Ep 448 How David Sinkinson Bootstrapped AppArmor to a $40M Exit (Avoiding a Costly Negotiation Mistake)

In this week’s Built to Sell Radio episode, John Warrillow interviews David Sinkinson, co-founder of AppArmor. David and his brother Chris created a mobile app that allows students to alert campus security by pressing a single button on their phones. Their journey from developing AppArmor to selling their company for $40 million is packed with insight.  During the interview, you’ll discover how answering a simple question posed by an acquirer almost cost the Sinkinson brothers $20 million. Learn how they navigated this near-disastrous moment and what steps they took to recover and close the deal successfully. 

Have you considered the psychological toll of building your business?     In this week’s Built to Sell Radio episode, John Warrillow sits down with Bill Hudenko, a psychologist, Dartmouth professor, and serial entrepreneur, to discuss the psychological impact of building and exiting a business. Bill shares his personal journey through multiple exits and offers insights into the mental health challenges that come with selling your life’s work.     As someone who has experienced these challenges firsthand, and as a professional with access to extensive data, Bill provides practical advice on how to avoid the common mental health pitfalls associated with selling your business.  

In this week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio, we are joined by Tom Deans, a renowned expert on family business transitions and the author of the trilogy, Every Family's Business, Willing Wisdom, and The Happy Inheritor. Drawing from his extensive experience, Tom shares invaluable strategies to help you navigate the complexities of selling a family business. 

This week on Built to Sell Radio, we feature Connor Tomkies, founder of Support Ninja, who shares his story of transforming an outsourcing firm into an industry leader. Support Ninja provides outsourced customer support services, handling tasks such as customer experience, social media management, and technical support.  

In this week’s episode of Built to Sell Radio, we are joined by Ilya Strebulaev, a leading expert on venture capital and private equity and author of The Venture Mindset. Drawing from his extensive research and teaching at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Strebulaev shares strategies to help you think like a venture capitalist and make smarter business decisions.

Today’s episode of Built to Sell Radio features Anne Mahlum, a fearless entrepreneur who redefined the fitness industry. After wandering into a Pilates studio in L.A. and thinking, “I can do this better,” Anne threw all her savings—$175,000—into launching her own version of the company, founding [solidcore], a fitness powerhouse that she later sold for $100 million.  Anne shares her remarkable journey, detailing the strategies she used to transition leadership, navigate fundraising efforts, and build a company with enduring value. 

This episode of Built to Sell Radio features Matt Dixon, author of the global bestseller, The Challenger Sale. Dixon became the de facto leader of the sales training world when Neil Rackham, author of "SPIN Selling," praised The Challenger Sale as "the most important advance in selling for many years.” If you’re wondering how to get your people to sell as well as you do, this is your master class.

This episode of Built to Sell Radio, features Kevin O’Connor, a pioneer in digital advertising and founder of DoubleClick.   Kevin's vision transformed the online advertising industry, making DoubleClick a dominant force in digital marketing before its $3.1 billion acquisition by Google.  

In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, Seth Godin, a renowned entrepreneur, best-selling author, and speaker, shares insights gained from his experience, including selling his company, Yoyodyne, to Yahoo! He has authored 21 best-selling books, including notable titles like Permission Marketing, The Dip, Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes, This Is Marketing, and What to Do When It’s Your Turn (And It’s Always Your Turn).  Join us as Seth unpacks strategies to make your business more appealing to potential buyers and provides guidance for designing your successful exit. 

In this week's episode of Built to Sell Radio, we are joined by William Ury, the co-founder of the Harvard Program on Negotiation and the International Negotiation Network with former President Jimmy Carter. Drawing from his extensive experience in high-stakes diplomatic negotiations, Ury shares invaluable strategies to help you punch above your weight in a negotiation to sell your business. From understanding buyer motivations to mastering negotiation processes, you will gain actionable insights from one of the world's foremost negotiation experts.