Placing co-founders in the same mastermind is inefficient, as it duplicates time spent receiving the same advice. More importantly, separate groups provide diverse perspectives and create a confidential space to discuss sensitive co-founder conflicts should they arise.
The potential for a massive tax-free exit under the Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) rule often outweighs the short-term pain of double taxation from a C-Corp structure, especially for founders targeting a multi-million dollar sale.
Instead of immediately trying to learn tactical skills like SEO or paid ads, developers should first build a strategic framework to decide *which* marketing channels to pursue. Understanding how to prioritize approaches is more critical than mastering any single tactic.
An acquirer often prefers an asset purchase to avoid taking on a company's liabilities. However, a founder with a C-Corp can signal they will only accept a stock purchase agreement to gain the massive tax benefits from QSBS, creating powerful negotiating leverage.
For SaaS acquisitions over $2M, acquirers prioritize growth above all else. Taking profits means you're not reinvesting that cash into growth, which could ultimately reduce your ARR multiple and overall exit value. Profitability is seen as a deliberate choice to grow slower.
For SaaS businesses that process payments, adding a fee based on Gross Merchant Value (GMV) is a powerful revenue driver. This revenue tends to grow more smoothly and predictably over time compared to spiky usage-based fees (e.g., per SMS), making it more valuable to acquirers.