Hey friend-

We were 30 days into due diligence when the deal to sell Diffactory fell apart in 2023.

I got physically sick for 48 hours after getting the breakup email.

I'd spent eight years building Diffactory and was burned out. We went to market, got a term sheet that met our exit goals, and I thought I was done.

Then it fell apart:

I quickly learned that I hadn't built a company. I'd built a prison around myself that resembled a company from the outside.

Without me, there was no Diffactory, and therefore it wasn't very sellable.

This is the exact story John Warrillow tells in "Built to Sell." An ad agency owner named Alex goes to his mentor, eager to sell, and his mentor tells him the truth: you don't have a sellable business. You have a job with overhead.

I lived that story, and it really sucks when you want it to end.

My failed deal forced me to retool Diffactory's entire business model and address the main factor that killed it: owner dependency.

Now the business does awesome things without my constant attention, and I've fallen back in love with it.

I just wrapped a three-week video series on my YouTube channel, breaking down "Built to Sell."

My hope is that one person sees it and decides to change the direction of their business

If you want the full deep dive, follow along on YouTube or pick up the book.

John Warrillow's company built an assessment that scores your business on 8 drivers of value. We partnered with them to offer it.

It takes about 30 minutes, and if you include your financials it'll also estimate your company's value.

When you take the assessment, it will come straight to me, and I'll reach out to you when you're done so we can review it.

Have a phenomenal weekend!

-KO

Founder
​DIFFACTORY​

P.S. We are almost at 100 members in our Skool community!

When we reach 100 members (at 97 now), we'll celebrate with some awesome new perks for our members.

If you are a founder who is tired of doing it alone, join us: https://skool.com/founderhq.