SPRINGBOARD
A Founder's Guide to Selling Your Company With Purpose, Clarity, and a Vision for What's Next
Most founders treat selling a business as a financial transaction—and regret it within a year. Springboard is a different approach to exit planning. It's a strategic guide to preparing your business, preparing yourself, and designing what comes next—so your business exit becomes a launching pad, not an ending.
Why do 75% of founders regret their exit within a year?
It's not the deal terms. It's not the business valuation. It's that they treated their business exit as a transaction instead of a transition. They optimized for the multiple but never asked what they actually wanted. They prepared for due diligence but never prepared themselves for what comes next. Springboard walks you through the complete exit planning journey—preparing yourself, preparing your business, and designing what comes after—so selling your company becomes the beginning of something better, not the end of everything that mattered.
PREPARE YOURSELF
Your business exit starts with clarity—not about the deal, but about what you actually want. Most founders skip this work and pay for it later. Define your vision for what's next, identify your non-negotiables, and build an identity that isn't fused to the company you're selling.
PREPARE YOUR BUSINESS
A valuable company isn't always a sellable one. Learn what buyers actually look for, how to assess your exit readiness and business valuation drivers, and how to build a business exit strategy—whether sale, succession, or transition—that closes the gaps before you're in the middle of due diligence.
PREPARE FOR WHAT'S NEXT
The first 90 days after selling a business are when most founders lose the thread. Get a framework for navigating the transition, managing second-bite opportunities, and building a post-exit life that's better than the one you're leaving behind.
Inside The Book
Key frameworks that change how founders think about exits.
THE SPRINGBOARD MINDSET
Most founders see their exit as an ending. The Springboard Mindset reframes it as a launching pad—a strategic inflection point that shapes every decision you make. This shift changes how you evaluate deals, negotiate terms, and design what comes next.
THE EXIT BLUEPRINT
Vague intentions lead to reactive decisions. The Exit Blueprint is a written plan that defines your vision for what's next, your non-negotiables, and your deal criteria—before you talk to a single buyer. Clarity on paper prevents regret at the closing table.
THE FOUNDER IDENTITY TRAP
When your identity is fused to your company, selling feels like losing yourself. This framework helps you recognize the trap, reconnect with who you were before the business, and build an identity that survives—and thrives after—the transaction.
TRANSFERABLE VALUE
A valuable company isn't always a sellable one. Transferable Value is what exists independent of you—systems, relationships, leadership, and IP that buyers can actually acquire. Learn to assess and build the value that drives premium valuations.
STRATEGIC TRADE-OFFS
Every deal involves trade-offs beyond price—time, control, earn-outs, employee treatment, legacy. This framework helps you define your non-negotiables before emotions run high and quantify what you're actually willing to give up.
THE FIRST 90 DAYS
The wire hits. Now what? The First 90 Days framework guides you through the post-exit transition—managing identity shifts, evaluating second-bite opportunities, and avoiding the decisions that turn a successful exit into a regret story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bruce Eckfeldt is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) and former Inc. 500 CEO who built and successfully exited his own company. He now works as a strategic business coach helping founder-CEOs of $5M-$50M companies scale systematically and exit successfully.
Bruce hosts From Angel to Exit, a podcast featuring founders who've been through successful exits alongside the PE partners, M&A advisors, and deal attorneys who make those exits happen. He also writes a regular column for Inc. Magazine on leadership, strategy, and exit planning.
For founders who want hands-on guidance, Bruce offers VALUE10X—an exit planning program for CEOs preparing to sell in the next 12-36 months.
Get the First Chapters FREE
Read Springboard before anyone else. Enter your info below and I'll send Chapter One straight to your inbox—plus early access to additional chapters, pre-launch event invitations, and exclusive bonus content as the book develops.
What People Are Saying…
"I sold my company three years ago and spent the next eighteen months wondering what went wrong. Not with the deal—with me. If I'd had SPRINGBOARD before my exit, I would have made very different decisions. This book fills a gap no one else is addressing."
Michael Tran, Founder & Former CEO, Vertex Logistics
"Bruce has codified what most founders learn the hard way. The frameworks in Springboard—especially around identity and personal readiness—should be part of every exit conversation. This book will prevent a lot of regret."
Rachel Okonkwo, Executive Coach & Strategic Advisor
"Most exit planning books focus on valuation and deal structure. Springboard is the first one that made me think seriously about what I actually want—and what happens after the wire hits. Required reading for any founder within five years of a potential exit."
Sarah Mendez, CEO, Clearpath Health Systems
"I've guided dozens of founders through exits, and the ones who struggle most aren't the ones with bad deals—they're the ones who weren't personally ready. Springboard gives founders the framework I wish I could hand every client before we start the process."
David Chen, Managing Director, Ridgeline Partners
"When I sold my business, I got lucky—I had advisors who pushed me to think beyond the transaction. Most founders don't. Springboard is that advisor in book form. Practical, honest, and focused on what actually matters."
Jonathan Reeves, Founder, Basecamp Digital (Acquired 2021)
"We work with entrepreneurs before and after liquidity events, and the pattern is clear: founders who plan only for the deal struggle with everything that comes after. Springboard should be required reading for every client approaching an exit."
Katherine Albright, Partner, Northstar Wealth Advisors