Should You Exit - And When?

Most exit conversations happen too late — once a banker is hired and the process is moving. The harder questions come earlier, and founders rarely have anyone to ask.

Is this a business to keep or to sell? Does $50M in your pocket beat a few million a year for the next decade? Do you run a process, or wait for someone to come to you? At that scale it always feels like things are about to get better — how do you know when they actually are?

The host: Dave Parker is a five-time founder who has sold several of his own companies and been through an acquisition as an operator when UP Global sold to Techstars. He runs "Prepping for Exit," an M&A curriculum for founders distributed through Techstars, works with an M&A advisory firm, and sits on four Northwest mid-market boards.

What we'll cover:

• What a good exit looks like at your scale - and how buyers actually value a business like yours
• Timing, and the trap of waiting for one more good quarter
• Running a process versus letting acquirers come to you
• The part nobody prepares you for: what changes for you personally after the deal
• Open discussion — bring your own situation

Closed-door conversation, not a talk. Whether you're years away or already fielding inbound, this is where you can ask the questions you can't ask your board.