To want to sell the business to do something different?

[seekingclarity]

We set up a new business 16 years ago in order to have a better work life balance and to avoid the need for child care. We have put our all into the business, every penny and most of our energy. It has built up and is sucessful, and the DCs have also grown. Two of the DCs are now at Uni and the 3rd is in year 8.

I want to sell. I've had enough of the business and don't want to do it any more. There was a challenge involved in setting it up but running it is mostly drudge work. It takes a lot of time though, we do some work every weekend, and work a full Saturday at least 4 months of the year. We also answer the phone evenings and weekends and reply to emails at all hours of the day. It is sucessfull but when you add up the hours the pay isn't great.

But - this was our life plan. And it worked. AIBU to want a change??

Of course you can do whatever you want. You mention "we" set it up; what do they think?

DH feels the same as me. But it seems wrong when we have put so much effort into it.

We also will probably overall loose money if we do manage to sell.

Would hiring someone to manage the business for a while not work while you focus on something else?
Or wait til DCs are out of uni and offer them your jobs?

My uncles family own a business, started from nothing 30 years ago, now worth millions and they've done incredibly well from it. His parents own it but now nearing 60 have passed the management of it down to their 3 sons while they travel and focus on hobbies, volunteering and relaxing. They still own the business and take the profits but their sons run it and are paid tidy salaries.

We could pay someone else to do some of the work, if we then went out to work ourselves. It is something we have talked about. But we would still have some of the evening/weekend work. Selling would free up some capital but not enough to live off.

Unfortunately it is not, nor ever will be worth millions. DCs have seen how much work is involved and they want to do something a little more stimulating.