228: Scaling Smart, Exiting Intentionally with Bruce Eckfeldt

Episode notes

"Exit planning is good business, not just about exits. Doing exit planning is going to help your business today." Too many founder CEOs pour years into scaling their company without ever building a plan for what comes next - and it costs them. Bruce Eckfeldt is a former Inc. 500 CEO who scaled, led, and exited his own company, and now coaches founder CEOs to do the same with intention. He faced the reality of an unplanned post-exit life firsthand - and what he discovered changed how he coaches everyone who comes after him. Key Insights: Exit planning improves your business today, not just at the finish line. Treating your business as if it could be sold tomorrow forces clarity in strategy, leadership, and operations - giving you a stronger company whether you sell or not. Develop a compelling post-exit vision first. When founders have a clear, exciting plan for what comes after, they become more motivated to grow faster, set tighter timelines, and make better decisions leading up to a transaction. Founder dependency in sales is the riskiest - and hardest - constraint to break.

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