Introduction
You've just sold your business. The money has arrived in your account. Your friends and family congratulate you. You (finally) have some time. You've made it. And yet, a vague feeling creeps in: what now?
This moment afterwards, so fantasized about during the years of hardship, is often more destabilizing than we can imagine. In this article, we explore the three pillars of post-exit: money, status and identity. The aim is to transform this grey area into a springboard for a second life of your own.
1. MONEY: A weapon, not an end
"What to do with my money?"
The first question. Managing millions has nothing to do with optimizing a salary.
Structure your assets intelligently
- Create a holding company to centralize investments
- Diversify: private equity, real estate, structured products, gold, bonds
- Keeping cash for agility and mental peace
Don't get fleeced
- Beware of bankers selling home-made products
- Surround yourself with people who are paid by service, not commission.
- Don't invest in what you don't understand
Ask the right question: what's the money for?
- Safety for your children?
- Value creation?
- Personal development?
Money is a lever. But without direction, it becomes dead weight, even poison.
2. STATUS: From founder to "anonymous rich person
"I'm no longer CEO. Who am I?"
The exit turns you from a visible actor into a spectator. No more pitches. No more decisive meetings. No team to drive. This can create a void of recognition and social floating.
Don't try to "fill
- Resuming a project at once is sometimes a mistake
- Detox is sometimes necessary: silence, reading, family, sport
Recreate a status that suits you
- Active or passive investor?
- Serial entrepreneur?
- Taking over a company?
- Mentor? Lecturer? Author?
- Content creator? Political entrepreneur?
Keeping in touch with the action
3. IDENTITY: rebirth without denial
"I don't recognize myself anymore"
Your company was you. Selling means losing a symbolic arm. Post-exit is a journey of identity.
Accepting the death of a version of yourself
- Leave the founder's suit in the closet
- Refusing nostalgia, embracing movement
Audit your life
- What gives me energy?
- What do I admire in others?
- What do I want to convey?
Reinventing a personal narrative
- Create a new lead role in your film
Photo : Cody Board