So, let's talk about that a bit, in an effort to downplay the notion that you'll get filthy rich from your company.
First up, let's talk about the reasons someone buys a company.
1. Flipping
2. Revenue
3. Acquihire
4. Strategic
Again, there are other reasons, but those are the big ones.
First, flippers. They'll generally pay 1-3x revenue and/or profits. Depends on the buyer.
They've got a low threshold for risk b/c their model is to just turn things over quickly.
If you're mostly flat on growth, you'll be on the low end.
If you're doing 10% MoM growth, you'll be on the high end of that.
These are the acquisitions you read about on TechCrunch or HackerNews because it's what makes for great stories.
Statistically speaking, this will not happen to you.
But these huge multiples that you read about are NOT the norm.
It's all a bit of a crapshoot anyway, but understand there really aren't that many founders getting rich.