Ever wondered what really happens after you sell your business? Ashley Deland built and sold a top vegan restaurant—then watched the new owners burn it to the ground. In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Ashley and host Carrie Kerpen get brutally honest about burnout, regret, and the secrets nobody tells you about scaling and exiting. This episode is for anyone who thinks selling is the happy ending. Spoiler: it’s just the start of a whole new story.
2:04 Her Journey Through Burnout and Breaking Point
6:09 Opening Karma — A New Vegan Restaurant Vision
7:10 The Tough Early Challenges Every Restaurant Faces
8:28 How She Funded Her Businesses Without Taking On Debt
9:12 Pushing Past Doubt in the Entrepreneurial Journey
10:56 Scaling the Restaurant With Intention and Strategy
13:28 Selling the Restaurant and Building Community Along the Way
15:02 Taking a Full Year Off After the Sale
16:03 Why Emotional Readiness Matters Before an Exit
19:01 Understanding How Much Control You Lose After Selling
20:01 Becoming Truly Emotionally Ready to Exit
21:06 Why Every Founder Needs an Exit Strategy
22:13 Lessons Learned From All Her Past Business Chapters
23:02 Launching Her New Book, *Unreserved*
