In 2012, Jaclyn Johnson founded Create & Cultivate, a media company that educates and inspires women to succeed in business. 

By 2018, Johnson had grown Create & Cultivate to eight employees when an acquirer offered her a staggering $40 million. Unfortunately, the deal was too good to be true. When the acquirer discovered how dependent the business was on Johnson to succeed, they pulled out. 

A few years later, Johnson signed an acquisition offer from Corridor Capital for $22 million. While still a lucrative deal, it was a significant decrease from the original offer. 

Like Johnson, if your company becomes dependent on you, it may end up costing you down the road. The most valuable companies don’t rely on the owner’s involvement to succeed. However, finding extraordinary talent to replace yourself can be challenging.