Does CEO on maternity leave devalue a business during exit?

[MumRunsOnCoffee]

Does anyone have experience of getting pregnant whilst selling a business?

I desperately want another child. I was promoted to CEO with the remit to grow and sell the firm. I naively thought the process would be straight forward and we would sell within 3 years. Its my first time within this role.

Due to Covid the process took a bit longer. I then had a number of health issues which impacted my fertility. If I TTC now and the business does sell according to the target timeline, I would be on maternity for a few months before the business is handed over.

I am not actively involved in the sale process (I’m not the founder) but I’m feeling really guilty that if I’m not around when they’re selling it will make the company less attractive so everyone will lose out. On the other hand, I can’t ignore mine/DH’s needs and don’t think this niggling feeling will go away. I’m almost 40 so this feels like last chance saloon.

Does anyone have experience of maternity leave during a company exit - how much of a big deal will it be - of course I’m happy to stay involved to ensure the company continues to thrive but will I be devaluing the sale just because I’m on maternity leave?

I've never owned a business, but from reading your situation, I'd say there is no reason to wait to conceive your much-wanted baby. Unless you were an astronaut preparing to go to the International Space Station, most jobs can be worked around with a child. If you cannot be there in person, there is Zoom or other ways to be actively involved when buyers are investigating the company. You can do right by your family and your employees at the same time. I think if you miss your fertility window, you'd regret that a lot more than if your company sold for slightly less. I know how you feel because I get extremely devoted to any work team I'm a part of, but in this case you should put your family first. Good luck to you and I hope you are welcoming a new baby in the next year or two!

Thanks for your response @SnowySpa
You’re right, I feel I will regret it but also hate letting others down I guess and if it does have an impact everyone else Involved may get slightly less too. But you have helped to put that into perspective so thank you 🙏🏽

Sure! Especially since you're getting close to 40 years old, this is a "now or never" kind of situation. If it makes you feel any better, unless you've talked about it with people, no one will know if your baby was planned or unplanned, so they can't say "OP had some nerve getting pregnant when we were about to sell the company." And if they do, that's their problem! Don't let this situation come between you and the baby you want so badly. Hoping everything works out well for you.