Things to Consider Before Selling a Startup

[View this email in your browser]( • [Forward to a Friend]( What Happens To My Startup After I Sell? TL;DR: "I'm considering selling my startup, but I'm starting to wonder what happens after my startup gets sold. What does it mean to run this startup when it's not really our startup we're running anymore? What does it mean not only for me, but for the rest of the company?” The moment we sell our startup — the party is over. Sure, we'll throw an actual party to thank everyone for taking the ride with us. We're going to issue well-crafted statements internally and externally about how this new partner is what we've been waiting for all along, regardless of whether it actually was. But once those momentary celebrations subside, we're going to look around at what's left like a frat house after an all-night rager and think "Well damn, now what?" We worked so hard to get to this point, we often have no idea what would happen to the startup once it reached that penultimate moment. But, we're about to find out. Today’s Advice Sponsored by [StartEngine]( Waking Up Next to a Stranger By the time we've signed the deal and watched that big wire land in our account, we've been so focused on getting this deal done that we almost forget who we're going to be waking up next to the next day — a relative stranger. Unlike all the relationships we've built through the long history of this company, we're instantly replacing them with people we've never met before. To make matters worse, the rest of our team definitely doesn't know who these people are. They are meeting their new "Point of Contact" (aka the person that will be replacing them in 6 months) at nearly every level. Imagine how your Head of HR feels meeting the larger companies' Head of HR and realizing they don't need two Heads of HR, or when the dev team realizes the codebase they've used isn't really preferred by the new dev team. All of the roles and expectations the whole team had 5 seconds ago just got blown up. We're all waking up next to a stranger, and as the phrase implies, we generally don't feel good about it. No Risk, No Reward, No Retention Now let's combine the job uncertainty of having duplicate roles with the removal of any meaningful reward for sticking around. It's the perfect storm of exodus, and if you watch any newly acquired company within its first year of being acquired, you can watch exactly this go down. For years we've been selling the dream of how we would one day become so valuable that someone would want to buy us — and they did! Yay us! But no one ever said, "Hey, if that happens, what do we all do after that?" Well, now it's the "after that" part and in most cases, there still isn't an answer. The acquiring company (if they care) will put in some incentives to keep us around, but those incentives usually have fairly short time periods, which means no one is really saying "We want you around for a really long time." Once we chop off the reward, the retention sinks like an anchor. The Good Ol' Days Are Gone In short order, we'll be sitting around at happy hour talking about how much we miss the good old days, when the culture was better, we were more energized, and we had a clear direction. Never mind the fact that during those years we fought incessantly, constantly complained about being overworked, and had no idea whether we'd ever get a payout. We'll complain all the same! But regardless of our revisionist history, our view of the present is quite clear — we're simply all working at someone else's company, and whatever sense of ownership we had, both implied and literal, has been sold off. Our lunchtime conversations will transition from "what happened?" to "where are you headed next?" What's crazy about all of this is that it's not some sad fate — it's what we actually worked so hard to get to. It's the same feeling parents get when the kids that gave them so many headaches finally leave the house — it sounded like relief, but what we really feel is what's missing. There's nothing wrong with selling, but as Founders, we have a responsibility to know what's on the other side of the sale, not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us. Our celebrations should be mixed with preparations, for a new world and a very different opportunity for all. [View Full Article Here]( SEC Quadrupled How Much A Startup Can Raise via Reg CF — Raise $1M - $75M! Get your startup in front of 450,000 prospective investors with StartEngine. The SEC recently announced groundbreaking changes to Regulation Crowdfunding that make it even easier for businesses to raise more capital. These changes include more than quadrupling the maximum amount companies can raise via Regulation Crowdfunding from $1.07M to $5M, removing investment limits for accredited investors, and increasing the Reg A+ funding limit from $50M to $75M. [StartEngine]( is the largest equity crowdfunding platform in the US and the first mover in the industry. We have raised over $350M for over 500 company offerings on our platform to date, and we have helped more companies raise capital than any other platform. We make raising capital easy by giving you control. No board seats and no term sheets. Your raise, your company, your control. You can start with your seed & continue with your Series A, B, & C. We'll be with you every step of the way as you continue to grow your business. We help with administration, compliance, and recordkeeping to make your fundraising job as easy as possible. Here’s what Founder & CEO of PopCom - Dawn Dickson - had to say: “I like the ease of use of StartEngine and that I didn’t have to handhold the investors through the process because of how smooth the platform is. It’s like going to Amazon and buying something, but you’re investing in a company.” Startups.com and [StartEngine]( have partnered to help Founders raise the capital they need to continue growing their companies. Visit us [here]( to begin applying for capital today! For a chance to win $25K and pitch Mr. Wonderful live on July 7th, submit your pitch application for StartEngine’s Shark Pitch [here](. In Case You Missed It [Let's Define Success By What We Don't Have To Do Anymore]( Why do we measure startup success by money? Is it the money we're truly talking about or the freedoms that money buys? If it's freedom, then how much of that freedom comes from money, and how much of it comes down to choice? [What Will We Regret Risking for Our Startups? (podcast)]( Founders have to make tough decisions all the time. These decisions can make or break the Startup, and this is why regret is inevitable. [We Need a Strict Definition of Personal Success]( Every moment we spend pursuing an undefined goal is a complete waste of time — especially personal goals. Love this topic? Hate it? Let's chat on social media! Wil Schroter Founder & CEO @ Startups.com [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Startups.com, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you joined Startups.com. Our mailing address is: Startups.com 1201 Dublin RoadColumbus, OH 43215 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.