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Rhyu: Founders selling their companies must emotionally detach early like a breakup

Ju Rhyu · Turning a Korean skincare trend into $630 million (Hero Cosmetics' Ju Rhyu) | Masters of Scale · May 8, 2025 · at 31:57

Hero Cosmetics co-founder Ju Rhyu explains the psychological transition founders must navigate when selling their business to a larger corporation.

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“I tell people you have to, like, emotionally detach. So, because I've heard there's founder depression. So, you know, you work so hard at building this business, you know, it's like, it takes up your whole life, it is your life, and then boom, you sell, and you're not the boss anymore. And I've heard people can really struggle with it, actually. Like, it's like a loss of identity, because your identity was your business. And so I just, you know, I tell people sort of like, you know, a breakup, you just have to, like, emotionally detach early on, and yeah, and I just, I recognize, like, I'm not the owner anymore”

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