Welcome to another episode of Getting Real with BOSSY! Whether you are building an empire, hitting a wall, or quietly wondering "Is it time to wrap this up?", today’s episode is a must-listen.

We’re stripping away the ego and taking a real, raw, and honest look at how small business owners should plan for an exit, a sale, or a closure, and the exact steps needed to do so responsibly.

Episode Overview

Is your business a lifelong identity, or is it just a chapter in your life?

When the weight of small business ownership gets heavy, it’s easy to throw your hands up and say, "I'm done." But before you lock the doors or put up a for-sale sign, you need to answer one critical question: Are you genuinely ready to exit, or are you just deeply burned out?

Burnout can often be fixed with better systems, boundaries, or a good vacation. An exit, however, is a permanent choice for your future.

In this episode, we lay down the unvarnished truth about what it actually takes to leave your business on your own terms. We dive deep into the sober numbers, the operational realities, and the emotional heavy lifting required whether you decide to sell for a profit, liquidate assets, or simply close up shop and walk away.

Key Takeaways

• Burnout vs. True Exit Desire: Learn how to separate temporary exhaustion from a genuine readiness to move on. Fixable operational problems shouldn't destroy a viable business.

• Know Your Real Numbers: Write down your realistic sale price, debt relief goals, and emotional wish list. Do not let ego or emotional investment dictate your valuation.

• Get Your Books Clean: Before you even think about putting a business on the market, clean up your financial records. Work with a CPA or bookkeeper to present accurate, bulletproof P&Ls.

• Build Systems That Don't Need You: A business that relies entirely on a single indispensable owner isn't a saleable asset, it’s a job. Build SOPs and training so the enterprise can run without you.

• Calculate the TRUE Cost of Closing: Shutting down isn't always free. Calculate ongoing leases, mortgages, taxes, carrying costs, and unexpected liabilities before pulling the plug.

• Keep Your Circle Small: Plan discreetly. Surround yourself with trusted advisors (brokers, CPAs, legal counsel) and avoid floating exit rumors to staff or clients before you're ready.

• It’s a Chapter, not a Failure: Pivoting, selling, or closing a business is not a personal failure- it is a valid, courageous transition in your broader journey.

Free Resource Checklist

Ready to assess your business’s exit readiness? Download our Small Business Exit & Transition Checklist at www.bossyco.com to start auditing your systems, cleaning up your books, and clarifying your next steps.

Companies & References Mentioned

• Bossy Co. (www.bossyco.com)

• Buffalo Bills @gobills

Connect & Share

Did this episode resonate with you? Screenshot this episode, tag us on social media, and let us know your biggest takeaway. If you know a fellow business owner who needs to hear this conversation today, pass it along!

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Getting Real with Bossy, the podcast that talks about what it is actually like to be a small business owner in today's world.

We are your hosts, Kelly Bush and Kelly Metras.

Hi, Kelly.

Hi.

I'm so happy to see you.

I know.

I feel like I haven't seen you in forever.

You know, September's supposed to be my slow month too, and it's just filled with nonsense right now, so.

So which leads into my busiest month, which is just going to be so fun.

So fun.

I know.

I can't.

I can't wait for all the haunted.

All the haunted things.

I just got back from a college tour, so for those of you out there with teens, yay.

This is my first.

My oldest is a junior.

So we are starting to look at what we need to do this year to get ready to apply next year.

So.

So we went down to New York City and.

You cannot judge me.

She's living her best life.

We saw two colleges.

She went to a Charli XDX concert with her bestie, and then we saw another college on the way out and we were like, it was like a whirlwind two.

Two days.

But yeah, it was, it was weird and amazing and I couldn't have gone to three completely different colleges.

So hopefully she got kind of a gist of some options and we can go from there.

And what she likes and doesn't like.

Great.

Makes you start thinking about the next phase of your life.

Yes.

I hate it.

I don't like it.

