If there’s one principle I’ve learned through buying, growing, and selling businesses over the last decade, it’s this:
Always build your business to be sellable.
That doesn’t mean you have to sell it. It means you can. That freedom—being able to walk away or lean in on your own terms—is where true power lives for a business owner.
In this episode of the Exceptional Companies Podcast, I sat down with my friend and fellow business owner, Tato Corcoran, to unpack what makes a company valuable. Between the two of us, we’ve seen firsthand what actually increases enterprise value—and what kills it.
It all comes down to what I call the two Ps and two Cs:
- People
- Processes
- Clients
- Culture
Here’s what each one really means, and how we’ve approached them in our own companies.
People: It Starts With the Team
Buyers don’t just look at numbers—they look at how your business runs. And if you’re working 60 hours a week to hold everything together, your business isn’t sellable… It’s just a job in disguise.
When Tato bought her company, she had almost no team. Just two employees—one gave notice right away. The other stuck around and now serves as her right hand. She had to rebuild from scratch. In her words, the first hires were made in “survival mode.”
But over time, she got strategic. She tracked how she spent her time, identified the gaps, and started hiring people to fill them.
“Sometimes, you can’t afford not to hire.” – Tato
That shift—from being the doer to becoming the leader—is what allowed her business to grow. And it’s a direct driver of enterprise value. When your company works without you, it becomes an asset, not just an obligation.
Processes: Don’t Wait for Perfect
You can have strong people and still struggle if you don’t have processes. And no, I don’t mean a rough spreadsheet and a few sticky notes.
I mean written, repeatable, digitized systems that your team follows without you hovering.
We love EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) because it creates a clear framework for this: scorecards, accountability charts, and 90-day goals. It’s not the only system out there, but it’s one that buyers recognize and trust.
Tato shared how hard it was to build processes from scratch—and I totally relate. It’s messy. It’s never “done.” But she nailed it when she said:
“Just start. Even if your process is: get to work, eat a banana, go home—write it down. Then refine it.”
That’s it. Start somewhere. Iterate constantly. That’s how great systems are built.
At Exceptional Companies, we constantly retool our processes—even when they’re already good—because we believe in being exceptional, not just functional.
Clients: Diversify or Be Devalued
Here’s a hard truth: client concentration kills business value.
If five customers make up 80% of your revenue, your business is vulnerable. A buyer sees that and immediately lowers the offer or walks away.
Tato stepped into that exact situation. When she bought her business, she inherited about a dozen customers, most of them spec home builders. Three of them drove the vast majority of revenue. That’s dangerous.
So she got to work. She brought in remodeling contractors. Individual homeowners. Multifamily developers. Channels that didn’t even exist when she took over. Her weapon of choice? Direct mail—something she knew from her real estate background.
“I focused on new channels and used direct mail to grow and diversify our base.” – Tato
That work didn’t just grow her revenue—it stabilized it. It made her business stronger and more valuable.
Buyers want sustainable, systematized client acquisition. If your business can run without you chasing every lead, it’s worth more. Period.
Culture: The Secret Ingredient
Culture is the final—and maybe most overlooked—pillar of enterprise value.
It’s not just about perks or team lunches. It’s about whether your people feel proud to work for you. Whether your reputation matches your revenue. Whether your systems, your service, and your story reflect something people want to be part of.
Tato’s story here blew me away. She built her team almost entirely from our local immigrant community—people who didn’t speak the same language she did. And yet, they’ve stayed with her for years.
“Despite the undesirable parts of the job, they show up, they feel valued, and they stay.” – Tato
That’s culture. It’s not something you fake. It’s something you build—and it’s something buyers feel immediately.
Culture also includes your brand, your reputation, your IP. For example, we’re building a proprietary CRM system that I believe will one day be worth tens of millions. That’s not just process—it’s intellectual property. And it becomes a sellable asset.
Your Exit Blueprint: 3 Simple Steps
So, where do you start? Here’s our basic framework for getting owners ready:
1. Get a Valuation
You’d be shocked how many owners don’t know what their business is worth. That’s the first step.
2. Assess Readiness
We look at your business readiness and your personal readiness. Are you and your company actually prepared to sell?
3. Map Your Wealth Gap
What do you need to retire? What are you currently worth? That gap becomes the target, and your business becomes the vehicle to get there.
Once you know your numbers, you gain leverage. Every quarter, you get to ask:
Do I keep building, or do I sell?
That’s control. That’s freedom.
One Final Thought: Don’t Be Your Business
A lot of owners say, “My business is my baby.” I get it. But that mindset can hold you back.
If your identity is tied up in your business, then every win or loss hits harder than it should. You’re not your company. You’re a whole person with purpose, values, and life outside of work.
“You can love what you do without being defined by it.”
And you can build a business that doesn’t need you to survive.
That’s how you create something exceptional.
Thanks for reading—and listening. I’m Chris Seegers. And at Exceptional Companies, this is what we do:
We help owners build businesses that are not only profitable but powerful enough to sell.
Want to talk about what that looks like for you? Let’s connect.
AND MORE TOPICS COVERED IN THE FULL INTERVIEW!!! You can check that out and subscribe to YouTube.
If you want to know more about Tato Corcoran, you may reach out to her at:
- Website: https://www.brandtmarble.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatocorcoran/
- Email: ta*******@***il.com
Connect with Chris Seegers:
- Website: https://exceptionalcos.com/
- Email: Ch***@************OS.com
Other Resources:
Books: Selling Main Street by Chris Seegers
