The worst $8M mistake I almost made

I almost sold my company for 1/3 of what it was worth  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Embarassing story time… Years ago (before DigitalMarketer was what it became), I got an email that changed how I think about running businesses. It was an offer. A real one. Eight figures. I remember reading it at my kitchen table thinking, "This is it. This is the moment every founder dreams about." Then they asked for the due diligence package. And here's what I discovered in the next 72 hours: The business was almost entirely dependent on me My "leadership team" was actually a group of people who needed me to approve every decision 60% of our revenue ran through ONE channel that could disappear overnight Our margins looked great on paper because I was underpaying myself and running lean (not because the model was efficient) We had zero documented SOPs. Everything important lived in my head. The buyer's team didn't take long to figure all of this out. They came back with a revised offer that was roughly one third of the original. :( I was furious. I thought they were trying to steal my company. Looking back? They weren't. They were doing exactly what buyers are supposed to do: paying for what they could actually buy, not what I could build when I was the one holding it all together. That experience taught me something every founder eventually learns the expensive way… You don't get to decide when you're exit-ready. Buyers do. And buyers don't grade purely on growth and profit. The good news is, you CAN get ready on your own terms. You can score your business the same way buyers will. You can see your gaps before they become someone else's negotiating leverage. That's what my business partner, Roland Frasier, and I are teaching in a 90-minute workshop next Thursday, April 23 at 1pm CDT. I've known Roland for 20+ years. He's bought, sold, and advised on hundreds of companies. He sees patterns in founder-led businesses that most of us can't see in our own. A $100 investment to spend 90 minutes with him diagnosing your company’s “exit-ability” is possibly the best ROI I can think of in our industry right now. ;) Grab Your Spot → Don't be me at that kitchen table. Talk soon, Ryan Ryan Deiss  Co-Founder and CEO, The Scalable Company Publisher/Writer, Accidental MBA P.S. If you can’t be there live, the bonuses alone are worth the price of admission. (And yes, it’s being recorded.) Details here…   Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 The Scalable Company 4330 Gaines Ranch Loop, Suite 120 Austin, Texas 78735, United States Terms of Service