From Capped Service Company to 15x EBITDA Exit
In this episode of Built to Sell Radio, John Warrillow sits down with Ujwal Arkalgud, who built the same company twice. Chapter one was a classic problem: a profitable, founder-heavy services firm with impressive EBITDA but a ceiling on valuation. Chapter two began when he turned that service into a productized offering, transformed how customers bought his work, and ultimately sold for more than 15x EBITDA — roughly three times the offer he received as a simple service provider.
Listen in as you discover how to:
- Treat a profitable, but capped, services business as chapter one rather than the destination.
- Convert bespoke consulting into a productized service buyers can underwrite and value at a premium.
- Use “unlimited” expert support to drive adoption and push ACV from $20,000 to more than $220,000.
- Kill a cash-cow services line at the right moment to create a more attractive, sellable company.
- Package revenue so acquirers see true recurring value instead of project-based work.
- Make private equity comfortable paying more than 15x EBITDA by proving the business runs without the founders.
- Turn a failed 12x EBITDA offer into a blueprint for a much bigger exit two years later.
If chapter one of your company looks like a profitable service business with a hard cap on valuation, this conversation offers a roadmap for writing a very different chapter two.