A common theme with my clients who are in their fifties and looking to exit their business is the belief that this is going to be the best stage of their life.  With reduced financial pressure, the children moved out of home and less need to prove themselves, they feel this is the time to do what they want.

Whilst there is this expressed desire, business owners will, in my experience, struggle with undertaking what must be done to make this shift a reality.

The reason for this struggle is the identity of the business owner is integrally tied to that of the business.  The thought of losing that identity, which is so familiar, feels scary and something they are not prepared to deal with.

In such circumstances, I suggest the business owner in conjunction with their partner should go away and design the next stage of their life.  What will their life look like without the business.

I call this a Dare to Dream moment for the business owner – where they will create a vision of what their life will look like after the business and the benefits that life will provide to them.

Once this is crystal clear in the mind of the business owner, they can start to work on how to bridge the gap between the current reality and the life to which they aspire.

The premise underlying this conversation is that change will only happen when the change a person wants is more important than what they are leaving behind!