When I meet a new advisor and tell them that I speak about the psychology of business owners and how to make it easier for them to let go when the time comes to exit their business, they usually groan and say something like “Good grief, I spend half my time in every deal playing a part-time psychologist for my...
I was at a networking cocktail party two weeks ago and the investment banker I was talking to kept checking his phone. He apologized at one point, explaining that his wife was driving to another state with his daughter who was starting college the following week. He was, understandably, nervous about them being on...
I was talking to my massage therapist the other night about a workshop called Courageous Choices that I led recently for a group of senior executives. I was preparing them to exit their companies and discover a legacy beyond just money. Helping people make courageous choices is at the heart of what I do as a...
Last week I was talking with a banker about how to save a deal of his that was spiraling out of control. It seemed the Seller had become less and less responsive over the past several weeks and then, suddenly, threw up a wacky deal term out of nowhere that threatened to kill the deal. The entire deal team was left...
In many of Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts comic strips, Linus' security blanket is prominently featured. Linus loves his blanket, carries it everywhere, often while sucking his thumb, and is not embarrassed by it. He cannot survive without it and really suffers when it is being washed. However, in...
"What do you do?" a man at the cocktail party asks me, glancing at my name tag. Those four simple words and the answer they elicit could be a doorway into a meaningful conversation. "About what?" I want to reply, but I know that isn't the question he thinks he is asking me. My thoughts were already falling back...
I've been talking a lot about two topics lately - significance and legacy. On the day I got married, I had a few blessed hours alone before the hubbub of the day began. Given that I am bent toward reflection, I went for a meditative walk along the Potomac River. Contemplating what lay before me that day and...
It doesn't matter if you've just made a huge windfall in your 30's, turned 50 and hit your original financial "freedom" goal or are nearing 70 and have achieved the external markers of success. Leaving is harder than it looks. ***** "When we close these next two deals, then I'll have the financial security I...
