Your parents had pensions. You have a business. Nobody has ever asked you what it's worth, and you've never asked either, because it's a job you own, not an asset you built. This week that changes.

Andrea Johnston founded Pure Communications, grew it from a one-woman firm into an integrated marketing partner for biotech and pharma, sold it to a private-equity-backed platform, grew it again, and sold again. Now she runs Fuel for Female Founders. She walked Karen through how to build a sellable business even if you never sell it, because the things buyers check are the things that make a business worth owning.

In this episode:

• The four things a buyer looks at in a founder-led business: client concentration, margin, systems, and team
• Why "if it's still all on your shoulders, you're an employee, not a business owner"
• Why an exit doesn't have to mean an exit, and why women should think about being buyers too
• Karen's "sell it in five years" conversation with her accountant, and what it changed
• Do, delegate, drop: scaling your life to keep pace with your business

Your homework: say to your accountant, or to yourself, "treat everything I do as if I'm selling this business in five years." Then circle the one thing on the four-item list that would scare a buyer off today. That's your Q4 project.

Resources mentioned:
Fuel for Female Founders
https://www.fuelforfemalefounders.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/fuel-for-female-founders/

Ready to get seen, known, and chosen by the people who open the bigger doors? Watch the free Borrow the Stage masterclass!

Magical Quotes From The Episode:

"If it's still all on your shoulders, then you're just an employee. You're not a business owner." - Andrea Johnston

"Margin is really where the magic happens for buyers." - Andrea Johnston

"I'm not going to say it's the same as a pension, but it is an alternative to a pension." - Karen Yankovich

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