An exit presentation isn't a typical business update. The immense pressure of the sale, combined with uncertainty about their future roles, can undermine even confident speakers. Training builds confidence specifically for this high-stakes, unfamiliar scenario.

Don't wait until you're completely exhausted to sell your company, as buyers will sense your desperation and gain the advantage. The ideal time to exit is when your passion for the market wanes or growth slows, allowing you to negotiate from a position of strength before burnout sets in.

After selling her company, Create & Cultivate, to a private equity firm, founder Jacqueline Johnson opportunistically repurchased the business for a lower price. This rare maneuver demonstrates a savvy understanding of market timing and negotiation with institutional buyers.

Many founders treat their startup as a temporary vehicle to an exit, which can lead to an identity crisis after they "win." A healthier approach is to build a company as a "way of life"—a system of activities you want to engage in for the long term, regardless of specific outcomes.

Founders and CEOs can develop an inflated sense of their contribution by focusing only on the final executive meeting. They often overlook the months of prospecting, relationship-building, and deal choreography done by the sales rep, leading to unfair perceptions about who truly 'closed the deal.'

A live event with a few hundred people feels more impactful than a dashboard showing millions of users. This is because our brains are wired to appreciate concrete, physical experiences, not abstract data. This presents a core challenge for leaders of digital-native companies to stay motivated and connected.

A founder's decision to sell was triggered by her first-ever panic attack during a casual conversation about the business's future. This intense physical reaction served as an undeniable gut signal that her ego-driven push for the next funding round was the wrong path, prompting her to explore an exit.

ZICO's founder learned that the conventional goal of selling a company for "freedom" is a fallacy. True freedom to operate at a high level comes from intense personal discipline in daily routines and energy management, not from a financial windfall.