TLDR: I’m taking the next six months off from paid work. They Got Acquired is still here to help founders while I’m away, via our course and our broker/advisor recommendations.
Since the pandemic—and if I’m being honest, probably since becoming a parent 10 years ago— I’ve been running from one thing to the next, trying to keep all the plates spinning.
And especially over the last two years, I’ve felt like I’m failing at everything. Except for parenting. I’m doing a great job as a parent. But I feel like I’m failing at everything else.
I’m tired of feeling like I’m always falling short. On bad days, I wonder why I can’t seem to balance everything, when parents around me seem to be doing it.
But most of the time, I know the problem isn’t me. It’s that I’m trying to do too much. I’m only one person, and I can only spin so many plates without dropping some.
So I’m trying something drastic. A big experiment. For the next 6-8 months, I’m stepping away from paid work.
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Truthfully, I don’t really want to drop this particular plate; I love building businesses.
But when I look at all the plates I’m spinning, it’s the best choice—maybe the only choice—for putting one down. I can’t put down the kids or the household. I don’t want to put down my health or my marriage.
For the last two years, I’ve been telling myself that never having a full week of work was temporary.
Between school being closed for snow and tornadoes, doctor’s appointments and illnesses—my husband and I joke about how the full work week doesn’t really exist.
This is the reality for working parents: we’re expected to operate like we have 40 hours/week of childcare, but in reality, we never do. Every week we’re figuring out a new plan. Every week we’re regrouping.
Regrouping again and again is truly a superpower! It requires flexibility, persistence, patience, and eternal optimism.
My regrouping muscle is tired. I’m done waiting for things to become more manageable—and finally ready to accept that this is normal.
Things will always come up. I won’t get more work time next week or next month. I won’t magically find more time to take care of myself. I will keep feeling frustrated until I put down one of my plates.
At the same time, my household admin is increasing this year, because we’re preparing to move to a town in a different state. And I really want to put more energy into my health.
Plus, I want to have the bandwidth to truly enjoy these years with my kids! They’re 10 and 8, and I know this phase won’t last forever. I want to be present for it.
So instead of trying to brute-force my way through it (again)…
And telling myself I can do it all, and then feeling bad when I can’t…
I’m taking a different approach: thoughtfully making space.
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Here’s how I know this is the right approach for me this year: I started moving in this direction, and I already feel such relief.
A few weeks ago, I took my kid to compete in the science fair—on a Thursday. Normally I’d try to enjoy the day while also squeezing in work here and there, and then come home and try to catch up on work in between dinner, homework and bedtime.
If you’re not a parent, this might be hard to envision why this is challenging. Why couldn’t I just take one day off?
Because it’s not just one day. It’s one day here, then another day there, then another week here and another week there. I have balanced caretaking with work for so many days and weeks over the last few years—and I’m so. over. it.
But back to the science fair. This time, because I’d already started to put work on the back burner, I just… enjoyed the experience. I didn’t worry about neglecting work projects. I just breathed in the day. It was so lovely to be fully present. (And my kid won a medal!)
That’s what I’m going for with reducing my load: presence. Less overwhelm, less stress, and more joy.
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I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how absolutely fortunate I am to be able to take off from paid work to begin with. I am so grateful.
It’s not because They Got Acquired has done particularly well financially over the last four years; in fact, the business still has a long way to go to reach my goals.
For years, I told myself I couldn’t take a break until I hit them. So I kept trying to do all the things—like a rat on a wheel, grinding away but not making much progress.
And then I realized: I could take a break even if I hadn’t met my goals. I had worked hard, and I deserved rest, even if I didn’t achieve as much as I wanted.
And at this point, since pushing through was no longer working for me, not trying something different would actually be the failure.
I’m curious about what happens if I stop trying to do it all, and instead loosen my grip. And I’m optimistic that new opportunities will grow in that space.
So how can I afford to take off that much time from earning money?
I wish I could say it’s because They Got Acquired will consistently bring in revenue while I’m off. But we’re not there yet.
The reason I’m fortunate to take time off is because 1) my husband works (he runs a course business) and 2) we saved a lot of the money from my two exits over the last decade, and those investments have grown over time.
If that money isn’t for taking a break when I need one, what’s it for?
So what will happen to the company while I’m on break?
Honestly, you probably won’t even notice I’m gone. Between smart automations and a small, competent team, the brand will keep on chugging.
They Got Acquired will continue to help founders in these three ways:
1. Our course, The Exit Playbook, is available on-demand.
Creating this resource was my way of cloning myself this year. Even while I’m on break, founders who want to increase the value of their business will have the tools to do so.
2. Our newsletter will still arrive in your inbox.
You’ll still hear from us every week with tips for building a business you can sell and stories of founders who’ve done it. Sign up here if you don’t get our newsletter already.
We won’t report new stories during this time. While I don’t write our stories—I work with a small team of reporters who are fantastic at this—I am the editor in that process. So we’re taking these months off from new reporting.
But here’s the cool part: we have so much helpful content after 4 years of creating—350+ stories on the website, 20+ podcasts, 12+ reports, and so many other free resources—that we can easily repurpose in a way that’s insightful for founders. This is a great opportunity to resurface stories and advice that haven’t gotten enough air-time.
3. We’ll still match founders with vetted brokers, advisors and bankers.
Our founder-advisor matching service is such a valuable free service for founders. This week a founder who we matched with an advisor signed off his email to me with, “TGA is amazing.” So we’ll keep that going strong, even if it means I need to pop into my email once in a while.
That means if you want a recommendation for an advisor, broker or banker who can help you sell your business, you should ask us!
In fact, if you’re a long-time reader of our newsletter who’s finally looking to sell, asking us for a recommendation is a great way to support us. (Advisors pay us when the matches work out, which is how we keep this free for founders.)
And perhaps most importantly…
I’m also planning to take this year to think about where They Got Acquired goes next.
While the brand has grown significantly over the last few years, it’s still not where I’d like it to be. We have reach and resonance, but the business model isn’t there yet. We aren’t making enough money.
The obvious play has always been to either become a brokerage or join forces with one, and maybe that will be the move for 2027.
But I also want to step back and regroup on whether it’s worth continuing it at all, and if so, how could I set better expectations around growing at a pace that better fits into this life phase?
Lots to think about. If you’ve followed me for any part of my nearly-20-year online career, you know I process by writing—when I have the brain space.
So I might end up writing a lot during this time off. The best way to keep up with that is by following me on LinkedIn.
Or I might not write at all. I might use any extra time to play with AI. Or get offline entirely, read lots of books, hike more miles and coach my kid’s robotics team.
I’m officially granting myself permission to just see where these months take me. Thanks for your support!