Selling your business is a financial transaction, yes, and even more important, it is a psychological turning point. It's an identity shift and a profound life transition, often disguised in spreadsheets and legal documents.

After decades of working with successful entrepreneurs, I’ve seen a universal pattern. Many founders meticulously prepare their paperwork. Most prepare their financials. But almost none prepare themselves.

And that misalignment - that personal readiness gap - is one of the biggest reasons deals fall apart or create significant emotional turbulence for the owner post-exit. The hardest question you have to answer isn't about valuation, it's this: Are you actually ready to exit - or are you just tired?

The Hidden Motivation

The reasons behind wanting to sell are often deeply personal. They stem from a place of human need - a desire for time freedom, a brush with a health scare, the quiet exhaustion of burnout, or a profound shift in life priorities.

These are all valid motivators. But if the reason to exit is unclear, unresolved, or reactive, it will absolutely show up in negotiations, in hesitations, and in second-guessing. A deal built on depletion, not intention, is on shaky ground from the start.

You'll be Doing Two Full-Time Jobs

Chad Morissette, M&A veteran and one of the most candid guests on the podcast, highlighted a warning every founder needs to fully understand: You’re not just running the business. You're also running the sale of the business.

Operational pressure and deal pressure equals a recipe for overload. If you approach the process already emotionally wobbly, overwhelmed, or ambivalent, that instability will compound quickly, putting your entire deal at risk. The process demands emotional stamina and mental clarity you simply won’t have if you haven’t done the internal work.

Who are you without your business?

This is the hard part - the chapter founders spend their entire career avoiding.

After the deal closes, your title changes. Your daily role changes. Your authourity changes. Your routine changes. And, most profoundly, your identity changes. For so long, "Founder" or "CEO" was who you were. Now, there is a void. A vacuum of purpose.

This is why personal readiness is not optional - it’s the absolute, foundational step.

A Roadmap for Preparing the Human Behind the Deal

Before you commit to the exit process, stop and ask yourself the following roadmap questions. Don't skim them. Write them down and answer them honestly,

• What do I want life to look like post-exit? Get specific.
• What will I do with my time? What is the next purpose?
• Do I want to stay involved, and if so, in what very specific capacity?
• Have I successfully detached my identity from the business?
• Am I selling because I have a clear vision for the future, or because I’m depleted?
• Do I feel grounded, clear, and internally aligned about this exit?

If the answer to the last question is no, please pause. Don't leap.

The real measure of a successful exit isn’t the sale price. It’s how you feel afterwards.

Confident.

Settled.

Re-energized.

Purposeful.

And you get there by preparing the business, the financials - and most importantly, the human. You.

P.S. If you'd like help evaluating both your business readiness and your personal readiness, reach out. I'd be happy to walk through a wealth gap analysis and post-exit life plan with you. Reach out on email or LinkedIn.

TTFN - ta-ta for now!

Colleen

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