I know the next phase of my life is going backwards.

Tell me more about that.

I actually.

Okay, so today is off topic.

On topic.

I don't know.

Today is my anniversary.

Oh, that's right.

Oh, happy anniversary.

Yeah.

My world's best mom cup.

I love that.

And I was thinking, I was looking at wedding pictures and I mean, as we age, we don't feel any different.

Like, we feel like your body's older and you feel that different, but like your brain, you look back and you're like, I'm still that person.

Right.

And I just think like, not only were we so different, I mean, we were babies and we had one baby and, you know, hadn't even, I think, talked about the restaurant ownership yet.

I think that that happened like six months from our marriage.

Right.

So like we were just living in this world where I was a part time, stay at home mom and figuring out what I was gonna do next, and he was figuring out what he was gonna do next.

And the world was such a more calm place.

I don't know.

It was so different.

And it's also the anniversary of our grand opening at Marshall Street.

Yes.

Because we.

We left that to go to your wedding and got in a car accident on the way.

But that's.

Yes, that's besides the point.

So, yes.

Very fitting for today's episode.

Cause it was the be of what I thought my.

My next.

Well, what my next stage would be.

And very interesting to ask myself the question today that we'll be talking about.

Is this really what I expected it to be?

This.

Is this not necessarily what I.

What I thought I was signing up for?

Yeah.

And I think there's a lot of people that have been in business for a while that look at the state of things, and there's ups and downs, ebbs and flows, good times, bad times.

There's times you love what you do, and there's times you hate what you do, and there's times that you wouldn't change it for the world.

And times that if you could go back and do it all over, you would.

And that's just life and business ownership.

But I think for those of us that have been in business for a while, you look back and not that I want it to be what it was, but it's more, is this the business I want to be in?

Because it's not the same industry, it's not the same profession.

The expectations are different.

Do I want to live to those expectations?

So, anyways, we got a lot to talk about today, Kelly.

Yes.

And it resonates with everybody, not just business owners, because like you just said, those questions, that question is this what I signed?

This isn't what I signed up for is everything in life.

It's marriage, it's parenthood, it's childhood.

It's everything.

You all.

People say this all the time.

It's an important question to ask yourself or to talk about, because it doesn't have to for business.

It doesn't have to be the only thing you do.

This can just be a chapter, a great chapter, a long chapter, a frustrating chapter, a thriller, a drama, a tragedy.

But it can just be a chapter.

So let's talk about how we make that happen.

And we've talked about how it's not a failure to close your business if that's what you decide to do, or to change your business or to rework your business.

It's acknowledging that you lived that chapter and now it's different.

And so you have to realize what's.

Your life is different.

The business world is different.

So I just had an image in my head when you were saying the.

How they used to ship babies off.

Like, when you couldn't stand your toddler anymore, you would just put it on the train with, like, a stamp, and it would show up at, like, your cousin's house across the country, and they would just take care of your toddler, which I always found hysterical.

And I laugh about when they sign up for that.

Could you imagine if a baby just showed up at your door and you're like, but we should have that with businesses where we could just, like, be like, meh, Right.

Shipping it off.

All right, let's do this.

All right.

Yes.

All right.

Let's talk about the reality of all of this.

We've talked the last couple episodes about the.

The boring parts, the fundamental business strategies, risky businesses, your strategies, and creating your.

Your team around you, whether that's your team in house or people outside that can help you through the goods and the bads times.

But now let's talk about the end and what that looks like.

What is that end goal?

Yeah, I mean, last.

Last episode, that was just us, we talked about growth and whether it's small growth or large growth.

Right.

But eventually you're growing to a point.

There's a.

There's a goal.

So the ultimate goal is you're not going to own this business anymore.

Whether it's you die or you sell it or you close the doors or there's a lot of different ways that can work.

But eventually there.

You're not owning this business anymore.

And it's your job, unfortunately, to know what's going to happen with it.

