I had the chance to sell my business about a year ago at age 38. It would have easily allowed me to retire, and we went to the 9th inning on the deal (lots of lawyer, tax lawyer, appraisal and accountant bills). In the end the money was right, and had I been older I'm pretty sure it would have been a slam dunk.
We're at that place right now. Final 3 weeks of contract negotiation. Due diligence finished, 2 on-site visits, accounting audit, gobs of documentation, attorney and accountant fees, etc., as well as an enormous amount of time and emotional investment to get here. Plenty more to go in the next few weeks.
In general, I would be almost relieved if things fell through. I would be somewhat disappointed about dealing with the roller-coaster highs and lows of the process and jumping through all the hoops.
But if it falls through, I have a much clearer picture of the future than if it closes. In that case, I really have many question marks about what I'll do in the future.
Maybe next time I'll pull the trigger but for now I guess I'll remain a "Young Dreamer".
I can honestly say that the best part of the sale process is sitting back in my Jacuzzi, listening to iTunes and dreaming about the feeling of having enough money to retire wealthy, with security for me and my family. No more worries, just take the kids to school in the morning, hit the gym, lunch with the wife and/or friends, watch movies in a sweet home theater, float on a pool float sipping a pina colada, etc.
I guess that the best part of anything is the dreaming phase. Like Mr. Spock once said on Star Trek: "After a time, you may find that
having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as
wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."