--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don’t sell what you can make; make what…" description: "\"“Don’t sell what you can make; make what you can sell.”\" — Alistair Croll" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/alistair-croll-18994_quote_don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-y_1892063.jpg" --- # Don’t sell what you can make; make what you can sell. ![“Don’t sell what you can make; make what you can sell.” quote by Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/alistair-croll-18994_quote_don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-y_1892063.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/alistair-croll-18994_quote_don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-y_1892063.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/alistair-croll-18994_quote_don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-y_1892063.jpg) > ““Don’t sell what you can make; make what you can sell.”” [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Create products you can sell rather than trying to sell what you cannot produce, emphasizing market fit over ego. **In simple terms:** Make what you can sell, not the reverse. Key Takeaway Focus on market demand before production. Themes entrepreneurship market fit product development Mood practical motivational Type business advice When to use this quote - startup planning - product design - sales pitching Key Concepts Value creation business strategy Questions to Reflect On - What market need can you address now? - How to balance innovation with demand? A Different Perspective May limit creative experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Let's make what Americans buy. Buy what Americans make. And sell it to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/let-s-make-what-americans-buy-buy-what-americans-make-and-sell-it-to/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [Don't listen to anybody. Nobody knows the magic bullet. If they did, they'd sell it and make a fortune. Follow your gut. Follow your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/don-t-listen-to-anybody-nobody-knows-the-magic-bullet-if-they-did/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-affleck/a-sale-is-made-on-every-call-you-make-either-you-sell-the-client-some/) [Ben Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-affleck/) > [“You can probably make them do anything for you: Sell people things they don’t need; make women who don’t know you fall in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-packard/you-can-probably-make-them-do-anything-for-you-sell-people-things/) [Vance Packard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-packard/) > [Demagoguery sells. And therefore, radio stations will put it on. But that doesn't mean that you can't do something else and also make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/demagoguery-sells-and-therefore-radio-stations-will-put-it-on-but/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [I think it's very important that whatever you're trying to make or sell or teach has to be basically good. A bad product and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/i-think-it-s-very-important-that-whatever-you-re-trying-to-make-or/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [I don't have to, like, try to come out with pop music because I feel that that's gonna make me sell a lot more.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xzibit/i-don-t-have-to-like-try-to-come-out-with-pop-music-because-i-feel/) [Xzibit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xzibit/) > [No one told me I had to make something that would sell, but I personally want everyone to like my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utada-hikaru/no-one-told-me-i-had-to-make-something-that-would-sell-but-i/) [Utada Hikaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utada-hikaru/) > [“Make something. Sell it. Become rich. Proven formula that works best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-hale/make-something-sell-it-become-rich-proven-formula-that-works-best/) Phillip Hale > [Our goal has never been to make the most. It's always been to make the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/our-goal-has-never-been-to-make-the-most-it-s-always-been-to-make-the/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [“You smell so good. They should bottle you up and sell you. Make millions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/you-smell-so-good-they-should-bottle-you-up-and-sell-you-make-millions/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [Own every note I sing and sell it. Make a connection to the audience. That's what it comes down to, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-champlin/own-every-note-i-sing-and-sell-it-make-a-connection-to-the-audience/) [Will Champlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-champlin/) > [Dont listen to anybody. Nobody knows the magic bullet. If they did, theyd sell it and make a fortune. Follow your gut. Follow your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/dont-listen-to-anybody-nobody-knows-the-magic-bullet-if-they-did/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [Ive learned something, too: selling out is sweet because when you sell out, you get to make a lot of money, and when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cartman/ive-learned-something-too-selling-out-is-sweet-because-when-you-sell/) [Eric Cartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cartman/) > [The Bottom Line: If people don't LOVE our work, we will not be able to sell what we make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/the-bottom-line-if-people-don-t-love-our-work-we-will-not-be-able-to/) [Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/) ## More by Alistair Croll > [“This is the reverse Field of Dreams moment: if they come, you will build it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/this-is-the-reverse-field-of-dreams-moment-if-they-come-you-will/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [ “rebuilt its site to make it load quickly and reliably.\[39\] Ultimately, the makeover landed the site 3–4% more visitors.