The Founder Exit Report: What Happens When You Sell a Company?

Stop making million-dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comMost exit stories are told in headlines and highlight reels. We wanted the truth. So we surveyed dozens of exited Hampton founders and pulled insights from 100+ interviews to uncover what really happens after the deal closes – from broken earnouts and identity loss to why nearly everyone regrets something they bought.Here’s what we talk about:Why deal structure matters more than the sale price, and how earnouts quietly screw foundersHow 47% of founders said they made less than expected from their dealWhy having millions in the bank can still feel like financial insecurityThe surprising trap of feeling “poor” after sellingWhy 92% of exited founders build again – retirement is a mythThe identity unraveling that hits most founders post-exitThe most common regret: a house, car, or other “reward” that quickly became a burdenWhy trying to time the market almost always backfiresThe #1 post-sale frustration almost no one talks about: losing control of company cultureCool Links:Hampton joinhampton.com/Lower Street lowerstreet.co/Hampton Wealth Report joinhampton.com/2024-wealth-reportSponsors:Get a team of AI agents that run compliance for you at delve.co/moneywiseAchieve your dream body with dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseJoin 700+ founders hiring A-players in Latin America at hirewithnear.com/moneywiseChapters:(1:21) Deal Structure: Where the Real Money’s Made(4:22) Why a Big Payout Can Still Feel Small(6:43) The Retirement Myth: You’ll Build Again(8:32) Selling Isn’t Just Business, It’s Personal(11:33) The Big Purchase Trap(13:20) Timing: Stop Waiting for Perfect(15:26) Nine Lessons from Founders Who’ve Been There(17:00) The Culture Shift Nobody Warns You AboutThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Jackie LamportNot really the host, but the producer.Wrote this sentence.

Stop making million-dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comAlex Smereczniak built a $100M laundry business and sold 118 franchise locations in just 14 months. But just as the business took off, life hit hard. After a series of personal and professional crises, he stepped down as CEO. Now he’s back – not for another big exit, but to fix a franchise industry riddled with bad incentives and hidden fees.Here’s what we talk about:Building a $100M brand from a college dorm laundry hustleThe personal crises that forced him to walk awayWhy he thinks franchising is totally broken – and how brokers quietly take 60% commissionsWhat he’s doing differently at Franzy: flat fees, transparency, no bullshitWhy he’s not taking a salary, even with an $11M net worthWhat it actually costs – financially and emotionally – to scale fastThe moment he knew he wasn’t the right CEO anymoreWhy he believes franchising could be the path for millions displaced by AIHow he defines success today: not exits, but impactCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Franzy https://franzy.comAlex Smereczniak https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-smereczniak-%F0%9F%A6%81-40310329 Sponsors:Get US caliber talent at offshore prices with https://www.oceanstalent.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(0:41) Early Entrepreneurship: College Laundry Business(1:31) Selling the First Business & Lessons Learned(2:47) The Moment Alex Reconsidered Corporate Life at Ernst & Young (3:37) Returning to Laundry: The Startup Vision(6:07) Raising Capital & Startup Growth(10:40) Team Building, Hiring Challenges, and Culture(13:15) COVID-19, Franchising, and Business Model Shift(18:21) The Franchise Broker Problem & Franzy's Solution(20:45) Franchising as a Path to Wealth(24:03) AI, Job Displacement, and the Future of Work(28:30) Alex’s Personal Wealth, Fulfillment, and Impact(31:00) Reflections on Net Worth, Liquidity, and Success(34:40) Community, Support, and Peer Groups(40:02) The Sweet Spot: Wealth, Happiness & Freedom for FoundersThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million-dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comMost founders start their restaurants in the red. Guy Allen did the opposite, turning a 12-seat sushi bar into a $3M business with lines out the door and plans for a $50M exit. He’s the founder proving restaurants can scale – if you treat them like startups.Here’s what we talk about:Leaving real estate tech after a decade to start over in foodTurning a sushi photography hobby into a six-figure uni import businessWhy importing sea urchin taught him everything about supply chainsHow Sendo became one of NYC’s busiest sushi spots – with zero marketing spendThe “three