Peckin’ Away
February 2025
Can you love something to death?
The answer is a strong “YES.”
As an Old Codger (OC)
I’ve been part of and observed organizations/businesses that have been “loved to death.”
It usually happens because the founder/leader of the organization is so intimately and forcefully involved in the day-to-day operations that they have a death grip and can’t let go, oftentimes when it’s to the detriment of the business.
Sometimes it means that the owner chokes out the younger family members/management by not allowing them to make decisions they think are best for the business. That can cause resentment and may lead to them abandoning the business or, even worse, staying in and poisoning from the inside out.
Founders of businesses often have their identities tied up in the business and can’t imagine what life looks like without the daily routine of running the operation. That’s not healthy for the founder or the business.
We’re all mortal and one day the founder won’t be able to show up (death, age or disability) and our “love” for the business may have killed it because there is no plan for succession and we leave behind an orphan, a business that can’t make it because it has no one prepared to hand off the baton of ownership.
Passing the baton of ownership is necessary for a business to survive.
Having been a relay race runner in my younger days at Clarendon High School, I know it takes practice and preparation to hand off a baton. You can’t
stop and casually hand it off or the race leaves you in the dust.
If you read this and recognize yourself, then click this link (CLICK HERE to take our FREE 13-minute assessment.) and begin the process of planning for your exit, before you love your business to death. There is no charge for this assessment, and you’ll find out how your business measures up to similar types and get a range of values that can help you determine if your business is ready to sell.
And that’s all I have to say about that…….
The Old Codger