Right.

And no one talks about that?

No, no.

I think there's like a section we're supposed to put in our business plan about that, but does anybody ever focus on that?

Oh, no.

The exit plan's like, cushy wooshy, right?

Oh, well.

So what's your end goal, Kelly?

If you like, what's your go to?

Like what?

However many years ago away it is, I'm stumbling.

However many years away it is.

What's your goal?

My end goal is to sell successfully and not feel guilt around surrounding that.

That is definitely my goal.

And there is nobody I'm going to be passing this on to.

I've asked.

Nobody's interested in taking this over in, you know, my family.

So this is not something I'm going to be putting in a will so there has to be an end because I would like to retire at some point.

So I'm planning on a Buffalo Bill walking into my restaurant and buying it.

For a million dollars cash.

Okay.

All right.

I, I, I think it's a wonderful goal.

Let's manifest that for you.

So I'm throwing that into today's episode as a gift.

It's an annivers for my husband because that is what my father in law told the previous owner and would happen, which is why I spent so much money buying the damn business.

But here's the thing, Kelly.

Your husband really likes the Buffalo Bills.

I don't think he's going to want to be out of the business.

So if your goal is that the both of you then retire from this, it's not going to happen.

He's going to stay in.

No, the Buffalo Bills are going to buy it.

They're going to take it.

Right.

But I think he's still going to want to be involved.

All right.

Oh, you think it'll reappear.

Oh, so you think.

Yeah, I've seen the way he reacts at games.

He was up so late last night.

If you, you think if a Buffalo Bill walks in and buys the restaurant, he will stay just to be like, all right.

Exactly.

I now work for the Buffalo Bills.

Huh.

Right.

Which, which a bad exit strategy.

It's just not your, well, it's your exit strategy.

It's just not your partner's.

Right.

All right, so maybe a tornado comes through and I get the insurance money.

You know how funny because people talk about that all time.

You know, I think every successful business owner has thought about some tragic event happening so they can just get out with, you know, hands, Hands clean.

Although it's to wash my hands.

It's so messy.

Sorry, sorry.

Yep, it's so messy.

I know as somebody who's lived through a business tragedy and the insurance and how much it costs to actually stay open after that.

Right?

Yeah, it doesn't break even.

But also that's because we were trying to reopen.

So maybe the tornado insurance.

You know what, I gotta talk to my insurance agent.

I bet tornadoes are not covered.

That's a good.

Yeah, probably not.

Floods aren't.

They are if they're caused by a fire.

Learned that anyways.

Okay.

So for reality, I'm not actually going to get tornado insurance money or a Buffalo Bill.

Hey, Bills, I'm in the village gate.

We love you.

Come visit.

Yes.

I'm not passing it to my family.

No, my kids don't want it.

The Ones that could do it aren't going to be old enough for a long time, and I don't think I want it that long.

I don't have an employee that could do it, so I'm not even offering it.

I could sell my assets, right?

I could shut the doors seamlessly and just walk away and sell what I can.

Honestly, it's not that much when you really look at it, you know, you can't piecemeal your booths and your silverware and, you know, what are you going to actually get for it and then.

Or I can sell successfully, right?

Those are your choices.

Those are my choices.

If I'm missing a choice, people, listeners, please let me know.

I like to have all my choices.

All right.

All right.

So really, in any of those scenarios, what does that mean?

Right?

Like, who am I if I'm not.

That Identity crisis, you mean?

Mm.

Oh, it's so hard.

It's so hard.

Um, I think it's another question that comes up is who are you without the business?

I think we put so much into it.

It's terrifying to think of not having it, because what am I gonna do.

With all my time?

I have way too much add to not do anything right.

I think that why it becomes so scary.

I think there's a lot of reasons why it becomes so scary.

Often it's a conversation that happens in secret.

If you're thinking about ending your business, closing your business, selling your business, those are things that you don't really put out into the world for many different reasons.

