Ep 79 | Designing Your Business for Exit with Christie Kaplan

About this episode

Christie Kaplan discusses the importance of intentionally designing businesses and exits for founders.

Most founders build products. Very few intentionally design companies. Even few design their exits. In this episode of the ExitEngine Podcast, Jo Stapleton and John Canniffe sit down with Christie Kaplan, founder of Startup Design Partners and architect of the design-led venture philosophy. Christie breaks down why: • Product-market fit (PMF) is only the beginning • Founders must design their business models, not just their products • Scaling without intentional design multiplies dysfunction • Your values as a founder determine your exit outcome • Startups move through predictable phases — and most get stuck in perseverance • Why SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) are the most underrated founders • Why serial entrepreneurs think differently about risk and growth • How to align your company with your personal values from Day One • Why listening to customers early prevents valuation problems later If you’re building a startup, scaling from $5M, or thinking about exit planning, this conversation connects: 👉 Founder psychology 👉 Venture design 👉 Enterprise value 👉 Saleability 👉 Intentional growth Christie explains how founders must: ✔ Ask better “why” questions ✔ Stay flexible but…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jo Stapleton, John Canniffe

Guest: Christie Kaplan

Topics covered

• business design
• exit planning
• founder psychology
• venture design
• scaling startups
• company values

Keywords

• exit planning
• startup design
• founder values
• scaling dysfunction
• product-market fit
• entrepreneurship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Startup Design Partners

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• EP 82 | Financial Clarity = Exit Power: Why Every Founder Must Know Their Financial Truth with Cody Price · March 6, 2026 · 1h 6m
• Ep 81 | Frozen Founders: The Psychology Behind Exit Decisions w/ Jeff Munn · February 27, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Ep 80 | The Private Equity Playbook for Exiting Founders with Aaron Alpeter · February 20, 2026 · 1h 13m