Sold my manufacturing business 14 months ago after 31 years. Everyone told me about the financial planning, the bucket list, golf, grandkids. Nobody mentioned the weird part: losing the daily structure and the social contact that came with running a business. I don't miss the stress or the 5am calls, but I miss having a reason to get up and people who needed me to make decisions. The first few months felt like a vacation. Now it just feels quiet. Curious if anyone else hit this and how you dealt with it.
Retirement
The weirdest part about retirement nobody warns you about
The silence is the part that got me. Not literal silence, but the absence of problems that were mine to solve. I sold a distribution company three years ago. For the first six months I kept checking my phone for emails that that weren't coming.
I'm not retired yet, but my father sold his HVAC business and went through something similar. He ended up volunteering at the local community college to mentor trade students. Gave him back some of that structure without the ownership stress.
Structure is a real thing. I ran a small retail chain and sold two years back. What surprised me wad how much of my identity was wrapped up in being the owner. People would ask what I did and I'd hesitate. Took me a while to say 'retired' without feeling like I'd lost something.
I found the opposite. Selling my auto parts business was the best thing I ever did. The quiet was a relief. Maybe it depends on whether yiu liked the work or just liked being in charge.
That's a fair point. I liked the work but hated the admin. After selling, I missed the problem-solving and the people, not the paperwork. I joined a local makerspace and started helping out with their bookkeeping. Nothing formal, just a few hours a week. It filled that gap without recreating the whole thing.
What worked for me was scheduling things that forced me to leave the house and interact. I set up two standing breakfasts a week with other forme owners. Not a networking group, just coffee and talking about whatever. Having it on the calendar made it feel less like I was drifting.
The social contact loss is underdiscussed. I went from talking to 20 people a day to maybe three. My wife noticed before I did. She said I was getting quiet and irritable. I started going to the gym at the same time every morning just to be around people. It helped more than I expected.
The gym idea is interesting. I've been walking the dog more, but that's not the same as conversation. I might try the standing breakfasts. I think I need something with a bit of obligation to it, otherwise I'll just keep putting it off.