A conversation with Zolidar co-founder Sonali Kothari on why honest, unbiased exit guidance can be meaningful. Some discussion with Loren on common questions, where to focus and how to compare every succession path (family, outside sale, key employees, private equity, ESOP, or employee ownership trust) against your own business before you're forced to decide.
Sooner or later, every owner faces the same question: how do I actually get out of this? Pass it to family, sell to a competitor, sell to key employees, take private equity, move to an ESOP or an employee ownership trust — or simply wind it down. The problem isn't a shortage of advice; it's that most of it comes with strings attached. Advisors tend to know one path best, and it's usually the path they're paid to recommend. Sorting it out alone can feel overwhelming, expensive, and risky.
In this episode, host Loren Feldman talks with Zolidar co-founder Sonali Kothari about what's missing: an honest, apples-to-apples comparison that starts with the owner's specific business, goals, and circumstances rather than a predetermined answer. Sonali explains how Zolidar is building tools to help owners think clearly about their options early — including a free 10-minute Day Zero Guide for a preliminary read — and why the planning shouldn't start five years too late, when choices have already narrowed.
The throughline: owners make better decisions when they can see every path side by side, on their own terms, with no one steering them toward a sale they didn't need or a structure that doesn't fit.