For most entrepreneurs, the idea of an “exit” is aspirational—a distant milestone shaped by ambition, uncertainty, and relentless determination. For Ed Johnson, the co-founder of PushFar, that moment arrived five years after launching his business. What followed was a mix of triumph, transition, and a deep reckoning with what it means to let go of something built from the ground up.
Now 31, Johnson has already navigated a career spanning corporate giants like Oracle, the scrappy world of early-stage startups, and the unpredictable highs and lows of entrepreneurship. His journey began with an idea: to improve professional networking. Disillusioned by LinkedIn’s impersonal sales pitches and static career profiles, he and his co-founder envisioned something different—a platform designed not around where professionals were but where they wanted to be.
PushFar was born, evolving quickly into a mentoring platform that attracted household names like Sony, Lloyd’s of London, and Nissan. Over seven years, the startup grew into a thriving business, but as Johnson came to realize, success in entrepreneurship often breeds an unexpected challenge: stagnation. What was once a dynamic venture turned into a machine of process-driven management. “I had become a glorified sales and marketing manager, while my co-founder had become a tech support specialist,” he admits. The thrill of building had been replaced with the routine of maintaining.
With profitability, strong annual recurring revenue, and a growing client base, the moment to exit was clear. The co-founders engaged an M&A advisory firm, navigating a flurry of acquisition offers, each with its own structure—some requiring earn-outs, others offering upfront cash. Ultimately, they secured a deal with a private equity firm. At just 29, five years after founding PushFar, Johnson signed the contract that would change everything. “It was surreal,” he reflects. “One moment, you own a fast-growing startup. The next, it’s no longer yours.”
Now, 18 months later, the transition is complete. No equity. No involvement. Just a lingering sense of liberation mixed with curiosity. “I have no idea what’s happening at the company I built. Are they signing new clients? Facing challenges? Celebrating wins? I don’t know,” he says. The uncertainty, once a source of anxiety, now feels like the natural byproduct of moving forward.
And forward is exactly where he’s headed. Johnson and his co-founder have already launched their next venture, uRoutine, a platform designed to harness social accountability for personal growth. “Think of it as Instagram for goals and routines,” he explains. It’s early days—full of excitement, self-doubt, and the familiar unpredictability of startup life. But one thing remains certain: the cycle of entrepreneurship doesn’t end with an exit. It simply resets, with new ambitions, fresh challenges, and the same relentless drive to build.
