Andrew GazdeckiSerial Entrepreneur Driving Startup Acquisitions

Should You Sell Your Startup Now or Later?

23 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this excerpt, Andrew Gazdecki discusses the optimal timing for selling a startup. He argues that buyers pay the highest prices for businesses that are still growing and have clear momentum, as this suggests future growth. Conversely, selling during a clear decline—defined as a drop of more than 5–10% per month—is risky because the business could continue to deteriorate, potentially to zero. Gazdecki emphasizes that while growth is important, founders should also assess whether the business is stable, profitable, and whether its revenue is likely to continue. He acknowledges that perfectly timing an exit is impossible, and advises founders to focus on these core questions rather than trying to sell at an unattainable peak.

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Is it better to sell your startup when it's growing or when growth slows down? Generally, we see buyers paying the most for growing businesses with good momentum. There's a reason to believe that the growth will continue. Another way to think about it is when things slow down, you at least want things to stabilize. You don't want to be in a position where you're selling a business that is in a current decline. Could be significant, meaning, you know, more than 5 to 10% per month. And, you know, at some point the business could theoretically go to zero. So definitely you want to sell when there's momentum and there's a view to, to see the business continuing to grow into the future. And that's how you really maximize the valuation. But it's impossible to time that. I think if every founder knew how to sell their business at the very, very top, we'd all be much richer. So I'd say before thinking about selling your business just based on growth, ask your questions. Is it stable? Is it profitable? Do I believe this revenue will continue? Because those are the key questions that every