I recently published a piece in CEOWORLD Magazine on one of the questions I get asked most: how do you actually position your startup for a sale?
The short answer: treat your potential buyers like customers. Understand what they’re thinking, what they need, and what would make them feel urgency around a deal. The longer answer involves knowing yourself just as well as you know the market — because the biggest mistake I’ve seen founders make (myself included) is chasing an exit at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons.
I break down a framework I wish I’d had earlier: a set of internal and external questions to honestly assess whether you’re ready to sell — or whether the smarter move is to stay independent and build more value first.
If you’re thinking about an exit in the next year or two, it’s worth a read.
And if you want to go deeper on the psychology behind growth, negotiation, and knowing when to make your move — that’s what Outrageous Startup Growth is all about.