SMART BUSINESS OWNERS BUILD SELLABLE BUSINESSES(EVEN IF THEY NEVER SELL) - TREVOR CLARK
- Business Sense
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 14 hours ago
When I talk to business owners about building a sellable business, the response is often immediate. “But I don’t want to sell yet.” “I’ve never even thought about selling.” “I’ll worry about that one day.” And that’s perfectly fine. Building a sellable business is not about selling it right now, unless that is your goal. The point is to build a business that could be sold, because the process of doing so fundamentally improves profitability, freedom, and long term value. At ActionCOACH, we define a successful business as:
A commercial, profitable enterprise that works without you.
That definition is not about exit strategies. It is about options.
Sellable Really Means Optional
A sellable business gives you choices. And choice is the real measure of success.
A sellable business may allow you to:
■ Appoint a General Manager and step back
■ Work part time while pursuing other interests
■ Sell all or part of the business to your management team
■ Bring in a strategic partner or investment group
■ Hand the business over to your children with far less risk
■ Franchise or scale into multiple territories In every scenario, the owner is no longer buried under the business. Instead, the business becomes an asset that supports wealth creation, time freedom, and opportunity.
This is why many owners decide not to sell once their business becomes sellable. Owning a business that works without you is a very good place to be.
Why Most Businesses Never Get There
The biggest obstacle to sellability is not the economy, competition, or industry conditions. It is owner dependence.
■The owner sells.
■The owner decides.
■The owner fixes.
■The owner holds the knowledge.
That model works in the early years, but over time it creates a ceiling. Growth slows, stress increases, and freedom disappears.
In a previous article, I asked a simple but confronting question: Could your business survive a month without you?
Not as a holiday test, but as a value test. Because if a business cannot operate without the owner, it is very difficult to scale, partner, franchise, or sell.
Systems Are the Bridge to Sellable
The bridge between an owner dependent business and a sellable one is systems. Over many years, we have helped business owners systemise their businesses using a clear nine-step framework, covering:
1. Vision and long-term direction
2. Mission and strategic focus
3. Values and culture
4. SMART goals from long-term through to quarterly priorities
5. Organisation charts and role clarity
6. Position contracts and expectations
7. KPIs for accountability
8. Documented how-to systems
9. Management systems that hold everything together
These steps are not about bureaucracy. They are about consistency. And consistency builds trust. Trust builds value. You do not need to be the best at everything. You simply need to be the best at being consistent.
Where ABoS Takes This Further
This focus on systems is also why ActionCOACH has evolved. We are no longer simply business coaches. Today, we install business operating systems into the companies we serve.
ABoS, the ActionCOACH Business Operating System, is far more than the nine steps in digital form. It is a fully integrated operating system that brings together:
■ Long-term vision planning through to three, one, and 90-day goals
■ Quarterly planning and execution rhythms
■ Clear accountability through organisation charts and role allocation
■ Individual and team to-do lists that feed into weekly and monthly goals ■ Financial dashboards and key numbers
■ Marketing strategies, campaigns, and step-by-step tutorials
■ A complete goal-setting and accountability framework
All of this is built on 32 years of ActionCOACH intellectual property, refined through tens of thousands of businesses worldwide. In simple terms, it gives owners their entire business at their fingertips, with confidence that plans are being executed, KPIs are being hit, and deadlines are being honoured.
We are currently rolling ABoS out to all active coaching clients as part of phase one. Phase two will open access to more businesses that want to build sellable, scalable operations and gain a genuine competitive advantage.
A Conversation Worth the Time
Our founder and CEO, Brad Sugars, was recently interviewed on the Business Growth Podcast in a deep, two and a half hour conversation exploring these exact themes. It is a long episode, but it is two and a half hours very well spent.
Scan the QR code below to listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Final Thought
Smart business owners are not obsessed with selling. they are focused on building value. And when value is built properly, selling becomes just one of many good options. If you would like to be added to the ABoS phase two waiting list or simply want a coffee or a formal consult to explore whether this approach is a fit for your business, reach out. We will gladly set something up. Here’s to building the kind of business that outlives you.
To your success,
Trevor Clark.
T: +27 (0) 31 266 2258
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