No. 28. Achieving Clarity

In the past eight months, I wrote and published two companion books about succession planning, one for each generation of the process. But my ultimate goal isn’t to talk you or anyone else into building a multi-owner, multi-generational business that might still be around 30 to 40 years from now, led by younger professionals that you hired, mentored, and sold equity to.

It is quite possible that you shouldn’t do that.

Sometimes selling what you’ve built to another, often larger business, sometimes a competitor, is the better answer. How do you know?

Building With the End in Mind is designed to help you, as a founding owner, figure out how you would like your story to end. As simple as that. You might read about the process, learn what questions you should be asking yourself, and fall in love with the entire process. And you might not. That’s OK if you learn enough to choose a good direction for you. I totally accept that possibility. Helping you achieve clarity is my writing goal.

Acquiring Your Future Through a Succession Plan is for next generation ownership prospects who need to figure out their role in the story – or whether they want to write their own. I wish I was thirty-something years old again (with what I know now!). Today’s next gen professionals are smarter than we were and certainly better informed. That doesn’t make starting a new business any easier, of course. If you’re a next gen professional, I hope that you read my second book in the series and decide to support the business that hired you and trained you. But I also hope that you do what is right for you.  

There is no one right answer or a single best choice above all others for each generation. The point is, if I can help you confirm, or eliminate, one major possibility, then each of your next steps will be that much clearer and more certain. At the very least, two generations will have an open and honest enlightening conversation – maybe for the first time ever!?

Unlike Stephen King, I’ll never make or add to my fortune by writing books. I do it because I love it, and I have something to share based on what I’ve learned and experienced over three plus decades now. I hope you’ll buy one of my books that applies to you and find some peace of mind. Learn what you don’t know and make decisions based on what you want to do. Achieving clarity in this world is a rare thing.  

Thanks for reading,

David Sr.