You’ve done the work. You’ve built the company, navigated the challenges and made it through your exit. Now you’re facing a question most successful founders never see coming: What’s next?
The Post-Exit Challenge No One Warns You About
After selling your business, the initial relief gives way to something unexpected. You have time, freedom and a wealth of knowledge, but no outlet for it.
Is the phone buzzing in your pocket an iPhone? Chances are, it is. Apple controls 21% of the smartphone market. But when Andre van Hall hears the buzz of that sleek device, a different rectangular fixture of American life comes to mind: the Sears catalog.
Share this: Your employees are already using AI. The question is whether they’re doing it with guardrails or without them. In boardrooms across the country, CEOs tell me some version of the same story: “We know AI is important, but we haven’t gotten around to a formal policy yet.” That gap between awareness and action…
Share this: National Small Business Month is dedicated to spotlighting the backbone of our economy: small and midsize businesses (SMBs). These businesses are often the unsung heroes driving economic growth, fostering job creation, and strengthening local communities. The numbers are staggering: According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses alone account for 99% of all businesses…
Share this: When we think of AI, the mind often wanders to sprawling Silicon Valley tech campuses, massive server farms, and futuristic research laboratories. For too long, the narrative surrounding AI has been one of exclusivity — a tool reserved for multinational corporations with endless budgets and armies of software engineers. But when I walk…
Share this: For nearly 40 years, Victor Owen Schwartz, founder of New York-based VOS Selections — an importer and distributor of wine, spirits, sake, and non-alcoholic beverages — has set his portfolio apart by sourcing products that aren’t easily found at the wine store down the street. “We have a broad range of wines, including…
Share this: This year’s CMO Survey data reflects a market in flux. In a period of heightened volatility, companies are trying to do more with less while simultaneously navigating pricing pressure, cost inflation, and uneven demand. As a percentage of revenue, marketing budgets have declined dramatically, even as companies raise prices. Source: Spring 2026 CMO…
Share this: Modern-day mastermind groups offer a combination of education, support, and accountability for CEOs, business owners and executives seeking to grow their businesses and enhance their personal lives. For leaders with lofty goals, these organizations tap a select group of peers to provide deep insight, valuable perspectives and professional guidance. As the adage goes:…
Share this: There’s a certain kind of advice that sticks with you for life. It’s the kind you hear at the kitchen table, on the way out the door, or in the middle of a hard day. Somehow, it keeps showing up when you need it the most. For many leaders, some of their earliest…
Share this: Even the most successful CEOs can point to leadership mistakes they wish they could undo. But what sets great leaders apart isn’t the absence of mistakes; it’s how they respond to them. I’ve noticed that the most effective leaders approach regret with humility, using it as a tool to improve their decision-making, sharpen…