I have spent my career inside real businesses, building them, selling them and sitting on both sides of the deal table. I have founded and sold three companies. One was Full Circle Group, an ASX-listed business. Another was Sonnant, a technology company acquired by a United States buyer. I have also represented buyers, including multinationals, through due diligence and M&A, so I know how a deal looks from the side most founders never see. Today I chair advisory boards and advise founders, CEOs and directors through the moments that decide a company's future: growth inflections, capital, governance and exits. I am a Certified Chair and the founder of N+1, an operating-intelligence venture studio. I am useful to journalists on the topics most commentators only theorise about. Why a...