Most founders negotiate their exit with a number in mind — but not a definition of success. This guided framework helps you define what a meaningful exit looks like across finances, people, legacy, and personal peace.
Enter your details to access the Meaningful Exit planner. You'll define your number, weight your priorities, and receive a personalized exit roadmap as a branded PDF.
Most exit planning starts with a financial target and works backward. That approach ignores everything that makes the outcome meaningful — your team, your health, your family, and the legacy of what you built.
Using the Acton Foundation's "Number" method, you'll calculate the precise lump sum that funds your life indefinitely — with guardrails against the pull of "just a little more."
From product legacy to family alignment, you'll assign importance across nine exit dimensions. The result is a personalized definition of success that goes beyond dollars.
Based on your financial targets, priorities, and timeline, a decision tree maps you to the exit structures most aligned with your definition of meaningful — strategic sale, PE recap, ESOP, or founder buyout.
Each dimension gets a weight that reflects your priorities. Together, they form a holistic definition of exit success that guides every negotiation and decision.
Your minimum and ideal financial targets, deal structure preferences, and non-negotiables.
What happens to your product after you step away — its destiny and continued impact.
How your team experiences the transition — job security, equity, and cultural continuity.
Expectations for customer care, pricing fairness, and product reliability post-exit.
Giving back through mentorship, investment, philanthropy, or ecosystem leadership.
Rest, recovery, and personal development milestones after the exit.
Emotional balance, boundaries, and practices that sustain inner calm.
Whether the company's identity, mission, or governance should persist.
Financial planning, time commitments, and shared expectations with your family.
"Define 'enough' while you still remember what peace feels like. Otherwise, the pull of more will keep you walking when the sun is already setting."The Number Exercise — Golden Section
Takes about an hour. Produces a branded PDF with your personalized exit framework, financial guardrails, and recommended path forward.