One of the worst double-meanings in English is that “company” also means “legal entity.” Definitionally, it’s a “group of people” and you should be able to swap-in a definition for the term, right? So…

“I sold my group of people!”

Oh. 🤔

“I sold my legal entity’s agreements & assets” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. But, if you haven’t planned what’s next for your *people*, that’s all you’ve done.

Working relationships between humans are far more durable & valuable than those between people and a legal entity. Not only that, they can be an incredible experience & opportunity multiplier by sharing their stories after moving on. They won’t teach you that in TechStars, but they’d be smarter for it.

The hardest part of building a company is finding good people. It’s incredible how quickly it can be forgotten in day-to-day struggles and how thoughtlessly many folks risk that value.

You can’t make everyone happy in your legal entity, but making sure they enjoy your company is a good place to start.