We can talk about that a little bit later, but.

So you're trying to think about who am I without this business?

That some people have been a part.

It's been a part of their life for 25 years.

It's where they may have met their spouse, where they had children, where so many life events happen in the.

In the time of being a small business owner because you are just.

It is.

Becomes a part of you.

So you're thinking about who are you without it?

And also, we never really get to spend time thinking about who.

Who will we be in that next stage, other than I'm not as exhausted or as in debt.

Maybe.

Well, maybe I'll have.

Maybe they close the business.

I'll have.

We're talking about friendships later.

But, you know, this.

Was the business supposed to be the identity forever or a chapter of it?

Like we said, what's the next chapter?

We often fantasize about what that looks like.

Oh, I'm going to have so much time to go on vacations and lie out in the sun or buy a boat or all that, but, like, practically nobody really puts a lot of stock and time into developing who that person is.

And let's be honest, people don't want to hire business owners.

No, we've had many.

We've had friends, Right?

And we've had friends.

I remember one in particular who was working with a group of people and left and had the hardest time, and she was like, I'm a fucking genius.

Like, what is the problem here?

And it was such a struggle for her to find a job.

Yeah, Guilt.

Guilt is another thing.

That's why we don't talk about it with people.

Right.

You've got loyalty, you've got customers, you've got employees.

And honestly, like, let's be real, if you say that you're going to close your business, which there's been a lot popping up in the past month of businesses that are closing in the future, and I think that's a very dangerous thing to do, especially in hospitality, because now your business is closed.

There's a diner in town that announced it was going to be closing in a couple months and had to repost multiple times that it is, in fact, still open.

Right.

And I'm like, well, you told everybody you were closing, right?

And people don't read everything and their brains don't retain everything, so all they hear is, you're done.

Or they're.

Or they're mad and they don't want to support it, or you lose your staff because they rightfully so need to think about what's next for them.

So it's those moments that just happen in secrecy.

It's so difficult because you can't just put it out there.

There's a.

A very interesting thing that I do think we need to pop in and that is, are we burnt out or are we ready to exit?

I see.

Because being burnt out is fixable, and it just means that your business is not back to the growth strategy.

Right.

Like, your business is not aligning with what you want.

And that's a really great thing to think about, is, is this something that just doesn't fit anymore and needs to change, or is it something that's doing great on its own and is something I can sell or fuck it all, I'm walking away.

Right.

So there's kind of like three buckets.

Yeah.

So if somebody magically could fix all the parts of the business that are exhausting you, would you still want it?

And if the answer is yes, of course, then.

Then There might still be stuff to do, but if somebody comes in and says, we're going to fix the systems, we're going to fix the staffing, we'll make it profitable, you only have to work 10 hours a week and you still are like, yeah, I think I still just don't want this anymore.

It's, it's not, it's time to go.

And then you fix all of those things and sell it.

Side note, go to Ruth's episode about exit plans from last year.

I believe she's amazing.

Yeah, that was super helpful.

So, yeah, let's think about it.

Are we burnt out?

There are parts of my business I am burnt out from.

And Aaron and I have been working as strategically as possible on ways to approach those and fix those.

Yeah.

Whether it's simple fixes or difficult fixes, you know, there's definitely parts.

I'm burnout.

And that's the ebb and flow of business ownership.

Reminding yourself that if you hate your business, let's change it.

Yeah.

I feel like burnout is the moment where you're saying like, I can't do this anymore.

Where exit is more like, I, I don't want this to be my future anymore.

Mm.

I like that.

And I know, I know I feel that way about, about things.

Certain businesses at times and they definitely have a different feeling about some of them.

Yes.

And I think too, there's different points in your life.

Right.

And you know, there are certain businesses we open with expectations in mind and then the world embraces that business and our expectations don't come to fruition because what the world wanted and what we wanted might not be the same thing.

