After the Exit

You sold the company. The wire hit your account. Now what? No book prepared you for this part. Not the deal-making, not the term sheets -- the strange, disorienting stretch of time right after, when the Slack goes quiet, the calendar clears, and you're left standing in a life that no longer has a company attached to it. Written founder-to-founder, this is the honest, practical, no-nonsense guide to the first year after a major exit or liquidity event -- the part nobody warns you about. This book won't tell you what to invest in. It won't give you a tax rate or a portfolio allocation. What it will do is walk you through the psychological and behavioral terrain every founder has to cross: the identity crash of no longer being "the founder of X," the strange coexistence of grief and relief, the specific traps that catch smart people with new money, and the boredom-driven urge to start another company before you've actually figured out whether that's what you want. What's inside: - Why the identity disorientation hits even the best exits, and how to move through it deliberately - A practical case for slowing down in the first ninety days, and what genuinely can't wait - How to build the right team -- CPA, fee-only advisor, estate attorney -- and what to ask them - A plain-language map of the general tax and legal questions worth raising (never specific advice) - The ten most common financial mistakes founders make with new money, named and explained - The operator-to-steward mindset shift, and why it's harder than it sounds - A sober framework for angel investing that protects both your capital and your friendships - How to navigate the new financial gravity money creates with family and friends - A values-based approach to giving that doesn't come from guilt or urgency - How to build genuine purpose and a deliberate next chapter, on your own timeline A brief, important note: this book is general education, not personalized financial, legal, or tax advice. The author is not a licensed advisor, attorney, or accountant. Always consult qualified professionals about your specific situation. Perfect for the founder who just closed a sale or IPO and doesn't know what to do with a Tuesday, the operator sitting on a pile of vested equity trying not to make a rash decision, or anyone who built something real and is now facing the quieter, harder question of what comes next. If you've been handed the "what's next" question one too many times, this is the book that helps you actually answer it -- deliberately, not reactively.