Earlier in the year, I connected with a business owner of a financial services business, who was in dispute with the previous owner of the business.

From the current owners’ perspective, he had bought the business on the basis the previous owner who having turned 70, was retiring from the business.  Whilst the sale process went smoothly, the previous owner was coming into the business every day to assist with managing the transition of clients.  As a result, the new owner felt inhibited and could not implement the changes he wanted for fear of upsetting the previous owner.

From the previous owners’ perspective, whilst he was delighted to sell the business, he felt the new owner did not properly understand the clients.  He believed the new owner was trying to implement processes and procedures that would upset the clients resulting in them leaving the business.

My response to the comments by the previous owner was to ask one simple question:

“How are you planning to spend your time now that the business has been sold?”

 The previous owner replied he and his wife will be moving to their new house on Hindmarsh Island followed by silence!

At that point I ended the conversation with a challenge for the previous owner – in conjunction with his wife to plan the next phase of their lives together.

In the past week, I checked-in with the new owner as to how things were going with the previous owner.  The business owner responded that the relationship with the previous owner was great as he was only coming a couple of days a month.  He and his wife had created a life where the business was not the focus of their lives.

The moral of the story – change will only happen when what you are going to is more important than what you are leaving behind.