One of the more revealing founder transitions we have worked through at Exit to Excellence began before the transaction ever happened. The founder had
Jerome Myers
Call Me When… When a founder believes the deal will solve everything, but you know the real work begins before the transaction closes.
The first buyer of Mariana and Ivan Polić’s aerospace manufacturing company saw something the founders couldn’t yet see. The business was impressive. It operated
Founder dependence rarely announces itself as a problem. More often, it arrives dressed as success. A customer insists on speaking with the founder because
The first serious buyer of Mariana and Ivan Polić’s aerospace manufacturing company did not question whether the business had procedures. The company operated in
For years, I thought I was studying business exits. I was studying transactions, valuations, succession decisions, founder dependence, and what happened after ownership changed
For years, I believed I was studying transactions. Looking back, I wasn’t. I was studying what happened after them. Over the past five years,
Over the past decade, I’ve had more than 3,500 conversations with founders through podcast interviews, discovery calls, advisory engagements, and coaching sessions. Those conversations
By the time most founders begin thinking seriously about an exit, they are surrounded by expertise. Attorneys are helping structure the transaction. Accountants are
One of the most common pieces of advice founders receive after an exit is simple: “Take some time.” It’s not bad advice. The challenge
For years, a founder’s life is organized around responsibility. The business demands attention. Employees rely on decisions. Customers create urgency. Problems arrive daily. Whether
Most founders spend years preparing their businesses for a transaction. They improve profitability, strengthen management teams, build transferable systems, and address operational risks. By
Most founders expect the transaction to reduce pressure. In many ways, it does. The uncertainty of the deal process resolves. The negotiation cycle ends.
Most advisors think of transition as something that happens after the transaction. In reality, the founder’s separation from the business often begins much earlier.
Most founders spend years preparing for the transaction. Very few prepare for what the transaction changes. That gap is easy to miss during the
In conversations about exits, regret is usually framed as a pricing issue. The founder sold too early.The market moved higher.The company grew faster under
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