Business and stress

Part of the reason for preparing your business for sale is stress management or stress reduction. The underlying theme of this website is selling a business without stress. There will be very few looking forward to feeling that stress.

In an effort to provide an understanding about stress and how it relates to selling a business, expert advice was sought. The expert consulted was Dr. Paul J. Rosch, MD, FACP. In addition to being a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the New York Medical College, he is also President of The American Institute Of Stress , and Honorary Vice President of the International Stress Management Association.

In order to get the ball rolling, Dr. Rosch was sent several questions related to stress and the process of selling a business. He answered the questions. The questions and answers will appear shortly in their entirety. This method has some shortcomings in that the quality and amount of information elicited this way is directly related to the quality of the questions. Particularly as Dr. Rosch is a clinician and has little or no experience in selling a business. He couldn't make up better questions and then answer them.

How would you rate the stress level associated with a business owner selling a business? Explain.

Impossible to answer since stress is different for each of us. Things like a steep roller coaster ride that is terrifying for some can be highly pleasurable for others. Similarly, one seller might be a small business owner who worked hard all his life to establish a reputation and successful operation. He is now forced to sell it at a loss and is also concerned about the fate of employees who are close friends he has worked with for years. Cannot compare him with the owner of a large business with hundreds of employees at different sites, the vast majority of whom he has never met. Now has a buyout offer that will return a large profit and provide lifelong security.