Reef Reads - Built to Sell — Even If You’re Not Ready to Sell (Yet)

What if the best way to grow your business… is to build it so you could walk away?

That’s the punchline of Built to Sell by John Warrillow—and it lands hard for many business owners I know.

Too often we get stuck in the weeds: solving problems, chasing sales, being the indispensable linchpin. Warrillow flips the script. He shows that real value—and real freedom—come from building a company that thrives without you at the center. Even if you never sell, isn’t that the ultimate goal?

5 Shark-Worthy Takeaways from Built to Sell

• Niche = More Value. Focus beats variety. A single repeatable service scales faster and sells easier.
• Create Repeatable Systems. Think franchise — even if you’ll never franchise. Consistency, documentation, and training = transferability.
• Recurring Revenue is the Holy Grail. Subscriptions, retainers, and other predictable models make buyers (and owners) love future cash flow.
• Founder-Dependency is a Deal Killer. If the business can’t survive without you, it’s not worth much. Build the bench, not just the brand.
• Don’t Wait to Start. Designing for optionality improves today’s profitability, accountability, and peace of mind.

Shark Reflection

You don’t have to sell your business. But you should build it so you could. Those systems  create freedom now and options later.

So—where is your business still too dependent on you? And what’s one area you could systematize in the next 90 days?