Ringing the opening bell marks the end of the listing process, but it is also the start of a much heavier workload. Gregg Jaclin has made that reality a central part of how he prepares companies, as outlined in a BBN Times profile of Jaclin and his firm.
“When this company goes public, they have two jobs,” said Jaclin. “They have the regular job of running a company, and then they have the job of running a public company.”
That second job includes earnings calls, investor relations, and ongoing disclosure requirements, all of which land on management teams that are still responsible for day-to-day operations. According to the profile, companies that prepare for this dual role before listing tend to perform better once they are public.
Preparing for it is the core service of Exchange Listing, which Jaclin founded after concluding that neither bankers nor attorneys were educating companies on what public life requires. The firm advises on governance, including independent board composition, employment agreements, and stock option plans, as well as structuring decisions and investor messaging, for companies pursuing IPOs, uplistings, SPAC mergers, and direct listings on NASDAQ and NYSE.
That kind of groundwork takes time. ICR has reported that IPO preparation typically requires six to eight months of dedicated work. In the micro-cap sector, however, bankers are paid when a deal closes, so readiness work is often compressed into the weeks just before a filing.
Jaclin’s own background shaped his focus on the post-listing picture. Throughout his work in OTC and pink sheet markets, he saw companies raise too little, trade poorly, and then need to raise again soon after going public.
With NASDAQ now applying stricter qualitative standards to micro-cap listings, the gap between deciding to go public and being ready has widened rather than closed. Under Rule IM-5101-3, adopted in December 2025, the exchange can deny a listing on qualitative grounds even when a company meets the numbers. Jaclin’s view is that closing it starts long before the listing day arrives.