Depends on the business. I've co-founded businesses we knew going in was just for the hope of an exit as big as possible as fast as possible, and that we knew w

Depends on the business. I've co-founded businesses we knew going in was just for the hope of an exit as big as possible as fast as possible, and that we knew we'd walk away from whether we failed or succeeded, and I've founded businesses I'd have liked to have kept if they got to a level I was happy with but sold or left because it became clear the potential wasn't there, or circumstances changed. It's not at all a given that your goal was/is to be your own boss. Or at least not necessarily in any given company.