Life After an Exit: How Entrepreneurs Transition to the Next Stage
Life After an Exit: How Entrepreneurs Transition to the Next Stage
Entrepreneurs are different from other people. Their talent lies in imagining a new solution or a fresh approach that gives the world something it may not have even realized it needed. Building a successful enterprise from start-up to sustained profitability demands total immersion. The company becomes the entrepreneur’s purpose, identity, primary community for relationships and the main and most meaningful way he or she spends time. Sometimes the company is passed on to the next generation, leaving a legacy that reinforces the founder’s identity and purpose. However, more often, the company is sold.
What happens in this case? A sale may result in a financial windfall, but it can also leave the entrepreneur rudderless, facing a big question: What comes next?
This white paper fills a gap in the writings on major liquidity events and the issues they create for the newly wealthy.
The Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center graciously thanks Credit Suisse for their support and sponsorship in the development of this white paper.