FROM ANGEL TO EXIT
The Exit Stories Founders Don't Tell…Until Now
Selling your company is supposed to be the win. The finish line. The moment everything you built finally pays off. So why do so many founders describe it as one of the hardest experiences of their lives? Why do 75% report significant regret within a year of closing? And why does no one talk about it? From Angel to Exit goes behind the deal — real founders sharing the real story of what happened before, during, and after they sold. The conversations most people never have until it's too late.
The deal closed. The wire hit. Then what?
Every founder has heard the success stories — the big valuation, the life-changing check. What you don't hear is what happens behind the scenes: the deal that almost fell apart, the relationships that didn't survive, the identity crisis that hit harder than expected. From Angel to Exit is where founders tell the whole story. Not the polished version. The real one.
About The Host
Bruce Eckfeldt is a strategic business coach and exit planning advisor who works with founder-CEOs preparing to sell their companies. A former Inc. 500 CEO who built and exited his own company in 2013, Bruce knows firsthand what's at stake when you sell — and what no one tells you until it's too late.
As host of From Angel to Exit, Bruce brings the questions most interviewers don't think to ask and the perspective only a fellow exited founder can offer. His background in founder coaching and business exit planning shapes every conversation — digging into the details that matter but rarely get discussed.
Bruce is also the author of Springboard, a strategic guide for founder-CEOs planning to exit their businesses.
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BEHIND THE DEAL
The headlines never tell the full story. You'll hear what really happened in the room — the negotiation that almost blew up, the diligence issue no one saw coming, the moment founders knew they had to walk away or push through.
BEYOND THE VALUATION
The number on the term sheet is just the beginning. These conversations dig into what founders didn't anticipate — the emotional toll, the relationship strain, the questions about identity and purpose that surface after the wire hits.
HARD-WON LESSONS
Hindsight is brutal. Every guest shares what they would have done differently — the preparation they skipped, the advice they ignored, the assumptions that cost them. So you don't have to learn it the hard way.
New episodes drop weekly, but subscribers get early access — plus show notes, behind-the-scenes content, and extras that don't make it into the public feed. If you're serious about understanding what exit really looks like, this is where to start.