The 5 Steps to Build a Business Worth Buying (Even If You’re Not Selling)

In this episode of Built to Sell | Built to Buy, business coach and entrepreneur Sam Penny unpacks the exact steps to unlock the full potential of your business — whether you're preparing to scale, step back, or eventually sell.

If you’re stuck in the weeds, still wearing all the hats, and wondering why your business hasn’t hit the next level, this is the blueprint. Sam reveals how to escape survival mode and instead design a business that’s scalable, transferable, and built to thrive without you.

Learn how to:

• Define a clear and measurable vision for your business
• Systemise operations for freedom and scale
• Delegate recurring tasks to increase enterprise value
• Leverage value multipliers like recurring revenue and IP
• Assess your business like a buyer to unlock hidden growth
• Use a 90-day sprint to break inertia and build momentum

Whether you’re aiming to increase business valuation, reduce owner dependency, or get your time and sanity back — this episode gives you the tools, mindset, and frameworks to do it.

🔗 Get the free Business Sale Readiness Report: sampenny.com/readiness
📅 Book a 1:1 Strategy Call: sampenny.com/strategy

Key Takeaways:

• Most businesses are underbuilt, not broken
• You can't grow if you're the bottleneck
• Systems turn chaos into consistency — and time freedom
• Multipliers like recurring revenue and IP drive valuation
• Thinking like a buyer helps you build like a leader
• 90-day sprints force clarity and execution
• Being the least necessary person is the ultimate goal

🔥 Sound Bites:

• “Your business isn’t stuck. It’s just underbuilt.”
• “The market pays for transferability, not effort.”
• “Systemisation isn’t a cost — it’s a time creator.”
• “A business that works without you is one that’s truly worth buying.”

🕰️ Chapters:

00:00 – Why Most Businesses Stay Small
03:20 – What Does True Potential Look Like?
06:45 – The Hidden Cost of Owner Dependence
10:15 – From Operator to Architect: Your New Role
14:00 – Systemise or Stay Stuck
18:40 – Value Multipliers That Boost Valuation
23:10 – How Buyers Score Your Business (Even If You’re Not Selling)
27:45 – The 90-Day Sprint That Changes Everything
32:00 – The Mechanics of Freedom & Scale
35:00 – How to Get Your Business Sale Ready

Episode Transcript

Sam Penny (00:00):
Alright. Let me ask you something bold right out of

(00:02):
the gate. What if your businessactually isn't stuck? It's just
underbuilt. It's not broken.
It's not failing, but it'strapped in a version that's far
smaller than it could be becauseyou've been running it on
survival settings instead ofscale settings. Hi. My name is
Sam Penny. I'm coach for thebrave, and welcome to another
episode of built to sell, builtto buy. I've helped founders

(00:25):
exit for millions, help thembreak free from their business
prison, and actually fall inlove with what they've built
again.
And today, I'm here to help youdo the same. And in this
episode, I'm going to give youthe exact steps to unlock your
business's full potential,whether you're trying to scale,
sell, or simply stop being thebottleneck in your own company.

(00:48):
And what I'm going to give youtoday is clarity, control, and
growth. So let's get started.Now, if you want to unlock your
business's true potential, whatyou have to do is first define
what potential actually lookslike for you.
This is where most people messit up. They say things like, I
want to grow, I want to makemore money, I want more time,

(01:10):
but those are vague. They'rereally undefined. And when
you're vague, your strategybecomes guesswork. So I want you
to ask yourself this.
If my business was operating atits highest level without
limitations, what would be truethat isn't true today? What

(01:31):
would your be? Would yourrevenue be higher? Would you
have a leadership team? Wouldyou be working ten hours a week
instead of sixty?
Would you be spending more timewith your family finally
launching that second brand orgearing up for a sale? You don't
get what you want in business.You get what you build. And you

(01:52):
can't build what you haven'tdefined. So before we touch any
systems, metrics, or tactics, Iwant you to create your
unblocked vision.
And that's the version of yourbusiness that feels just
effortless. It's scalable, andit's valuable to others, not
just you. And now that we've gotthat clarity, let's get

(02:12):
strategic. Let's talk about thesingle biggest constraint that I
see in 90% of businesses. Youmight have guessed it.
It's you. Now I know that mightsting, but I've coached hundreds
of founders, and time aftertime, I say the same thing. The
businesses can't grow becausethe owner won't let go. You're

(02:34):
still making all the decisions.You're still firefighting.
You're still reviewing everylittle thing. And worst of all,
you wear it like a badge ofhonor. But being the smartest
person in the room doesn't builda valuable business. Being the
least necessary one does. So ifyou're serious about unlocking
potential, need to startremoving yourself from the

(02:56):
center.

Here's how you do it (02:57):
one. List every recurring decision you
make in a week two. Ask yourselfwhat would break if I didn't
show up next week? And third,start documenting, delegating,
and replacing. You see, you'renot just building a team, you're
building a machine.

