I learned a lot from this book and liked the storytelling aspect. ( )

An overly simplistic parable book. Nevertheless has some insights, especially for people new to the mechanics of selling a company. Also good ideas about getting the owner out of the day to day.

Like many modern business books, the business lessons that John Warrillow teaches are embedded into a parable which makes for quick reading. The story is about a harried entrepreneur, Alex Stapleton, who owns a marketing agency. As the story begins, he is getting fed up with bad clients, underperforming employees and poor financials. He's ready to sell.

The rest of the book is about his taking on a mentor, Ted, who helps him to understand how business buyers evaluate companies. Ted helps Alex create value in the company and, in the process, create a much more enjoyable and profitable business. The story culminates with Alex going through the process of selling the company including the hurdles he faces and overcomes along the way.

Throughout the story, the author includes 17 tips to follow for creating value. Some of the tips are no-brainers and some are gems that come only from experience (e.g., hire two sales people instead of one). After the parable is an eight step process for creating a business that can thrive without the owner. The lessons from experience are worth the price of the book alone. ( )