• Built to Sell

  • Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You
  • By: John Warrillow
  • Narrated by: Erik Synnestvedt
  • Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,431 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
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 after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Built to Sell  By  cover art

Built to Sell

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

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.48

Buy for $21.48

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes 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
    1,847
  • 4 Stars
    401
  • 3 Stars
    116
  • 2 Stars
    27
  • 1 Stars
    40
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,271
  • 4 Stars
    351
  • 3 Stars
    196
  • 2 Stars
    99
  • 1 Stars
    149
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,608
  • 4 Stars
    317
  • 3 Stars
    85
  • 2 Stars
    21
  • 1 Stars
    30

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

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

Narrator is awful!

Ex of voice: Helloh thereuh. How are youuuah? Wellah. Iam fiynuhhh. Thank youahh.

The entire book is like this!!!

The way the narrator speaks is the way they make fun of public speakers. A voice that is comically used in a way that we feel the person is full of themselves, having bloated sentences that extend the last letters of the word. At first I thought it was a joke, then I knew it was legit and it is VERY hard to listen to. Very obnoxious. Hard to listen to! Preview it and see if you can handle it. I wish I had...

The book is fine, the narrator blows it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

97 people found this helpful

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

Good content, Very bad narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I'd recommend buying the real book--not listening to this audio book.

Would you be willing to try another book from John Warrillow? Why or why not?

Yes.

Would you be willing to try another one of Erik Synnestvedt’s performances?

I'd avoid him as much as possible if I can.

Any additional comments?

It was hard to digest the content when you are distracted by the whiny voice that stops/starts without context of the whole sentence or paragraph.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

57 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Dare I say it... Better then E-Myth

I have over 280 Audible titles 95% of theme are business\personal Development related and I review very or rate very few as many are the same after awhile. This was a stand out title and now has become an absolute favorite Top 3 by far. I just finished my 1st listen and I will be going back over and over again. Anyone is business to sell or not should own this book. There are many easy to follow actionable items that will give great freedom in your business. If E-myth is the entry class this is the advanced course.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narration needs to be redone.

What disappointed you about Built to Sell?

I was very excited to get into the content of this book, however, the reader is so impossible to listen to, I can't get past 5 minutes at a time. The way he speaks is such a joke, I'm absolutely impressed the producers of the audiobook actually thought this was a good idea. Ouch. I've never had to write a review like this!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Built to Sell?

I couldn't get past the first few chapters, so I'm moving to the eBook as I still would like to read the book.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

24 people found this helpful

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

Great content but HORRIBLE nattation.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

If you're deaf you might be able to cope.

What other book might you compare Built to Sell to and why?

I couldn't tell you, I couldn't absorb the content.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrators voice is incredibly difficult to listen to and completely distracts from the content.

He uses voices that are excessively overblown and has a weird twang that he uses at the end of almost every sentence.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Built to Sell?

The end of every sentence.

Any additional comments?

I don't often write scathing reviews, but the narration of this book REALLY REALLY destroyed what is otherwise a good book.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

21 people found this helpful

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

Surprisingly informational with good tips

What did you love best about Built to Sell?

I wasn't sure I would like a fictional company story and tips weaved into this format. It went into good detail and the expert friend, Ted, had good and fairly complex tips. The fictional company was fairly realistic and I liked the part when the seller was fumbling over why he was selling to potential buyers.

The narrator is a little pole smokey. I have heard him on one other audio book and his delivery is smarmy. The end of most of his sentences sound like questions. You might want to listen to the 5 min sample to make sure you can handle this narrator.

The content is good for all level of business owners.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

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

Get past the Narrator and it's Excellent!

Any additional comments?

I read a few comments about the narrator but chose to listen anyway. The same guy reads Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich". This is an excellent book for an entrepreneur looking to sell their business. The story is well written and the points at the end are very valuable. The next release should have a different narrator.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

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

Needs to be re-recorded

Good book that may have been great, but the narrator distracted so much from the story.

Under normal circumstances, I would have stopped listening and returned this book 5 minutes in due to the narrator. But, I really wanted to see what the author had to say. So, I decided to muscle my way through it as a form of personal growth. I figure after 4+ hours of listening to this narrator, I can deal with anything else life throws at me.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

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

the guys voice was annoying

The guys voice had an unnecessary drawl to it.

It seemed like he was reading Shakespeare or something dramatic in his mind - when this was a book on business.

good overall.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

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

Worst Narrator

I’ve listened to dozens of audiobooks. This guy has a weird inflection on his words. It’s like he adds an uh after everything. Just listen to the sample and you’ll see. But after speeding it up, it’s not quite as bad.

The content of the book, however, is incredibly valuable content, enjoyable story, and helpful for business owners.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful