Circle of Excellence: Profile of Inductee John Warrilow

“I can’t sell your company. You have a job, not a company.”

Although those words were disheartening to hear from a mergers and acquisitions advisor, they launched John Warrilow’s journey in the exit planning field.

In 2002, Warrilow had several service companies, including a quantitative research company he wanted to sell. Through his conversations with the advisor, it was revealed that he was far too involved in both the client acquisition and the research part of the business. The only thing to sell was Warrilow’s expertise—not entirely valuable to a prospective owner.

That triggered a 20-year journey to understand what drives the value of a company. Eventually, Warrilow reshaped the company, moving from a project focus to a subscription focus. He brought in a leadership group. And, eventually, he sold to a public company.

Now, as founder and CEO of The Value Builder System, Warrilow is empowering business owners to understand and improve the value of their company with the help of a network of trusted advisors. Through the company’s value assessment toolset, marketing system, and coaching platform, Warrilow helps advisors start strategic conversations with business owners about value and exit planning—with over 80,000 owners benefitting so far.

“We work primarily with CEPAs and other advisors to help them start the ‘end-game’ conversation with owners,” says Warrilow.

Recently, he talked to a woman who started a garage door business and has built it up—but had no idea that anyone would one day be interested in buying the company.

“I’m forever surprised how little business owners think about their end game,” says Warrilow. “We have to find a way to start the conversation because they’re not doing it on their own.”

• Follow the Script: Warrilow helps exit planners with a script to start the end-game conversation in what he calls an “elegant” way. “It’s revealing to ask people about their long-term plans, proactively suggesting they plan to pass it all down to their children. They almost always respond “no”—and that triggers the reveal.
• Be Special: “To build credibility as a planner, specialize in an industry. Pick a 6 digit NACE code, and become an expert. That’s when you can build and move adjacent.”
• The Multiplier: “We’ve had over 80,000 business owners complete our value builder assessment. Improving 80,000 lives is a pretty cool feeling.”
• Lead, Don’t Manage: “A leader looks through the windscreen to the future. A manager looks through the rear view. In a lot of ways, a manager is the opposite of a leader. Leaders are creative, future-focused, and tell a story. They’re visionaries.”
• Don’t Be Vain: “Entrepreneurs can fall victim to vanity because society celebrates growth. Instead of focusing on how many people you employ and how much revenue you generate, focus on value. An exit planner can forecast the future, and knowing how the movie ends is a luxury most entrepreneurs never get.”

About the Circle of Excellence

The Circle of Excellence—a new yearly recognition of the people who have created the exit planning profession—is meant to acknowledge the people who have built community and the body of knowledge we all use to advise business owners.

In our inaugural year, we inducted nine members to the Circle of Excellence at the 2024 Exit Planning Summit. Throughout 2024, we’ll profile each of them to highlight their contributions to the field of exit planning.

Related Resources:

• The Exit Planning Summit
• EPI Thought Leadership Council
• Meet the Circle of Excellence Inductees