Author here.
Happy to answer take any feedback and answer any questions about this post.
replies(9):
Your worst case is you lose the deal and the time and money you spent on it, and their worst case is they are fired and lose their healthcare (that is how it works in America right?), is that correct?
>Your worst case is you lose the deal and the time and money you spent on it, and their worst case is they are fired and lose their healthcare (that is how it works in America right?), is that correct?
Yeah, I get that perspective.
As I said, I don't think there's any good solution here. I don't think it's fair for me to hand the company over to someone who might just fire the employees, but I also can't promise to keep everyone in their role forever regardless of a sale.
For added context, everyone at the company worked part-time, generally a max of 20 hours per week. Some were contractors who had multiple clients, others were founders with their own side projects, and others worked part time because they wanted to focus on other things in their personal life. Nobody had healthcare insurance through the company.
So, in the worst case of an owner coming in and firing everyone, it would suck, but it's also not like anyone would be like, "Oh no! I just bought a new house on the expectation that I'd be at the company for the next 20 years!"
The worst case for me isn't just that I lose some time and money. I was terrified of not being able to sell the company by the time my son was born. I was the sole founder and manager, so I can't exactly say, "Okay, I'm going to take a few months of paternity leave. Pay yourselves and our vendors while I'm gone." So I'd be probably in a position of letting down both the team and my family trying to keep the company afloat while becoming a new father.