The time has finally come for me to start engineering my exit.
From the start, my business was built to sell. First and foremost, it was a milestone I wanted to be able to check off my goals list. But in addition, it has been an incredible wealth accelerator and proved to be a very worthwhile endeavor – personally, professionally, and financially. I was 32 when I started the business and had mentally committed to eight years in order to be done by 40! I committed to this eight months after starting the company and before finishing my six-month notice to my prior employer.
I’ve always believed that my two superpowers are self-awareness and my ability to plan. I’m a super planner, and this blog over the last decade proves it, as the plans I’ve laid out publicly for everyone to see have steadily come to fruition. I’ve tried to be very intentional and thoughtful about what I wanted my life to look like and worked backwards once I knew the end. The best analogy I can give is that of a rock climber:
Imagine a rock climber standing at the base of a massive cliff, gazing up at the sheer rock face. To most, it looks like an impossible ascent – just a wall of stone, no clear way up. But to the climber with vision, the path reveals itself. He sees the ledges, the cracks, the handholds others overlook. He doesn’t need to know every move in advance, but he sees the path, and knows that the individual moves best aligned to bring the summit within reach will become clear.
His self-awareness is his greatest tool – he understands his own strengths, his endurance, his technical skill, and most importantly, his reason for climbing. He doesn’t just climb for the sake of climbing. He climbs with intention.
With the summit in mind, he works backwards, mapping out his route. He identifies key milestones – places to rest, sections requiring the most effort, and potential risks. He packs the right gear, trains for the most challenging sections, and commits himself fully.
For others, the cliff may seem like an unscalable monolith, but for him, it’s a puzzle waiting to be solved. His clarity of purpose transforms the impossible into the inevitable. Every handhold, every foothold is a choice, and with each move, he brings the vision of reaching the top into reality.
This is how I’ve approached life – seeing the peak first, then mapping the route with precision, discipline, and a deep understanding of myself.
That’s how I view my approach to life and how I’ve been able to live my life by design. Another tool I’ve used is the “10-year letters” that I’ve written to myself from the future and which served their purposes of articulating what I wanted my life to look like, to act as a north star, and to hold me accountable to make sure I didn’t get sucked in to the allure of “just one more year” or “just one more dollar,” because that is a loser’s game. There is no fulfillment if you forget what a good friend has articulated so well to me, which is “money is a great servant but a terrible master.” At some point, you have to realize when “you have already won the game.”
Below is a snippet from the second 10-year letter I wrote back in 2019 future casting my life, which built and updated what I wrote in the original letter from 2012 – everything I laid out in these letters made it very clear in terms of what I was working for and towards (without the context of the full letter I need to let you know that the below snippet contains both my original writing from 2019 as well as my updates from 2022 [in bold] when I shared the letter for the first time on the blog):
As I write, I’m 43 with a net worth approaching $15M and I work when, where, and on what I choose (I know I interchangeably write in the first person; we both know YOU and I are one and the same). These days I see you spending much of your time with your kids and wife, leaving very little time for work. Just the way you designed it. Oops! I spilled the beans, didn’t I? The cat’s out of the bag now. Yes, you enthusiastically chose to have a second child. But that is all I can say about this for now.
[I’ve set a handful of major goals in life:
- Make it to the C-Suite by climbing the corporate ladder (check)
- Start, Scale, and Sell a business (check)
- Become financially independent (check)
- Reach self-defined “financial freedom” goal of $10M net worth (80% complete)
- Transition to become a full-time investor and family man to live life by design (actively executing now and for decades to come)
We did indeed welcome our second child (Ramona) into our lives in August of 2021.]
It’s amazing how you and Jenny were able to manifest your ideal lifestyle into reality. Your travels around the world have provided your kids with an education that is unmatched. Your kids have been exposed to so many different cultures, cuisines, and geographies. You have equipped them with multiple lenses through which to view the world, making them much more open-minded and understanding of different viewpoints, beliefs, and traditions.
[I can’t wait to start exploring the world with our kids. We plan to defer international travel until the kids are three and six years old but will be enjoying plenty of local/domestic adventures until then.]
