Take a reset year after exit or burnout before starting your next act
After selling a company or experiencing burnout, take significant time (6-12 months) away from intense work to reset mentally and physically. This prevents carrying exhaustion and old patterns into your next venture. Johnson took most of 2023 off for travel and yoga after burning out from Create & Cultivate's first chapter, then returned with clearer boundaries and an operational partner.
When to use
After a major exit, acquisition integration, or period of burnout. Especially important for serial entrepreneurs who tend to jump immediately into the next thing.
Don't do this
Immediately starting the next company while still exhausted, bringing old trauma and patterns into new ventures, going solo again after burnout.
2 Founders Who Did This
After serving as CEO through $22M sale and staying on until Jan 2022, Johnson was 'very burned out and exhausted.' Spent majority of 2023 traveling, doing yoga, focusing on life vs career. When opportunity to buy back arose late 2023, returned with partner Marina Middleton and commitment to boundaries/operators
Took a full sabbatical year between selling CarDash and co-founding Levels, using time to read, explore, and recover from startup burnout.