How to Successfully Prepare & Exit Your Business
How to Successfully Prepare & Exit Your Business
What factors should entrepreneurs consider when selecting business partners?
The most important decision in business is choosing the right people to work with. My first entrepreneurial experience after college taught me that firsthand. I partnered with the wrong people, which ultimately led me to leave that group. But through that experience, I found my current business partner.
Success comes from working with people who share your vision and goals while bringing different skills. You can’t have the same skill set as your business partner, but complementary strengths create a more potent and effective team.
Having the same skill set as a business partner isn’t necessarily a problem, but there must be some complementarity. If not, you must bring in someone with different strengths or hire the right people to fill the gaps.
What emotional challenges come with selling a business?
Exiting a business brings a significant emotional shift, whether you talk about it or not. At one point, I ran three businesses simultaneously—a restaurant, a brick-and-mortar with e-commerce, and a coffee business focused on wholesale and e-commerce. I was constantly pulled in different directions. Then, suddenly, I wasn’t.
It was a huge adjustment. I wasn’t getting the constant calls, texts, or questions anymore. That change forced me to redefine what I wanted, but it wasn’t an overnight realization. Before the sale, I told myself I’d jump back into coffee, focus on growing it, and take it off autopilot. The business was steady—wholesale, Amazon sales, everything running smoothly—but I knew that with more effort, it could grow significantly.
The real challenge was resetting my priorities. It felt strange waking up without urgent issues to handle—no broken water heaters at the restaurant, no packed meeting schedule. It was an adjustment, but ultimately, it gave me the space to refocus on what mattered most.
How can entrepreneurs overcome loneliness after a business exit?
After selling the companies, I experienced moments of loneliness. It can feel isolating to no longer be needed every day.
I had already been part of a few groups, but I made a point to join more, especially e-commerce-focused communities. Through Slack, work groups, or in-person meetups, I built a network of 25 to 50 e-commerce business owners who now connect monthly over breakfast, lunch, or happy hours.
Entrepreneurship can be lonely, especially for small business owners running one- or two-person operations. What we see in the media often doesn’t reflect the reality of entrepreneurship. That’s why building a network outside your business—through friends, family, industry groups, or masterminds—is essential. You can’t do it alone.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
