What If I Don’t Want To Grow To Sell?

I am meeting an increasing number of agency and business owners who feel pressurised to ‘Grow to Sell’…. After all, the American Entrepreneurship Dream is a natural progression from the kitchen table to the dining room and into the garage and into a business park and boom you get an offer you can’t refuse.

However, I am speaking to an increasing number of agency owners who don’t fully buy in to the ‘Grow to Sell’ philosophy.

They don’t want to grow for sale. They don’t want even more money because many already have a good lifestyle. And many don’t have the elusive life purpose that so many Facebook gurus drivel on about as part of their too-good-to-be-true, money-back-guaranteed, silver bullet programs.

These business owners are pretty happy with their lot. Nice car, nice house, pretty good lifestyle, and the work-life balance they have chosen to adopt. Yet the gurus, bankers, accountants, consultants, coaches, and business schools all pressurise them to sell. This is possibly because they all get a cut of the takings…

So, is it wrong to not want to grow to sell? No.

Is it wrong to want to keep on running your business? No. There is no shame in adopting a ‘Grow to Keep’ mentality. In fact, it may well be the best option for many.

The whole point of running your own business is that you choose. You choose who you work with and you choose when. Once the business is working properly then, for many, there is little point in selling up. Why would you? To start up all over again in order to get where you already are? Or to buy another house or another car? How many beds can you sleep in at any one time?

It seems that for many, the lowering testosterone and maturing of age takes the rabid ambition and materialistic drive out of people. They want a better lifestyle and that doesn’t mean a philosophy of more, more, more.

So, relax and forgive yourself. There is no crime in not wanting to sell. It’s OK. It’s fine. Enjoy the journey. As my mother says, “It’s better to travel in hope than arrive in vain.” Enjoy the journey.