Retiring From a Business That Is Still You

Retirement is tidy as a word and messy as a project. The owner wants a date. The clients still want the same person on the phone.

If there is no successor, you are selling a transfer of relationships. That can be done. It is easier while you still pick up.

A defined handover beats a vague promise

Buyers will wear 30, 60 or 90 days of introductions. They will not wear an open-ended ghosting arrangement. Decide what you can stand, then say it.

Do not wait for the perfect year

Service firms rarely have a cinematic final year. They have a year in which the owner is a bit more tired than the last. That is enough reason to start a private discussion.

More on selling because you are retiring and no succession plan.