Friday, it happened again. The call that I get maybe once or twice a year. Each time, I'm flabbergasted (you don't get a chance to use that word much, so had to do it). Here is NOT an exact transcript, but close:
Caller: I'm interested in your listing.
Me: Uh, which one?
Caller: The one that looks like the guy is working only part time.
Me: (Guessing) Oh, you mean the one in St. Louis??
Caller: Yes.
Me: (I tell him a bit about the business, why it is for sale, nothing confidential. He asks for a Non Disclosure Agreement, everything is going along well.) Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
Caller: (Youngish, some money, good job. Married. Wife employed. Get ready for the punch line.) And, so, I just want to get something cheap that I can spend a little time on, part time, not in the evening or weekends, and make a lot of money.
Me: (There was more to it than this.) Good luck.
The first time I heard this reason for owning a business, it really surprised me. A lady came into my office in Kansas City, appeared to be in her early 40's and told me that she had about $50,000 and wanted to buy a business that would pay her "around $100k per year." I told her that was a tall order for a small investment. She said she could settle for less, but what she really wanted was a business... so she could spend Fridays and Mondays at the Lakes. Like that was the rule if you owned a business!
Unfortunately, small business owners, the heart and backbone of America in my opinion, are among the hardest working people I know. They often make really good money, but they also pay attention to their businesses and that sometimes means long hours.
They are devoted to their families, their employees and their customers. They are not in it for "four days at the Lakes." When the income arrives, it is often after several years of effort--but then, the executive who is making good money at a large company has spent several years earning into that job, too.
The small business owners I deal with every day are good people, with justifiable satisfaction for the place they have carved out in this world. They enjoy their work and the experience, and they also enjoy freedom, accomplishment, knowledge that there is nobody else to blame and better financial rewards (not all at once) than they would receive working by the hour.
But it is not for everyone. Obviously.