And that's okay.

But guess what?

And like this.

Yeah.

And this weird sense of like going not to go backwards, but this responsibility and obligation are two different things.

And I think we get stuck in that.

Like, ah, I've created this space, I'm responsible.

I've created this, this job for full time job for my employees.

It's responsibility and obligation are two different things.

And you have to be responsible to yourself first because they get to leave and you don't.

Right.

And they could leave tomorrow.

Even, even the favor, even the good ones, your favorites, they could have an amazing opportunity come up and, and we want that for them.

Right.

But you're, you're, you're.

If you got that one person that you just couldn't do it without, this is, that's a problem.

If I have an amazing opportunity come up, I can't take it.

Right.

We've had amazing opportunities come up, and we have not been able to take them.

So let's be real.

Kelly, how much do you think it would cost?

Pick any of your businesses.

How much do you think it would cost to shut your doors?

So it tough because I own my buildings.

So I've.

I've gone through these numbers.

For sure, one business is on the right side of debt, meaning we're not upside down.

We didn't have to take on a lot of debt or we couldn't.

We didn't qualify for a lot of debt for one business.

So we didn't have.

We didn't take a lot of debt during the pandemic, where one.

We did.

So we're on the opposite side of that mortgage, for sure.

Um, but one.

One, I could.

I could close with a.

A reasonable amount of money.

And I also then think, what if I just close and I can't sell or I don't sell or I just need to be done?

What is that going to cost me a month with.

With rent or with my mortgage and my taxes?

And that's about.

Yeah, $6,000 a month.

I could be closed for $6,000 a month without selling anything.

Well, and the pandemic was a great experience for those of us that were in business then, is that I know how much it costs to not be open.

It cost me a minimum of $10,000 to do nothing.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Because then if you're going to factor in, you know, gas and electric and all that stuff that you do have to keep on.

That does.

Yeah.

Yep.

And then all of the back bills that come when you close a business, that's always fun.

You're like, oh, I didn't know that was outstanding.

Or, oh, this insurance payment still has another blah, blah, blah on it, you know, and some of the stuff is nice because down the road, I actually, one of my businesses, I closed.

I think it's been two years now.

And about six months ago, we got an insurance rebate.

Ooh.

We had closed everything.

We couldn't.

We couldn't cash it.

Oh, right.

It was like a really nice little bonus because it cost so much to close.

And we were.

You know, we've been struggling since we closed that business.

And we were like, oh, this is a nice little perk.

But we had to jump through hoops to get.

And I was like, I'm not going to pay to keep a checking account open.

I am definitely not saying that.

Like, we almost had to reopen a business account account just to cash, just to get that and then close it.

Oh, my gosh.

So, yeah, it's not a perk because it actually cost way more money than we got in that little insurance refund.

But.

Right.

You get all these things in the mail, and you're like, wait, what?

Wait, what?

In the state?

Okay.

You owe this.

Wait, what?

And then there's things you have to pay and do with the state, and they fine you for not doing it in time to announce that you've closed and your tax liability and.

Yeah, it's.

Yeah, it spirals.

Yeah.

Yeah, I know.

When.

When the pandemic happened, we were.

We had bills from our opening that we hadn't paid off.

You know, our lawyer had allowed us to say, you know, wait a year.

Wait a year.

And then we can be, you know, we.

He knows us.

So there's like.

All of a sudden, I'm like, I'm not open, and I have this huge bill that I have to pay because I was given grace on this.

Yeah, that's craziness.

Mm.

So, yeah, he needs to know that you need to have.

So if you are gonna walk away, if you are gonna close your doors, if you are gonna transition to something else, how much is that going to cost?

And are you ready to take that debt on?

Or do you have that money saved to cover it?

To cover the transition?

To cover the closure.

If that's what you're doing, Obviously, if you're selling, I mean, it costs money to sell as well.

Don't think that it's going to just cure all your.

