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Why "Buy a Business, Get Rich" Is Bad Advice and What You Should Do Instead | David Hori

The Built To Scale Podcast··16 August 2026·50 min

About this episode

Most people think buying a business means signing the papers, hiring a GM, and collecting checks from the beach. David Hori bought a company that got acquired by Toyota, then decided to spend his career telling people why that hands off dream is mostly a myth. ================================= Join David's "Discover A Less Stressful Way To Sell Your Business" Webinar: 🚨 SPOILER ALER! David is offering listeners a free webinar for our listeners: 👉 Sign up here: https://learn.toplineops.com/pod-webinar-1/================================= What you'll learn:Why "buy a business for passive income" is one of the most dangerous pitches in the acquisition spaceHow to define your buy box so you stop chasing every deal and start closing the right onesWhy staying in your lane, even when it feels limiting, gets you to the finish line fasterThe four pillars David uses in his durability diagnostic to determine what a business is actually worth to a buyerWhy three years of financials tell a truer story than one great yearThe overlooked alternative to a full sale that lets an owner keep working in the business they built ================================= About David Hori: David Hori is the founder of Top Line Operators, where he teaches people how to buy, stabilize, and scale existing businesses instead of starting from zero. Before this, he built and scaled startups in the VC world, including a company acquired by Toyota in 2023. He now runs a weekly webinar for business owners who are exit curious and is opening up a free beta of his durability diagnostic tool for listeners of this episode. ================================= Connect with David Hori: Website: https://www.toplineops.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamdavidhori/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedavidhori/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedavidhori TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedavidhori=================================About The Built To Scale Podcast:Follow us on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/built-to-scale-agency/ For more information about Built To Scale visit: https://www.builttoscale.co/  If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas for a future episode, please email podcast@builttoscale.co.