Built Different
Exceptional companies are built different.
Most business advice is written for companies with large teams, deep pockets, and an obsession with rapid scale. As a result, many entrepreneurs start their journey with assumptions that narrow their options and keep them from building a business that truly fulfills them. For independent business owners, trying to follow the same playbooks as companies working with totally different circumstances often leads to frustration and disappointment—the rules, timelines, and rewards of small business are completely different.
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Praise for Built Different
Built Different is one of the few business books that truly captures how real businesses are actually built. Chris has been through the thick of it, and his message mirrors how I feel about entrepreneurship: difficult but absolutely doable. If you own a small or mid-sized business, or are thinking about starting one, Built Different will sharpen your thinking and save you from a lot of avoidable mistakes. The advice is practical, grounded, and comes from lived experience.
–Chris Koerner, serial entrepreneur
Built Different is a roadmap for anyone who has dared to strike out on their own. It goes beyond theory and offers practical insights drawn from real-world experience, showing you how to think like an entrepreneur and navigate the highs and lows of running your own business. Readers will finish feeling inspired, equipped, and ready to take control of their own path to success.
–David Dodson, faculty, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and author of the WSJ best-selling book, The Manager’s Handbook
Built Different is packed with real-world examples and actionable strategies, inspiring both business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is messy—this book makes it manageable. The more I read, the harder it was to put down. Every reader will discover insights that transform how they work, think, and succeed.
–Larry Engrav, independent business owner, Engrav & Associates
I evaluate companies for a living and had the opportunity to thoroughly assess one of Chris’s companies during its sale. The financial strength, structural integrity, and operational discipline placed it in the top tier of all the businesses I have encountered in my career. Just as impressive as his business, was Chris himself—steady, principled, and unwavering in his values and commitment to excellence. Built Different outlines the very principles he has used to drive exceptional performance and value creation.
–Shelby Cowley, independent business owner, The Cowley Group
Most business advice is vague at best and often completely irrelevant to the businesses that everyday entrepreneurs are building. Built Different offers real insights, tactics, and strategies to help you build a business that works for you, not the other way around. It cuts through the noise and delivers lessons you can use today to find joy, meaning, and success in business ownership. It’s real-world advice for real-world entrepreneurs.
–Troy Porras, independent business owner, Summit Vehicle Solutions
Built Different is an essential guide for independent and small business owners. If you’re serious about running your own business, this book shows you exactly how to tackle what it takes to succeed. Every business owner will find the strategies they need to survive—and thrive—as they build a business they can be proud of.
–John Prichard, independent business owner, Knightsbridge Wealth Management
I’ve had a front-row seat to the businesses Chris has built, and what stands out isn’t just the results but how he builds companies the right way, from the foundation up. If you want to understand what successful, independent business ownership really looks like, learn from someone who has done it repeatedly. The message in this book mirrors exactly how Chris operates—with intention and a clear focus on execution, results, and, most importantly, people.
–August Felker, independent business owner, Oberle Risk Strategies
Most books on entrepreneurship highlight the platitudes and successes of the extreme outliers, the extraordinary innovators and visionaries. However, the reality is that most successful entrepreneurs are ordinary people who build ordinary businesses in an extraordinary fashion. Built Different provides a practical framework for achieving success as an independent business owner and demonstrates how ordinary businesses can yield extraordinary professional fulfillment, personal satisfaction, and economic rewards to the entrepreneurs who build them.
–Michael Cox, search entrepreneur and CEO, Automotive Business Solutions
Built Different challenges leaders to examine not just what they’re building, but why they’re building it and who they are becoming in the process. This isn’t a book about hacks or hype. It’s about building something durable and resilient. The principles within these pages are foundational to creating a business that performs under pressure and endures over time.
–Chris Rounds, independent business owner, Fisher, Rounds, & Associates
Most business advice is written for companies with large teams, deep pockets, and an obsession with rapid scale. As a result, many entrepreneurs start their journey with assumptions that narrow their options and keep them from building a business that truly fulfills them. For independent business owners, trying to follow the same playbooks as companies working with totally different circumstances often leads to frustration and disappointment—the rules, timelines, and rewards of small business are completely different.
This book illuminates a different path. It’s a path to creating a business that stays in your control and grows in alignment with your personal goals and dreams. By clarifying why the business exists, refining the offerings, developing the right team, streamlining operations, and maintaining healthy finances, you’ll gain a clear framework to make smarter decisions, avoid common pitfalls, and grow a business that thrives—without unnecessary complexity or compromise. You’ll discover how to build a business around specialization and focus, grow using cash flow instead of outside capital, and implement systems that support ownership, freedom, and sustainability.
Whether you’re just starting out or refining an existing business, this book will help you cut through what doesn’t work and build what does. Written for entrepreneurs who value independence, this is a playbook for building a strong, profitable business on your own terms.