Your ails.

Well, and I think it's a.

That's an extra.

There's another.

There's other issues with that.

If you're selling a business or a building, you know, what is that number?

Because I've.

I've looked into that.

I am.

I do have.

I need to know what it'.

What.

What my number would be.

And, you know, for a business that I want to maybe walk away from, they're not paying for sacrifice.

They're not paying for the nights you didn't sleep or the vacations you didn't take.

They're buying an asset that needs to produce value.

And those numbers are very different.

Do I think my business, my building, for everything I worked on, it should be worth $600,000?

Is the building worth that to somebody?

Probably not.

And I have to really look at what number gets me out of debt, out of debt that I'm comfortable being in.

And then what is my wish list?

My wish list number?

Because they're all very Different.

And it's probably going to be somewhere in the middle of those first two.

Yeah.

And you're probably not going to get what you.

What you bought it for.

Or you might not.

Maybe you will.

Maybe you'll get it for twice what you bought it for.

You know, the.

The expectation of that number needs to be put away in a file cabinet somewhere.

Yeah.

And it needs to be a real conversation and a real worksheet, a real Excel document.

Whatever it is you need to do to break down how much this is going to cost you, It's not a failure.

No matter what your choices are for your exit plan.

You opened a fucking business, you ran a fucking business.

You are now a fucking expert at so many things that you don't give yourself credit for.

Exactly.

And we need to stop pretending that every business is supposed to last forever.

Yeah.

And you know what?

Most people can't do it.

So not only is it a success, it's a huge success.

Right.

So I would like to give kudos and applause to everyone out there that has started a business.

Yes.

And I would like to give kudos and applause to everybody who has responsibly ended their business.

We need sound effects.

I don't know if it's going to pick up my clapping, but either way, we were clapping.

I know.

And I feel like I'm looking.

There is a reaction button, but I think that just is emojis, not actual noise.

Like, on my phone.

I can, like, hit a button that, like, is a poop noise or, like, celebration.

It's super fun.

Yep.

All right.

So, yes, we like to say this.

People don't like to hear it.

You need to know your numbers.

This is a number that's very important.

And also your books need to be clean in any of those scenarios, getting hit by a bus and dying tomorrow.

Your books need to be clean for the sanctity of your family, because they're going to have to pick up the pieces and deal with the business, whether it's, you know, closing, getting sold, whatever.

They're going to probably hire somebody.

Somebody's going to do it, but they still have to partake.

So don't make them have to pay somebody to fix all your.

Your messes.

Yeah.

Make sure your books are clean.

And this might be a time to really look at those.

That risk assessment that we've done earlier and make sure you have a CPA or a bookkeeper, because this is the time when you're really thinking about selling.

You need to get somebody in, go through your QuickBooks make sure it's clean, make sure it's clear.

You may find that there you've done your taxes wrong a couple times, but make sure that stuff gets done because they're going to be able to, it's going to be super helpful to just pull up a P and L. You don't need to go.

I think as business owners we're so good at being like, yeah, well, I only made this, but it pays for my phone, it pays for my car, it pays, you know, a portion of my mortgage when, because I work from home.

There's a lot of things we're really good at explaining.

But giving your P and L to a potential buyer and then having a 45 minute dissertation is not a selling factor, people.

It's not, it's not creating a lot of trust there.

So having, putting a little money in and having a CPA or a bookkeeper really go through your books and making sure that's clear.

Even if it's a readjusting past, you know, past years and getting them into different, what are the, what's the word?

When you do in QuickBooks, different accounts and because it's, it's tricky and most of us aren't accountants unless you're an accounting firm.

So we're probably not doing everything exactly right where our accountant can go in and understand what we're doing.

We want that to look, our buyer is going to be people like us.

Right.

So we need that to look clean.

And again, you get hit by a bus and you don't die.

Do you have operating procedures in place?

Does your team know what to do?

