The reason I ask this is because I created another startup that has been in M&A discussions for years. It would've closed at least one of those a long time ago if it thought about M&A at the beginning, instead of the end.
Our hiring, building, business model and other crucial decisions would've considered this much more.
I've been trying to consider this much more with https://www.bitcompare.net to not make the same mistake.
Is this something you can resonate with? What's been your experiences?
I recommend reading this book called "Built to Sell" by John Warrillow [0]. Fascinating read.
[0] https://www.amazon.com/Built-Sell-Creating-Business-Without/dp/1591845823
The idea is that if you can create a company that doesn't depend on you a whole lot, it suddenly becomes a lot more valuable. That mentality will help you create systems and processes that will make it a more sustainable hence valuable business. I don't intend to sell my current business at the moment but this strategy has made me think a lot of how to do things.