A Page from My Exit Journal

A Page from My Exit Journal

By: Carrie Kerpen

I can’t believe I found this notebook.

Tucked away in a pile of papers, under years of memories, was something I hadn’t seen since the sale of my last company — a notebook I kept in the earliest days of the exit process. Before there was an offer. Before there were terms. Before it was even real.

It was a list of my fears.

I had written them all down — every terrifying, vulnerable thing I could think of.
And right next to each fear, I wrote what I might do to get through it.

Reading it now? It stopped me cold.
Because I remember exactly how I felt in that moment: uncertain, afraid, anxious — but also hopeful and ready.

I’ve struggled with anxiety throughout my life. So when I coach clients today,  women founders who are building toward an exit or standing right at the edge of one, I know what it’s like. The mental gymnastics. The what-ifs. The high stakes and heavy emotion.

Finding this notebook reminded me just how human this whole process is.
Not just financial. Not just strategic. But deeply emotional and personal.

I’m sharing this because I know some of you are watching silently. You follow along, maybe even dream of a future exit, but don’t comment. You haven’t reached out. Maybe you’re not ready. Or maybe, you’re afraid to name it.

Whether you’re getting ready to sell — or just making a big decision that feels scary — I hope this gives you a little light.

Here’s what I wrote down at the top of that page:
“If I let fear lead, I will build nothing. If I let vision lead, I just might change everything.”