ingredients” behind every successful restaurant: food, location, brandWhy most chefs fail at business, and why one restaurant alone is a bad betThe real margins of restaurants (and what “good” actually looks like)How restaurant investing and profit-sharing actually workThe surprising scalability of sushi, and how he plans to reach 40 locationsBuilding publicly in an industry famous for secrecyCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Sendo https://www.sendo.nyc/ Sponsors:Get your app built at https://zeroqode.com/?ref=moneywiseBuild web apps quickly with https://bubble.io/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:00:00 - The Harsh Reality of Restaurant Ownership00:43 - The Sushi Business Model and Guy’s Background01:35 - Guy’s Pivot from Real Estate Tech to Sushi02:56 - From Sushi Hobby to Social Media Platform05:44 - Importing Uni: Economics and Challenges10:11 - Sushi Quality, Branding, and Market Positioning13:22 - Why Premium Sushi Doesn’t Scale14:47 - Transition from Importing to Restaurant Ownership16:51 - Why Most Restaurants Fail: The Role of Branding18:44 - Building a Restaurant Brand and Early Success22:56 - Financing and Structuring Growth27:27 - The Surprising Upsides of the Restaurant Business29:54 - Scaling to 40 Restaurants and a $50M Exit33:49 - The Need for Transparency in the Restaurant Industry This podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comKory Mitchell built a blue collar asbestos business and sold it for $200M. When he stepped back, everything started to fall apart. A new CEO lost millions. The culture cracked. Kory came back to fix it, then walked away on his own terms. This is what happens when scaling works…until it doesn’t.Here’s what we talk about:Buying blue collar businesses: the unsexy but ultra-profitable path to serious scaleWhy adding debt transformed their trajectory – and nearly broke the companyWhat not to do after an exit: the new CEO that lost $12M in 6 projectsThe hidden tax of scale: how managing founders who’ve “already made their money” can kill your businessHow to build trust during M&A, and the warning signs that should make you walkLessons in culture, integration, and the real cost of bad communicationThe burnout that followed a $200M exit, and why Kory walked awaySabbaticals, Porsches, and starting over: what post-exit life really looks likeThe secret to finding off-market deals, and why PE firms keep asking Kory for helpWho shouldn’t do M&A (and why doing it while your house is on fire is a terrible idea)Cool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Kory Mitchell https://www.linkedin.com/in/korylmitchell Sponsors:Get US caliber talent at offshore prices with https://www.oceanstalent.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(01:54) Growing Up Blue Collar & Family Business Roots(03:09) Taking the Leap: Debt and Aggressive Growth(05:53) Merging, Scaling, and Learning from Private Equity(08:19) Managing People: The Human Side of M&A(13:18) Integration and Building Company Culture(19:25) The $200M Exit and Stepping Away(21:48) Crisis: Post-Sale Struggles and Turnaround(25:22) Burnout, Sabbatical, and Starting Over(27:47) Lessons Learned: Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Do M&AThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: https://joinhampton.com/Kass and Mike Lazerow built two companies together, sold one for $25M… and the next for $745M. Along the way, they went bankrupt, survived dot-com busts and Facebook booms, and figured out how to build a business without destroying their marriage. Here’s what we talk about:What it’s actually like to sell your company for $745 millionThe early Golf.com bankruptcy scare, and how Tiger Woods saved the businessWhy their co-founder relationship works (and where it almost blew up entirely)Mixing work and love: the brutal fights, trust, and one-liners from the delivery roomFull breakdown of their first splurge, and what “enough” money really meansRaising $50M without meaning to sell, and getting a surprise offer from SalesforceThe $12M flop that reminded Mike why Kass is the only co-founder he needsCo-founder red flags, communication rules, and how they manage disagreementsLiving rich vs. feeling rich: the moment they finally felt secureCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Kass and Mike https://kassandmike.com/ Kass and Mike's book: Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shoveling-Story-about-Entrepreneurs-Success/dp/B0DY21NS7W Sponsors:The modern way to run your business phone is https://www.quo.com/perks/moneywiseAchieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(1:26) The $745M Buddy Media exit(4:29) What people get wrong about working with a spouse(6:22) How Kass