As a wrap-up to our succession series, retirees share what life is like after selling their businesses.
____________________________________________________________________
Brian Quint has three phases of retirement: go-go, slow-go and no-go.
Right now, he’s in go-go mode since selling his Washington-based Aqua Quip business to Leslie’s. For him and his wife, go-go has included traveling to Ireland, Spain, Italy and Croatia.
“We’re probably traveling 20% of the time,” Quint says. “When I retired, my health was good and has stayed good. We realized there’s a lot of this world to see.”
Other days are spent Dungeness crabbing or visiting his grandkids.
“That’s a priority when we’re not traveling,” he says.
He’s also coaching others in the industry and mentoring students at Seattle University. He admits sheepishly, “I am trying to golf” and also hits the gym five days a week. Quint attributes his active retirement to the fact that he prioritizes movement.
When he’s not volunteering for his synagogue’s board or a senior care organization board, he’s planning his next trip.
“We’re physically able,” he says. “We can go. The only reason we don’t go is because we don’t want to.”
For retirees — especially ones who were tied to a business — the freedom to travel is one of the best perks of retirement.
One thing that’s surprised Kelly King since he sold Mountain Hot Tub is that he’s still busy every day. His favorite aspect of retirement is simple, he says: He does more of what he likes and less of what he doesn’t.
For him and his wife, that means plenty of traveling.
“We’ve been building a new home near Yellowstone Park, which takes up a good chunk of our time,” he says. “We bought a Sprinter van RV and have already put on almost 20,000 miles in the last 12 months. From Baja, Mexico, to Key West, Florida, we have been visiting friends and family that Shirley and I haven’t seen for a long time — some even as long ago as 30 years ago.”
As he approached retirement age, he took the advice of a trusted friend who told him everyone would ask about his plan and that King didn’t need to worry about having one.
Just focus on getting the business sold and close the deal, then everything else will fall into place. I never worried about having a plan. A lot of people feel they need one — maybe they do. But I found that my days are full; I haven’t been bored.”
Kelly King
“Just focus on getting the business sold and close the deal, then everything else will fall into place,” King says. “I never worried about having a plan. A lot of people feel they need one — maybe they do. But I found that my days are full; I haven’t been bored, and it’s been a year since we sold.”
Like King, others find that retirement is filling out their days just fine.
For Sue Rogers, retirement has meant going hours without checking her phone. That wasn’t a luxury she had as a business owner of Oregon Hot Tub. When she sold in 2019, she embraced that she didn’t need to always be available.
Rogers spends her days “fishing all summer” and traveling with her partner.
“We like to say we’re going to hit it hard in our 60s,” she says with a laugh.
The beauty of creating her own days isn’t lost on her either, she says.
“It’s the joy of the randomness,” she says of the happiness she’s finding in retirement. “My life is very full; we’re very busy. It’s just a different way of going through life. I don’t miss the daily grind.”
It’s the joy of the randomness. My life is very full; we’re very busy. It’s just a different way of going through life. I don’t miss the daily grind.”
Sue Rogers
What Rogers does miss, though, is the people she worked alongside for years.
“I really loved the people I worked with,” she says. “I miss that. I’m in touch with some of them. I was blessed the industry gave me some of the best and most authentic friendships. That is really, truly rewarding.”
Dan Carroll, former owner of Seven Seas Pools & Spas, says he spends his semiretired days trying to make up for lost time.
He entered the pool and spa industry at an early age and remembers running pool crews at 14. As he expanded his Pennsylvania-based company, he spent a lot of time away from his family, he says.
“I didn’t have any time to spend with my kids,” he says. “We’re trying to catch up now.”
Carroll, who now owns 27 acres, says he spends a lot of time simply enjoying what his area offers. He’s astounded by the natural beauty he’s missed due to working as hard and as long as he did, he admits.
“I’ve never been in Pennsylvania in the summertime that I wasn’t working,” he says. “It’s absolutely beautiful here. We never got a chance to take advantage of that.”
For those looking to retire soon, Carroll has a directive: “Get your books healthy … know what you need to live comfortably.”
