Vulnerability, Virality, and the Reality After an Exit (w/ Colin Hodge)
Most founders think the liquidity event is the finish line.
It isn’t.
In this episode of Your NEXT, Jerome Myers sits down with Colin Hodge, founder behind a wildly viral dating app that exploded to millions of users with zero ad spend, and later went through an exit that brought an unexpected emotional aftermath.
They unpack the “Transaction Illusion”, the belief that money automatically brings relief, identity, and fulfillment. Jerome reframes the exit journey as a mountain climb: the summit is real, but the real risk is what happens on the way down.
Colin shares how vulnerability became a growth catalyst, how a “fire sale” unexpectedly led him to buy back his own company, and what he wishes he’d done differently before and after the exit.
If you’re building toward a liquidity event or living in the strange quiet that comes after one, this conversation is your mirror.
Key themes:
Why exits don’t feel like relief (even when the bank account does)
Seller’s remorse, identity loss, and the “now what?” moment
The power of being outrageous enough to be noticed
Growing to millions of users organically by understanding user psychology
How to plan a descent protocol so you don’t get blindsided after the summit
Why founder communities, coaching, and honest conversations matter more than you think
Chapters (YouTube Timestamps)
00:00 The “Transaction Illusion”: exits aren’t a finish line
01:00 Why founders get blindsided after the liquidity event
03:20 Nothing is off-limits: “Be you on the mic”
06:05 Recording begins + Colin’s origin story
08:01 6 million users with zero ad spend: how that happened
08:51 “Better to be noticed than ignored” (and the outrageous branding play)
10:46 The pre-launch insecurity phase: doubt before traction
14:00 Vulnerability meets vulnerability: the moment everything pivots
18:14 The lesson: stop building for others’ approval
25:00 Honesty as a competitive advantage (in dating and in business)
26:58 The Exit Paradox: money amplifies what it can’t solve
29:00 “I felt relief… and then: what’s next?”
35:52 How the first exit happened: getting noticed on app store charts
39:32 The nomad chapter: slowing down and re-centering
40:22 IPO pressure + the forced fire sale
41:38 The wild twist: buying the company back
46:55 Planning your exit from the acquirer (milestones + handoff tension)
51:00 User psychology: the real engine of organic growth
54:06 Why Colin wrote the book: growth through psychology
59:43 What he’d do differently: get advisors and founder support sooner
1:01:22 Jerome’s framework: summit vs descent protocol
1:05:52 Final takeaway: have the courage to be vulnerable
1:07:00 The “boomerang” business: sell it, buy it back, grow again
1:13:00 When the episode drops + book timing
Key Takeaways (for show notes section)
Liquidity is not closure. It removes one set of constraints and exposes another: identity, meaning, belonging.
Vulnerability scales. Colin’s biggest breakthroughs came when he stopped performing and started telling the truth.
User psychology beats ad spend. Organic growth isn’t magic, it’s understanding what people actually want and fear.
Exits require a team. Not just deal pros, but people who can help you navigate the personal transition.
Plan the descent. The summit changes depending on how prepared you are for what comes after.
Guest + Links (placeholders)
Guest: Colin Hodge
Website: colinhodge.com
Book: [ADD LINK]
Pre-order: [ADD LINK]
Host: Jerome Myers
Website: exittoexcellence.com
Podcast: Your NEXT
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