The potential to go public and make millions with an Initial Public offer (IPO) is appealing to most entrepreneurs and sometimes seems the statement of success.  But IPOs are not as pretty as they seem. Planning and executing the IPO is a hectic task, it requires huge research and strategy, which is mostly outsourced to investment bankers who gives a rosy picture hiding some important information you should know.  After the IPO is floated you end up creating a lock up since those shares can’t be sold for a while. Also, not every company is suited for IPO, except those who have a simple business model and a clear cash flow strategy. There is a difference between great valuation and accurate valuation, overvalued stocks collapse as the markets gets smart unless they grow into their valuation. Read more at: http://blogs.wsj.com/accelerators/2015/06/23/richie-hecker-understand-the-risks-of-going-public-before-you-ring-the-bell/