and Mike met(8:44) The Golf.com story(15:33) Managing team dynamics as married co-founders(23:17) Handling finances as a married couple(28:18) What they did with the money after the exit(32:33) Lessons learned and what they'd do differently(36:58) Closing thoughts on finding the right co-founderThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comJaclyn Johnson sold Create & Cultivate for $22 million. Then she hit pause – burned out, got divorced, and took a year off to figure out what she actually wanted. Now? She’s back, running the same company she sold, after buying it back for less.Here’s what we talk about:Flipping real estate, investing in 25 startups, and turning $10K into $1.2MSpending $17K/month on rent – and not caringThe number where she actually felt rich: $4–5M liquidHer full wealth breakdown: real estate, stocks, startups, and “a little” cryptoWhy angel investing works for her, and the returns that keep her goingHow burnout and divorce forced her to take a full year offWhat it’s like buying back the company you sold – for lessWhy she’ll never run day-to-day again (and how operators changed everything)Female founder scrutiny, and why being the face of the brand gets brutalWhy she’s done chasing status, and how FOMO just disappearedCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Jaclyn Johnson https://jaclynrjohnson.com/ Sponsors:Get US caliber talent at offshore prices with https://www.oceanstalent.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(0:25) How Jacqueline Johnson built and sold businesses for millions(1:43) The three kinds of success every founder chases(7:04) What it actually feels like to have $15M in the bank(15:29) How Create & Cultivate became a brand women rally behind(18:37) The double standard: What it’s really like being a female CEO(23:18) The moments that made Jacqueline feel like she’d “made it”(25:37) What happens after you stop chasing FOMO(29:38) The money mistakes founders make after a big exit(32:04) What Jacqueline wishes every founder knew before sellingThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comJordan Schlipf spent a decade building companies optimized for fun, freedom, and friendships. But with years of hindsight, he wonders if he left too much money on the table.Here’s what we talk about:Why Jordan left a lucrative investment banking path to chase startupsHow the Rainmaking model let him share risk (and reward) with fellow foundersThe downside of passion-led business: no investment thesis, millions wastedWhy he believes he could’ve made way more money doing less exciting workWhat he thinks about his $4M liquid net worth — and why it doesn’t feel like enoughThe moment he realized private equity is a better game than startupsHow he’s now trying to turn around a $10M beauty business without raising capitalWhat it really costs to live well in London as a founder with a familyWhy he regrets chasing the “cool” startup dream instead of playing it safeWhat true wealth means to him today: help, time, and optionalityCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Jordan Schlipf https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-schlipf-0b855174Sponsors:Tam your taxes today at https://olarry.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(0:49) Breaking Down the Rainmaking Model(2:08) Jordan’s Pivot from Investment Banking to Startups(4:15) Why He Couldn’t Stay Away from Startups(5:43) The Origins & Vision Behind Rainmaking(8:48) Biggest Challenges in the Rainmaking Model(10:57) Costly Mistakes & Lessons Learned Along the Way(13:00) Why Jordan Stepped Away from VC(17:05) Taking Over as CEO of a Beauty Brand(18:23) Jordan’s Current Finances & Where He Stands Today(20:23) Lifestyle Adjustments & Financial Struggles(24:32) Life Before Family vs. Life After(29:04) What He Wishes He’d Done DifferentlyThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comDonald Spann built a multi-million dollar call center from scratch — with no outside capital, no technical background, and no safety net. Even crazier? He sold it for $12M to the first person who ever signed up.Here’s what we talk about:Dropping out of college because he knew he’d never work for anyone elseBuilding a cleaning business off a Reddit thread… then using it to launch something way biggerAccidentally going viral and getting 65,000 applications on a mom blog Why he’s never raised a dollar of capital — and never plans toHis $12M exit from a bootstrapped call center (and how the buyer was his first-ever customer)Breaking down his finances: no real estate, no advisor, just stocks and angel betsGrowing up Black in a private school bubble and how that shaped everythingLiving on $10K/month in Mexico and self-funding a new mezcal brandCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Sponsors:Tam your taxes today at https://olarry.