My most recent startup, Smarterer, was just acquired by Pluralsight—and I'm genuinely scared to death.

It's not because the acquisition isn't 100 percent the right outcome. Combining the visions of Smarterer and Pluralsight makes our future nothing short of astronomical, and by being acquired we delivered an incredible financial return for Smarterer shareholders.

So, why am I so scared?

Because we are entering the incredibly complex, insanely demanding, highest-likelihood-of-failure, fourth trimester. It's the stage of growing a company no one talks about--because in the startup journey, after an acquisition, many consider the story complete. Reporters focus their energy on the next rocketship, and investors go back to hunting other prey. Yet for the company acquired, the journey continues to unfold, and actually, the most challenging mile lies ahead...