Earlier in your journey, you preached the work/life blend, which served you well during that foundational phase in your journey, but it’s refreshing to see you invert that to embrace the life/work blend. It has become increasingly more difficult to visibly see the time you allocate to traditional work. Yes, you spend time being productive by writing and managing your family’s wealth but you have removed the kind of work that competes for your limited time. Much of what you do would hardly be classified as work by the masses. There are rarely any real deadlines. You don’t answer to anybody…except for Jenny and the kids of course (LOL).
Your job these days is just being a great husband, father, friend, brother, mentor, and overall good human being.
Although it took longer than expected, Jenny was finally able to permit herself the option to exit the family business and create the space to explore what truly brings her fulfillment.
Writing this post in 2025, reflecting, and re-reading these letters helps me retrace my incredible journey. I can’t wait to close this chapter and start planning (and living) the next one. That said, I can’t just end the chapter abruptly, nor can I just give the typical two-week’s notice. In my partner agreement with the firm that acquired my company, I’m required to give a two-year notice in order to qualify as a “Good Leaver.” This is also important for the value of the stock I still own. The good news is that I’m 38 now, so that aligns very well with my intention to be done by 40.
Below is my formal notice, which has been slightly edited to remove specific identifiable information.
Formal Good Leaver Notice Letter
Subject: Formal Good Leaver Notice – Two-Year Resignation Notification
Dear [Partners],
I am writing to formally submit my two-year notice of resignation as a Limited Partner in accordance with the terms outlined in our partnership agreement. I want to ensure that this transition is handled in a manner that fully aligns with my obligations as a Good Leaver, while also doing right by the firm and our colleagues.
Over the next two years, I remain committed to contributing to the success of the firm and ensuring a smooth transition that positions the practice for long-term sustainability and continued growth. My intention is to work closely with leadership to create a succession plan that minimizes disruption and ensures that the team is well-prepared for my departure.
My decision to step away is not one I take lightly. However, it is driven by a deeply personal commitment to my family and the life I have long envisioned. Since the beginning of my career, I have pursued three major professional milestones:
- Reaching the C-Suite by 30 – a goal I achieved prior to starting [My Company].
- Starting, scaling, and successfully selling a business – a journey that was both rewarding and transformative.
- Transitioning to a full-time role as a family wealth manager and Chief Family Officer – a phase that now calls me forward.
As my two young children grow, I recognize that this next chapter is about being the present and engaged father I didn’t have – one who can dedicate time, energy, and intention to their upbringing. While I remain passionate about business and investing, my focus will now shift to managing my family’s wealth and embracing the role of being the best possible father and husband. [I’m tearing up right now reading this…so happy for you all. You two were so smart to wait to have those babies when you were ready.]
I deeply appreciate the opportunities I’ve had within the firm and the relationships I’ve built. I look forward to working closely with the team over the next two years to ensure that my departure is a positive and productive transition for all involved. Please let me know how we can best coordinate next steps. I am happy to discuss a plan that ensures continued stability and success for the firm.
Thank you for your support and understanding. I look forward to our continued collaboration during this transition period.
Sincerely,
GYFG
So, now the countdown I alluded to in my last post should make a lot more sense.
My wife officially exited her business at the end of 2024, and I will officially join her in early 2027. I’m not built for the pro-leisure life, but I’m looking forward to spending a full year with nothing but white space besides my kids’ activities and the adventures we take as a family. I plan to write, read, cook, and continue elevating my health and fitness. I look forward to tackling the process of leveling up as a husband and a father with the same level of tenacity and ambition that I’ve had in my professional career to date.
The productive stuff will need to pass through the filter of “Does this align with my priority of being a present husband and father?” If it doesn’t, then it will be a hard NO. I know for sure that I don’t want anything that will fill hours outside of the 9:00am to 3:00pm window my kids are in school. And for the next five years at least, anything I do take on will have to be on my time and will need the flexibility for me to check out at a moment’s notice for weeks or even months at a time if I so desire.
Here is to the next chapter!
– Gen Y Finance Guy