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseChapters:(1:26) Donald’s Net Worth & Current Ventures(3:57) Early Life, Education, and First Lessons(7:40) First Businesses & Getting Into Y Combinator(10:49) Building and Selling the Cleaning Business(14:02) The Successful Exit of Vicki Virtual(18:54) Personality, Confidence, and Entrepreneurial Edge(22:41) Meritocracy, Hard Work, and the Role of Luck(25:40) Reflections on Success & Personal Growth(29:02) Race, Identity, and the Entrepreneurial JourneyThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comRajiv Khaneja made tens of millions running an ad tech company, but still lives in the same city he grew up in, wears the same clothes, and told friends he rented his house—even though he owned it. Here’s why.Here’s what we talk about:How Rajiv built a profitable tech business as a teenager (and hired adults while still in high school)Turning down a $2.5M acquisition offer... then heading back to chemistry classWhat 25 years of “anti-lifestyle inflation” looks likeThe impact of immigrant parents and a “worst-case-scenario” money mindsetWhy he lived undercover for years, and how finding a peer group unlocked everythingHow he built AdButler into an 8-figure, bootstrapped businessRajiv’s idea of a lifestyle upgrade: attentional freedom > private jetsHappiness optimization: spending $7M on a home to be closer to friends His new obsession: using AI to help cure cancerCo-founding Arvita Therapeutics — and why he’s still building, even with $50M+ in net worthSponsors:Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/AdButler https://www.adbutler.com/index.htmlArvita Therapeutics https://www.arvita.co/Chapters:(0:00) Teen Millionaire: How Rajiv Made His First Money(0:45) Living Cheap on Purpose: Why He Drives a Prius(1:59) Managing Wealth & Long-Term Investing Strategy(3:36) Monthly Spending Breakdown & Frugal Habits(9:02) The Origin Story: From Web Polls to Ad Butler(19:16) Family, Upbringing & Money Values(24:49) Social Life, Hiding Wealth & Finding Founder Friends(31:56) Resisting Lifestyle Upgrades After a Big Exit(35:40) Choosing the Right Life & Business Partner(41:29) Future Bets: Biotech, Longevity & Playing the Long GameThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.

Stop making million dollar decisions alone. Hampton gives you a personal board of eight vetted founders in your city who meet monthly to tackle your hardest problems. Find your group: joinhampton.comAli Abdaal didn’t sell a startup. He didn’t raise money. He didn’t even plan to leave medicine. He just turned himself into the business, and ended up happier, wealthier, and more free than he ever expected.Here’s what we talk about:Why Ali says money hasn’t made him more happy, just removed the stuff that made him unhappyHis net worth (between $1M and $10M) and how it breaks downHow a scammed MacBook deal sparked a business that made £1M+What he learned after hitting $6M/year in revenue, and why he stopped trying to scale furtherHow flying business class and skipping trash day became his personal luxuriesWhy “$100M in the bank” wouldn’t change how he spends his timeHow coaching, meditation, and philosophy reshaped his relationship with moneyThe moment Lewis Howes helped him break his identity as a doctorHis rule of thumb: “Freedom comes from leaving money on the table”Why he's building software to reduce his dependence on contentHis real goal: $2M/year profit so he can work when he wants, on what he wantsSponsors:Get US caliber talent at offshore prices with https://www.oceanstalent.com/Achieve your dream body with https://www.dailybodycoach.com/moneywiseProtect your upside and get your time back at https://www.cressetcapital.com/moneywiseCool Links:Hampton https://www.joinhampton.com/Lower Street https://www.lowerstreet.co/Ali’s stuff: https://aliabdaal.com/Chapters:(0:00) Introduction & Ali's Philosophy on Wealth(1:48) Net Worth Breakdown & Investing(3:17) Life in Hong Kong: Renting vs. Owning(4:54) From Medicine to Entrepreneurship(6:09) Early Business Lessons & Getting Scammed(7:44) Building and Selling the First Business(9:02) YouTube Journey & Passive Income(12:00) Revenue Growth, Plateau, and Lifestyle Design(16:01) Money, Happiness, and Scarcity Mindset(24:00) Motivation, Fulfillment, and Final ThoughtsThis podcast is a ridiculous concept: high-net-worth people reveal their personal finances. Inspired by real conversations happening in the Hampton community.Your Host: Harry MortonFounder of Lower Street, a podcast production company helping brands launch and grow top-tier podcasts.Co-parents a cow named Eliza.