2026-01-13 23:33:49

Ever notice how the narrative around exits only tells half the story? Here's what actually happens: a founder negotiates a deal with a staggered payout structure—some cash upfront, the rest vesting over multiple years. Sounds decent on paper. But then the new ownership goes aggressive with leverage, piling debt onto the balance sheet to juice returns. A lawsuit hits. Suddenly they're filing for bankruptcy to shield themselves from liability. The founder? Yeah, they still walk away with something from that initial payment, but nowhere close to what they'd have kept if they'd stayed the course and scaled organically. The profitable path. The one that doesn't make headlines. Media loves covering the exit announcement—the valuation, the prestige. Nobody's writing about the guy who should've stayed independent and kept building. That's the quiet story most miss.

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ser_ngmi

· 01-16 22:49

That's why I increasingly look down on those who boast about exit stories. Really.

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OfflineNewbie

· 01-16 16:35

Really, selling the company was a thrill at the moment, but later being played to the point of collapse by the new owner made me regret it so much I was almost sick. Unfortunately, the money was already paid in installments... --- That's why many people later regret selling, over-leveraging leading to a blow-up, and the founders end up as scapegoats. --- Wait, why do those self-media outlets promoting exit never talk about this bloody reality? They only know how to hype up valuations. --- So, you still need self-control. Not all money should be taken; sometimes continuing on your own can be more profitable. --- It's tough. I've seen this situation happen in real life—people become depressed, and they didn't get a single cent and still got sued. --- Running independently and small but refined might not be as glamorous, but at least you can sleep well at night. --- The new boss at mb's leverage operations is indeed ruthless. No wonder so many founders regret selling their companies. --- So, before exiting, you must see clearly what kind of person the new owner is, or else installment payments are pointless.

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MoodFollowsPrice

· 01-13 23:58

To be honest, I've seen this routine too many times. Those big news stories are hyped up to the sky, but behind the scenes, losing money is the norm, right?

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LiquidationWizard

· 01-13 23:54

Really, today's exit stories are all packaged, and those debt strategies that follow are even crazier.

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GasGoblin

· 01-13 23:50

Really, stories of fundraising exits are all packaged; in reality, those debt leverage operations are the real killer move... --- During the vesting period, getting hit with a lawsuit is a huge loss. --- Honestly, building steadily from the ground up is much better than selling out; the media only loves to talk about big numbers. --- That's why independently building is always more attractive than blowing bubbles for an exit, but no one writes stories like that. --- The most heartbreaking part is that the money the founder gets is actually less than if they didn't sell; it's hilarious. --- So basically, the new owner borrows money to leverage and then shifts the blame to you; founders losing everything is just routine. --- Not exiting, maintaining stable cash flow is much more reliable than gambling on a liquidity event.

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SurvivorshipBias

· 01-13 23:36

Really, think carefully before exiting. The pitfalls of installment payments are too many.

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