Can the business run without you?

Because as somebody that has answered taco related emails while dying in a hospital bed, it's not fun.

No.

And there should be things in place to keep that from happening.

Right.

Because if you are getting hit by a bus and the answer to all of those questions is I'm the only one who can do it.

You have not created a business that can survive without you and you can't.

It's difficult to sell a business that can, can't survive without one person.

Yeah, most people don't want to buy a full time job.

No, no.

They'll realize once they get in it.

I have a friend who purchased a business a year ago and is just continually surprised at how often she's there.

And I'm like, yeah, I mean I.

Feel like I told you maybe once.

Or twice, but yeah, it's, that's, that's.

Nobody goes into it thinking that's how it's going to be, it's just I.

Have a friend that bought a business and is surprised they needed a part time job.

And I was like, you've only had this for a year.

Like you need income.

Yeah.

You need side hustle to start a business.

There's nothing wrong with that.

But yeah, most people aren't trying to buy.

I mean, why did you buy your or why I bought a business?

Whether you bought a business or started a business, you know, when I bought this business, I was looking at my future.

This is what I expected my future to look like.

Right.

I was investing, I knew I was taking a risk.

Right.

Like we had all these conversations and now that I'm in the future and I look back those 16 years, it's different.

It's a different world, it's a different economy, it's a different industry.

So we need to start thinking like them and not like us.

Right.

And make sure your business is aligning.

I know it's tricky, but they have the ability, especially if there's somebody who's in your industry to really look at what other options are out there.

What could this business be and maybe be successful in a different way.

Because even though we may think we've created the perfect business for our space, there might be other options out there.

And just thinking for our industry on its own, Kelly, quick service is what people.

It's quick service and fine dining.

That's where, that's where the people are eating right now.

And that may not be your business plan and that may be a difficult thing for you to transition into.

We've talked about it, but there's a certain.

To really do a rebrand like that, I feel like it needs to be a new person taking over.

I don't have the, the energy for it.

And B, I think there's some customer buy in that just won't fit, won't stick because you're doing the change like there might be something better for your space and that's okay because we're in a different world and I think that's always going to happen over for us.

I am so excited for business owners 10 years from now.

I mean, what a privilege to be able to open a business post a Pandemic.

I feel like you can just do so many things so differently.

Well, and your expectations are so different.

But regardless, you need to think about this.

You need to be real about this.

You need to be honest about this.

You need to write those numbers down.

You need to figure out what it is.

And you need to know, even if you have no intention of selling your business, if something happened and you needed to get rid of it right now, what do you need to get for it?

And you listed those numbers earlier.

You know, you have your realistic market price.

You have your, I just need to get out of debt and you have your, oh, this would be my dream.

This is what I think I could get for it.

Which you probably would.

Yeah.

Very rare.

It's like, it's like having a fancy house that you know is worth a lot of money, but it is only worth a lot of money to a very specific person.

That's what selling a business is going to be like.

All right, need.

You need to know.

And you need to put your ego away.

Yeah.

And on the emotional side, it's, you know, it's not just, how do I get out?

It's what.

What are you making room for?

Like, start thinking about what those potential things could be.

Maybe it's a different business.

Right.

I think for a lot of business owners, it is.

I don't think a lot of people feel like somebody in.

Chelsea Berry was in last night, who's one of my favorite local singers and a dear friend.

And she.

We were just talking about business.

She was doing some.

She was working from, from the restaurant.

And she said, you know, what is what, what, what is the future?

Like, could you ever see yourself.

If ever, you know, this went away, could you see yourself in an office?

Because here we are working together.

She's like, I love this.

Like it was our Oktoberfest.

There was just a lot of happenings around.

She was like, I could work in this environment.

I don't like quiet.

She's like, do you ever think you could be in an office?

I'm like, I don't.

I don't know.

I would struggle more with, with the time frame and like, I need to be at work at what time and I can't leave when I want.

