Exit Strategy

Beginning with the end in mind is good practice for everyone.  It’s at the core of almost all modern startups who have entrepreneurs are defining their exit strategy in their business plan.

At it’s core, an exit strategy is about understanding this this isn’t forever.. this car, this house, this job, this business, this partnership.  It’s a plan for when things go right (sell for allot of money) and when things go wrong (get out of the venture with as little loss / pain as possible).  An Exit strategy is critically important for big things like business partnership and little things like moving in with someone.

This blog and related projects (books, etc..) are all built around a business and I haven’t really defined an exit strategy yet.  I have thought about next steps though.    I honestly haven’t even decided a growth strategy.. All I know is that I’m limiting my focus to writing this blog to document this journey and also as a sketch pad for the writings that will become part of the longer form research based project I hope to turn into a book or series of books.  Ideally the books can morph into a brand and the brand can be sold. Then someone else becomes the torch bearer and I get to retire to a Caribbean Island.. or if it’s not as lucrative as all that I can retire to a house in Siler City North Carolina with a picture of a Caribbean Island in my office.

Still the idea of an exit strategy for the business of writing is not all that much different than the exit strategy for Professional Individual Contributors.  PIC’s have to plan for their exit the day before they start work at a new job.  We live in an age when companies are celebrated when a merger savings come from less employment, i.e. job losses and the flawed philosophy adopted by companies actually think it’s a good idea to churn employees – for their own benefit.

Only by planning an exit strategy from the very earliest period can a PIC leverage the modern employment environment.  Unfortunately this isn’t about career growth or quality of life improvement, if properly implemented it allows for career consistency.  The alternative is not pleasant.