Are you building a business—or creating wealth?
What's your endgame? Are you clear on what your future looks like? How about your business?
In my experience most founders are so focused on running their business, they forget they're actually building an asset. An asset that most hope to be worth millions. The dream 2Comma exit.
Take a seat for a moment as here’s an astounding statistic for you; only 10% of businesses get to more than $1m in revenue, and a mere 1% to over $10m!
The reality I’ve seen play out many times: The most successful business sales take 7-10 years of intentional preparation. The person on top of the mountain didn’t fall there, time preparing, planning and executing was the key.
Many founders treat their business as an extension of their family. And the corollary is apt - it takes time to build a family as does a business. Think of it like developing premium real estate. You wouldn't just throw up four walls and a roof - you'd carefully design, build, and enhance the property to unlock its value.
What makes a business truly valuable?
- Growth and scale are two critical factors. A business on a rapid and sustained growth trajectory should stay there. And scale tends to indicate some form of robustness.
- Systems that run the business without you - buyers pay premium for businesses that aren't founder-dependent.
- Strategic market position - a unique edge that competitors can't easily copy.
What the data says:
- Companies built with exit-readiness in mind command a staggering 3-4x higher valuation (Harvard Business Review)
- 83% of premium-value sales come from businesses operating 8+ years (Pitchbook)
- Businesses with strong succession plans are valued 60% higher than similar-sized competitors
Start building for tomorrow, today
Whether exit is on your mind or not, building a valuable, sellable business gives you options. It's the difference between owning a job and building real wealth.
The focus you have today will determine your options tomorrow. Every system you build, every process you document, every strategic hire—they're all building blocks of future value.
I was reminded of this recently talking with Rudi Bublitz, who turned a kitchen-table consultancy into an £87M exit ($300m in today $NZD). His secret? Nine years of intentional building, treating his business like an asset from day one.
Ready to shift from just running a business to building real wealth? Let's talk. I help founders like you build businesses that create options - whether that's exponential growth, a premium exit, or the freedom to step back.
Book a call and let's explore what's possible for your business.
Cheers,
Josh
P.S. Curious about Rudi's journey? Catch his full story, including the surprising Fiji signing, on 2 Commas.