Cause I.

The other day I left the house at 5:30 in the morning and I didn't get home until about 8:30, 9:00'.

Clock.

And I don't mind a day like that.

They're not my favorite.

But I, I'll do the long days, but I Want them when I want them.

And then they work into my schedule.

Well, and then you're like, okay, tomorrow I know I have this 14 hour day, so the next day I'm gonna plan to have, oh, I'll answer emails or I'll do this and I'm gonna take it easy.

Right?

So like, you get to, to plan that.

I have a hard time thinking about what my life would look like because my kids need so much right now and it really does afford me.

Everything I'm doing right now is flexible to my life for the most part.

Right.

So I also have a great support system.

So when I have to do things and I don't have any control and something happens and I have to go in, um, but it's fairly flexible and I'm able to get them to and from where they need to go, what they want to do.

They are all living their best lives.

I'm going to say that for the next 10 years.

They really are.

They really are.

Christ, these kids.

Um, so, yeah, they.

I can't imagine being in a business or working in a business or starting a business that had fixed hours.

Like, I know that's not for me.

That's not even the working for somebody.

Like, I look forward to somebody telling me what to do and then, sure, I do it and I'm done.

Right?

Like I look forward to being done, being like, oh, I'm done for today.

I did all my things right.

I have not.

I have not been done for today in 16 years.

No, no, me neither.

Me neither.

I'm already late on things that haven't even started yet.

So, yeah, I think really getting real about what's holding you back, why you won't talk about it, why you left it cushy in your business plan, why you've skipped over it.

If you've looked at your business plan since maybe you just don't know where to start.

And really, it's your books, yeah, it's your books and your mindset.

Your business is a thing.

It is not a person.

Right?

We turn it into a thing, but it's, it's, it's where we turn it into a person and an identity, but it's not.

And that's okay.

And your business is awesome because you are awesome.

And your business closing does not make you not awesome because you were already awesome to start the awesome business, right?

It's awesome because of you.

It is an extension of you.

It is not you.

So being prepared to separate that extension so that you can go on to more Things.

Right.

If you need to.

If not, that's great.

But you should still have it planned.

Exactly.

Because you could also just get hit by a bus.

Yeah.

Gotta be ready, expect the worst and hope for the best.

We always say about.

Then you keep repeating it.

Let's be real about it.

If you don't have the community where you can have these conversations with somebody, you can reach out to us.

Because you have to have somebody to be able to talk to about this.

Like I said, when you.

If you are thinking about selling or you are struggling, those things have to happen in your own little bubble.

Because it can't.

You cannot just share it with your friends.

Sometimes it's your family.

I know people that have borrowed money from family to start their business and they don't feel like they can talk to them about that.

Sometimes it's a spouse.

They don't feel like they can have those conversations.

You can talk to us.

We are here for you.

We will be real with you.

Yes, we are.

And we will have.

Or we have a checklist ready for you on the website.

You can download, get started.

It's just a brief overview.

Obviously you want to stay as detailed as you can, but for each business, it's going to be different.

But be real with yourself.

Absolutely.

Be honest and it's okay.

Yeah.

And it's going to be great.

No matter what happens, it's going to be great.

I want to make a shirt and it says everything's awesome because I'm awesome.

Okay, I can do that for you.

New shirt idea.

All right.

Yeah.

I'm going to have a whole new line of merch soon, so be ready.

2027 Is just going to be bossy merch soon.

Coming out the wazoo.

I don't know how that the wazoo.

Is it the wazoo?

I don't know, but it's going to be amazing.

It's going to be coming out of our website and it's going to be pretty incredible.

And that website is www.bossyco.com.

Follow us, subscribe.

Hit like, do all of the fun things.

Join us at Bossy.

We have virtual events we have in person.

If you're in the New York area, upstate.

Yeah.

So be bold, be brave, Be the boss.

Be the boss.