> Person 1 is a so called solopreneur. Works hard. Pays bills. But eventually burns out and because no one want her/his "shares", she/he closes shop. "Damn I wish they told me about exit and the value there of...," she/he thinks. A hobby that produces revenue is not the same as producing value.

My old boss closed shop. Didn't want to fuss with selling to someone. He'd generated plenty of economic value to retire on and travel around the world for his retirement years. Nice big house, boat, no debt, lots in the bank. Profits for his clients, salaries for his workers, revenue to his selected vendors.

No acquisition. Plenty of economic value generated.

You can continue to be aggressively wrong and watch your comments descend into the grey and get flagged as a result, but I'm out. Constructive debate requires a shared reality and set of facts.