Avoiding the 5 Scars of Success™: How to Help Founders Exit Without Emotional Fallout

​Most exit plans are designed to protect enterprise value. But what protects the founder and their family?

​In this powerful session, Jerome introduces the 5 Scars of Success™, emotional wounds that silently sabotage business owners during and after their exit. From achievement-based self-worth to unresolved personal trauma, these scars can derail post-exit fulfillment and legacy building if left unaddressed.

​Participants will learn how to:

​• Identify the 5 Scars of Success™ and how they manifest during business exits

​• Address emotional blind spots that undermine client decision-making

​• Bring trauma-informed language and empathy into exit conversations

​• Support founders in healing and moving forward with clarity and peace

​Special Focus: The Impact on Spouses

​Behind many founders is a spouse who also feels the ripple effects of an exit. When a business owner sells, it is not just the company that changes. It is the rhythm of the household, the family identity, and the emotional equilibrium of the marriage.

​Spouses often face unspoken anxiety about the founder’s shifting identity and purpose. They encounter strain on the relationship as new routines and power dynamics emerge. They may feel isolated when excluded from the founder’s exit planning process. And they can feel pressured to provide emotional stability while navigating their own uncertainties.

​This session explores how to acknowledge and integrate the spouse’s experience into the exit journey. Attendees will learn strategies for creating space, communication, and support that honor the family’s role in a founder’s transition, helping couples move forward together rather than apart.