The Reality of Getting Rich by Selling Your Company
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by 
Sam Parr
Sam Parr
Sam Parr
@thesamparr·Oct 1
I think if your plan on getting rich is selling your company...you're gonna have a bad time.
Its SO rare.
Jason ✨👾SaaStr.Ai✨ Lemkin
@jasonlk·Oct 1
Caught up the other day with a founder that had an M&A offer that would have made him $130,000,000 in 2022
Today, they can’t raise another round and are a bit stuck
Just a reminder how thin liquidity is in 99% of start-ups
It’s there, and then, oftentimes, it’s gone
Most founders daydream about selling their company for millions. Sam Parr’s tweet hits that dream with a splash of cold water: if your get-rich plan depends on selling, you might be in trouble. It’s not negativity—it’s realism.
Why this message works
- It flips the common “build to sell” script.
- It’s simple, direct, and relatable.
- It focuses attention on business fundamentals: profit, cash flow, and endurance.
- It builds trust through blunt honesty.
- It uses scarcity (“so rare”) to land the point hard.
Real-world examples
- Basecamp stayed private and profitable for 20+ years.
- Mailchimp bootstrapped to $700M annual revenue before selling only after decades.
- Patagonia’s founder literally gave away the company instead of cashing out.
- Gymshark grew from a garage brand to billions without VC money.
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