The Unsellable Business – Connie the Conductor

Owner dependent businesses sell for less than their counter parts and take longer (if at all) to sell than those that have optimized and documented SOP Connie-the-conductor found her passion in college becoming a Landscape Architect. She learned her trade in shops eventually going out on her own providing gorgeous intricate landscapes with seasonal blooms of color. The creative hardscapes drawing the visitors into cozy settings to enjoy nature’s resilience emerging from frosty winters or warm fluffy mums reminding us summer’s heat is full of sunshine. Connie’s team of men and women developed their skills and their families flourished in the environment of kindness and respect. Each enjoying a career with artistic, technical, and financial growth; they were empowered to deliver imagined beauty into reality for the enjoyment of hundreds of clients over 30 years. The retirement of one becomes the retire of all. Unfortunately, no Concertmasters emerged. There were a couple of ‘first chairs’, but no one who could / would step into the maestro position. The families will pivot; they must. Will they find another team? Will it provide a satisfying culture? Likely not. Every founder has their own unique method, style, aura. People are adaptable and resilient. They will move on, likely not with the fervor of the previous years. Did Connie save in preparation for turning the key in the lock one last time? Were there optimistic expectations that someone would ride up on a golden mower and buy the business while she basks in the garden of retirement? Why could no one replace her? Why didn’t anyone want to replace her? Latest buzzwords: Owner-decentralization, owner dependency, lifestyle business Links: The Founder’s Dilemmas Exit Planning Institute The E-Myth Revisited (shortform) Hopepunk Transformations The Solution?