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/rebuilt-its-site-to-make-it-load-quickly-and-reliably-39-ultimately/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“Your job isn’t to build a product; it’s to de-risk a business model. Sometimes the only way to do this is to build something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/your-job-isn-t-to-build-a-product-it-s-to-de-risk-a-business-model/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“Getting paid is, in some ways, the ultimate metric for identifying a sustainable business model. If you make more money from customers than it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/getting-paid-is-in-some-ways-the-ultimate-metric-for-identifying-a/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“Scaling is good if it brings in incremental revenue, but you have to watch for a decrease in engagement, a gradual saturation of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/scaling-is-good-if-it-brings-in-incremental-revenue-but-you-have-to/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“Qualitative versus quantitative metrics Qualitative metrics are unstructured, anecdotal, revealing, and hard to aggregate; quantitative metrics involve numbers and statistics, and provide hard numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/qualitative-versus-quantitative-metrics-qualitative-metrics-are/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“In a startup, the purpose of analytics is to find your way to the right product and market before the money runs out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/in-a-startup-the-purpose-of-analytics-is-to-find-your-way-to-the/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“sometimes what you need is a new market, not a new product,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/sometimes-what-you-need-is-a-new-market-not-a-new-product/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“First, know your customer. There’s no substitute for engaging with customers and users directly. All the numbers in the world can’t explain why something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/first-know-your-customer-there-s-no-substitute-for-engaging-with/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“If you’re going to survive as a founder, you have to find the intersection of demand (for your product), ability (for you to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/if-you-re-going-to-survive-as-a-founder-you-have-to-find-the/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“Humans do inspiration; machines do validation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/humans-do-inspiration-machines-do-validation/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“customers were so used to that price point that they were skeptical of ClearFit’s value at $99/month. Ben says, “We don’t compete with job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/customers-were-so-used-to-that-price-point-that-they-were-skeptical/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“People only get really interesting when they start to rattle the bars of their cages. — Alain de Botton,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/people-only-get-really-interesting-when-they-start-to-rattle-the-bars-2/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“The fundamental KPI for stickiness is customer retention. Churn rates and usage frequency are other important metrics to track. Long-term stickiness often comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/the-fundamental-kpi-for-stickiness-is-customer-retention-churn-rates/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) > [“Recall Sergio Zyman’s definition of marketing (more stuff to more people for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/recall-sergio-zyman-s-definition-of-marketing-more-stuff-to-more/) [Alistair Croll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) [Explore all 33 Alistair Croll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/) ## More Make quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. 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It's just the life that we live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shelton/you-gotta-make-sacrifices-sometimes-it-s-just-the-life-that-we-live/) [Ben Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shelton/) > [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/) [Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/) > [If you've got some to say to Ric Flair, you come say it to me, and I'll make the translation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-piper/if-you-ve-got-some-to-say-to-ric-flair-you-come-say-it-to-me-and-i-ll/) [Roddy Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-piper/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [There is a broad range of reaction to the work, as there is a broad range of work I make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hodges/there-is-a-broad-range-of-reaction-to-the-work-as-there-is-a-broad/) [Jim Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hodges/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [Imperfections are what make you perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-tell/imperfections-are-what-make-you-perfect/) [Nia Tellé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-tell/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/) [Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/) Browse all 16,612 Make quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Don’t sell what you can make; make what you can sell.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alistair Croll" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-you-can-sell/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Make" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-you-can-sell/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/alistair-croll-18994_quote_don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-y_1892063.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/alistair-croll-18994_quote_don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-y_1892063.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/alistair-croll-18994_quote_don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-y_1892063.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don’t sell what you can make; make what you can sell.” — Alistair Croll", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alistair Croll", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-croll/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Don’t sell what you can make;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-you-can-sell/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-croll/don-t-sell-what-you-can-make-make-what-you-can-sell/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```