What Happens After Selling a Sign Company

HERE WE ARE AT THE proverbial end of the tale of selling my signshop, and I’m grateful you all have stuck around so far. I’ve received a great many comments, emails and questions this past year-plus as I’ve shared my successes, challenges and story, and I’m happy that my experience has helped inform many of you on navigating this fraught subject. Did I have a happy ending? You bet your sweet patootie I did!

What does a happy ending look like when it’s in its lounging pajamas? Each one of you must author your own happy ending and, like the definition of pornography, you’ll know it when you see it. For me, a happy ending looks like this:

• No more alarm clock setting.
• No more daily stress about uncontrollable issues such as inflation, pandemics, supply shortages, irascible employees, nonpaying customers, jobs gone horribly awry, rising interest rates, presidential elections, societal unrest, floods or fires at the shop, malfunctioning equipment, commute time, government regulations and climate change.
• No more daily stress about controllable issues like streamlining processes and procedures, hiring, firing, deciding on benefits and pay, making payroll, monitoring bills, checking invoices for errors, correcting misprints, missing deadlines, unhappy customers, unhappy employees, price changes, lease negotiations, website updates, social media posts, making the right decisions that will protect all of my employees and their reliant families, blah blah blah.
• No more shoehorning my family and vacations around my shop schedule and being interrupted with problems and calls when I’m not at work.
• No more feeling guilty looking at my dog and his sad eyes after not seeing him for 12 hours.
• No more cramming all the things I like to do or must do or want to do into evenings and weekend hours because I’m not at the office.
• No more rushing through Wordle so I can get to work on time.
• Enjoying my twice daily walks with Aspen.
• Spending more time with my husband and daughters.
• Prioritizing my health and fitness.
• Learning new skills, like French and how to relax.
• Most of all, doing the things I WANT TO DO, rather than what I must do with the time remaining to me, however long that may be.

You get to decide what your happy ending looks like, and if helping you envision it has gotten you to take some of the steps I’ve recommended, then I feel like I’ve done my job.

There’s no sugar-coating the fact that this can be a very emotional time and decision, and even a perfectly executed plan and strategy can stir up unexpected emotions: relief, grief, excitement, loss and especially identity shifts. Keep your eye on the prize. What your happy ending looks like should allow you to remain centered and focused on seeing the process through.

Your happy ending might depend on a smooth transition to the new owner, employee retention, customer stability and your former company continuing to thrive, especially if part of your deal is an “earn-out.” I can’t speak to that because I didn’t take that route when I sold my shop.

Finding your way after selling your shop might take some time, and that’s ok! Everyone handles this differently, and as we’ve discussed in previous columns, it’s best to be gentle with yourself as you discover what works for you in this next chapter.

Personally, I believe that regret is a waste of emotional bandwidth better used for more important thoughts like what to make for dinner or when to go to the gym. One of the best ways to avoid regret during this period is to plan, plan, plan. Review this series of columns and plot out how this might work best for you. Avoid the pitfalls and setbacks I’ve written about and get all your little ducks in a row while the sun shines.

If I had to give just one piece of advice to someone who is considering selling their shop in the future, it would be this: Take every step you possibly can today to ensure you are able to get the maximum amount of money for your business. If you don’t end up selling, you’ll have made more money by taking that advice, and if you do sell, you’ll be able to secure a higher price for your efforts.

While I’ve enjoyed the “happy ending” to selling my shop, I’ve realized that it’s actually the beginning of a new and highly enjoyable life. Thanks for coming along on this journey with me.