Preparing For My Sunset Years:
Part 3 of 5 - The Farewell Tour
Realization #2 on the morning after my 54th birthday was that I have been an entrepreneur for twenty-eight years.
Wow, that’s not a New York minute. Feels more like two or three lifetimes! I lost track of how many companies I’ve started and sold, but it probably is somewhere in the 30/10 vicinity.
This was quickly followed by a question. How much longer do I want to be an entrepreneur?
This is the very first time that this question had ever entered my mind and believe when I say, it was not because I was pondering retirement. That is not even the slightest of my considerations at age 54.
My very next thought was, what else would I do? This was quickly answered by, I haven’t always been an entrepreneur!
The first two decades of my life, I was an athlete with a very specific dream. I accomplish the dream and then took that journey as far as my body, skill sets and determination could take me. It culminated with me walking on to a Division I college basketball team for a year and playing Division III football at the University of San Diego for another year. Not bad for a kid with very few fast twitch muscles and no jumping ability.
The day I officially hung it up as an athlete I became a pre-entrepreneur. I spent the next five years of my life preparing to work for myself. I consumed books on the subject, secured the right mentors, landed the perfect job where I could learn how to become one. I gained invaluable experience. 
When I felt that I was finally ready, I asked the two co-owners of the company I worked for out to lunch. My plan was to inform them face-to-face that I was leaving to start my first company. I wanted to thank them and give them an opportunity to share their feelings about my decision. I felt that I owed them both that, because they were also my mentors, for whom I would always be grateful.
I was so nervous. I am sure it showed. I expected to be yelled at and seen as ungrateful and selfish. There might even be violence. My boss was the size of The Mountain from “Game of Thrones”, so this was no laughing matter. This was what my Ego told me would be the result.
When I finished confessing, they both looked at each other seriously, making me even more nervous and anxious, and then they both broke out in a roar of laughter.
I asked them what they were laughing at and they said, “We thought you were ready a year ago! What took you do long?”
I left that meeting with the confidence that I was on the right track, warmth in my heart for leaving the right way and surprisingly, my first client. That’s right! After hearing what my start-up was going to focus on, they offeredered to be my very first client. They are both still dear friends today.
Boy oh boy did my Ego get that result wrong! 😎
That day I recieved the last paycheck that I would get from an employer for the next 28, or wait…..is it 30 years?
As one of my idols, Howard Roark would declare’ “I am going to do my work, my way!” And I have been, for 28 years!
On the morning of my 54th birthday, the only question I had for myself was when? When would I conclude this epic journey?
To my surprise, I had perfect clarity on my answer. Even more importantly, I was certain that my answer emanated from my Soul, not my Ego. Why? Because my Ego was screaming at me that we should never stop being an Entrepreneur.
My Ego screamed, “This is who we are? We will need to become a nobody to become a somebody again? We are too old to start over. We have it so good, let’s just stay this way till we die. Besides, we like being wealthy. We will run out of money. We’ll end up poor! Is this what we want, to be poor again?
The Soul tends to whisper while the Ego talks first, loudest and most often. Given this, it can be challenging to hear its wisdom over all the noise. I have to admit I was a bit surprised that my Ego admitted that we were once poor, but that’s another story for another day.
Let’s not pretend that the Ego is not the only voice in our head. Reinvention is scary to most people. If you are not the one attempting it, scorn is often the overwhelming emotional reaction by others. In fact, I would bet $1 million right now that at least a few of you are thinking that there’s no fucking way I will ever give up being an entrepreneur! Don’t feel bad. This has become human nature these days.
Did you guys see how much scorn Beyonce got for putting out a country album? Geeze, you would’ve thought she killed somebody! And she didn’t even change professions, just musical genres. She must have felt pretty darn good standing on that stage becoming the first black woman to win a Grammy for Country Album of the Year. But I digress, because this is not a story about proving others wrong (at least not yet🤣!)
Finding the courage to fight through all the resistance, doubt, and fear is the path forward. I know this. Heck, I taught this for seven years as a personal development, coach and for the last 25 years as a mentor.
So, these type of Ego served thoughts did not influence me in any way. But, I did very much listen to and appreciate my Soul affirming what I was feeling.
My Soul said….We’re nearly done!!!
But what does that even mean? I’m nearly done! At first blush, it sounds like indecision. But it wasn’t. Just like dedicating five years to being a pre-entrepreneur wasn’t a period of indecision either. 
If you are not following, allow me to explain. I have two companies (my businesses with properties in Hawaii) that I need to bring to a successful conclusion before I can transition. Anyone that knows me well knows that there’s no fucking way I would ever abandon my employees and investors without a win!
Now, from experience, some may disagree with the when, the how, the what, the where and to whom of it (also human nature) but the job of any leader is to deliver the best result possible given all the factors that go into an exit.
The exciting part is that I know exactly how I am going to do it. I just need to execute my plan and refuse to lose. When I do that, everyone will be handsomely rewarded and I will be ready to end my journey as an entrepreneur.  It’s not about having more, it’s about going out on top with big wins. I refuse to lose, especially this being my Swan song as an entrepreneur. I am all in and then some!
Fortunately, timing is aligned cause both of my real estate syndications have five year terms. We just entered year three for both. This means that my job is to find a buyer for both properties within the next two to three years. I believe that I can pull it off in two but won’t rush it if a better result takes three years!
So, I set my goal to complete my career as an Entrepreneur by my 56th birthday. That will complete a beautiful 30 year run! 
With my health put first and a timeline to begin my Sunset Years, it’s time to reveal what I’m manifesting for this upcoming period in my life.
Are you ready for Part 4 of my story?
