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Before The Exit: Thought Experiments For Entrepreneurs: A Short Guide For Founders Planning to Sell Their Business Kindle Edition
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- The Lifestyle Ladder - Will the cash from selling a business make the meaningful difference in your life you expect?
- The Mediocre CEO Test - Are there better ways to create the freedom you expect when you sell your business. Maybe business succession planning is a better move?
- The Hidden Upsides - Are there benefits to keeping your business you don’t notice when you’re in the “selling a business” mindset?
- The Cash Conundrum - A pile of cash you get when you sell your business can cause problems if you don’t have a plan for it.
- The Dirty Secret - Is selling your business really the best move for you? Or are there tough truths you’re unwilling to face behind this decision?
What People Are Saying About This Book
"If you think this book might help you plan your future, I'm here to tell you it will. Well worth your time." -Seth Godin, Founder, Yoyodyne & Squidoo "First book I’ve read from founders that had a real business exit that’s not praying for Google to acquire them. Actionable advice for every entrepreneur." -Noah Kagan, Founder, Sumo
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateMarch 29, 2018
- File size1360 KB
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Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
In five simple thought experiments, Dan Andrews helps you to formulate your endgame strategy, including:
- Determining your "lifestyle ladder." How much money do you really need to be set?
- Anticipating common emotional challenges that can surface during an exit.
- Ensuring that you feel good about whatever decision you make - whether you hang onto your company with renewed passion or take the money and run.
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B07BN2KD1J
- Publisher : Amazon Digital Services (March 29, 2018)
- Publication date : March 29, 2018
- Language : English
- File size : 1360 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 109 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1980628823
- Best Sellers Rank: #433,562 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Dan Andrews has published a weekly business podcast since 2009. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes (or your favorite podcast app) by searching for “Tropical MBA.”
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Inside Before the Exit, author Dan Andrews takes a unique look at what it means to sell your business and covers what the practical steps are for ensuring you make the right decision—I’ll give you a quick rundown from a reader perspective:
It’s extremely applicable (much more so than your average business-orientated book), Dan runs the reader through thought-experiments and sets up “what if” scenarios for the reader to put themselves in that in reality—very few business owners fully consider when it comes to not only exiting a business, but even starting one.
But what if you’re nowhere near ready to sell a business?
This book is important for every stage entrepreneur. I’m nowhere near ready to sell my business, but I still got so much out of it. For example, Dan covers an important concept called the “lifestyle ladder” (pg 10) —which changed the way I thought about money, how much of it I needed, and what I could do with it.
And if you’re considering exiting a business then this is a must read. Because the truth is, more than half of entrepreneurs who have sold their business report being unhappy after the sale! Please, don’t be one of them! Spend an hour with this refreshingly honest entrepreneur who candidly shares his firsthand experience selling his business without considering all the options—so you can.
The book made me think about not only exit and end game for my business but what I wanted for my life.
Before the Exit has no fluff, won’t take much time—about an hour to read. Definitely check it out!
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2018
Inside Before the Exit, author Dan Andrews takes a unique look at what it means to sell your business and covers what the practical steps are for ensuring you make the right decision—I’ll give you a quick rundown from a reader perspective:
It’s extremely applicable (much more so than your average business-orientated book), Dan runs the reader through thought-experiments and sets up “what if” scenarios for the reader to put themselves in that in reality—very few business owners fully consider when it comes to not only exiting a business, but even starting one.
But what if you’re nowhere near ready to sell a business?
This book is important for every stage entrepreneur. I’m nowhere near ready to sell my business, but I still got so much out of it. For example, Dan covers an important concept called the “lifestyle ladder” (pg 10) —which changed the way I thought about money, how much of it I needed, and what I could do with it.
And if you’re considering exiting a business then this is a must read. Because the truth is, more than half of entrepreneurs who have sold their business report being unhappy after the sale! Please, don’t be one of them! Spend an hour with this refreshingly honest entrepreneur who candidly shares his firsthand experience selling his business without considering all the options—so you can.
The book made me think about not only exit and end game for my business but what I wanted for my life.
Before the Exit has no fluff, won’t take much time—about an hour to read. Definitely check it out!
This insight, in the first 10-15 pages, changed my thinking completely when faced with some acquisition interest:
"When I hear business owners talking about the possibility of selling, they rarely say, “You know, I’ve got all these buyers competing. I’m gonna make this great deal, and here’s the plan.” Nine times out of ten they say, “I’m sick of running this business. I think I want to sell, free up some mental space, and focus on new projects.” We understand. When we sold, so many of our decisions were guided by how we felt about our business. But it’s precisely that short-term emotional reactivity that can lead you to make bad long-term emotional decisions - and bad financial decisions. Because remember: the folks you’ll encounter on your journey will be professionals. They’ll analyze the opportunity, and they won’t care how you feel."
Other bits I really found valuable:
* Q. What would you do with the money you get from the sale, where can you get as good of a return as you were getting with the business you just sold?
* Owning a business is a platform to create other businesses.
* Owning a business creates networking opportunities
* Q. is the money you get going to make a significant difference to your lifestyle?
I feel like this book could be Dan Andrews's answer to Peter Thiel's question “What important truth do very few people agree with you on?” I've heard a lot on the subject of "you should definitely sell your business because of these reasons" and not a lot of thoughtful pushback on "here's what you really may be giving up by selling your business--make sure you think about this first."
Every active entrepreneur should consider these thought experiments as they build and grow their businesses. For myself, I can tell this will be one of those books I see myself coming back to as I move from one growth stage of my business to another.
Highly recommended.
What would you do with the cash?
Was the exit based on needs or wants?
Weren’t there other alternatives to exit?
Read the book before thinking of exit ... it’s worth it!
I understand what the daily grind of running a business does to a business owner. It can get you down, or bore you to death. Selling seems like the only answer. But is it?
How do you know that you're ready to sell? Why are you selling? What other possibilities are there?
I'm sure I'll often come back to the questions and thought experiments in this book.
Recommended for all business owners that want to take their business to the next level. (I've set aside time this week to explore the "my business as a platform" idea)
Top reviews from other countries
As a business owner myself who in previous years thought I wanted an exit, this book came at great timing! I make a decent living but think I work too hard – I wanted a break to do nothing for a few years and also a safety net of a big chunk of cash in the bank. I hung around people who spoke about their large exits and how many millions they have in the bank and thought I wanted a bit of that too! I was narrow sighted
If I did sell, then what? I’ve built a good business; I enjoy what I do now. Why not change the business and experiment with ways to give me what I want in my personal life and still hold on to this wealth generator I have so painstakingly built for over a decade.
To quote the author, "hiring and training a CEO takes much less time than selling your business."
If you are thinking of selling, soon are further down the line the book offers some simple but effective thought exercises that are very helpful.
As a side note, you could probably also apply these thought exercises to other areas of your life. Before the exit could apply to a personal relationship that is shaky. Experiment and do something you normally would not do or that may normally be deemed risky! If the end game was likely the relationship ending, maybe this way of thinking can offer the best shot at saving the relationship.
An excellent read and well worth the minimal reading time investment.
I highly recommend this quick read.