(03:17):
And the less it relies on you,the more valuable and scalable
it becomes. Because here's thetruth that no one tells you the
market doesn't pay a premium foreffort it pays for
transferability. Now let's talkabout identity Because this is
where most founders get stuck.You start out wearing every hat,

(03:40):
sales, ops, finance, HR,marketing, delivery. I know I've
been there too.
And over time, you becameaddicted to the chaos. It gave
you a sense of control, itssense of purpose. But if you
want your business to growbeyond you, you need to stop
being the operator, and you needto become the architect. You

(04:00):
see, an architect doesn't buildevery wall. They design the
structure, they create theblueprint, and trust others to
execute.
And right there, that's yourjob. You should be spending time
on designing the systems, hiringleaders, testing multipliers,
and reviewing performance, Notdoing the performance. You

(04:20):
operate, you're reactive. Whenyou architect, you're
intentional. And that shiftalone can double your business
value over time.
Now let's talk systems. I knowthe word sounds a bit dry, but
systems are what separate a highpaying job from an actual
business. A true business, it'sbuilt on repeatability, and

(04:42):
repeatability comes from thesystems. And I'm talking about
documented SOPs, clear roles andresponsibilities, financial
visibility, sales scripts,onboarding flows, client
delivery checklist, you know,all those things. And most
founders say, it's faster if Ijust do it myself.
And they're right in the moment,but over time, they're building

(05:04):
a house of cards that collapsethe moment they step away. Every
single task you do more thantwice should be systemized.
Every decision you make morethan once should be
standardized. And if you'rethinking, but I don't have time
to systemize, that's exactly whyyou need to because

(05:24):
systemization creates time. Onceyour foundation is solid, you're
ready to grow.
But look, not all growth isequal. If you're just adding
revenue without increasing inprofit, leverage or valuation,
you're really just spinning newwheels. You need to focus on
value multipliers, the thingsthat move the needle the most.

(05:46):
And here's a few. So recurringrevenue.
What predictable income iscoming in? Because it always
beats one off deals and yourintellectual property. Can you
productize your expertise? Let'stalk about channel independence.
So you can't rely on just oneplatform or lead source and
brand trust.

(06:06):
The more people believe in yourname, the easier every sales
becomes. And last, leadershipdepth. I want you to build a
team that runs the show withoutyou. Now ask yourself this
weekly. Am I working on amultiplier or just maintaining
the machine?
And that one question therealone can add 6 or 7 figures to

(06:28):
your eventual exit. And here'ssomething that might surprise
you the businesses that grow thebest are built like they're
going to be sold. Even if younever plan to sell, thinking
like a buyer forces discipline.It forces clarity. It forces
structure because buyers ask,can this run without the owner?

(06:49):
Are the numbers reliable andclear? Are systems in place? Is
growth replicable or accidental?So I created a tool for this.
It's called the business salereadiness report, and it scores
your business across the eightcore valuation drivers.
Now, these eight core drivers,we've got financial visibility,

(07:09):
owner independence, systems andprocesses, recurring revenue,
brand and marketing, team depth,customer concentration, and
scalability. Let's face it, youdon't need a 40 page plan, you
just need a score and you needto know what your next step is.
And that's exactly what thereport gives you. So if you're
nodding along thinking, yes, Ineed to do all this. Well, don't

(07:31):
wait.
Don't write it in a notebook andshelve it for someday. Commit
now to ninety day sprint. I runthese with my clients, and they
are honestly game changingbecause when you stop spreading
your energy thin, and you startexecuting on one thing that
moves the business forward, youunlock more in three months than
most people do in twelve. Andyou just pick one goal. You

(07:52):
know, things like systemizingyour operations, hiring a
general manager, build a salesprocess, create a recurring
offer, launch a new productizedservice, and then you map the
steps.
You set the cadence, you trackthe numbers, and you execute
with urgency. And if you wantsupport, I've got a seat waiting
for you. And here's the partthat most people miss. Unlocking

(08:17):
your business's potential isn'tabout doing more. It's about
doing the right things in theright order without burning out.
And it's not magic. It'smechanics. It's not hustle. It's
architecture. And when you getthis right, your business starts
working for you, not the otherway around.
You get clarity, you getconfidence, and you get

(08:37):
optionality. And that version ofyour business, that's the one
worth building. Now if thisepisode lit a fire in you, don't
let it fade. Go tosampenny.com/readiness and
complete the free business salereadiness report. Look, it only
takes five minutes, and it givesyou a custom score and tailored

(08:59):
recommendations and also clarityon what to do next.
And if you want to go evendeeper, why don't you just book
a strategy call with me atsampenny.com/strategy. Whether
you're scaling to stay orpreparing to sell, I'll help you
build a business that's trulyworth buying and one that sets
you free. Until next time, I'mSam Penney, coach for the brave.

(09:21):
Keep building bold.