When you’re thinking about buying a business, knowing what you’re looking for is everything. Making the wrong choice can be a disaster for your finances and your reputation. If you’re just getting started, it’s a good idea to explore different business models and industries to see what clicks with you.
Nothing kills the high of an acquisition offer quite like due diligence. It’s a long, draining, and often nerve-wracking process. After celebrating the big offer, it can feel like a sudden shock to the system. Having been through two acquisitions myself, I can tell you that while it's definitely a grind, there’s a way to get through it without losing your mind. And that’s what I want to walk you through.
So, it finally happened. After years of grinding, someone has made an offer to buy your startup company. The first feeling is pure euphoria—you can already picture what life looks like after the deal closes. But then, a wave of anxiety hits. How do you actually prepare for an acquisition? This is where the real work begins.
For most founders, the dream is to sell their business startup. But the path to acquisition is often a nightmare—a long, bureaucratic slog that can pull you away from what you do best: running your company. And after all that, a deal is never guaranteed.
In the world of startups, a great product or service feels like the ultimate goal. But what happens when a competitor comes along and copies your features, or even does it cheaper? This is where your real competitive advantage comes in: your story. While anyone can replicate what you do, no one can replicate who you are. A powerful brand story is what sets you apart, excites your customers, and builds a loyal following that can’t be bought. For any , mastering storytelling is a critical step toward outshining the competition and building something truly lasting.
For anyone involved in a new business startup, the conversation always seems to circle back to money. Specifically, how much you have and how much you need. The default goal for most is to land a huge round of venture capital, exit fundraising mode, and finally get to the work of building the company. But it’s rarely a one-and-done deal. That Series A often turns into a Series B, which then requires a Series C, and before you know it, your primary business has become the business of seeking startup funding.
When you see videos of accelerator classes chanting like rock stars, it’s easy to think that raising money is the only way to build a real company. There’s a growing sense that the funding-obsessed culture in tech can be unhealthy, and I have to agree. That’s why, aside from a little bit of early help, we decided to bootstrap our company instead of chasing investors. I’m convinced that for many (though not all) entrepreneurs, forgoing venture capital is the smarter play.
Launching your own company is a tough road. It’s paved with frustration, setbacks, and a whole lot of painful moments—and sometimes, it ends in failure. The wins feel incredible, but the lows can make you question everything. I’ve heard countless entrepreneurs talk passionately about their billion-dollar ideas, but when you look at the stats, most startups don’t make it. That got me thinking: is there a better way to go about building a successful company?
After emerging from a major crisis with Apple, I found myself taking a hard look at the business I had spent eight years of my life building. I started Bizness Apps in my college dorm, working 100-hour weeks to grow it into a tech startup with $10 million in annual recurring revenue. It was my first real company, and I dove into leadership with zero experience. I stumbled a lot, but that willingness to learn on the fly was what made the whole thing possible.