The fear and anger evident in a young Simon Bedard were formative factors that lead him many years later to create an advisory business offering sanctuary, structure and safety for business owners: basic human needs that he lacked as a child.
Simon thanks his mentor for turning his life around: from potential ruin to personal triumph over fear, and to now being in a position to give back to a special part of our community.
One of the great sporting challenges of modern and ancient times is the gruelling forty-two kilometre marathon event.
Simon believes running a business is analogous to running a marathon. “The last hundred metres of a marathon should be exciting and a joy. You should be able to walk off the track with your head held high, and be proud of your achievements. It should be the same when you exit your business.
“Most will only ever exit a business once, whether that’s selling it, handing it down, or putting a manager in place, but most business owners don’t know how to navigate the process. They’re experts in their business, but they can find selling quite emotional.
“What makes this interesting, is that people are so much better educated these days, and this creates options in their lives. They’re no longer destined to follow their parents into their business, which is why less than nine percent of businesses make it to the third generation. As a result, selling has become a more common choice these days. Our concern is that business owners are not maximising this part of their journey.
“Some business owners spend their working lives taking risks and making sacrifices, and deserve to be rewarded when they sell. They’ve done the hard yards for a very long time, often with great success. But they need to finish well.