“Every deal we’ve done, not a single one of them has had a for sale sign. These are not deals that I used an agent to find; it’s all been cold outreach.”

By listening to this episode, you’ll learn:

• What small business acquirers look for in potential acquisition targets.
• How to prepare your company to attract the right buyer.
• Strategies to protect your interests and negotiate from a position of strength.

This episode is part of our Inside the Mind of an Acquirer series, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Kristi’s acquisition strategy.
If you’re serious about selling your company and want to come out on top, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Listen to the episode now:

Most people hear about spectacular acquisitions made by strategic acquirers or giant private equity groups. But the reality is, you’re likely to sell your company to a small business in your sector that nobody outside your industry has ever heard of.

15/07/2024

This week on Built To Sell Radio, John Warrillow walks down Main Street with Michael Lynch, creator of TinyPilot, who shares his journey of selling his $1M business. Learn how to handle low-ball offers and escape feeling trapped.

Listen to the full interview here: https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-450/

08/07/2024

Building a social media following can be a double-edged sword for founders. While it helps in many ways, it can also lead to acquisition offers with golden handcuffs.

In this week's episode, John Warrillow interviews Kiri Masters, who shares how she navigated growing a personal brand while building Bobsled Marketing.

Listen to the full interview here: https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-449/

15/12/2023

In this clip from our recent podcast with Chris Voss, Chris shares how to handle negotiation points that are non-starters for you.

To listen to the full interview, head here> https://builttosell.com/radio/episode-419/