In my experience as a multi-exit founder, there are two types of business owners: those who want freedom and build their business to exit, and those who want freedom but build their business like a prison. Every founder sets out to earn freedom and create options in their life, but how they build, structure and grow their companies often has the final say.

For the majority of companies, exiting doesn’t look like a multimillion-dollar sale. Instead, it’s a medical emergency, a broken business partnership, a ruined marriage or a bankruptcy. Owners can get trapped in the hype and doom loops of headlines, social media posts and trends—hiring the same FOMO-based business coaches, employing the same MBA-style frameworks and executing the same surface-level advice that got them stuck in the first place. Is it any wonder, then, that 90% of startups fail?

If you want to exit your company and earn ultimate freedom, there’s a systematic way to go about it. Here’s how founders who achieve legacy, leverage and liquidity think differently.